Prayers Needed

[persephone]

he sounds as if he is in good hands *fingers crossed the leg will eventually heal. *

[Loraine]

Good grief, just when you think your dog is safe in his own yard

I am so sending healing thoughts and prayers out for Tyson. I hope he does not have to lose his leg and I hope the owners of the other dogs get the book thrown at them.

[Kelza]

Poor Tyson, Glad to hear he wagged his tail, I hope there is more good news on Monday.

[Erny]

Pockets - I hope Tyson makes it through and is able to recover smoothly and swiftly. Must have been terrifying.

That's awful! So sick of irresponsible owners causing so much damage (and I mean the 2 strays owners of course). I hope he will be okay.

Spottychick - so am I. But one thing that niggles in my mind when I read these stories and comments made without knowing history/story. And that is, could the owners have reasonably known it was a likely, plausible thing to happen?

I'm speaking generally, and what I mean is : Were the fences in a good state of repair and sufficient to reasonably be able to be expected to house whatever dogs it is that they have? Perhaps this was a 'first time' event where the dog decided to dig, yet perhaps had never done so before? Should anyone who has any dogs always go to putting down concrete footings along the whole of their fence line, on the "just in case" even though their dog might not ever in its lifetime have made or shown any attempt to move beyond its own yard?

There was a poster here on DOL who I think had taken on a rescue. Six foot high fences, secure in every way. Not a tall dog. But turned out he was a Houdini and was able to scale massive heights. Should that new owner have somehow known in advance, or could she be excused for the fact that it took 'once' to evidence the 'unlikely', and from there to modify things to accommodate and prevent?

I ask these questions of others and also of myself. Because have I covered every possible angle of escape by my own dog from his yard? I think so, within "reason". But if it did happen that he escaped his yard, even though he's shown no signs of wishing to even attempt to, am I to be held as being guilty of being "irresponsible" ?? Would it be different if my dog got out and did no damage? Am I only "irresponsible" if my dog does do damage? (Remember, I'm talking 'first offences' here.) Do I have to have a crystal ball to be able to escape such a label in the future?

I am sure that if my dog was savaged through no fault of his own, especially in his own back yard, that I would be angry. I'm not sure exactly how I would react or feel beyond that and I am not defending any dogs here, but I am seeing often cries of "put the dogs down!!" even well before anyone even has an inkling of what has really occurred. And I hear cries of "irresponsibility" when I wonder, could those owners have reasonably foretold this?

In this instance, maybe they could have known. Maybe they are irresponsible.

But who are we to know, at this point of time?

Just read update, Pockets, and I'm so glad that there is hope for Tyson and I will keep my fingers crossed the Vets are able to help save his leg. Sending healing thoughts from here.

Edited May 14, 2010 by Erny

[tdierikx]

My furkids send happy healing wags to Tyson... keep wagging sweet man!

T.

[Pockets]

Thanks

From my last visit the fence was a standard, secure normal height box pailing fence When everything has calmed down I will obviously get full details and let everyone know, but for now its too raw and the main concern is getting Tyson on his feet again..

My only concern is that he wont feel safe in his own yard anymore, what would anyone suggest, once he is fully recovered would it be an idea to consider getting him a companion? I would hate to think that when he is in the yard alone during the day he is terrified

[Bilbo Baggins]

Pockets this so sad.

:rofl: to irresponsible neighbours.

Did you bring him to Kepala one time???

[Erny]

My only concern is that he wont feel safe in his own yard anymore, what would anyone suggest, once he is fully recovered would it be an idea to consider getting him a companion? I would hate to think that when he is in the yard alone during the day he is terrified

• First, as you say, let him recover sufficiently.
  
• Second, you might be worrying unnecessarily regards to Tyson being scared in his own back yard. No point considering a second dog when you don't know. Besides that, remember that fear/aggression etc isn't alway absolved by the presence of another dog - it can actually work in reverse, with the second dog mirroring the first dog's fear or aggression. I'd be inclined to simply watch his behaviour before he gets to proceed beyond the back door to the yard. If all is ok, then have him on a loose lead (treating it as though no big deal) and go for a walk around the yard, not pushing it near the boundary where he was hurt. A bit of "click and treat" (or whatever other form of learning he is accustomed to) for not worrying wouldn't be a bad idea either. I would probably want to look at that fence line (before he comes home) anyway, to bolster it up and ensure the incident is unlikely to be able to occur again. I'd probably also take precautions to keep him away from that section of fence so that Tyson can't exhibit (and therefore learn) fence fighting activity (in case he should feel that way inclined). It depends on how Tyson is feeling and how well or not his leg is, but a bit of a game in the backyard immediately on his first outing there would be ideal, if he would be into it (ie a game, I mean).
  
• Third, carefully work on re-socialising him to other dogs in a controlled environment. Use distance as your (his) friend. Don't push it. Just let him be in the proximity of other dog/s (not in great noisy clusters) and know that nothing bad will happen. If the owners aren't certain of how to go about this or will be unprepared for reactivity, they might want to arrange to have someone knowledgeable/experienced with them who can assist. Best done with either someone who has a stable dog (on lead) or at a reputable dog school - one which has lower numbers in class and a calm environment would be preferable. What you'd be doing here is not only assessing as to whether there is residual psychological damage caused, but also preparing to be able to immediately handle it with appropriate techniques if there is.
  

Edited May 14, 2010 by Erny

[persephone]

What erny said,,PLUS

get a new strong fence , or an expert repair ... then maybe put in a second ,lighter barrier fence on Tyson's side.

This should then reduce the OWNER's stress levels enormously ,and so pass on the feeling of safety to Tyson . If the owners are nervous, and apprehensive- then Tyson will pick up on that quicker than anything else!

[Pockets]

Thanks guys we will see how he goes and go from there

I know when my brothers shepherd got attacked by a staffy as a pup (grab him around the neck and pinned him to the ground, thankfully only puncture wounds and nothing moere), short time after he was fine with Staffy's, but now he is older they are one breed he is very wary off, does it take a while for a dog to sink in what actually happened? he is fine with all other dogs except Staffies ??

[wolfgirl]

Pockets sorry to hear about Tyson what a horrible ordeal Sending lots of healing wishes

[Erny]

Thanks guys we will see how he goes and go from there

I know when my brothers shepherd got attacked by a staffy as a pup (grab him around the neck and pinned him to the ground, thankfully only puncture wounds and nothing moere), short time after he was fine with Staffy's, but now he is older they are one breed he is very wary off, does it take a while for a dog to sink in what actually happened? he is fine with all other dogs except Staffies ??

It can do.

If they are traumatised as a puppy, you might not notice the impact it has had until the pup matures. With older dogs outside the early puppy period, the impact might be noticeable more quickly.

Some dogs might pair the incident with the breed type.

Some others might pair it with dog colour.

Some others might pair it with dog coat types (eg. long-haired; short coated; etc).

Some others might pair it with dog size.

Some others might pair it with dog gender.

Or any combination of the above.

Some others might pair it to all dogs regardless.

There are so many things that a dog might perceive in particular, that triggers the traumatic memory (even down to things such as how another dog stands/tail style/ear set/type; etc).

Some others might not be affected by it.

It depends on the dog.

Edited May 14, 2010 by Erny

[Pockets]

Thanks WG

Thanks Erny, its like he had a delayed reaction to the incident

Update: Tyson was trying to stand up tonight, great sign, he has had all his visitors and the vets have been nothing short of brilliant

[Earthdog]

Hope Tyson continues to improve. He sounds like a resilient pooch.

[Black Bronson]

Wishing Tyson a fast recovery..............these incidents are sickening

[OSoSwift]

Sounding good Tyson - tough little cookie.

Still sending lots of Whippet kisses to you and your family

[spottychick]

Pockets - I hope Tyson makes it through and is able to recover smoothly and swiftly. Must have been terrifying.

That's awful! So sick of irresponsible owners causing so much damage (and I mean the 2 strays owners of course). I hope he will be okay.

Spottychick - so am I. But one thing that niggles in my mind when I read these stories and comments made without knowing history/story. And that is, could the owners have reasonably known it was a likely, plausible thing to happen?

I'm speaking generally, and what I mean is : Were the fences in a good state of repair and sufficient to reasonably be able to be expected to house whatever dogs it is that they have? Perhaps this was a 'first time' event where the dog decided to dig, yet perhaps had never done so before? Should anyone who has any dogs always go to putting down concrete footings along the whole of their fence line, on the "just in case" even though their dog might not ever in its lifetime have made or shown any attempt to move beyond its own yard?

There was a poster here on DOL who I think had taken on a rescue. Six foot high fences, secure in every way. Not a tall dog. But turned out he was a Houdini and was able to scale massive heights. Should that new owner have somehow known in advance, or could she be excused for the fact that it took 'once' to evidence the 'unlikely', and from there to modify things to accommodate and prevent?

I ask these questions of others and also of myself. Because have I covered every possible angle of escape by my own dog from his yard? I think so, within "reason". But if it did happen that he escaped his yard, even though he's shown no signs of wishing to even attempt to, am I to be held as being guilty of being "irresponsible" ?? Would it be different if my dog got out and did no damage? Am I only "irresponsible" if my dog does do damage? (Remember, I'm talking 'first offences' here.) Do I have to have a crystal ball to be able to escape such a label in the future?

I am sure that if my dog was savaged through no fault of his own, especially in his own back yard, that I would be angry. I'm not sure exactly how I would react or feel beyond that and I am not defending any dogs here, but I am seeing often cries of "put the dogs down!!" even well before anyone even has an inkling of what has really occurred. And I hear cries of "irresponsibility" when I wonder, could those owners have reasonably foretold this?

In this instance, maybe they could have known. Maybe they are irresponsible.

But who are we to know, at this point of time?

Just read update, Pockets, and I'm so glad that there is hope for Tyson and I will keep my fingers crossed the Vets are able to help save his leg. Sending healing thoughts from here.

Yes I agree Erny. My comment was less about the fencing (as I didn't know where they had come from at the time I commented) and more about the behaviour of the dogs that attacked Tyson. I doubt well trained, well socialised and happy dogs would do that sort of damage. I've had neighbours dogs leap over my good fences and get into my yard but not one of them has so much as growled at my lot, let alone tore them apart like this. Usually they just play together and hang out. In this town few people keep their dogs in their own yards except me and my friend with the greyhound (except for the few morons who have their dog/s chained to a post 24/7). But thankfully nearly all of the wandering canines are friendly and happy dogs. The one dog who has attacked mine is one of the poor chained up souls who happened to be out on a rare trip and sitting in the back of her owners flat-bed truck when I walked past. Her owner is the epitome of the "irresponsible" owners I was referring to.

Oh and I certainly wouldn't and didn't advocate putting the dogs down. As always, it's the OWNERS I have issues with.

I am keeping a watch on this thread and hoping like mad that they can save Tysons leg and that he'll recover and be his old happy self again!!

[hortfurball]

Just wanted to add my best wishes for Tyson's recovery. I hope he doesn't have to lose his leg.

[Loving my Oldies]

Just wanted to add my best wishes for Tyson's recovery. I hope he doesn't have to lose his leg.

From me too. Hopefully, by now they will have a little more of an idea whether his leg can be saved. Losing the front leg can be difficult for a dog in terms of balance and stress on the back.

Healing vibes sent on their way. :D

[Pockets]

Update on Tyson

he is still in intensive care and will be for sime time yet, apart fro

the colour of his coat apparently he is not recognizeable, his head and face were ripped open and his head and face is badly swollen....when Tysons owner got home he found him in shock curled up on his bed with blood everywhere :D

My brother went around and hosed away all the blood and cleaned the yard to prevent stress on Tysons mum coming home and seeing it...

They are not sure when they will have Tyson home as he is still fighting for his life, battling the infections, they are unable to get him to eat, he is just no interested and very much reserved at the moment

My brother will keep me updated on his progress

The family thanks everyone for their well wishes for their special boy, my brother said it's nice to know so many people care

Edited May 17, 2010 by Pockets