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my poor Dex... vibes please (long)
He has major beef with the neighbor dog (and so have I, long before we had Dexter... see the bottom side note). We've gone through multiple things to try to keep a barrier between the two dogs. The existing privacy wood fence wasn't enough. We installed a shock line (that I've had a lot of guilt over even using, but we didn't know what else to do) to create a larger barrier and keep our dogs from digging at the fence. Dexter goes right through it, even stands on the line and lets it shock him. We put plywood sheets along the part of the fence they get at each other at so they couldn't see each other at all, he still paces and barks there. We put rocks along the entire base of the fence so they couldn't dig.
Today, the rocks failed. Dexter pushed one out of the way and dug under the fence enough to get his foot under it. The neighbor dog attacked him. We had just sat down for dinner, and he started screeching. We ran out there and I got down on the fence and tried to pull his foot out. It was stuck and he was biting me (not hard, I don't even have marks) because he was in pain. His shock collar was on, and was shocking both of us (I was holding his collar to try to keep his mouth away from his foot). I was screaming bloody murder and sobbing. Finally I just yanked really hard and got his foot out, I thought I had broken it.
David went next door immediately to freak out on neighbor, while I carried Dexter back in the house, still hysterically crying. I put Dex in his crate and finally checked out his wounds. HUGE deep puncture in the middle of his foot, and lots of scrapes and missing fur all over. Meanwhile, all the other neighbors were out in the street because of the commotion, and David was trying to hold his cool with the neighbor. Neighbor brought his dogs inside, and David came back to see how bad Dex was. Then we went back and looked at the neighbor's lack of attention to his own solutions to keep the dogs away from the fence line. He said he was fixing them tonight. I am going over in the morning to make sure they will work.
The vet said since it wasn't gushing blood, David could clean and bandage the wound and we could just come in tomorrow morning (she knows David is a paramedic, we've had to do crap like this a couple times before for Dex). My boss gave me tomorrow off if I need it. We haven't reported it yet because we hope to work it all out with the neighbor, but I might do a non-emergency call tomorrow just so it's logged. sigh.
Off to the vet we go, again. Another long recovery period, another activity restriction (which equals 2 sad dogs in my house), and all of Dexter's training goes out of his head. Not to mention the emotional wreck I am. (as we were cleaning his wound, and he was screaming and trying to bite us again, I started bawling because I promised him this morning we would go for a walk).
Side Note: The story gets even better when I tell you this same dog used to poop in our front yard all the time, because neighbor lets him roam the neighborhood at will sometimes. I once clapped my hands at said dog and told him to go away, and he charged me! I knew enough to stand my ground and nothing happened. Also, this dog is an unneutered male pitbull... and because of his owner's actions, he only further perpetuates the bad rap pitbulls get 
We think Dexter's beef with him is because he's unneutered...
So some vibes for Dexter's recovery would be apprecaited. And for my sanity. thanks.
Re: my poor Dex... vibes please (long)
That is awful. I would call, because I don't see it getting any better. "I'll fix it tonight" is something you say about a dripping faucet, not when your dog is maliciously wounding another. I hope Dex is ok, and he doesn't have to stay calm for too long.
Kate's Recipe Box || Relatively Bookish
Poor guy! Hope he gets better soon-Cooper and Bogey send their slobbery love!
Have you looked into your town/city's requirements for registration? Here, "dangerous" breed owners need proof of 100K+ liability insurance to register, dog must have a muzzle on if it's not indoors or in a fenced in yard, and owner pays 3 times as much for registration.
Personally, I would report things like him charging you, being lose in the neighborhood, but I don't know about the attack...Dex did have his foot on the other side of the fence, but the dog should not have attacked him. I would go after the neighbor with animal control for the loose dog/charging issue, not this since he could argue that Dex was instigating. Sorry, I know it's not what you want to hear, but just a thought....
There aren't special requirements for "dangerous breeds" here.
I totally agree with you about Dexter instigating. That's why the whole calling to report it is so iffy. I want to get it on the record so there can be a documented pattern if it escalates or if the dog attacks a person, god forbid, but obviously Dexter was technically in his yard, and I admit Dexter has major beef with the dog. He's certainly not perfectly innocent in this situation. I might call and give them the situation and just see what they say about logging it. I want to handle it between the neighbor and ourselves as much as possible. We aren't asking him to pay our vet bills or anything, just want him to do an equal amount to try to keep his dog away from the fence line so they can both enjoy their own yards. (Neighbor only has to block about a 2 foot section to keep his dogs away from the 10 feet of fence line in question...)
I totally wish I had called back when the roaming and charging was going on... it was before we had Dexter, and we just told the neighbor who said he would "handle it." I haven't seen the dog out since, but there has still been poop in my front yard... could be another dog, but I doubt it.
Poor Dex! This kind of crap makes me so angry. I hope Dex has a speedy recovery. And yes, I would call just so that they have it on record in case anything happens in the future.
Keep us posted!
OOOHHH my goodness, Cole!! I would be sooo furious if I were you! I tooootally understand... and yes, I think you're right, the uneutered thing is big between male dogs... strange. We have an uneutered pit behind us and he attacks the fence to get to my dogs too and Payton goes craaazzyyyy... it's like she's out of control like I never see her.... oye... I hope Dex is going to be okay... vibes to ya hon... I can't imagine how traumatizing that must've been for both of you.
Hang in there