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View Full Version : Gonzo got mauled!



bckrazy
02-27-2005, 09:58 PM
well, not exactly "mauled", but thats how it feels :(...

We went to the dog park yesterday, and there were only about 4 dogs there for the first half hour. Gonzo was running through the mud puddles and playing with a Rottie boy and a Pit Bull boy, he was really having fun. Then, a really scummy looking man came in with his Rottie, she was a humungous female - much larger and taller than the male in there. The second she came in she ran up to each dog to challenge them, and snapped at the Pit Bull boy (who was the sweetest dog ever!). >_< right now I was thinking "ok... time to go!", especially since the owner was just sitting on the other side of the park, thinking that his dog was just fine. I went to grab Gonzo's collar, and the Rottie raced over and mounted him. Gonzo growled at her (I don't blame him), and she pinned him down and started biting at his neck and face :eek: Gonzo just rolled over and was yelping, then he finally got away from her and ran off, but she was able to pin him down again and continued to bite him!! By now I was just yelling at the man to get his stupid dog! He just yelled her name for a while, then he finally came over and he couldn't even pull her off... he finally had to grab her harness and fling her on the ground and lay on top of her :eek:

We took Gonzo to the vet, and he has multiple punctures on his neck and chest and the roof of his mouth got torn up :(... all of the white on his chest was bloody, so I definitely thought it would be worse than it is. The vet said the roof of his mouth just bleeds a lot. They didn't want to stitch it up because it will heal within a couple weeks, and its an awkward place to stitch. I'm still SO mad.. :mad: that guy was such a complete jerk, he didn't seem shocked or suprised at all by his dog, didn't even say sorry, and he didn't even leave!! He thought his dog was completely justified. Of course, the other people that were in there left after seeing what his dog did, and told me that I should make him pay the vet bills. The pittie people got his license plate number for me. But the ($100) vet bill isn't the worst part about this... I'm just shocked that some one would bring their obviously extremely dominant dog to the dog park, especially when she could do so much damage to any dog if she wanted to. People like this ruin the dog park for everyone!! Needless to say, I will never go to any dog park again unless its with dogs/people that I know and trust :(

I feel so bad, and so angry, I cant even say.. Gonzo has been on antibiotics and he's only able to eat soft food, which is making him sick :( he's also been coughing a lot and I know his mouth is uncomfortable. He threw up several times yesterday. I don't know if I should just leave the owner alone, or say something to him.... I just would like to warn everyone, as I know many people here bring their dogs to dog parks :( Even though the sign outside says "no agressive dogs", that is totally subjective to everyone's own opinion of their dog. There are a lot of stupid people out there :mad:

animal_rescue
02-27-2005, 10:01 PM
Get Well Gonzo!
grr I hope he pays for it!:mad:

Giselle
02-27-2005, 10:08 PM
OMG GONZO!!!! Omg you poor poor baby. :( You should definitely report this. I keep forgetting where you live, but that's definitely a breach of dog park rules. Furthermore, his dog can be labeled dog aggressive, and I really think you should take his license number and take pictures of all the wounds. Take it to the animal control place and tell them what happened. I hope you can label the dog dangerous and vicious. If I remember correctly, if the dog is labeled dangerous and vicious, they're required to muzzle the dog at all times in public. I just saw the episode of SF Animal Cops and they had a similar situation. Two rotties (poor breed-they and pits are getting a really bad rep) escaped through a fence and killed two guinea pigs and a chihuahua. Oh, I'm so sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am.

BTW, you might want to call a dog behaviorist and ask about that Alpha roll thing. I know a lot of people are against for some reason or another. You could bring up the Alpha roll when talking to the animal control officers and possibly hint out that the Rottie's owner is incompetant and should be banned from dog ownership. Good Luck. I'm so sorry once again.

Cinder & Smoke
02-27-2005, 10:16 PM
OUWCH!! :(
Poor Gonzo!! :(

I would suggest you Immediately contact the Group or Office that
"manages" the Dog Park and formally REPORT the incident.

Let THEM advise you what your options are.
Hopefully, the Park Manager will take steps to insure that
Rottie owner and his nasty dog do not return.

Get Well Soon, Gonzo!! ;)
..

KYS
02-27-2005, 10:25 PM
Poor Gonzo,

I agree, and think you should report the incident.
It should be on record incase this happens again to someone else. :(

caseysmom
02-27-2005, 10:30 PM
Oh my gosh I am so sorry Gonzo went through that he is so sweet. I am glad you or gonzo weren't hurt any more than that, it could have been a dangerous situation for you too. Was this at phoenix?

I was thinking of taking bubba there for the first time today...can you imagine...that dog could have killed him with one bite....

Karen
02-27-2005, 10:31 PM
Absolutely report it. Include the vet's bill - which should have a write-up of his injuries, and any pictures you can get of poor Gonzo's injuries. This man should be banned from the Dog Park, which is NOT going to happen if no one reports the abuse! And as a plus, he should be made to pay your vet bill, but that is secondary to ensuring that this never happens again.

Poor Gonzo! Give him a snuggle and a tummy rub for me, and then another snuggle and tell him he did the right thing. Poor Gonzo, and poor you!

bckrazy
02-27-2005, 10:43 PM
thanks for the support everybody ^_^ I've been too mad to even think about what to do about the owner... this is the worst thing ever, to see and to go through, and I definitely do not want that stupid guy to do this to another innocent dog again. I know two of the people who help maintain the park, Gonzo plays with their Border Collies all the time and I know they'll be very mad about this.. I will e-mail them tomorrow. :( I hope animal control will take this seriously, I'll try to call them tomorrow.

thanks Giselle!! you've really helped. that rottie was obviously horribly bred, not anywhere near the standard, and not like the typical sweet rotties I've met. she could've been mixed with mastiff, she was so huge! I don't know if animal control will count this as dangerous and vicious, I know for sure the dog is very Alpha and does not belong at the dog park, though. He really couldn't control his dog, I was wary of him from the start because the dog literally was dragging him across the parking lot :mad:. I'm really afraid that Gonzo will develop fear agression towards other dogs... I really dont know how he'll react to all of this..

thanks Caseysmom. yea, it was pheonix!! I'm so bummed, because I love that park and I know SO many people that go there, but I couldnt go there again without worrying about dogs I don't know. This dog was completely out of control, I have no idea what gave the guy the idea to bring her there! I'm also glad you didn't bring little Bubba! Gonzo seems ok, he is moping around a lot and acting depressed. what totally breaks my heart is that he has a puncture on his nose that he keeps pawing and it keeps bleeding. his poor little nose :(

caseysmom
02-27-2005, 10:52 PM
Yeah there was a basenji named tulle that always went after casey...not that bad but just sort of bullied her and it changed her whole experience at the dog park. Casey has a lot more baggage than gonzo, I am sure he'll be okay.

We took the dogs to carmel last week, the kids were off and they have an off leash beach and the dogs had a blast....casey played pretty well ...she loves the beach...I wish we had one closer to us.

Karen
02-27-2005, 10:52 PM
Maybe time for the "lampshade look" (one of those big collars) so he cannot paw at his nose. Poor baby!

bckrazy
02-27-2005, 11:09 PM
Originally posted by Karen
Maybe time for the "lampshade look" (one of those big collars) so he cannot paw at his nose. Poor baby!

I know.. :p he hates those, that was going to be the last resort. He has been a lot better today, its starting to scab up finally.

I just got pictures of the wounds... SO hard to get a clear view of punctures under all of his fur :rolleyes:. here's his booboo nose, it looks so much better now that it isnt bleeding, but it still breaks my heart to see him like this :(

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/gonzo099.jpg

"no mooore... I'm a sick, injured doggy!" :(
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/gonzoo/gonzo108.jpg

Oggyflute
02-27-2005, 11:12 PM
Yeah, go get him. He's an irresponsible idiot. Hope Gonzo gets better real soon.

Giselle
02-27-2005, 11:12 PM
Awww, Gonzo:( Look at him! He's so cute- wounds and all. I hope you report the incident :)

schteve_d
02-28-2005, 02:01 AM
That's aweful! I hope that Gonzo recovers quickly, and that he doesn't suffer any lasting impression from this, or you for that matter! It's so unfortunate how vastly one idiot can wreck things for so many. Absolutely go after the owner for the vet bill. As bad as it was, it sure could have been worse by the sounds of it. Hope Gonzo, and you, get over this quickly.

Vette
02-28-2005, 04:56 AM
Oh poor Gonzo. :( sorry that had to happen to you and your pooch. all paws and fingers are crossed that he has a speedy recovery.

id easily take this to court if he dosnt pay for the vet bills. theres wittens that know your dog is as aggresive as a deer mouse,, and seen that he didnt start the fight.

LorraineO
02-28-2005, 05:36 AM
awwww.. poor lil guy.....

pitc9
02-28-2005, 07:36 AM
Oh poor baby boy Gonzo!:(

I hope you get better soon, and I also hope that mean guy has to pay for your vet bills!

dukedogsmom
02-28-2005, 07:52 AM
I am so sorry about this. Poor Gonzo! Why is it that things like this always happen to the responsible pet owners? Kay and I have had several encounters with loose dogs on the dog beach. Luckily, none have been vicious. Duke wouldn't stand a chance if something that big got a hold of him, as he's so old now. I would get copies of the vet report and nail that jerk for everything I could. It's really too bad you didn't have a camera with you at the time so you could have gotten pics then. I also feel sorry for his dog because he's obviously a horrible owner. I hope one day that you can both enjoy the park again. It's sad how one jerk can ruin it for you.

cali
02-28-2005, 09:25 AM
awww poor Gonzy :( get well soon bud!

anna_66
02-28-2005, 09:39 AM
I'm with everyone else on this one. I would definately report him so they can "at least" ban him from coming to this park.

So sorry that poor Gonzo got hurt:( I hope he gets better soon.

cyber-sibes
02-28-2005, 09:42 AM
Poor Gonzo!! He seems like such a carefree spirit, how horrible to be attacked. I would also definitly report it to both the park mgrs. & Animal Control. They will investigate. They WANT to know about incidents like this, because this dog is obviously a threat to every other dog in comes in contact with. I agree, the owner's an idiot, but there are lots of them out there. the best outcome would be to get him banned from the park.
Hope Gonzo baby gets over his injuries & fear quickly!

ParNone
02-28-2005, 10:14 AM
Hiya bckrazy!

Hope Gonzo's feeling better today. Stories like these are what makes me wary of taking mine to the dog park. Oz would probably be the only I'd risk it with, cuz Murph would be starting the fight and Gull wouldn't back down from one.

Par...

LauraT7
02-28-2005, 10:33 AM
I agree you should call the park official and animal control - I would go as fara as posting the guys info and description by the gate to warn others!

we don't have a dog park near us, and it's just a shame, as I have always had goldens that LOVE making new friends.

But people have to be TAUGHT to be responsible, and if you don't do anything, they won't ever learn, will they?

I feel badly for the rottie. Most Rotties I have met are big teddy bears - but it DOES take a strong alpha PERSON to raise them. They need to be taught who is the bos right from the start - and apparently this guy didn't have a clue. He probably doesn't spend enough time with his dog anyway, ( as evidenced by his lack of willingness to physically get off his butt to control or repremand her) and brought her to the park because he's too lazy to give her the excercise and PROPER socialization that she needs. It's a shame that the DOG is eventually going to have to pay the price for the owners laziness - sooner or later, she'll really hurt someone, and he'll either keep her locked up all the time or someone will insist on her being put down.

Gonzo sure is cute, even with his poor widdle punctured nose! Please don't let this incident keep you away from the dog park - I'm sure it's something Gonzo loves. he shouldn't be punished because of some uncontrolled idiot - you just have to be very careful - unfortunately, Idiots don't come with warning signs pasted on their foreheads!

( wish they did! - hey. wouldn't it be fun if all bad dog owners had to have "Stupid dog owner" tattooed on their foreheads? it sure would save the rest of us from alot of grief!) LOL!


laura

Jadapit
02-28-2005, 10:40 AM
Geez, I'm really sorry that happened to Gonzo. I bet it scared you half to death. I agree with the others that stupid guy needs to be reported.:mad: Some people should not own a dog period. I hope Gonzo is feeling better today.

tatsxxx11
02-28-2005, 11:26 AM
Poor Gonzo and poor you!:( Thank goodness Gonzo wasn't ever MORE seriously injured, or worse. And once again it's the irresponsible behavior of the owner that led to a near tragedy!:mad: Hopefully the park commissioner, animal control, can get to the bottom of this to assure this doesn't happen again. And hopefully too, Gonzo will suffer no long term physical or emotional ramifications from his trauma:( I'd hate to think of you guys fearful of attending the dog park in the future. Get well soon, Gonzo!!! {{{HUGS}}} Sandra

mruffruff
02-28-2005, 12:17 PM
Poor Gonzo.

When Samson got hurt, I was glad that the park requires every dog to be up to date on their shots and be checked out for temperment. They check every year and only issue keys to those that qualify.

That guy needs to be taken to court.

Too bad Gonzo had to get hurt. Hope he's better soon.

Mary

bckrazy
02-28-2005, 01:35 PM
wow :) thanks for all the kind words! you people are so great.

Gonzo seems like he's feeling much better. I think the antibiotics are starting to help, even though he's still a sick. I walked him today and he played with his Aussie friend down the street like he always does ^_^ hopefully he won't be fearful of Rotties after this, because some of the sweetest dogs we know are Rotts.

I just e-mailed the park officials, I hope they'll do something about this or at least look out for this dog/owner. He definitely seems like the kind of guy who is too lazy to exercise/socialize his dog, and he'll probably be back :(.. you're so right Laura!! I asked them what I should do as far as warning animal control. Mary, I SO wish our dog park checked temperaments, I've seen so many beat-up looking dogs at the dog park, and tons of fights started by obviously agressive dogs. This is the first time Gonzo has ever been involved in anything close to a fight, it sucks. I hate that any person can bring their unvaccinated, agressive dog in here, because no one is ever there to check tags (actually, this Rottie didn't even have tags on! who knows :p)

I *really* don't want to have to take him to court, I just hope he gets a warning from some one, as I do feel very bad for his dog too :(

bckrazy
02-28-2005, 01:40 PM
Originally posted by tatsxxx11
Poor Gonzo and poor you!:( Thank goodness Gonzo wasn't ever MORE seriously injured, or worse. And once again it's the irresponsible behavior of the owner that led to a near tragedy!:mad: Hopefully the park commissioner, animal control, can get to the bottom of this to assure this doesn't happen again. And hopefully too, Gonzo will suffer no long term physical or emotional ramification from his trauma:( I'd hate to think of you guys fearful of attending the dog park in the future. Get well soon, Gonzo!!! {{{HUGS}}} Sandra

thanks Sandra :)

I totally agree, he could've been hurt so much worse.. I'm really glad he wasnt! Especially since it took the owner forever tp get his dog off of Gonzo. I could tell the dog was trying to teach him a lesson, not kill him or hurt him badly. She must've not had much experience with other dogs though, because her bite inhibition is obviously waay off :rolleyes: and I'm glad Gonzo didn't try to fight back, he could've been really badly injured.

ramanth
02-28-2005, 01:45 PM
Poor Gonzo. :( How scary! I hope he's healing up okay. :)

RobiLee
02-28-2005, 05:12 PM
I'm so sorry to hear about this. What a terrible thing to have happen to you. I sure hope Gonzo is all better soon and has no emotional effects from this. I'm glad that you wrote the dog park people and I hope that someone talks to the owner of the dog that attacked Gonzo and something is done about this.

Hugs to Gonzo from me!

Robin :)

chocolatepuppy
02-28-2005, 05:48 PM
Poor Gonzo :( I hope he heals quickly and I hope you get this guy thrown out of the park. I feel sorry for his dog having an owner like that.

Giselle
02-28-2005, 11:32 PM
Glad to hear Gonzo's getting better! Poor baby- I hope he doesn't dislike Rotties, either. My best friend's dog is a Rott/ShepX and he is just THE most submissive and friendly dog. You can roll him over on his back:p

Btw, it really sounded like the man was using an Alpha roll on his Rottie. If it was...Alpha Roll (http://dogs.about.com/cs/basictraining/a/alpha_roll.htm)
I also asked a lady in law enforcement about your situation. She hasn't replied yet, but I'll PM you if she does. Good Luck! I really hope Gonzo gets better!

wolf_Q
02-28-2005, 11:44 PM
Poor Gonzo, I'm so sorry to hear this happened to him! I hope he will be feeling better soon!

Nebo was attacked by a great dane at the dog park once...really scared me. The dog must have not been really serious though because Nebo was not punctured at all, but it looked serious!
I'm nervous of taking him there now, and not just because of the other dogs. Nebo has a tendency to make other dogs mad, he growls/talks a lot (most huskies do!) and he's not one to back down in a dominant situation.

At least I do know that he has some problems with that and I always really watch him when I take him. There's so many people that just let their dogs loose and don't do anything when their dogs cause problems. I was there once when I guy brought in two GSDs and one was so vicious he had to wear a muzzle...uhh hello don't bring and obviously aggressive dog to the dog park! Dogs can get out of muzzles too, imagine what would have happened if he did (I don't know b/c I left when he came in!)

bckrazy
03-01-2005, 01:47 AM
Giselle.. hm.. he might've been doing an alpha roll, ughh he looked like such a scummy guy n_n. mostly I think he had to pin her down, because she was really thrashing around trying to go after Gonzo again. thanks for contacting other people! :) thats really cool of you!

Amy, Gonzo is also very vocal too.. he gets along really well with all Huskies, I know they're vocal doggies! A lot of dogs who haven't been around these breeds dont know what to think of their loudness :p

the dog park officials haven't replied yet, I'll definitely keep you guys updates on what they say!

delidog
03-01-2005, 05:12 AM
Oh Poor Gonzo!!!

I feel so bad for you both....
My Deli used to like other dogs till we had a female sheperd that lived across the street...was always off leash and used to attack her as I took her out on a leash....now She hates other females...

Go get that Ba-----!!!
I feel bad for the dog.as it will be branded an aggressive dog...but the damage is already done....the general public can't help that...

Hugs and Treats for the Gonzo Boy!!!!

Get Better Soon!!

stacwase
03-01-2005, 05:29 AM
This is the first time I've read this thread. Sorry so late. I don't have any suggestions to contribute, anyway - just :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

It's people like that who give dogs bad names and cause certain breeds to be banned in certain areas, etc. I mean - good grief! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I'm glad Gonzo's doing OK. I hope he won't be too scared of other dogs now. Poor baby.

bckrazy
03-01-2005, 01:28 PM
"Erica:
I'm in a bit of a rush at the moment -- will give you a better response later today -- just wanted to say THANK YOU! for letting us know about this."

thats the reply I've gotten so far.. :) I'm glad they care, at least. I'll keep you guys updated. I just hope that guy does not go back to the dog park, and other people report him if he does.

Giselle
03-01-2005, 10:59 PM
Haha! I haven't seen too many nordic breeds, but scenthounds are, by far, the most vocal dogs EVER! A scenthound of some sort (sorry, I'm now good with IDing scenthounds :p) started baying at the dog park and didn't quit for 10 minutes straight. For a couple minutes all you heard was ROOOOOOOO. ROOOOOOO. ROOOOOO. LOL!

The lady replied and said there isn't much you can do unless the dog bit a human. You *can* contact the humane society, however, and see if they do any tracking down and file charges. She says some humane societies do this, others don't. Oh well...I just hope Gonzo's feeling better :)

bckrazy
03-01-2005, 11:13 PM
lol.. yeah, Bassets hounds especially are hilarious! Our neighbor has a baby basset named Louie, whenever he's out and he wants in he ROOOO ROOOO's really loud! :D

Well, the president of the dog park e-mailed me back and she said she is contacting the park board, and wants more info from me. I feel really dumb that I didn't get the guy's name, or even really his dogs name (I think it was Baby, or Bella, something like that :confused: ). I didn't even get the name of the other people that were there! :( I just hope he doesn't go back to the park. The lady was very nice though, she has two Border Collies and she sounds really concerned that Gonzo will be freaked out for a long time over this.

Corinna
03-02-2005, 12:11 AM
You said some one got his plate number . they could track him down as part of law enforcement.

Daisy and Delilah
03-02-2005, 02:00 PM
What a terrible story. We feel so bad for you and sweet Mr. Gonzo. He looks like the best boy in the world! We hope you and Gonzo are feeling better every day and that justice will be served. Our thoughts and prayers are with both of you for a very speedy recovery and we too are hoping Gonzo will not have any lingering bad memories about this awful incident. When I hear stories like this, I am so hesitant about taking Daisy and Delilah to the park. If they were attacked I don't know what I would do. My heart goes out to you!! Kisses and Hugs to you sweet Gonzo!! Get Well Soon sweetheart!!

Terry(D & D's Mom)