Owners go unpunished after dogs attack a neighbor

Dear Annie: I live in Texas in a small neighborhood and am still relatively new to this area. Two years ago, a traumatic event happened to me. I was on my daily walk through the neighborhood. (I used to go two miles daily.) I was passing by a neighbor’s yard when their three dogs violently attacked me. The dogs dragged me 40 yards through a pasture. Fortunately, three men intervened and saved my life. It was a horrific ordeal, and I still suffer from some injuries that I incurred during the attack. I’ll have to self-catheter for the rest of my life. I have PTSD.

My question has to do with the fact that the dog owners were never fined or punished in any way.

I keep trying to tell myself it happened for a reason — that

I shouldn’t worry about justice coming out of it. You see, up until the attack, I was agnostic; I didn’t really believe in heaven or hell. But since the attack and those men saving me, I’ve come to believe that there is a higher power and he is very merciful.

I still have problems going out for walks. I probably haven’t walked more than 15 feet outside my yard. I still regularly have nightmares about the event and replay it in my head.

The people who own the dogs have more dogs now, just as violent, and they run loose. I keep worrying what would happen if a kid were attacked. So, should I just accept that as the justice, or is there something else that I should do?

Sincerely Confused

Dear Confused: You can have faith that God will deliver justice in the end while still pursuing justice yourself in the here and now. Your concern transcends even your own personal trauma: It’s about making sure that this never happens to anyone else. You are rightly terrified. From the sound of it, it’s not a matter of if these dogs will injure someone else but when. I urge you to contact your local authorities, repeatedly, if necessary.

There’s no way that it’s legal for your neighbors to allow their dogs to roam free like that, especially when they have a history of violence. The very least they could do is put up a fence.

I hope you are seeking therapy. You’ve suffered incredibly serious trauma, and untreated PTSD can take a heavy toll both physically and mentally over the long term.

As a supplement to therapy, I would recommend the book “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma” by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk. I am so sorry that this truly horrible thing happened to you. I pray that one day you can again enjoy your daily walks in the sun.

Dear Annie: I feel the same as Holiday Anxiety, the reader who hates all the hoopla surrounding the holidays. Luckily, I’m retired and can do what I want. I think of every day as special. I think of the holidays as commercial events designed to part consumers with their money. I no longer decorate, except for a small tree. I buy cookies rather than feeling obligated to make them.

I’ve cut back on spending, and I order online. I ask everyone to bring a dish to pass around, rather than doing all the cooking myself. We play games. I’m loving the simpler life.

Wiser in Wisconsin

Dear Wiser: I love that you’ve found what works for you (though I must add a note of caution not to gather with people outside your household this year, due to COVID-19). May we all minimize stress and maximize merriment.