it could have been worse.
that’s putting the best face on yesterday morning’s events.
and, yes, i know the rules. never stick your hand in a dog’s mouth. and never get in the middle of a dog attack.
yesterday i broke both rules, and ended up spending nearly six hours in the Queen’s emergency room as a result.
But what was the option?
i’m typing this post with my left hand. the big bandage wrapping the thumb and first two fingers on my right hand, and part of my forearm, make two-handed typing impossible, for now at least.
here’s a short version of the tale.
yesterday started normally enough. we launched our walk just before dawn, and got down to the beach right on schedule. we were just past the restrooms at kaaawa beach park when i noticed Big Dog trotting alongside her person and a friend about 50 yards ahead, walking in the same direction as we were. Big Dog isn’t her real name, but will do for this description. she is one of the many dogs that we’ve gotten to know along the route we take most days as we walk the back streets of kaaawa.
suddenly Big Dog stopped, looked back in our direction, and came charging back towards us. when it became obvious she was going to barrel past us, i turned and saw Small Dog and her person, both friends, just toodling down onto the beach.
in a flash of muscle and speed and intense focus, Big Dog had small dog by the back of the neck and had locked down, trying to do further damage by violently shaking her prey. i was right behind, trying first to pull her off, and when that proved unsuccessful, to keep her from dragging Small Dog away, while still trying to pry her jaws open. Small Dog was yelping and crying in fear and pain, Big Dog’s people had gotten there, bystanders were rushing over to help, everyone was trying to do something.
it was chaos.
I think Small Dog was ultimately saved by her harness, which interfered just enough with Big Dog’s bite. BD kept trying to get a better bite. periodically loosening her jaws slightly while trying to get a more deadly hold.
BD was in a zone, some kind of deep-in-the-dna, biochemical attack mode, suddenly transforming her into a terribly efficient killing machine, wholly focused, for whatever reason, on poor Small Dog.
i’ve seen our cats access a similar place in their inherited ancestral feline brains. something just takes over and they are driven by forces we can’t see or fully appreciate.
but i did not want Small Dog to be killed, so it didn’t occur to me to just step back and get out of the way.
then, in one of those moments when Big Dog tried to shift and get a “better” bite, we were able to pull Small Dog free and pass the terrified pup back to her person, who immediately set off for an emergency run to VCA in kaneohe.
that’s when i looked down and saw blood, my blood, it turned out, and i saw the injury and knew we needed to get to the ER, but first i had to walk home. that was a very, very long walk, although it certainly took less than 15 minutes.
with morning traffic we were at the ER by a few minutes after 8 a.m., and i finally got out of there just around 2 p.m.
“when was your last tetanus booster?” one nurse asked pleasantly. “not in living memory,” i replied.
at the end of the day, Small Dog was bloodied and chewed pretty well, but escaped without life threatening injuries. i’ll recover, but one finger will be a tad bit shorter than previously. Big Dog? i don’t know what has happened to her.
meanwhile, i’ve got pain meds to get me through the next few days.
i’ll just have faith that a slightly shortened finger won’t interfere much with my typing, once it heals up.
and i tell myself again, it could have been worse.
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Dog bites hurt. I have been victimized twice in Hilo and blame incompetent owners for the attacks.
I got to the part where you have a shorter finger, and said out loud, “Holy ****,” which I won’t type here.
We have a dog, a stray from Waianae via the Humane Society, who, I have to admit, has had something similar to that look in her eye when playing with her dog friends gets a little too intense. It’s scary, but they all have that potential. They, like us, are animals, but they are more honest about it.
I cannot thank Ian enough. I am small dog’s person. It was horrible. If Ian was not there, I would have lost my wonderful friend. Big Dog’s person thought she had control over her dog, but she did not. Although she had been asked many times to keep her dog on leash, she didn’t. Everyone, please be responsible pet owners and keep your dogs on leash at all times when not at home.
did big dog’s owner offer to pay small dog’s vet bills?
Wow! Glad you are ok and the small dog survived. Scary situation.
You just confirmed what I have always known … You are a good man. Thanks.!
Bud Smyser of the old Star-Bull was quite adept at typing with the fingers of one hand.
I tried to save a small pooch in the jaws of a stray bull terrier once. Not fun.
“BD was in a zone, some kind of deep-in-the-dna, biochemical attack mode, suddenly transforming her into a terribly efficient killing machine, wholly focused, for whatever reason, on poor Small Dog.”
“our cats access a similar place in their inherited ancestral feline brains. something just takes over and they are driven by forces we can’t see or fully appreciate.”
Why, just like the House Republicans right now!
Wow, glad you’re okay Ian and heal quickly and safely. Scary time, but I know you did the right thing.
Mr. Mike seemed to hit it on the head about all Republicans right now…lol
There is that old saw that says “No good deed goes unpunished.” Fortunately, in spite of that, good deeds are still done by good people.
Heal well.
I’m astonished that no one called the police. I sure hope Big Dog has been destroyed and its owner cited. How long are we going to put up with this “dogs will be dogs” attitude from owners/aficionados? Instead I’m sure they will reserve their venom for me for daring to challenge their “right” to a walk a violent animal without a leash.
Ck: If you wantt make a difference, then you need to hold Big Dog’s owner accountable. Although it took me – and hundreds of others who joined my efforts to change state and county laws dealing with dangerous dogs and their owners – nearly four years to change the accuntability laws, I urge you to file the complaint.
Ian, if your Small Dog Friend is interested, please pass along my contact information to her.
I do agree in the main with CWD. Someone needs a big wake-up call, and it may not come about without litigation or the threat thereof, like a demand letter, initially–there is I suppose a statute of limitations on this, as to time to file a legal complaint. Having BD not on a leash seems inexcusable and ignorant. It is no favor to BD or BD’s owner’s interests, and Small Dog could have been a small toddler, though I am not minimizing at all the injuries to Small Dog, as I love dogs. And, getting to the scene of the incident may have been too late depending on the bite, etc. And someone like Ian might not have been around. Depending on Hawaii’s case law, etc., Ian, as well as the owner of Small Dog, may have a cause of action. I assume, though, that the owner of BD is a decent person and would want to do the right thing without litigation by paying for costs incurred, and making amends in other ways as well.
sometimes they act like wolves, no matter the breeding.
sometimes we act like apes, no matter the technology, the eduction and the money.
only so much can be fixed.
Three chickens got into our yard once, and our smaller dog — a sharpeii/terrier — dispatched all three in about five seconds. Yes, they get into the zone.
Good for you, Ian. I’ve witnessed a vicious dogfight and have heard numerous traumatic and tragic accounts from patients in my psychology practice. Leash laws must be enforced. No two ways about it.
Had you bitten the dog, well that would have been news.
(Sorry, couldn’t resist. Hope you get heal fast.)