Life altering dog attack.

shotgunner11

shotgunner11

Joined
Dec 17, 2005
Messages
7,809
Not life altering like, lost half my face of a few fingers but still changed my outlook.

Doing a pest control application yesterday and there was a monster Husky in the back yard. He went nuts when I opened the gate and tried to go in so I closed it up, did everything I could around the front of the house and was going to knock and ask the homeowner to bring the dog in.

By the time I was done the dog had stopped barking so I made another attempt at the gate. I whistled and clapped before going back like I always do and nothing so I assumed (big mistake) that the lady had let the dog in.

Went in, closed the gate and started into the yard. As soon as I cleared the corner of the house I made eye contact with the dog and knew I was screwed.

Before I could even react he hit me like a ton of bricks and had me down on the ground. He bit my arm but just grazed it and ended up with a mouthful of shirt, ripping the sleve all but off. I punched him a few times in an attempt to get him off but it was useless.

Then he decided to go after my face and neck. I luckly got my fingers into his collar and kept him off for the most part but he damned near overpowered me.

I managed to get my leg up under him and flip him over me and into the fence as hard as I could. That ninja move gave me time to get to my feet and my back to the fence where i could kick like a nut and keep him off of me.

I finally got a good shot in and he backed off whimpering long enough for me to get to the gate. I made it half way through and he bit at my back and got a mouthful of my backpack sprayer and damn near pulled me back down.

I got a few more good kicks in and got the gate closed and I really thought he was going to bust through but it held.

My heart was really going and I thought I might pass out for a minute or to but I regained my composure, left a note for the homeowner (turned out she wasn't home) and high tailed.

Called my brother and he said he's never had a problem with the dog before, always just sniffed him and let him be, thus the property not being marked for having a problem animal.

Well, I went on with my day with little ill effect until that afternoon when I went into a back yard and encountered a Lab that also didn't respond to my whistling.

I've never had any fear of dogs before but when I saw that Lab come around the corner, my heart dropped and I was noticably shaking. Dog was friendly as can be, sniffing me and wanting to play, but that inital reaction was weird for me and I hope it goes away over time.

Oh well, that was my friday.:D
 
Dang, I'd be unnerved by dog's after that!!:eek:
Glad to you hear your OK, it could have turned out alot worse. Your ninja skills have obviously changed the outcome of that encounter..seriously :D
 
Good to hear that you didnt sustain any serious injuries, big dogs can cause some real damage!

I had a german shepherd lunge at me too a long time ago, and that has changed the way i act around unknow dogs too. If its bigger than a chihuahua and i havent seen it before theres no way im approaching it!
 
I have some fear also. Never bit, but I jog a lot in rural areas where pets are not tied up. Most every one comes at me. Scariest was a rotty coming full bore at 5 am. Almost shit my pants. The owners all say, don't worry, he dosen't bite.:jerkit:
 
Pistol. I'm just saying. I've already thought about a bad dog scenario, where in theory I try to defend with my weak/left arm while drawing with my right. But I know things happen fast, and they always happen unexectedly or you would not be in that situation in the first place.

Even if Fluffy disarmed you, he would probably not know how to use it against you.

Pepper spray might be the next best thing, though I have no idea if/how it affects a motivated dog.

Just something to consider.

That dog could have killed you, you know, if it got a good clamp down on your throat or head, or exsanguinated you while refusing to let you get up.

:thumbup:
 
That's a shame man. The owner certainly shouldn't of left the dog out if they knew you were coming, problem dog or not. No idea if you're a dog person or not but try to remember that not nearly all dogs are bad. Just stay cool and calm. Talk to the owner before stepping on the property about their dog. It might help you feel at ease.

I got nailed by a 100lb rotty when I was about 10 years old. Put me in the hospital for 5 days. It never caused me to be fearful of any dogs my entire life though including the dog that attacked me. In my experience, 99.9% of all incedents are caused by owner neglagence.

Good luck man I'm sure everything will be back to normal after a few days. Just don't let your mind take it out of control.
 
Make sure you call the police or animal control while you fended the dog off. The next person or child might not.
 
powernoodle said:
Pistol. I'm just saying. I've already thought about a bad dog scenario, where in theory I try to defend with my weak/left arm while drawing with my right. But I know things happen fast, and they always happen unexectedly or you would not be in that situation in the first place.

Even if Fluffy disarmed you, he would probably not know how to use it against you.

Pepper spray might be the next best thing, though I have no idea if/how it affects a motivated dog.

Just something to consider.

That dog could have killed you, you know, if it got a good clamp down on your throat or head, or exsanguinated you while refusing to let you get up.

:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Yes, pistol. I haven't gotten my carry permit yet. Just don't have an extra $250 to drop for it after coming off of a year of non-steady employment.

Soon.

And yes, he could have killed me had he tried a bit harder of I not been as lucky as I was.

JMAN86 said:
That's a shame man. The owner certainly shouldn't of left the dog out if they knew you were coming, problem dog or not. No idea if you're a dog person or not but try to remember that not nearly all dogs are bad. Just stay cool and calm. Talk to the owner before stepping on the property about their dog. It might help you feel at ease.

I got nailed by a 100lb rotty when I was about 10 years old. Put me in the hospital for 5 days. It never caused me to be fearful of any dogs my entire life though including the dog that attacked me. In my experience, 99.9% of all incedents are caused by owner neglagence.

Good luck man I'm sure everything will be back to normal after a few days. Just don't let your mind take it out of control.
Click to expand...

I'm very much a dog person. I have worked with them all my life and currently live with three. A pit mixed breed, a beagle and a Min-pin mixed breed.

I love dogs and haven't ever had a problem before yesterday. I guess that was part of my problem, I've been a bit too comfortable.

On our worksheets we remark any issues we've ever had with animals or owners. This dog has never been a problem for anyone, that's why I was willing to try to get in the yard in the first place.

This house will have a check mark next to the "problem pets?" box come monday morning.:D
 
blindviper1 said:
Make sure you call the police or animal control while you fended the dog off. The next person or child might not.
Click to expand...

They can't do anything. The dog was inclosed. It may have been trained to protect the house (although it probably is just a mean dog hehe)
 
Glad you got out OK, and glad for the owner and dog that you didn't have to gut the dog to stay alive.

I have 5 medium-size dogs (65 lbs or so) in my back yard, and they all bark and make a terrible ruckus if anyone comes up to the fence. There is no way I could leave them in the back yard if a service man needed to come in while I wasn't home. If I'm there with them though, they'll just want to sniff anyone who comes in, and maybe jump up on them to play.
 
blindviper1 said:
Make sure you call the police or animal control while you fended the dog off. The next person or child might not.
Click to expand...

I'll be having a conversation with the homeowner on monday about the situation.

As far as the law goes, the dog was on it's own property, contained and I was technically an intruder so the owner and the dog were in the right.

I'm not mad about it. My pit is trained as a guard dog and she would do similar if an unknown person were to attempt to get in the house or yard.

In my opinion, thats one of the things that dogs do to earn their keep.

This problem was on our part. We interview clients about things like this before we ever set foot on their properties. In this case, I was doing one of my brothers accounts because he was hunting. I was picking up his slack.
Had he been the one on the property, it wouldn't have happened. The dog knows him and he's there every month.
 
Glad everything turned out OK, and you were able to leave with all your fingers, a nose, a complete jugular...

I love dogs, but that does freak a person out. Had the neighbor's big German Shepard run at me once. I froze, and out of complete luck and reaction grabbed it by the throat when it lunged up at my throat. It was scary. The owner walked calmly up and said something along the lines of "Paws...down Paws." I was still holding it up by the neck...not unlike a snake. I wasn't real sure if I was going to get away with letting him go without getting bit.

It was a real wierd deal. After I saw how he handled the situation, I calmly (as I could. Pretty shook up.) explained what was going to happen to the dog if it tried that crap again. It never got off the leash after that, and they ended up getting rid of it a while later, because it was mean.



shotgunner11 said:
Yes, pistol. I haven't gotten my carry permit yet. Just don't have an extra $250 to drop for it after coming off of a year of non-steady employment.

Soon.
Click to expand...


Damn! $250!

Here in Iowa it is $10 for the first year and $5 for the renewals. Plus the training class. (I think that cost me $35 or $40)
 
Tripton said:
Damn! $250!

Here in Iowa it is $10 for the first year and $5 for the renewals. Plus the training class. (I think that cost me $35 or $40)
Click to expand...

Yea, $150 for the class and then the paperwork gets shipped off with another $150 and then almost a year later your permit comes in the mail.

I think I could skimp on the class a bit but it's at least $135, thats the cheapest I've seen.
 
Use a 5 gallon bucket as a shield if you must go into a strange dogs territory if the dog is in the yard or not.A child may let the dog out or a dog could break through a door or window.
The bucket's shape and slickness makes it almost impossible for a dog to bite.
Some fresh hot-dog pieces can make you friends for future visits.
Even if the dog is inside, leave a couple hot-dog pieces to get a positive association with your scent.

Dogs can't tell a pest control guy from an intruder.
The Husky is one of the least likely dogs to bite a human.
They were never bred or used as guard dogs.
A trained dog would have done a lot more damage and you may not have ever left that yard alive.
I know of dogs that have killed many men.They are capable of killing and doing it quickly.
Use the bucket,I've used it on hundreds of trained attack dogs in a commercial kennel,security dog business and in combination with body language,calmness and skill never had any major injuries.
 
Man, sorry to hear about that, and glad you weren't hurt worse! As for the owner, even if the animal was enclosed there should still be a sign somewhere that says Beware of Dog. I'd highly recommend that to the homeowner, as that dog has obviously proved himself to be willing to attack.
 
De4thStr1ke said:
Man, sorry to hear about that, and glad you weren't hurt worse! As for the owner, even if the animal was enclosed there should still be a sign somewhere that says Beware of Dog. I'd highly recommend that to the homeowner, as that dog has obviously proved himself to be willing to attack.
Click to expand...

Honestly, we completely ignore "Beware of Dog" signs.

If you look, you'll realize that half the homes have them, dog or not.

We manage over 500 properties and I'm on 30-50 a day on average. If I were to knock on every door that had a dog in the yard or better yet a sign, I'd never get done in a day.:o
 
Wow I'm glad you're okay. I have an aggressive dog next door to me so I know what it's like. Luckily I haven't had a problem because I always stand my ground and kind of ignore the dog. It barks and growls but since I don't have a submissive posture, it doesn't know what the heck to do with me so it backs off. Wasn't true with my friends girlfriend though. It jumped the fence and chased her into the house. She made the mistake of bolting at the first sight of the dog. I don't blame her though, she probably weighs as much as the dog.
 
Yeah, looks like a case of a dog doing it's job protecting the house against someone he's never seen before. If the owner were there to meet you with the animal present you would have been fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top