Argh.

[aithne]

I groomed both dogs today--Boone needed his hocks trimmed, and both dogs needed to be brushed and the hair on their paws trimmed so it doesn't cover the pads. Winter is coming, and trimmed feet don't track in quite so much mud. Boone got a good brushing, and was a pretty good boy for most of it. (Pip loves being brushed, so she just lays there blissed out while being brushed. The only problem with her is getting her to stand up so her pantaloons can be brushed.)

Once they were done, I had a little while before I had to leave, so I decided to take them for a quick walk. I was walking on a street near our house, when I came upon a house where three large huskies were being loaded into the back of a truck. Boone, as usual, decided to be a butt and fuss at the dogs he could see. I saw one of the huskies pause and stare thoughtfully at Boone.

The first warning was that the husky didn't bark. Dogs usually vocalize warning to strangers on their territory. Instead, the dog loped forward, followed by his two packmates. They covered twenty feet in hardly a blink, paused to size up my dogs, and promptly attacked. This was not dominance or guarding territory--there was no threat-response pattern. This was a hunt.

The huskies grabbed both of my dogs--one of them got his mouth around Boone's hip and actually tossed him into the air. The owner of the huskies was nearby and together we got the dogs separated, but man that was scary. None of the dogs were leashed, and I'm guessing that this wasn't the first time these dogs had packed up to hunt. The dogs, though small, are large enough that they're not easily mistaken for prey, though Boone has a bit of a communication problem because of his ears and tail.

I checked them over briefly, not wanting to make a huge fuss over them--no blood or open wounds, no immediate limping--and we resumed our walk. On checking them over more thoroughly when we got home, Boone certainly has some bruising on his spine and one hip, and Pip seems pretty stiff as well. (Going to the vet tomorrow!) I had to drop Pip's leash to get Boone away from the huskies, and fortunately she didn't decide to take off for the hills and came right back when I called. So, you know, good puppies.

But, man. LEASH YOUR DOGS, people. The owner was appropriately concerned and apologetic, which was good. But still, prevention! Had these dogs been under control, it wouldn't have happened.

Comments

[1-twinkled.livejournal.com]

Oh wow! That is seriously scary!! I'm glad the situation wasn't any worse and hope that your dogs get a clean bill of health tomorrow at the vet!!

[stopword.livejournal.com]

O jeez, that's terrifying. So glad your pups will be okay eventually.

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Oh, how terrifying.

[ivy]

Aiee. I hope everyone turns out to be fine, but I'm glad it doesn't seem too bad, at least.

[jenk]

I'm so sorry for you and your dogs. Sounds like the other dog owner is an idiot.

[suddenlynaked.livejournal.com]

Also sounds like you know where to send the vet bill. And that packing behavior - vets do NOT like that. I haven't talked to Ace, so she might have a different opinion because of variables I don't understand, but in a similar situation a year or so ago, she would have argued for the huskies to be put down.

I am not a vet, but you might talk to your vet about it. Ace is pretty loath to hurt *anything* so I really pay attention when I hear about putting dogs down.

[sirriamnis.livejournal.com]

That sounds terrifying. I got shaky just reading it. I hope the critter is ok, and all vet bills should be forwarded to the ass who didn't bother to restrain his dogs.

[ms-monkey.livejournal.com]

I hope the 'appropriately concerned' husky owner gave you the right contact information and immediately offered to pay for any vet bills, etc. to have your animals checked over and if treatments were needed, pay for those too. It is inappropriate to have dogs off leash in areas not specifically designated for such use or fenced off from other animals/children/cars/etc.

I know lots of animals wouldn't hurt a flea. But even the best dogs are still dogs, and they can occasionally forget to act the way we want them to.

Yesh, that sucks. Glad to hear your dogs appear to be OK and that you are taking them to the vet.

[katybeth]

How scary! I'm glad your pups seem mostly OK, and hope that they stay that way.

[reveritas.livejournal.com]

Gah, what the hell! I would have been freaking my shit. I'm glad the owner was properly penitent, and I also hope he offered to pay for the vet bills, even just to have them checked out.