Gracie here...last week was crazy around here. Mom had a busy week at work, extra night of bowling, fixing goodies for Thanksgiving dinner and of course helping poppy FINISH, yes I said Finish the garage!! That is one project I for one, am glad to be done with, it's just too cold to be outside supervising for this old dog.
Anyhow, I wanted to share a story that actually happened to me in 2008. A fellow blogger asked if we had any exciting Black Friday stories to tell....well, I do, but it's not your typical Black Friday Story.
Let me set the scene....we moved to Molokai, Hawaii in the spring of 2008 (because of our office fire) but that's another story. Mom was a stay at home "Dog Mom" while poppy went the the dental clinic and did his filling and drilling. Every morning mom, Schatzie and I took a 4 mile walk to the Kalaupapa Lookout (overlook of the Leprosy Colony) We loved this walk as we would see lots of our friends. You could see and smell the ocean. Many times we would walk through the warm refreshing gentle mists that blanketed the island. Some of the friends we encountered had dogs and we would exchange morning greetings. It was a pleasant little community. Life was good.
On Friday, November 29, 2008 it would be different. It was Black Friday and on Molokai there are no big box stores, just small mom and pop type businesses so there was not the usual hustling around in the early mornings to get the great deals. Mom would be home with us and hopefully later we'd go hiking to the beach. I liked that.....
We sent poppy to work and mom got us ready for our walk. Today mom would put the backpack on Schatzie, she was in charge of transporting our water. Off we went, a number of cars passed us by, which was normal. Tourist were making their way to the Mule Barn at the top of the hill. I offer this information as some of these tourists play a role in my story.
Mom didn't allow us much time to stop and smell the roses, we were on a power walk!! We were nearing the Mule Barn when we met Susan and her 3 pit bulls(one was a very large blue one). Now we had met Susan on our walks many times in the past it had always been just a quick hello and we each continued on our way. This Black Friday was going to be one we will never forget.
Mom said hello to Susan and the next thing I know the three pits crossed the road and attacked me (for no reason) It all became a blur. The big blue pitty got me good in the hind leg, I was screaming, as was my mom. All 3 of the dogs were on me, I was fighting for my LIFE. The dogs paid no attention to Schatzie. Mom wonders if her backpack had something to do with that. I somehow managed to get away--screaming in pain when the blue one caught me again. My mom was yelling for help. Fortunately we were only about 50 yards from the Mule Barn and a number of people (those tourists) heard us screaming and came running to help. Mom tried to grab my collar to pull us apart, I didn't know it was her and bit her. The dogs were still attacking me.....A worker from the Mule Barn used a shovel and hit one of the dogs. It allowed me to get free again--only to be caught and attacked one last time. I was so afraid. Mom says she just knew I was going to be killed. By the grace of God somehow, someway the dogs let me go. However, I was still yelping in pain and mom's hand was bleeding and she was sobbing.
We managed to get to the Mule Barn, where believe it or not the people that helped us were all dentists!! They had come to Molokai for the day to to do the Kalaupapa tour. Cell phone coverage on the island is spotty at best and we had a difficult time getting a hold of my poppy. So our good friend Diane was called and came to our rescue. We rode home in the back of her car. Mom was holding me tight--I was bleeding Mom was bleeding we were both so scared. Poppy arrived home a short time later. I'm guessing he set a speed record in covering the 8 mile distance from the clinic. We had to fill out a police report and then I was off to the Molokai Humane Society. When we moved to the island there was a vet on island , but just a few weeks before this accident the vet moved back to the mainland--so we were now vet less and I was in bad shape.
Fortunately, a wonderful vet tech named Tessa was able to help clean up my puncture wounds (over 50 of them) and we contacted a visiting vet that was able to prescribe some antibiotics and pain meds. They took me home to rest so mom could go to the doctor to receive 13 stitches in her hand and get her own pain meds. My peeps were praying that I would not have to go off island for treatment as getting off island is logistical nightmare especially for big dogs. If more treatment was needed I would have to be flown off island on a cargo plane that only flys M-F mornings or take the 1.5 hour ferry boat ride to Maui.
Once at home I began to swell and was in extreme pain, I didn't eat or drink. Mom bathed my wounds with epsom salt and stay right by my side for the next two days. Finally late on the second day I was able to go outside to potty (with help)and began eating a few bites. The third day mom tried to get back into a routine with Schatzie and asked her if she wanted to go for a ride....Mom and poppy were amazed as I lifted my head and then pulled myself up off of my bed and walked to the door all by myself. Mom said this was her sign that I was going to be okay.
Yes, I did physically recover a few weeks later, but the emotional wounds are still there, especially for my mom.
I don't blame the dogs in this situation. I blame the owner. The blue pit had a record, a rap sheet a mile long!! He had killed a goat, and came very close to attacking a child. This was a dangerous dog. I believe the dog should have been euthanized. It's difficult for me to say that but...that's what I believe.
Mom's been reliving this all weekend. In fact it's the first time she's put it down on paper. I've seen a lot of water in her eyes...we were both so afraid and it's a miracle that I'm still alive. Guess this is why me and mom have such a special bond.
So when Black Friday comes around my mom is a little emotional--now you know why!!
Love, Gracie
Stop here...if you choose not to see a couple photos of our injuries.
Gracie suffered over 50 puncture wounds all over her body.
The most serious were on her right hind leg and right shoulder where she did develop
an infection that had to be treated 10 days after the original incident.
At this time she was only 3 years old and very healthy--which probably helped in saving her life.
I sustained 13 stitches in my right hand.
A police report was made only because there was a dog bite,
A police report was made only because there was a dog bite,
because my dog bit me!!
No charges were filed against the owner of the other dogs.
They were just told to put a muzzle on him!!
One of the most frightening days of my life.
Gracie's Mom....
Wowzers! That is scary. I am so glad you healed up Gracie and your mom too. Did you ever encounter that dog again?
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Goose
oh, dear! terrible experience for both of you! if i were the owner of that pit bull, i'd have been extremely guilty and would have had no choice but to euthanize that dog.
ReplyDeleteThat is horrible!! People may disagree with me, but I don't think pits should be around other dogs. The risk is too high. It's like letting a greyhound off leash in a pen full of rabbits; a disaster waiting to happen.
ReplyDeleteNola
Oh my gosh! What a horrible experience for you and your Momma, Gracie! This just had me in tears. I can't imagine how scared you and your poor Momma must have been. I can't believe they didn't do anything about those dogs! Thank goodness you are still here to tell your story. Now wonder you and your Momma share such a special bond.
ReplyDeleteThat was scarey... So glad you were both okay... They should have put that dog down
ReplyDeleteWhat a horrible experience for you both! I'm so glad Gracie made it! That Susan didn't sound like a responsible dog owner. I had tears reading this.
ReplyDeleteI remember your telling me this story.... reading it brought tears to my eyes.
ReplyDeleteYou are very brave, and I am glad Gracie survived and is a healthy happy dog.
Thinking of you... and I am thankful you're a part of my life.
This is just awful! What a frightening experience for you both!!! I am in tears just thinking about this. I agree with you about that other dog though...he should be allowed to roam around and potentially hurt someone else! We are very glad that you are both ok!! xo Jeanne, Chloe and LadyBug
ReplyDeleteOh my. Not good. We had a similar experience a few years ago in Colorado. I was a pup then and my Dad and his Dad (Troutbirder) save me from 2 big Japanese Huskie types who rushed us on the sidewalk when a garage door opened and out they came. I'm ok now.
ReplyDeleteBaron the GSD
Oh my goodness, what a black day indeed! You never know when a walk you normally enjoy is going to turn bad. It's scary to contemplate. My hubby wants me to always carry pepper spray, but I tend to forget to bring it along.
ReplyDeleteWow, that sounded awful! I'm so sorry you both had to go through something like that. It's one of my biggest fears when we encounter strange dogs, that are running loose. The person above suggested pepper spray, and after reading this, I think that's not such a bad idea!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to congratulate you as well! We were so close throughout most of the competition! Your picture is gorgeous, and it's easy to see why it received so many votes. I took our picture, but the voting was the result of a couple collie friends who made all of their friends and family vote for us everyday! It was pretty fun competing, it's the first time that I have entered one of my pictures in any kind of contest.
You have some beautiful pictures of your girls, I'm glad I will get to see your picture for the month of February. (I still think it would be perfect for December though!)
Oh Gracie, what a traumatic experience for you and Mom and Poppy. I am happy for you you came through this and healed up to be the beautiful you that you are now. Our dog Max was on a leash, waiting at the truck for me to pay our vet bill, a lady came out with 3 husky's on leashes, she was holding the 3 leashes in one hand putting her check book in her purse, the female husky saw my hubby and Max and lunged free and flew across the parking lot and jumped on Max, Max was a fighter so the fight was bad, hubby had a hand that looked like your moms, we don't know which dog bit Bob, but the noise and blood were scary. the woman was standing there screaming with the other dogs pulling to get in the fight and i scream at her put the d dogs in your car for petes sake. she did, then she came back and just stood there, i said you are going to have to help with your dog, we can't do this without you... but Max was not hurt nearly as bad as you were.... but the fear was there. so now when we go to the vet, i get the hyperventilating feeling.... thanks for sharing your BLACK Black Friday story.
ReplyDeleteThat's a sad story with a happy ending but I have to say it made me mad. That dog owner was very irresponsible and probably shouldn't have animals at all. As much as I like animals, the dog should have been put down long before your attack.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad everyone made it through the ordeal but I'm still mad
Oh my goodness! Gracie - so glad you are ok! That was a very bad dog owner. I am appalled that nothing was done about that dog or its owner. I am against putting a dog down for one bite and do not believe just because a dog is a specific breed it is a threat - but clearly that dog had a history and an owner that was unwilling to properly train and re-educate the dog. To be walking 3 dogs, which clearly the owner had little control over - is irresponsible to say the least. I am so glad they left Schatzie alone. Those wounds looked really awful and I can see why the whole thing still leaves you in tears to talk about it.
ReplyDeleteI was walking B in the desert one night when a woman lost control of her 3 dogs - she did not have a good hold on their leashes and they bolted towards us. Thankfully, they were friendly - but after reading your story, I realize how fortunate B was that things didn't go horribly wrong.
I voted for Schatzie and loved that pic - but hey - you are second place and it was a very close contest between yourself and those gorgeous collies!
Oh my... I'm so glad that you and your mom are okay. So so scary, and so out of the blue (from your point of view). I have a story something like yours in my distant past... but my dog didn't survive. I thank goodness that your fate was much better.
ReplyDeleteOh that is some story and a thing I live in fear of. It is the reason I do not walk our dogs very often by myself. We have nasty dogs approach us too many times. Sometimes all it takes is one dog to look at the other wrong, or maybe there was a bitch in season nearby, who knows?
ReplyDeleteI know of a dog (a show dog who was ranked nationally) who was attacked by a pitbull while out walking with his owner. It took over a year for the dog to regain the confidence to enter the show ring, (something that the dog was very used to and loved doing). I understand what you are saying about emotional scars.
I believe dangerous dogs should be euthanized. Pitbull advocates do themselves no favors by not acknowledging that there are problems within the "breed". They really need to deal with it.
I am so happy to hear that at least the physical wounds healed.
That's just awful. I'm so glad that both you and mom were okay. There are some dogs that are just too dangerous, it's a simple fact. The owner is at fault as are the authorities, if the dog had already attacked they should have done something sooner. :-(
ReplyDeleteI agree with 2BrownDawgs, but it's not just pitbulls that have problems within their breed.