Dog attack! 11/16/2009
A dog injured me yesterday. The dog did not actually touch me, it was the comedy of events that occurred, a real slapstick comedy situation if it had been filmed it might have won a funniest home video competition. As I walked past a neighbour’s home, their big dog made a charge at Indigo, our small poodle. It broke its chain in its crazed charge. The owner grabbed the chain and tried to restrain his dog, but the dog was too powerful, pulled the chain from his hands, and the dog streaked over to get to my Indigo. Indigo was fortunately on a long lead and she can run. She ran circles around me with this big black, crazed dog after her. As he ran, his chain dragged around my unprotected lower legs, cutting and bruising them quite badly. Talk about discovering one’s priorities, I just tried to catch and hold the dog, I could not move, I was tied up in dragging cutting chain. I think I totally forgot about even trying to protect Indigo, I was just concerned about my own legs. Incidence of dog attack. A paper by the Australian, Companion Animal, Council Australia has a canine population of about 4 million. The statistics currently available on dog attacks are incomplete and fragmented, since no comprehensive reporting system exists for dog attacks in Australia. However, it has been estimated that each year more than 100,000 Australians are attacked by dogs, causing injuries of varying degrees of severity.1 The Accident and Emergency Departments of the nation's public hospitals treat an estimated 12,000 and 14,000 people for dog bite injuries.2 Almost 1,400 of those have injuries that are serious enough to warrant hospitalisation. The majority of injuries inflicted by dogs are not serious, and the mortality rate is extremely low, but dog bites can cause severe physical and emotional damage. Over 60% of dog bites occur either at home or in the home or backyard of a family member, a friend or a neighbour. To read the -> full report As I have my legs up for the next week at least, recovering from this incident with a big nasty dog, yesterday, I thought would do a web search on dog attacks as reading newspapers and watching the TV news, there does seem to be many incidents being reported. Well it seems it is not just a recent increase, a report in the news 1991 says that Dog attacks were a major cause of human injury in Australia even then. It was estimated then, that there could be up to 30 000 people presenting to hospital annually as the result of dog attacks in Australia. I will be fine once my week of doing the right thing and keeping a dressing on my leg and keeping it elevated as much as possible, is over and it will give me a lot of time to work in my new web sites. I’ve always been a bit of a Pollyanna, there is a good side to most things, I can indulge in computer workaholism to my heart’s content and not feel guilty that I am neglecting to find a balance of sedentary and active lifestyle for all of a one week recovery period. This is not the usual positive sort of story I like to write. Fortunately, dog attacks are rare in comparison to wonderful companion pet dogs.. Indigo had a close shave two years ago when she was bitten by a dog and it has taken her a long time to emotionally recover from this and no growl at large dogs. One of our previous poodles was bitten by a dingo (Australia’s wild dog), but it was warning bite, much to our amazement he did not dig his teeth in. I worked with dogs when I was in my teens, as a veterinary nurse, dog clipper, seeing eye dog trainer and during that time I was bitten twice, once on the nose and once on the arm. I had my tetanus shots both times, and I still carry faded physical scars, 50 years later. Emotional scars. Not sure now. I have always been afraid of injury to my right leg, as it’s not a healthy leg, having once had a severe crush injury, I need to treat it with respect as we all need to be respectful of old injuries. No, I am not afraid to walk my dog again but I think I might carry a big stick next time and be ready to use it as self-defense if I have too. I will also make sure that authorities hear about this current neighborhood risk to people trying to have a relaxing safe walk with their dog. Comments Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply | Follow me on Facebook, Kathy Shell
Indigo tours Australia reviewing Dog Friendly Caravan Parks.
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