Getting bitten by your friend's dog sucks. Before this year I had never been bitten by any animal but earlier this year my friend's little rascal bit me in the calf. I grew up with dogs and had my own for a few years. I think that dogs are by far the most amazing companion pets but I now have a wariness that I did not have before. When I am on the street or out in public and I see a stranger's dog I do not assume that it is friendly anymore. Now I imagine it attacking me. The thought is fleeting but it was never there before. The purely innocent perception that I once felt toward the creatures as a species has been forever altered and I think it is for the good.
It is important to be confronted with reality from time to time and while it can be traumatizing it can teach a permanent lesson. In this case, the lesson is to be on your toes and pay attention. Also, to trust your gut. Prior to getting bitten, there were many warning signs but my brother, the dog's owner and I did not want to admit that there was a real problem. The dog had nipped at multiple people long before we took the camping trip where the fateful bite occurred. Even the day we set out on the trip the dog was agitated and nearly bit my brother's hand.
Some background on the dog. My friend had purchased the whippet-mix from the pound in the hopes of rescuing it and from what I was told it hadn't had any issues before he got the dog. It was around 3 years old at the time and I think it had issues that it's prior owners did not disclose or it was treated very poorly early on in its life but I don't know for sure. Either that or it is just fucked in the head, or both but either way, the dog has severe aggression problems.
The experience itself seemed to come out of nowhere but as I mentioned above I should have seen it coming and should not have been complacent. We had settled into our campsite and the dog and its owner were at the site while my brother and I walked to the car to get something. We walked back to the site where the dog was on a long lead. As we approached the dog ran full speed at me and closed the distance in milliseconds. Whippets are bred for speed. It bit down on my left calf for just a moment and broke through my jeans and skin leaving distinct bite marks and a little blood. It was more surprising than painful and its owner jumped up immediately took control. I wasn't worried about any diseases as dogs from pounds have all their shots but thinking back it would have been a good idea to get checked.
I was impressed with my friend, who took responsibility for the situation and apologized profusely over the next couple of days. He and the dog slept in the car that night and he took it home in the morning. When he returned we had a relatively good time hanging out and camping. Given the situation, we were all a little down but we made the best of it. We finished up the weekend and my friend explained how he was planning on taking the dog through extensive training and was going to work with vets to make sure the aggression wasn't due to any physical problems.
Personally, I think that the dog is a lost cause. I could be wrong and it might be my bias but in my experience, an adult dog with major aggression problems may not be fixed and becomes more trouble than it's worth. My friend is not so inclined and I commend him on his resolve and commitment to keeping a troubled dog and trying to make the best of it. Unfortunately, it may create barriers in his relationships and social life but I'm sure he can work around it. I am not interested in being around that dog again and it has permanently changed the way I think about dogs.
I love dogs and I feel bad for the dog that bit me. I'm sure that it was not treated well and was either intentionally or unintentionally trained to act the way it does. While the event did create a bit of a tension my friend's reaction to it was appropriate and I harbor no ill will toward him. I still think of him as a friend and hope that his dog gets better. This experience has helped me understand how a little bit of trauma can permanently change how you think about the world and its possibilities. In a small way, I understand dogs, people, and the world better because of it.
That is a picture of the cutie that bit me.
Also, here are a couple of videos of a dog I used to own named Wowzer whom I love very much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3tOoeiQst8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUhK6kei8pM
The experience itself seemed to come out of nowhere but as I mentioned above I should have seen it coming and should not have been complacent. We had settled into our campsite and the dog and its owner were at the site while my brother and I walked to the car to get something. We walked back to the site where the dog was on a long lead. As we approached the dog ran full speed at me and closed the distance in milliseconds. Whippets are bred for speed. It bit down on my left calf for just a moment and broke through my jeans and skin leaving distinct bite marks and a little blood. It was more surprising than painful and its owner jumped up immediately took control. I wasn't worried about any diseases as dogs from pounds have all their shots but thinking back it would have been a good idea to get checked.
I was impressed with my friend, who took responsibility for the situation and apologized profusely over the next couple of days. He and the dog slept in the car that night and he took it home in the morning. When he returned we had a relatively good time hanging out and camping. Given the situation, we were all a little down but we made the best of it. We finished up the weekend and my friend explained how he was planning on taking the dog through extensive training and was going to work with vets to make sure the aggression wasn't due to any physical problems.
Personally, I think that the dog is a lost cause. I could be wrong and it might be my bias but in my experience, an adult dog with major aggression problems may not be fixed and becomes more trouble than it's worth. My friend is not so inclined and I commend him on his resolve and commitment to keeping a troubled dog and trying to make the best of it. Unfortunately, it may create barriers in his relationships and social life but I'm sure he can work around it. I am not interested in being around that dog again and it has permanently changed the way I think about dogs.
I love dogs and I feel bad for the dog that bit me. I'm sure that it was not treated well and was either intentionally or unintentionally trained to act the way it does. While the event did create a bit of a tension my friend's reaction to it was appropriate and I harbor no ill will toward him. I still think of him as a friend and hope that his dog gets better. This experience has helped me understand how a little bit of trauma can permanently change how you think about the world and its possibilities. In a small way, I understand dogs, people, and the world better because of it.
That is a picture of the cutie that bit me.
Also, here are a couple of videos of a dog I used to own named Wowzer whom I love very much.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3tOoeiQst8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUhK6kei8pM
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