Thanks, Kathy for your story. I don't recall ever hearing why Max had his issues to work on and honestly, your story made me tear up. How terrifying for you both. And you handled yourself with such dignity. There are so many people in this world not deserving of a dog as a pet (or any animal for that matter), yet there are also so many out there that are deserving, responsible and trying to do the right thing for these animals and your story proves it. Thank you for sharing.

I know my friend is here lurking on this thread and working up the courage to post herself at some point. She's still trying to absorb all that is going on and what she is learning and willing to do (or not to do) and not making any rash decision that she may regret later.

Kathy, thank you for being so brave to share your sweet Max's story. We love him always, right along with you. You did all that you could, and Max enjoyed many years of pleasure with you.

In case my feelings about "C" himself were misunderstood, I do NOT advocate putting "C" anywhere unless it is with his family but only in situations where his interactions are controlled and I believe these owners are the ones to implement the regimen that this entails.

This was an accident with horrible consequences but these owners should be commended for everything they did after the event. This could have happened to anyone in similar circumstances. We love these canines as family members but they belong to the Canidae family first and expecting them to behave predictably at all times is unrealistic. However, we have to deal with the consequences of that as well - some of us (including me) know this better than others. This has been a reminder for all of us of what can happen and I'll leave it at that.

Again, best wishes to all concerned.

Just a quick update for those interested. I had lunch with my friend and the restaurant was just around the corner from her house and she wanted to let the dogs out to potty. Currently no outdoor privileges for the dogs when humans are away from the home. I met all three dogs for the second time and everything went well. C is a mix and I just wish I knew what the other mix was. He has the brindle coloring and not a bunch of shepherd look to him so he fascinates me His stance and head are shepherd, so I think the coloring is what throws me off. My first thought goes to boxer for some reason (but def not the face).

Anyway, Two things I noticed right away. We entered through the garage door. When we got to the door that lead to the inside of the house, I noticed a HUGE sign taped to the wall that said something to the effect that the main garage door must be fully closed before the door leading to the house can be opened. On the inside there is another note to the same effect when you are reversing what we just did. There is an x-pen opened flat and covers the entry doorway to the front and an x-pen goes the length of the entry way to keep the dogs from having an escape at the front of the house. They are taking this very serious.

Animal Control contacted them last Thursday. Left his card and her hubby called him late in the afternoon same day. The AC guy said something like "well, I work 9-4 Mon-Thu so I'll have to call you on Monday" They played phone tag all day and they finally connected. He is coming out tomorrow for a home inspection and to release the dog from 10 day quarantine (that they never told them it was required, was more self imposed) and then we'll see what happens.

The victim's family lives at the opposite corner of their block within view. They don't even want to walk the dogs in the neighborhood because they are so embarrassed

Stay tuned...

Wow, they are really on it. Good for them and I hope that it all works out!



This - this is always something that I believe in, in addition to safety for the dog. When a dog can go in and out at will, I think it sets something up in their head, akin to having thumbs!

I live my life very similar to this system. I have signs posted Alerting others to the fact my dogs can open the doors, so LOCK it behind you. I live "locked in" my house & open(unlock)doors only to get through them & immediately lock them behind me. Need to get outside through the garage door? 1st have to check both doors to be sure they are locked. The door is open only as long as needed & I live with it closed

Annoying? probably to those who aren't used to it. Not as annoying as having to go collect my dogs from running through the neighborhood!!
Overkill? What's with the signs? Everyone who is not used to my home that comes here,(which, honestly, isn't very many people) notices those signs! They are laminated with the dogs picture on them & the message.
I just don't want to be put in the situation where my dogs are ever taken from me, neighbors complain or in trouble for aggression, killing or hurting another animal or vice versa! I may have seen to many courtroom(Judge Judy type)shows...there are so many!

The majority of people around here have invisible fence collars on their dogs. They put them out & its their babysitter. I have returned numerous dogs for wandering on dead batteries...the owners do not care & think I'm being an idiot/interfering/nosey.

My immediate neighbor has Pit bulls w/ no collar or fencing(& a lot of friends w/Pits w/ no leashes ). One of my sheps (Mikko, the least confrontational one) put the Pit on his back, but the Pit was younger--I don't want to see that meet up now.
I live in an area where there's 2 mindsets.
One is the invisible fence scenario & then the majority (true to the area) to just "let the dogs wander & be dogs". Yikes.

Sometimes a combo of both (stopped last wk to tell a guy his dogs battery was dead & he's like "yea, he's wandering around the yard somewhere"...nevermind I saw him across the highway in the scrub near the golf course. His reaction was "he's just some rescue". *If* one of my dogs was EVER near that highway I'm sure I would need an ambulance for the heart attack that would be sure to follow!

There are layers of "protection" I've built in by living this way & I look at them as breach of our perimeter if the garage door is up. I can feel it almost like a 6th sense. I'm not a totally paranoid owner...although this may suggest that. I'm just trying to keep us safe. We don't walk much at all around here anymore...we drive to different locations for that.

I hope things go smooth from here on out for "C" & family.
I have a reverse situation of this. When I was younger I had a yorkie. He was a fiesty thing & earned a reputation for being the "big dog in a little dog body" .
One afternoon he jumped up from sleeping, tore through the house, out the dog door, squeezed through the gate/fence & ran across the street & attacked a Dobi! He jumped ion his face several times (probably biting at him). Why? He thought he was protecting me I'm sure. The Dobi picked him up & gave him a shake. It didn't kill him, but it hurt him pretty good & it taught me a HUGE lesson. Not to look at a 10# dog any differently than a 100# dog. They shouldn't get a pass on behavior.
Had my yorkie 18 1/2 yrs & I still use what I learned during those yrs. I don't want to put my Sheps in a position that they feel like they need to "shake" an unruly dog.

I hope things go smooth from here on out for "C" & family. Its a horrible way to learn a lesson. I know the family must feel terrible about the incident. Maybe by sharing her story on here they have helped others avoid a similar situation.

Furonthefloor...thanks for sharing your experiences. I know often the smaller dogs challenge the big dogs and it can be bad either way for sure.

In our household, we're trying things a bit differently just in case we're challenged with this kind of situation.

Thanks everyone!

Oh yes, and the AC officer met with them this morning, released the dog from quarantine and all is good. The victim (for lack of a better word) family did not even want to report it, but felt they should to protect everyone involved. I know they are quite relieved they were not forced to have the dog put down (but they were prepared).

so glad to know things turned out in a positive way. sounds like your friend is really on top of everything. i have a similar situation to furonthefloor and also have to segregate inside the house 'cause i have two alpha bitches...so i spend alot of time managing their environment and i know lots of people think it's way too much work, but to me it's just become a way of life.

Thank you for updating this thread especially with such good news on every front as I was wondering. I am very pleased to read that this is how the situation has been dealt with by all concerned.

I recently spoke to my friend (we no longer work together) and she explained to me that there was no abnormal bloodwork shown. About three weeks after the initial incident, C went after one of the house dogs. My friend separated them. All was fine. The next day, same thing, but more aggressive. Separation and all was fine. A few days later, there was a knock at the door and she was in a different room and C attacked again, this time it was requiring a trip to the vet for stitches to deep puncture wounds. There was no provocation whatsoever other than the knock. After discussing it with the vet, and learning a baby is on the way, they made the difficult choice to put C down. Now their other dog is having reactivity issues and they are dealing with that. So very sad. C