Bondi Vet "sachi" Dog Attack Victim

[carolineh1]

I often cringe at the stories on Bondi Vet (and similar shows), but was pleasantly surprised in tonight's episode, where a small Terrier mix named Sachi was treated for dog bite injuries sustained in a dog park. There was no hype/speculation about the breed of other dog involved, and it was revealed at the end that Sachi had been the instigator! There was footage of Sachi sitting on the owner's lap during hospital discharge, barking her little head off at every other dog in the waiting room. The vet, Lisa Chimes, spoke about a definite need for re-training on the owners' part, keeping her on a leash, and no more dog parks if she's going to continue picking fights. It's not often you see these cases without the 'poor me' little dog being shown as the poor, innocent victim, and all-out war on the 'big vicious bull-breed'.

Edited August 10, 2014 by carolineh1

[Remarkabull]

Just saw that and was also pleased that no cries of pit bull were made. I did cringe though when the owner said that the big dog had her in a 'jaw lock'.

The little dog definitely needed some training, as do its owners.

[BarbedWire]

I saw parts of the program too. That small dog, if it wasn't already, will now most likely be a reactive dog. It suffered awful injuries and was obviously in a lot of pain. Its owner was also in a bad way.

It is not okay for any dog to attack another dog, no matter what size. It is not excusable for a big dog to attack a small dog because it was provoked or vice versa. Owners of big dogs need to be very wary because their dogs can do so much damage. That doesn't mean that it is okay for smaller dogs to be aggressive either. Some smaller dogs suffer from fear aggression because of past frightening experiences with big dogs or because they feel that their owners are not capable of protecting them.

Did you see the other news item in NSW where a man had his finger bitten off by a dog which in the footage I saw looked like a pitbull?

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

It is not okay for any dog to attack another dog, no matter what size.

If my dog is on lead with me, and she is attacked by a small dog and the little dog is actually biting - and I can't catch it to stop it, and my dog helps, I'm going to let her.

If the dog is only barking and keeps its distance - I expect my dog to ignore it.

But my dog has had enough bad experiences being chomped by little dogs - it's not right to expect her to put up with that without defending herself.

[OSoSwift]

No dogs don't have a right to attack, but if the small dog picked a fight a dog may well have reacted that would normally not.

I note sympathy towards a small dog who is obviously reactive and provocative and got a reaction that ended up with it in trouble, but you then bring in a different story about a bloke who lost a finger becasue the dog looked like a pit bull to you.

Really - we have figured you don't like them. I work with dogs every day and I have worked with pitbulls. I have one who is terrified by fluffy small dogs. He is the least aggressive dog of any breed or size anywhere I have met. He is a big gooey eyed dope. I have had many dogs try to bite me and trust me Pitbulls are not the ones I am on high alert for!

[Simply Grand]

From what I saw on the news, which was only brief, the dog that bit the man's finger off was reported to be an SBT, not a pit bull (looked like a mixed breed to me), and from the footage I saw that dog looked very fearful. It's not only smaller dogs that can suffer from fear aggression.

Of course it isn't ok for a dog to bite off someone's finger and there need to be appropriate consequences for that.

[BarbedWire]

My pitbull remark was triggered by this comment from Remarkabull. 'Just saw that and was also pleased that no cries of pit bull were made.'

O So Swift I have sympathy for all reactive dogs no matter what the size. Maybe the big dog will now be reactive too. I have no idea how it coped.

[LisaCC]

The news report I saw about the dog that bit the finger off was described as a "Staffordshire Terrier" No mention of "bull" or "American".

[BarbedWire]

Okay. I do not know what breed it was. I am no pitbull expert. I thought it looked too big for a staffy.

I agree that it was very frightened. I gathered it was often out. An irresponsible owner and the dog will probably pay with its life.

[BarbedWire]

No dogs don't have a right to attack, but if the small dog picked a fight a dog may well have reacted that would normally not.

I note sympathy towards a small dog who is obviously reactive and provocative and got a reaction that ended up with it in trouble, but you then bring in a different story about a bloke who lost a finger becasue the dog looked like a pit bull to you.

Really - we have figured you don't like them. I work with dogs every day and I have worked with pitbulls. I have one who is terrified by fluffy small dogs. He is the least aggressive dog of any breed or size anywhere I have met. He is a big gooey eyed dope. I have had many dogs try to bite me and trust me Pitbulls are not the ones I am on high alert for!

re bolded part.

It is not that I don't like them. As I said in the other thread I am scared of them, as are many people.

[BarbedWire]

I saw parts of the program too. That small dog, if it wasn't already, will now most likely be a reactive dog. It suffered awful injuries and was obviously in a lot of pain. Its owner was also in a bad way.

It is not okay for any dog to attack another dog, no matter what size. It is not excusable for a big dog to attack a small dog because it was provoked or vice versa. Owners of big dogs need to be very wary because their dogs can do so much damage. That doesn't mean that it is okay for smaller dogs to be aggressive either. Some smaller dogs suffer from fear aggression because of past frightening experiences with big dogs or because they feel that their owners are not capable of protecting them.

Did you see the other news item in NSW where a man had his finger bitten off by a dog which in the footage I saw looked like a pitbull?

Sorry, but your attitude really pisses me off. No dog with aggression related issues should be in a dog park no matter what size it is and if it picks on a bigger dog then it is not unreasonable for the bigger dog to defend itself. A bigger dog should not have to stand there and just take being attacked simply because the attacking dog is smaller than it. Small dog owners need to take just as much responsibility for their dogs and their dog's behaviour as every other dog owner. My dog is fear aggressive (although doesn't bite, only puts on reactive displays). Would it be okay for me to take my dog in to a dog park, let him start a fight and then cry foul because the dog he started a fight with fought back and happened to be bigger than him? No, it wouldn't and if you were in that park you would no doubt be screaming about my vicious bull breed being in a dog park and starting fights. It's no different when it's a smaller dog and being fear aggressive is not an acceptable excuse. It is the owner's job to make sure their dog isn't put in situations where it has the opportunity to start fights and it is the owner's job to protect their dog both from hurting others or being hurt.

I also take issue with your comment about the finger being bitten off and to you it looking like it was a pit bull. You made that comment with no real idea what breed the dog was and made assumptions and a statement that just perpetuates the the vicious pit bull myth that has been whipped up in to a frenzy by the media. We know you have an irrational fear of "pit bulls' but don't use your bias to further tarnish their reputation if you don't actually know what the breed of dog is that you're talking about.

ETA: My dog is fear aggressive/reactive because of dogs like the one that started the fight in the dog park and yes, small aggressive dogs have contributed to his fear.

Give me a break Snook. In my post I said I only saw part of the program. I did not know it happened in a dog park.

[BarbedWire]

I saw parts of the program too. That small dog, if it wasn't already, will now most likely be a reactive dog. It suffered awful injuries and was obviously in a lot of pain. Its owner was also in a bad way.

It is not okay for any dog to attack another dog, no matter what size. It is not excusable for a big dog to attack a small dog because it was provoked or vice versa. Owners of big dogs need to be very wary because their dogs can do so much damage. That doesn't mean that it is okay for smaller dogs to be aggressive either. Some smaller dogs suffer from fear aggression because of past frightening experiences with big dogs or because they feel that their owners are not capable of protecting them.

Did you see the other news item in NSW where a man had his finger bitten off by a dog which in the footage I saw looked like a pitbull?

Sorry, but your attitude really pisses me off. No dog with aggression related issues should be in a dog park no matter what size it is and if it picks on a bigger dog then it is not unreasonable for the bigger dog to defend itself. A bigger dog should not have to stand there and just take being attacked simply because the attacking dog is smaller than it. Small dog owners need to take just as much responsibility for their dogs and their dog's behaviour as every other dog owner. My dog is fear aggressive (although doesn't bite, only puts on reactive displays). Would it be okay for me to take my dog in to a dog park, let him start a fight and then cry foul because the dog he started a fight with fought back and happened to be bigger than him? No, it wouldn't and if you were in that park you would no doubt be screaming about my vicious bull breed being in a dog park and starting fights. It's no different when it's a smaller dog and being fear aggressive is not an acceptable excuse. It is the owner's job to make sure their dog isn't put in situations where it has the opportunity to start fights and it is the owner's job to protect their dog both from hurting others or being hurt.

I also take issue with your comment about the finger being bitten off and to you it looking like it was a pit bull. You made that comment with no real idea what breed the dog was and made assumptions and a statement that just perpetuates the the vicious pit bull myth that has been whipped up in to a frenzy by the media. We know you have an irrational fear of "pit bulls' but don't use your bias to further tarnish their reputation if you don't actually know what the breed of dog is that you're talking about.

ETA: My dog is fear aggressive/reactive because of dogs like the one that started the fight in the dog park and yes, small aggressive dogs have contributed to his fear.

Give me a break Snook. In my post I said I only saw part of the program. I did not know it happened in a dog park.

The very first post says it happened in a dog park and even if it wasn't a dog park, that doesn't mean the small dog should be allowed to start fights with other dogs and any dog bigger than it be expected to just stand there and take it.

Snook Nowhere have I said it is okay for a small dog to attack another dog. It is not okay for any dog to attack another dog, no matter what size.

BTW I have owned large dogs and I was always very careful with them because I did not want them in trouble. I am also careful with my medium sized dogs too. I do not own a small dog and I don't particularly like them.

[Sabbath]

EVERY single time I walk my dog, which is every single day, more than one small dog will go crazy, aggressive barking, snapping and lunging at my dog. EVERY single walk, usually multiple times. And every single time my dog ignores them. Not once has my dog responded to a small dog looking for trouble. I have one of those breeds the OP is afraid of.

Says a lot to me. I have been thinking of videoing each encounter with my phone. I do not go to dog parks.

[Sabbath]

EVERY single time I walk my dog, which is every single day, more than one small dog will go crazy, aggressive barking, snapping and lunging at my dog. EVERY single walk, usually multiple times. And every single time my dog ignores them. Not once has my dog responded to a small dog looking for trouble. I have one of those breeds that some people are afraid of.

Says a lot to me. I have been thinking of videoing each encounter with my phone. I do not go to dog parks.

Edit for error.

Edited August 10, 2014 by Sabbath

[hankdog]

So how do dogs judge what size they are? My dogs head set means his eyes are at about 40 cm high. His back and neck are straight in line and his head dips down. He weighs 26kg but from his eye view he is lower than many "smaller" dogs. My neighbours poodle mixes would stand about 10 cm taller than him but weigh bout a third.

My last dog, a wolfie cross was bitten and had two stitches on his back leg, inflicted by a fox terrier as my "big" softie tried to run away.

I think comparative size is in the eye of the humans. Dogs probably just see a dog that's threatening them. I don't think they stop to do a size comparison.

[RiverStar-Aura]

I saw parts of the program too. That small dog, if it wasn't already, will now most likely be a reactive dog. It suffered awful injuries and was obviously in a lot of pain. Its owner was also in a bad way.

It is not okay for any dog to attack another dog, no matter what size. It is not excusable for a big dog to attack a small dog because it was provoked or vice versa. Owners of big dogs need to be very wary because their dogs can do so much damage. That doesn't mean that it is okay for smaller dogs to be aggressive either. Some smaller dogs suffer from fear aggression because of past frightening experiences with big dogs or because they feel that their owners are not capable of protecting them.

Did you see the other news item in NSW where a man had his finger bitten off by a dog which in the footage I saw looked like a pitbull?

Sorry, but your attitude really pisses me off. No dog with aggression related issues should be in a dog park no matter what size it is and if it picks on a bigger dog then it is not unreasonable for the bigger dog to defend itself. A bigger dog should not have to stand there and just take being attacked simply because the attacking dog is smaller than it. Small dog owners need to take just as much responsibility for their dogs and their dog's behaviour as every other dog owner. My dog is fear aggressive (although doesn't bite, only puts on reactive displays). Would it be okay for me to take my dog in to a dog park, let him start a fight and then cry foul because the dog he started a fight with fought back and happened to be bigger than him? No, it wouldn't and if you were in that park you would no doubt be screaming about my vicious bull breed being in a dog park and starting fights. It's no different when it's a smaller dog and being fear aggressive is not an acceptable excuse. It is the owner's job to make sure their dog isn't put in situations where it has the opportunity to start fights and it is the owner's job to protect their dog both from hurting others or being hurt.

ETA: My dog is fear aggressive/reactive because of dogs like the one that started the fight in the dog park and yes, small aggressive dogs have contributed to his fear.

I totally agree with you Snook. It is never okay for any dog to pick fights or approach others menacingly -- it's just asking for trouble. And I certainly wouldn't expect a dog to just stand there and cop it because of course there'll be a reaction of some sort, be it flight or fight. What we don't know about Sachi's case is the size of the dog who got her and the way I see it, she's a small terrier cross so really any other dog will look 'big' compared to her.

As a terrier owner myself what annoys me most is that a lot of average terrier owners just don't understand the mentality of this group of dogs. They weren't bred to have a true thought process, their instincts are to react first then, and maybe only then, think things through. Their characteristics are to have the personality of a large dog in a compact size so they often think they're bigger than they are. My breed in particular seem to have absolutely no concept of dog size and I swear they seem to think the bigger the opponent, the better. They are tenacious, cunning and sly and won't back down if challenged.

A lot of people just seem to think this 'attitude' of small terriers is hilarious when in fact it's anything but. What I call being a Napoleonic Power Monger is far from funny and needs further training and management because it's like having a bomb set to go off at random.

[BarbedWire]

It is not okay for any dog to attack another dog, no matter what size.

If my dog is on lead with me, and she is attacked by a small dog and the little dog is actually biting - and I can't catch it to stop it, and my dog helps, I'm going to let her.

If the dog is only barking and keeps its distance - I expect my dog to ignore it.

But my dog has had enough bad experiences being chomped by little dogs - it's not right to expect her to put up with that without defending herself.

I have also had little dogs chasing after me and it is annoying. What works really well for me (a trick I learnt as a child) is to bend down as if you are picking up a stone and then throw the imaginary stone at the dog. Most streetwise dogs take off at once and then you can put some distance between you.

[BarbedWire]

I saw parts of the program too. That small dog, if it wasn't already, will now most likely be a reactive dog. It suffered awful injuries and was obviously in a lot of pain. Its owner was also in a bad way.

It is not okay for any dog to attack another dog, no matter what size. It is not excusable for a big dog to attack a small dog because it was provoked or vice versa. Owners of big dogs need to be very wary because their dogs can do so much damage. That doesn't mean that it is okay for smaller dogs to be aggressive either. Some smaller dogs suffer from fear aggression because of past frightening experiences with big dogs or because they feel that their owners are not capable of protecting them.

Did you see the other news item in NSW where a man had his finger bitten off by a dog which in the footage I saw looked like a pitbull?

Sorry, but your attitude really pisses me off. No dog with aggression related issues should be in a dog park no matter what size it is and if it picks on a bigger dog then it is not unreasonable for the bigger dog to defend itself. A bigger dog should not have to stand there and just take being attacked simply because the attacking dog is smaller than it. Small dog owners need to take just as much responsibility for their dogs and their dog's behaviour as every other dog owner. My dog is fear aggressive (although doesn't bite, only puts on reactive displays). Would it be okay for me to take my dog in to a dog park, let him start a fight and then cry foul because the dog he started a fight with fought back and happened to be bigger than him? No, it wouldn't and if you were in that park you would no doubt be screaming about my vicious bull breed being in a dog park and starting fights. It's no different when it's a smaller dog and being fear aggressive is not an acceptable excuse. It is the owner's job to make sure their dog isn't put in situations where it has the opportunity to start fights and it is the owner's job to protect their dog both from hurting others or being hurt.

I also take issue with your comment about the finger being bitten off and to you it looking like it was a pit bull. You made that comment with no real idea what breed the dog was and made assumptions and a statement that just perpetuates the the vicious pit bull myth that has been whipped up in to a frenzy by the media. We know you have an irrational fear of "pit bulls' but don't use your bias to further tarnish their reputation if you don't actually know what the breed of dog is that you're talking about.

ETA: My dog is fear aggressive/reactive because of dogs like the one that started the fight in the dog park and yes, small aggressive dogs have contributed to his fear.

Give me a break Snook. In my post I said I only saw part of the program. I did not know it happened in a dog park.

The very first post says it happened in a dog park and even if it wasn't a dog park, that doesn't mean the small dog should be allowed to start fights with other dogs and any dog bigger than it be expected to just stand there and take it.

Snook Nowhere have I said it is okay for a small dog to attack another dog. It is not okay for any dog to attack another dog, no matter what size.

BTW I have owned large dogs and I was always very careful with them because I did not want them in trouble. I am also careful with my medium sized dogs too. I do not own a small dog and I don't particularly like them.

What you said was that it's not acceptable for a big dog to attack a small dog because it was provoked and seem to think only small dogs develop fear aggression because of bad experiences with other dogs. Whilst I don't think it's okay for any dog to attack just because it has been barked at, I don't blame a dog for defending itself if it feels seriously threatened by the behaviour of another dog or is being bitten. My own fear reactive dog didn't bite in response to being attacked in daycare in June, despite being left with puncture wounds, a torn ear and other bite and scratch marks but I sure wouldn't have blamed him if he had fought back and hurt the other dog, no matter how big or small the attacking dog was. You said in the big scary dog thread that you own a 12kg mixed breed so I'm not sure what you think a small dog is but my understanding is that a 12kg dog would generally be in the small dog category.

See bolded part. Do not misquote me. I did not say that only small dogs develop fear aggression. Any dog can develop fear aggression. BTW Small dogs are 10 kg and under.

You seem to have a problem with me so I will not be responding to any more of your posts. but please read my posts and report them accurately.

[Simply Grand]

Sarsaparilla, perhaps it would benefit you to stop thinking so much about the size and breed of dogs (you have said you are scared of pit bulls and don't like small dogs) and focus on the behaviour and temperament of the individual dogs you meet. Maybe you could attend an obedience club or training classes run by a good trainer and learn more about dog behaviour and body language so you are better placed to make informed judgements.

[Yonjuro]

I was at the off lead park the other day and a guy came in with a westie (I love Westies by the way) his dog is snarling at the fence and he looks at my Husky and asks "if my dog is alright ?" I replied that yes he is, and asked him "if his was?"... he kind of looked at me like I was crazy. He then comes in and his dog charges mine, snapping snarling and lunging... it was very very full on. My dog snarled back but I removed him quickly so nothing could escalate. He pulled out his lead and was about to belt his Westie. I told him DONT!

He left but later came back by himself and apologised about the incident.

There is also a lady that lives across the road from me that has a SWF which has had a go at my dog twice, she is a knuckle-head and continues to walk her dog off lead on the streets. The other day it tore across the road to get at my leashed dog. A car was coming and I just watched in horror. It literally must have missed by 1 or 2cm. I was in shock. The woman called her dog back and I just showed her with my fingers how close it was. She was distraught so I didn't take it any further.

My point is that if anything happened to these small dogs, my Husky would certainly get the blame. I am lucky that he is very non-reactive but he is also very powerful and I dread the day when some dumb owner has a small dog actually get his teeth on mine, I am sure it would be game over

While a husky doesn't have as much of a stigma as "Bull breeds" (for lack of a better term) some people still think that I am walking a wolf!