Hello everyone,
I hope someone out there might be able to offer me some advice - this is rather long winded but I need to get it off my chest! About a week ago we were on the park with Nero (20 week old pointer) when a Jack Russell appeared from no where and started growling and trying to bite Nero.  The owners were no-where to be seen.  We pushed this dog off and picked up Nero who was quite frightened.  Eventually the owner appeared from a different field (Apparantly he had been talking to someone and didn't realize the dog had gone?!) and approached us.  He made a comment like "He didn't do any harm did he? He doesn't like puppies".   We thought it was strange that he would allow an aggressive dog off the lead and out of his site but walked away and thought nothing more of it. Then yesterday we were on the same field and Nero was playing with his friend Lucas (beautiful Malonois who belongs to the lady who runs our puppy class!) when he was again ambushed by this JR.  This time he ended up with bites to both his ears, my poor baby lay on the ground screaming until me and my friend (The puppy trainer) got to him.  She had to phyically kick this other dog off Nero.  Again the JR owners were out of sight.  Eventually they ambled up to us and were very apologetic once they realised that Nero was dripping with blood and very very scared.  We asked them why this dog was allowed off the lead when they knew it attacked other dogs and they mumbled something about him getting away from them and then running off.  I am soooo angry - we put so much work into socialising Nero and i'm really worried that this incident will put him off dogs for life!  We went to the vet (He had stitches in his ears) then on the vets advice went back out on the park and met up with some of his friends for a play.  He was very nervous and whilst he came out of his shell a bit was very quiet with them. 

Anyway I now have two problems.  Firstly I have no doubt that these people will take their dog onto the field again when we are on there and I am reluctant to abandon visiting this park as it is located a 5 minute walk from my house and there aren't really any others nearby.  Also all of the other dogs/owners are lovely and both myslef and Nero enjoy socialising with them.  How should I approach the situation?  Is there anyone I can report this incident to as Im sure this dog has bitten other dogs previously (Judging by the owners words and actions) and certainly will do again.  We have been warning all of the other owners about this dog but really would like to do more.  Secondly, how do I go aout convincing Nero that other dogs are fun to be around and not to be scared of them.  He loved playing with his friends before and I am so worried that this might cause him socialisation problems.  Any advice again would be greatly appreciated.

Anyway rant over, sorry for going on but I am so sad for my little boy and so annoyed at the ignorance of these people! 
Rachael xx

Go all out and set up loads of meetings with dogs he knows, take treats and balls etc and make it the funnest thing ever.

Use a long line in case he sees other dosg and tries to run off , get very pro-active and approach other people, yell to them to make sure their dog is well mannered (friendly and boisterous is no good, polite is what you want) etc.

Take the vets bill and hand it to mr jrt owner. You have a witness and tell him you will take him to small claims court if he refuses to pay the bill.
Inform the local dog warden and try to get them to have a word with him about his dogs behaviour.

Em

Report this incident immediately to the Dog Warden and the police, ensure you get a statement from the witness you had with you.

You should not be penalised by this owner's behaviour, if everyone reported incidents of this type owners would become rapidly more responsible.

Take photos of the injury and get a copy of the bill etc from your vet including time/date etc

Morons like this need to learn a lesson and quick. 

If MY boot had come into contact with this dog, it would be incapable of repeating its behaviour!

I agree with you tohme .

~Roni

I wish I had known about this forum when my dog was a puppy.  She got chased by two different JRs on different occasions and by a boxer on another occasion.  I am sure this is why she is not very sociable with dogs now.  I was lucky that she didn't actually get bitten but I wish I had been more assertive with the stupid owners who seemed to think that their dogs were not doing any harm.  I would take up the advice of reporting to the dog warden and making sure that the other owners know that you are being pro-active in responding to their lax attitude to responsible dog ownership.  My dog now 'goes' for other dogs that get too close or legs it if another dog runs towards her and she will be 2 yrs in Jan.

Sorry you have had to go through an attacked it is awlful, my dog has been attacked on four occasions now over 4 1/2 years and he recovered really well each time.

As the others suggested report the incident to the local dog warden as soon as possible as they may already be aware of this dog as it has more than likely attacked other dogs in the past and will attack others in the future.

The owners are obivously very irresponsible I really think they should pay for the vet bill!!!! Not you and you shouldn't have to walk him in another park/area because they have a dog they can't control.

If you have a chat to other dog walkers in the area maybe you can build a case against this dog and owners and then the dog warden can get involved, basically this dog is a danger to other dogs and should be on a lead and muzzled!

In the past I had a problem with two dogs in my local area attacking my dog an others, I complained and they are now always walked on the lead and know if they are seen off the lead another complaint will be made. I hope Nero is ok and feeling better soon, definatley keep socialising him at his own pace as he will be a little nervous and he should regain his confidence and will back playing with the other dogs in the park before you know it.

Hi Rachel, it's very sad when you do your best like this and then something unexpected happens.  However careful you are with pups, they have to be taken out into the big wide world and you can't prevent all eventualities from happening.

That said, I think it's an excellent idea for you to continue socialising him with dogs which you know to be safe and friendly.  If you can, try to find another JR for him to socialise with, which is friendly.  If you can't do this, small white terriers are the next closest thing!  The idea behind this is that if you don't re-socialise him with a friendly JR, he might end up hating only JRs or small terriers and being fine with all other dogs.  So make a big effort to find a friendly JR asap, and let them play off lead somewhere safe, where other dogs can't intervene.  Make sure the play is equal with both pups taking turns.  If your pup turns in to a gibbering wreck, put the JR on a lead and let your dog approach at his own pace - you can even throw treats on the floor by the JR to make a positive association with him.

I totally agree with Tohme - you need to report this incident to your local dog warden.  If you phone your Council up, and ask for the dog warden's number, they'll have it.  Report it to the dog warden and to the police.  You should also have got the number of the JR's owners because they should pay for your dog's treatment at the vet's.  Talk to other owners who use the park and ask around to see if anyone else has experienced this from the JR.  The more people behind it, the greater the chances of getting something done.  Ideally he should be muzzled when out in public and even then not let off a lead.  If I were you, I would have gone absolutely ape-shit at them when they reappeared, especially as I'd seen them the day before, with their dog out of control.  A dog in a public place should be under the control of their owners at all times by law. 

I'm sorry but even if this park is 5 mins from your house, I would no longer use it unless you can easily see who's in it before you come in, and easily keep an eye on the gate to see if the JR appears.  It's just not worth the risk.  I know it's not fair and why should you be evicted from the park, but your pup's future is more important.  Good luck.

I agree with the advice given, really sorry for your pup.

Generally, hopefully, if pups have had positive experiences, the more likely it is that one bad one will be shrugged off in time, but you can't bank on this and must be proactive in seeking out friendly, polite dogs and, as has been  mentioned, white terrier types that are good tempered.

I also agree it may be best to avoid the field, unless you can see exactly what is happening and unless you can get out and avoid any approaching JRT that may be this dog...it's not worth the worry. If by any chance you do come across him, I'd suggest somethiing I don't normally, which is to pick up your pup calmly... try not to be frightened...as at least this will protect him from an attack at that moment.

Do follow this up - the more reports the dog warden has, the more ammunition they have.

Lindsay
x

I do feel for you and your pup. When my bitch (now 7 years old) was 10 months she was attacked by another dog. She needed vet treatment for a damages ligament and bite marks. She was lucky she didn't need a blood transfusion, the amount of blood she lost. I reported it to the police. I also went up and told the owner what had happened (his wife had taken the dogs out and they wouldn't come back to her) He said 'prove it'. As I knew the dogs involved I actually named the dog. I also told him that I'd seen and heard his wife on her bike, going up and down the path, shouting at the dogs. He paid the vet bill without any further comment. The police went and spoke to him and he had to keep the dog muzzled from then on. This wasn't the dogs first attack, but it was the first complaint. If you don't complain then the dog will get away with it again and again. :( Why should you and your pup have to put up with someone elses stupidity.

I agree, this dog should be muzzled and on the lead if it is a repeat attacker like that. You should definitely report it. So sorry to hear about your poor puppy. :-(

You must be so upset, I do hope your pup is able to recover from this awful attack :(   you'll have to work twice as hard at socialising now to ensure that pup doesn't have any after effects ;)  but that should mean plenty of fun for you both ;)

Definately report it ;)     I would go further and go to the park (minus pup ;) ) at the times they are likely to be around and then discreetly follow them to find out where they live (mad evil grin here )  that way when reporting it to the dog warden and police at least you have an address to give them ;)   They should definately pay your vets bill.   To be honest, if my dog had attacked yours I'd have taken you to the vets myself and paid the bill then and there ;)  but then I'd be mortified if one of my dogs was that antisocial.

I wouldn't stop going to the park with my pup BUT i would always have a camera phone on me and I would be prepared to use it ;)

hi i have two beautiful Newfoundland pups and Alfie is 13 months old now and Poppy is 10 months old. Whilst out walking alfie who is very large and weighs 13 stone was attacked so badly he needed an operation to close the large hole in his leg. The vet bill was £650 thank god for insurance. Alfie now barks at other dogs and growls if they get closer. I have to employ the services of a behaviouralist to help him over come this problem. The problem is the Rotty that attacked him still roams free. I have reported it to the dog warden who has warned the owner to no avail.
I am terrified to take my lovely gentle giant out for his walk now. I take him and poppy miles away but this should not happen. Alfie is always kept on his lead as he runs off quite happily. As long as the dogs dont approach him or bark at him he is fine.
I hate irresponsible owners. I have five different dogs in all but they are never ever allowed out with out a lead and all are gentle and love children and poeple and other dogs. Hope nero recovers well. As a owner it makes us nervous let alone our dogs.

Are you able to approach the rottweiler (minus your own dogs) if so then if it were me he'd be doing a disappearing act, and be found in a rescue somewhere ;)  it would cost them money to get him back or they'd have to leave him there to find more responsible owners ;)  Odds are if they paid to get him back then he wouldn't be wandering so much ;)

You could always keep reporting his wandering to the dog warden (don't say you know who he belongs to ;) ) if they know he's wandering regularly they will take him to the pound and the owner will definately have to pay to have him back ;) ;) they might become surprisingly responsible after paying a few times ;)

Thanks to everyone for the help and advice, I pretty much knew what had to be done but just wanted confirmation from you more knowledgable folk!  I've called the Dog Warden.  He says no other complaints have been made against this dog but if I hear of anyone else having the same experience I shall advise them to do the same. Also I've continued to get the message round to other dog owners about the incident and will encourage everyone on the park to moan at them every time they see this dog off-lead.  Hopefully they will eventually get the message although I don't hold out much hope - some people should just never be allowed to own a dog!  I have my vets bill in my pocket and will present it to them the next time I see them and, as suggested, if they refuse to pay I shall follow them home!!! (Not looking forward to the confrontation but I agree that they shouldn't be allowed to get away with this).  Anyway, the good news is that Nero seems fine and we saw a different JR on his walk last night and they had a good play so hopefully there wont be any long term negative association with terriers!  Thanks again, Rachael.