shari
VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE KNOW THE FATE OF THEIR ATTACKERS, WHY ARE PET OWNERS TREATED DIFFERENTLY?
That is the reason for the very small dog, and yet she, too, has been monstered by a loose labrador and a rottweiler, despite owners yelling out, “Don’t worry, it’s friendly!”
IAM the owner of a very small dog, so small that kids are drawn to her like a magnet, with typical comments ‘ Aaaw!’ and ‘ Oh my God look at the tiny dog!’
Fellas often refer to my pooch as a ‘ rodent’. When this happens I am tempted to tell the story behind the super- small breed selection, but I don’t. I don’t because it’s distressing, even six years after the fact.
Prior to the current minimodel, I always had large to medium- sized woofers. I love big dogs, and had never even considered having a small dog, until both of my furry family members were attacked on separate occasions.
Both were on a lead, both were set upon by a neighbour’s dog that had escaped when the owner was entering their property.
Describing the experience is near impossible; it’s fast, frightening, ferocious and traumatic. There are terrible sounds, some of them are from you, some are from your dog not to mention the primal sounds from the attacker. Finally, when it’s over, your dog is nothing like the happy camper it was minutes before, excited for its walk, it is a traumatised victim requiring emergency treatment and if it is lucky enough to survive, will require around the clock care and healing time before it can resume its happy- go- doggie life.
Some pets become more fearful, as do their owners, so if you are someone who walks their dog without a leash where other people are around, please understand this; spotting an unleashed dog is terrifying for some of us. It doesn’t matter if the dog is well trained, harmless, ‘ wouldn’t hurt a fly,’ all those usual cliches, we don’t know that.
What we do know is that this dog is a potential incident, once you have seen your beloved pet mauled by a large dog on the loose, a small dog that you can easily pick up and hold out of harm’s way doesn’t seem like such a bad idea at all – bite my legs, not my dog.
So that is the reason for the very small dog, and yet she, too, has been monstered by a loose labrador and a rottweiler, despite owners yelling out, “Don’t worry, it’s friendly!”
No it’s not, it’s aggressive, unpredictable and terrifying.
There have been a number of dog attacks recently that included an owner bitten and his pet killed, another family’s pet was mauled in their own yard. Almost more shocking was Townsville City Council saying it can’t tell the owners of the victim pet any details of the outcome, due to privacy laws. What has privacy got to do with it? Victims of violence know the fate of their attackers, why are pet owners treated differently?
If everyone used leashes in public and had adequate fences, attacks shouldn’t happen. Because they don’t, I often yell, “Put your dog on a leash!”
Don’t shoot the messenger – it’s not just for my pet’s benefit, it’s for yours, too. Avoiding an attack doesn’t only spare my dog and I from a terrifying experience, it might just save your ‘ friendly’ pet from a death sentence.
Fair trade?