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danniko · 11-23-2011, 10:21 PM

Today my husband and I were at the dog park because we take Sophie once a week so she can be off of her leash and be safe...or so we thought that was the case. Sophie is pretty independent and tends to wander around with us and doesn't interact much with the other dogs - usually it is just a quick sniff and she continues walking around or sniffing the grass.

She isn't aggressive toward the other dogs and tends to back away from them if they come running at her.

Today we were minding our business waiting for a couple of dogs to enter into the park before we left, to avoid the entrance being hectic, we were waiting on the opposite corner from the gate so we could leave right after they came in.

Bad idea...these 2 boston terriers came running through the gate and straight toward Sophie...backing her in a corner. Sophie put her tail between her legs and tried to get away from them, unfortunately the two dogs latched onto her, one on her ear and the other on her back leg - it all happened so fast. My husband was trying to pick Sophie up, the one on her leg let go but the stupid one on her ear just bit harder. I can still hear Sophie's scream and the look she gave me was pure fear. The owner finally came over and tried to shoo her dogs away but wasn't really trying that hard because the one was still trying to jump on my husband to get to her.

We checked her over and there wasn't anything wrong with her (thank god) but we were going to get the owner's name anyway, just in case. Well, because my husband and I were so concerned with checking her over after the dogs were taken away we didn't notice that the lady had left and no one there knew who she was either.

I feel horrible for the obvious reason that I didn't protect my baby and it was a horrible feeling watching her scream and hoping to god that the dog would just let go of her ear but the biggest reason...we didn't take her to the vet.

She didn't have any reason to make us feel we needed to at first. She was shaky but calmed down once she was in the car with us and has been eating/playing around/drinking since it happened. She has even been chasing the cats away from her treats.. However, she has been quieter than usual at times - like she stayed in our bedroom and slept while we were downstairs, which she never does and I just noticed that the tip to the middle of one of her ear is bright red.

I don't know what I am looking for. I just feel really guilty and stressed about what happened...I can't really afford a vet right now (I don't work because I quit to help with my mom - but she will go to the vet if she has to, we have a credit card for these things, just not the means to pay it off) and I didn't get the owner's name so I can't even make them pay to have her looked at. I have been giving her so many hugs and cuddles tonight and lots of extra mommy attention. I just can't get myself to not feel like it is my fault and every time she looks at me all I can picture is the face she made when she was scared and yelping...it almost felt like it was a "why are you letting this happen to me" kind of face...it really makes me feel like I failed her.

I know her injuries are minimal and it could have been so much worse but I can't help but blame myself for not picking her up when those dogs came in the park, getting the dog to let go faster or not taking her straight to the vet or getting the owner's name.

Right now she is sitting beside me happily chewing on her bully stick, but I can't help but wonder if all the extra cuddles I think she has needed are really just for me.

11-23-2011, 10:21 PM	#1
danniko YT Addict Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 342	Feeling like a horrible mommy to Sophie Today my husband and I were at the dog park because we take Sophie once a week so she can be off of her leash and be safe...or so we thought that was the case. Sophie is pretty independent and tends to wander around with us and doesn't interact much with the other dogs - usually it is just a quick sniff and she continues walking around or sniffing the grass. She isn't aggressive toward the other dogs and tends to back away from them if they come running at her. Today we were minding our business waiting for a couple of dogs to enter into the park before we left, to avoid the entrance being hectic, we were waiting on the opposite corner from the gate so we could leave right after they came in. Bad idea...these 2 boston terriers came running through the gate and straight toward Sophie...backing her in a corner. Sophie put her tail between her legs and tried to get away from them, unfortunately the two dogs latched onto her, one on her ear and the other on her back leg - it all happened so fast. My husband was trying to pick Sophie up, the one on her leg let go but the stupid one on her ear just bit harder. I can still hear Sophie's scream and the look she gave me was pure fear. The owner finally came over and tried to shoo her dogs away but wasn't really trying that hard because the one was still trying to jump on my husband to get to her. We checked her over and there wasn't anything wrong with her (thank god) but we were going to get the owner's name anyway, just in case. Well, because my husband and I were so concerned with checking her over after the dogs were taken away we didn't notice that the lady had left and no one there knew who she was either. I feel horrible for the obvious reason that I didn't protect my baby and it was a horrible feeling watching her scream and hoping to god that the dog would just let go of her ear but the biggest reason...we didn't take her to the vet. She didn't have any reason to make us feel we needed to at first. She was shaky but calmed down once she was in the car with us and has been eating/playing around/drinking since it happened. She has even been chasing the cats away from her treats.. However, she has been quieter than usual at times - like she stayed in our bedroom and slept while we were downstairs, which she never does and I just noticed that the tip to the middle of one of her ear is bright red. I don't know what I am looking for. I just feel really guilty and stressed about what happened...I can't really afford a vet right now (I don't work because I quit to help with my mom - but she will go to the vet if she has to, we have a credit card for these things, just not the means to pay it off) and I didn't get the owner's name so I can't even make them pay to have her looked at. I have been giving her so many hugs and cuddles tonight and lots of extra mommy attention. I just can't get myself to not feel like it is my fault and every time she looks at me all I can picture is the face she made when she was scared and yelping...it almost felt like it was a "why are you letting this happen to me" kind of face...it really makes me feel like I failed her. I know her injuries are minimal and it could have been so much worse but I can't help but blame myself for not picking her up when those dogs came in the park, getting the dog to let go faster or not taking her straight to the vet or getting the owner's name. Right now she is sitting beside me happily chewing on her bully stick, but I can't help but wonder if all the extra cuddles I think she has needed are really just for me.