[ozzy]

I was just finishing up my walk last night with Ozzy my 17 pound Australian Terrier when I spotted a couple of people with two off leash dogs in the grass off the side walk. I was almost home and I live in a condo complex so this was one of the grassy areas. There are leash laws here so nobody should have been off leash. Well out of nowhere one of the dogs which looked like possibly an American Bulldog or some kind of bulldog or pitt mix came barreling at us.

The owner of the dog actually started screaming Oh sh*t in a panicky voice like he knew this was bad. If you know this about your dog HOW CAN YOU HAVE IT OFF LEASH? I am normally calm when a dog runs up but this was different, I freaked and started yelling to get his dog but it was too late he grabbed Ozzy and was tearing into him. I was really screaming by now to get his dog off and somehow he did. Ozzy was shaken up but he looked ok and so after mumbling sorry several times the guy just walked off quickly. I did not chase him down because I was in shock but I can't believe he just walked off.

I put Ozzy down to try and walk home and he could not walk. I carried him home and he had a couple of punctures on his belly. I took him to the vet and spent several hours there while they worked on him. Now he has a tube in him and stiches with the e-collar and two different meds. He is a shell of himself and won't walk. He has not eaten any food or had any water in 24 hours. I think I need to call the vet back because they said he should eat last night.

I am just sick and have already shelled out 1k. I know what building this guy lives in but not what apartment. Should I call animal control? it is of course his word against mine, do I have any chance of getting my costs covered?

And poor Ozzy..

 

[Inga]

I would absolutely be calling animal control. This man had no right to have his dog off leash in a public area especially if it is dog aggressive. The fact that he yelled what he did suggests he knew exactly what the dog was going to do. Whether they can get money for your vet bills or not, I have no idea but they should have the bite on record and go talk to the man if they can. If the ACO there is like ours she will probably be knocking on doors asking who owns those dogs. Good luck to little Ozzy, I hope he recovers quickly. That is a scary thing and I hate hearing such stories so darn often. WHY CAN'T PEOPLE BE RESPONSIBLE WITH THEIR DOGS?

 

[ozzy]

Thank you Inga..

I am planning to call AC and I probably should not have waited so long but I was in the vet all night and then working all day today. I am still working till 6 but then I will be calling the vet back and calling AC. If they are closed then first thing tomorrow. Maybe they can find the man if I give them the building..I am not much up for confrontation.

And this goes beyond vet bills, I had plans for a business trip and my mom was going to watch Ozzy but now he cannot be there because her dog will not leave him alone (They love to play) so I am going to have to board him at the vet. I have a normal doggy daycare but no playing and he is injured so he will have to live in a cage for two days. And that is added $$

I do want this man to pay for being so stupid. I love dogs and I always defend those kinds of breeds but people should not own them that don't know how to handle them. It blows my mind it was off leash!!

And it was traumatic too. Ozzy is suffering and I am still stressed out and shaken up 24 hours later. That's why I had to come here and vent...

 

[pugmom]

Thank you Inga..

I am planning to call AC and I probably should not have waited so long but I was in the vet all night and then working all day today. I am still working till 6 but then I will be calling the vet back and calling AC. If they are closed then first thing tomorrow. Maybe they can find the man if I give them the building..I am not much up for confrontation.

And this goes beyond vet bills, I had plans for a business trip and my mom was going to watch Ozzy but now he cannot be there because her dog will not leave him alone (They love to play) so I am going to have to board him at the vet. I have a normal doggy daycare but no playing and he is injured so he will have to live in a cage for two days. And that is added $$

I do want this man to pay for being so stupid. I love dogs and I always defend those kinds of breeds but people should not own them that don't know how to handle them. It blows my mind it was off leash!!

And it was traumatic too. Ozzy is suffering and I am still stressed out and shaken up 24 hours later. That's why I had to come here and vent...

I"m so sorry for Ozzy and I hope that he heals soon.....I hate apartment complexes....

This is really not a breed issue...its a DA dog with idiot owner issue.....If you have a DA dog OF ANY BREED it should not be off leash in public PERIOD!

Sending healing vibs to porr Ozzy

 

[Cheetah]

Good god. This must be "IRRESPONSIBLE Dog Owner Week!" My boyfriend's dog got attacked yesterday on a walk. Ugh!

I'm sorry about your dog and hope he heals soon.

 

[tirluc]

poor Ozzy....i hope he recovers well and i hope you can get some compensation from the owner....good luck, and HUGS, Ozzy from the BC clan....

 

[Independent George]

Do you own your condo, or are you renting? Either way, it's definitely something that needs to be brought up before the board. It's easier if you're an owner, but, either way, the board is responsible for any issues within the complex. I'm willing to bet that there's a leash requirement in the bylaws. If you recognize the owner and the building, the board should be able to help you identify the person/unit.

In Cheetah's thread, I advised documenting everything. I know you're stressed right now, but it's really important to get everything written down now while it's still fresh in your head.

 

[pugmom]

Do you own your condo, or are you renting? Either way, it's definitely something that needs to be brought up before the board. It's easier if you're an owner, but, either way, the board is responsible for any issues within the complex. I'm willing to bet that there's a leash requirement in the bylaws. If you recognize the owner and the building, the board should be able to help you identify the person/unit.

In Cheetah's thread, I advised documenting everything. I know you're stressed right now, but it's really important to get everything written down now while it's still fresh in your head.

I agree 100% with this.....write everything down you can...pictures too.....was there anyone else that might have seen that could help you?

 

[digits mama]

Poor baby..He has been through so much........And so have you.

I hope that guy pays for what he has done.

You 2 are in my thoughts....

 

[Leroy&Lucy'sMom]

I'm sorry about Ozzy getting attacked... how horrible. I hope he heals soon.

 

[DuckyNDogs]

If you know the apartment building you can always do a little surveillance. Or, and what I would likely do, is make up flyers asking for information about those dogs and and owner (I would put specifically in the flyers that you need up to date shot info) and ask anyone with information on which apartment those dogs live in to send you an email. Then tape it to every apartment door in that building.

If they are bad dogs (and they sure seem to be) someone in the complex has had enough of their crap to turn over the info to you, without a doubt.

Good luck, and I really hope your pup gets better.

 

[ozzy]

Hi All

Just got back from the vet again. Ozzy was dehydrated and having problems with the antibiotics he was on. He has been super lethargic today and is back in his bed now after getting some fluids.

I drove by the building of the owner today and wrote down the number. I just don't know which apartment he is in but that was a great idea to check with the board since all dogs here are required to be registered. I own my unit but some people rent and if he is a renter I am not sure how much the board can do but I will definitely contact them. I had never even thought of that...

I am calling AC first thing tomorrow morning too. Now that I am getting over my stress I am getting mad..

And I am not against any breed. I blame the owner not the dog. I only named the breed and my dog's breed so you could get an idea of the size difference. Also some breeds have stronger personalities and need an owner who knows what they are doing and this guy just didn't.. that's what makes me so furious.

Another question, do you think my dog could become dog aggresive from this?
He had an incident last year at the dog park where a great dane chased him and scared him but he has been totally fine ever since. This was just so much worse and I am really nervous it might affect his personality. He goes to doggy daycare and is best friend's with my mother's dog and I just want him to stay as sweet as he is.

 

[CorgiKarma]

Situations like these are just ridiculous. Really. It makes me nervous to walk my dog because of unresponsible owners like this. I would definetly report him.
Keep us updated!!!

 

[digits mama]

Its hard to tell right now..but take baby steps with him when introducing him to other dogs... How did Ozzy act when you brought him to the vet? were there other dogs around?

 

[JohnnyBandit]

I am sorry your dog got attacked. Hope he makes a speedy recovery.

He might be a little edgy with strange dogs moving forward.

A couple of things I would do.....

First I would not coddle him or over fuss over him. Sure he is injured and you need to take care of him. But treat him and act around him as if nothing happened. Dogs feed off their owners. If you baby him, over worry, feel sorry for him, he will know things have changed.

Next.... When he is healed up, I would re introduce him to other dogs in a controlled environment. Make sure it is with reliable dogs that are well socialized.

 

[ozzy]

I called AC and they took a report. Now they say they will talk to the guy but first I have to figure out where he leaves. Contacting the condo association was a great suggestion! I did that this morning and they are looking into and going to try to find out who the owner is. Everyone is required to register their dog here but of course this guy may have just skipped that part

Hopefully I can find out who he is and hopefully he does the right thing and reimburses me for the vet bills.

Ozzy is doing a little better, not great but more perky than yesterday. I think he will be okay with other dogs, there was one at the vet and he wagged his tail at it, it was the most life I had seen out of him all day so hopefully that is a good sign. I just don't want him to become fearful or aggresive in any way. Right now he is the biggest sweetheart.

 

[flipgirl]

Thank you Inga..

I am planning to call AC and I probably should not have waited so long but I was in the vet all night and then working all day today. I am still working till 6 but then I will be calling the vet back and calling AC. If they are closed then first thing tomorrow. Maybe they can find the man if I give them the building..I am not much up for confrontation.

And this goes beyond vet bills, I had plans for a business trip and my mom was going to watch Ozzy but now he cannot be there because her dog will not leave him alone (They love to play) so I am going to have to board him at the vet. I have a normal doggy daycare but no playing and he is injured so he will have to live in a cage for two days. And that is added $$

I do want this man to pay for being so stupid. I love dogs and I always defend those kinds of breeds but people should not own them that don't know how to handle them. It blows my mind it was off leash!!

And it was traumatic too. Ozzy is suffering and I am still stressed out and shaken up 24 hours later. That's why I had to come here and vent...

Yes call Animal Control...my dog got attacked by another off leash dog and because I felt bad for the owner, I thought, we can work something out and she can pay the vet bills. But the more I thought about it, this could happen again and it could be a child the next time. The dog came from across a large field just to attack my little dog. You could go to the owner and say here are the bills I've paid so far to treat my dog - the only thing you can do in terms of getting your money back is to either ask him and hope he's a normal person with a conscience who will reimburse you for your vet bills. Or sue him in small claims court. At least that was what I was told where I live in Canada. I did end up reporting them to Animal Control - I don't think they had a limit as to the time period of when I had to report it but they did say that the sooner the better as punishment usually is more effective that way. Anyway, they got charged $120 for the dog being off leash and $270 for the attack. The AC guy went to their house and gave them a speech on leashing their dogs and gave them their tickets. In this situation, I would hope that it would have hit them hard as they claimed to have no money. I'm not trying to sound vindictive but, apparently, this dog attacked another small dog previously and it wasn't reported. So the owners didn't learn.

I hope your guy recuperates and that you can get this guy to pay for his crime. Even if the dog was a chihuahua, the owner has the responsibility to control his dog whether it be with strict training or a leash. Good luck and let us know what happens....

 

[MarleyandMe]

His word against yours? You have the dog with the wounds, he has the dog with the teeth that created them.

 

[pugmom]

His word against yours? You have the dog with the wounds, he has the dog with the teeth that created them.

I think what they mean is..How do you prove it was his dog and not another random dog....

OP, its nice that your condo assoc. is going to try to help you

 

[Max'sHuman]

Oh my gosh poor Ozzy! I hope he makes a speedy recovery both mentally and physically.

I myself would be after this jerks jugular because I have no sympathy for him. If your dog is DA and you are aware of it you should never ever ever ever ever ever have him/her off leash. I don't care if it's a tiny chihuahua or a great dane, that is inexcusable. I do kind of feel bad for his dog though, it's not totally his fault his owner is an ass. I hope this guy gets what's coming to him and pays your vet bills. ((hugs)) to you and Ozzy.