Abbye got to meet her new neighbor yesterday afternoon, and found that she’d just as soon avoid the next such encounter.
Gabby is a 60 pound black labrador retriever who is normally kept in the backyard. As MLB, Abbye and I walked out the front door for our evening stroll, Gabby was running loose in the neighbor’s front drive. Abbye and Gabby spotted each other simultaneously and met under one of our live oak trees, where the lab proceeded to pounce on Abbye with a snarl and gnaw on the back of her neck.
Needless to say, none of us were amused, Abbye least of all. MLB was screaming, Abbye was yelping, the neighbor came running and I grabbed the lab around the neck and pulled her off.
Fortunately, I was close and quick enough to prevent any damage, although we were all pretty shaken. I know people whose dogs have been killed in precisely that fashion. Abbye whimpered for a few seconds, but it may have been more of an empathetic response to the human reactions than any actual pain.
Our neighbor was horrified, and profusely apologetic. He had been testing his sprinkler system and was in and out of the backyard. Apparently he didn’t get the gate completely shut on one trip, and Gabby made a break. She’s slobberingly friendly around humans, but something about Abbye just set her off.
Actually, I think I came away with the most painful experience. Gabby had been barking a lot during the day, probably trying to get used to her new surroundings, and her owners had employed a shock collar to curb that tendency. I can assure you, based on what I felt as I pulled her back by her neck, that little gizmo works! It took me a second or two to realize why I was being jolted as I held the dog back.
All’s well that ends well. We all calmed down (poor Gabby got a few punishing whacks from her master which I’m not sure she understood), and went on our walk. It wasn’t long before Abbye was her usual self.
Of course, what was the first thing we encountered when we got to our neighborhood park? Yep…not one, but two black labs. Abbye wanted to greet them, but her people — for some reason totally inexplicable to her — steered her on a wide berth around them. Her role as a social butterfly will be somewhat curtailed from now on.
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That’s horrible, Eric!
Have you taken Abbye to see a vet? I honestly believe should! If Gabby was gnawing on Abbye’s neck, he might have broken her skin and transmitted something! Did you ask your neighbor if Gabby had his shots? Was he willing to provide you with any documentation proving that his dog was up to date on them? Or was it just his say-so?
Regardless of what he says, I can’t urge you enough to take Abbye to see a vet. People have had their dogs die from something their pet contracted from another dog’s bite.
Come to think of it, you might want to see a doctor as well. The electrical shocks you received from Gabby’s collar aren’t healthy. Those kinds of collar work the same way a police “stun gun” does. While nobody has ever died (yet) from a stun gun shock, those kinds “jolts” could be fatal, even after a delay of several days. Especially if you have an undiagnosed heart condition. Better to be on the safe side.
Since your new neighbor was horrified and profusely apologetic, I’m certain he’ll be entirely willing to pay for Abbye’s appointment, your appointment, and any treatments/ follow ups either of you might need.
If he isn’t, (profuse apologies usually aren’t worth diddly when the bill comes due), an additional visit to your friendly neighborhood attorney is in order.
I’m not sure if Abbye was on a leash, but it’s clear that Gabby certainly wasn’t. Further, from what you’ve said, this attack happened on your property: “Abbye and Gabby spotted each other simultaneously and met under one of our live oak trees. (emphasis added). Even if neither dog was leashed, Abbye was within her rights, Gabby definitely wasn’t. The same applies for your reaction with Gabby’s collar.
I hope, hope, hope, you and Abbye take care of yourselves on this!!!!
I do appreciate your concern, but — trust me — we gave Abbye a thorough going-over and the skin was not broken. We’ve also monitored her the past couple days for soreness or any other suspicious symptoms, and I’m pleased to report that she’s A-OK. (She’s also already on a powerful course of antibiotics, an annual thing required to treat chronic erlichiosis, something I may post about later.)
As for me, the shocks from that collar were really quite harmless. Anything strong enough to cause damage would be unduly cruel to the animal, and wouldn’t be on the market. I may have used the slightest bit of authorial hyperbole in describing the “jolts.” 😉
I assure you that my wife would better tolerate losing me than Abbye, and thus you can rest assured that the dog has been well-pampered and cooed over since the dustup.