BJ. Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 (edited) I am away with my family at the moment for 5 weeks aqnd I have been planning more for the menagerie at home then for the trip, as you do. So for the 4 dogs, 3 cats and several fish tanks we have live in house sitters, 3 of the dogs also have individual dog walkers coming once a day, there is a cat groomer coming once a week and then someone to do the fish tanks once a week. Bags of food, litter, treats etc. So I thought I had everything covered but the dogs have other ideas. I have been gone 10 days and my 18 year old foxie x decided that our GSD was getting to big for his boots and needed to be put in his place. Of course the GSD snapped back he just caught the foxie on the shoulder, unfortunately the foxie is 3 kilos wringing wet and one tooth has done quiet a bit of damage. He has a shoulder full of stitches and a drain. I feel so bad for the little guy, he is sooo old and fragile and this is a pretty nasty thing to happen in your twilight years. He is getting good care buit I feel so bad that I am not there and by the time I do get home he will well and truely be on the mend, Makes me vey wary of going away and leaving them all again. Edited June 2, 2011 by BJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minxy Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Sorry to hear that Hope he heals quickly. It does suck when you do your best to make sure everything is covered but something still doesn't go just right. Sounds like you've done a great job though in trying to make your absence easy on the animals and ensure they're well cared for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Your poor old foxy needs to be kept separately from any bigger dogs, this is likely to be worse next time. Hope the housesitters know all about these things and will take great care. the foxy could be getting cataracts or dementia making him worse, the foxies always have attitude no matter what. Just not safe to be in combat with a younger, bigger, stronger dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keira&Phoenix Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 Oh no! That is terrible. I hope your oldie makes a full recovery as soon as possible. Don't fret I am sure he is fine and comfortable and probably being spoiled! Wow you are clearly an awesome Furbaby Mumma organising all of that for your animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiekaye Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 You have planned and done the best you could so dont worry needlessly and dont feel bad. It probably wouldve happened when you were there. Things happen. Enjoy your holiday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Unforunately you cannot control everything. You sound like you have a great plan organised and it is one of those things. Can he be seperated especially while youa re gone so it can't happen again? Hope you are not too stressed for the rest of your holiday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJ. Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 He will be kept seperate from the others until I get home, I have the house and yard set up so all the dogs ca n be seperated from each other if need be. I suspect but don't know that there may have been food involved, its the only time they can get snippy with each other normally and the house sitter may not have been as vigilant as I would have been. Normally I never go away for more than 4 or 5 days and one of my daughters steps in as they know the routine, but my middle daughter is graduating from University in Finland and so we are all over here for her. My lot are a big responsibility for anyone to take on which is why I tried to spread the tasks around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJ. Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 Good news, the stitches have come out and he is well and truely on the mend. The vet was more than pleased with the way the muscle had healed, they were worried that at his age it could die back rather than repair. He is still being kept seperate until I get home in another week. Mind you its lovely and warm here in Indonesia and if it wasn't for the pets don't think I would be rushing home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetSitters Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I am so glad he's on the mend and I can imagine what a horrible experience it must have been when away from home. Although things can happen out of the blue like this with the best of intentions to appropriately manage multiple pets, many house/pet sitters have little experience in dog behaviour or have an insight into situations that can trigger aggression or pick up on potential risks escalating to act accordingly to prevent episodes of aggression arising. No to say by any means this is the case here, but I have seen sitters experience this type of thing often to understand it can take more than being a kind hearted animal lover to care for and manage other people's dogs effectively without incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now