My 3 year old male westie was attacked by a bull mastiff last weekend. My westie is extremly placid and quiet. As my husband was walking past the owners house with our dog on the lead the mastiff ran out from the house and attacked him completely unprovoked. My poor westie was bitten right in the groin as the mastiff had his leg in his mouth for a few seconds, until hubby managed to get him off. The owner of the mastiff managed to catch his dog and pull him away. The vet checked out my westie and it looks like he was lucky, it that apart from a very sore groin and swollen leg he will be o.k physically although he seem svery down cos obviously he is in pain and i can't walk him with my other westie at the moment. We went to see the owners of the mastiff and had asked them to put an additional gate up and to ensure their dog does not get loose again. They said he had never bitten another dog and they never let it off the lead - well their dog has been off the lead in front of the house before a few times (which i pointed out to them) -  i am very concerned with their lack of control over this dog, i don't feel that it gets enough exercise and the guy who owns it sayes that he never lets it off the lead when walking because it doesn't come back!! but it has escaped aon a number of occasions and worried my westie previously. They said that they had been taking it to classes (i think he's about 1-2 years old) We are going back up to see the owners at the weekend to take them our vets bill and see what they have done to secure the gate but i am very concerned for my dog and other dogs in the neighbourhood  I have already changed my dog walking route cos if it happens again it could be alot worse - is there any other action i can take on this matter.??

I would get in touch with your local dog warden and let them know of your concerns. A word from the dog warden might do more to make them aware that they might have a major problem in the future if they don't do something now.

I know that when my dogs were attacked (several years ago) and 2 of them ended up at the vets the owners were told that they had to have a muzzle put on their dog if he was off their property. It's not nice to see your dogs attacked and know that there isn't much you can do about it. :-( I hope your wee westie is feling better soon, and isn't too scared to go out after this.

I am so sorry for you and your poor little dog...it is such a horrible shock when this happens. I am glad to hear that he is physically ok.
You could try contacting the local dog warden for their advice on the matter....but I would wait until they have settled your vet bill first, in case it antagonises them into refusing to pay. the dog warden can go have an informal chat with them, inspect their property to ensure it is secure, and warn them about keeping the dog under contro. It may just be enough to make them think twice.

phew. That's awfu! You were very lucky your Westie is okay!  Well done in going back to these people and in insisting the pay for the treatment. For the price of an extra gate they really shouldn't take the risk. I have three gates before my dogs can get to the street and even then mine are never left alone outside anyway. No matter how sweet the dog is any dog can become territorial outside their own house so why take the risk. I'm glad your dog is recovering and do hope yoy can get these people to see sense and realise they should not take risks at the expense of public safety. I'd contact the police ( if they are not interested send them a letter and keep a copy then it has to be on file and any harm caused to a child etc will be their responsibility  ) and of course the dog wardens need to now too.

> We are going back up to see the owners at the weekend to take them our vets bill and see what they have done to secure the gate but i am very concerned for my dog and other dogs in the neighbourhood 

With such a powerfull dog they should be going above & beyond the 'norm' when it comes to ensuring thier dog is not a threat to anybody (IMO). This shouldn't have happened in the first place, but now it has maybe than can see they are being lax, in any case, point out your concerns to them and let them know you have felt the need to change your walking route.
The dog warden may be able to get accross to them the seriousness of them allowing thier dog to escape and not having it properly secured so it can't attack other dogs. A dog that size can't escape through a little hole like a small dog can, it needs a big space like an open gate or fences that aren't strong/high enough to keep it in, when the dog managed to escape the first time that should have highlighted the fact thir garden isn't secure.

How awfull, it must have been terrifying for you, I hope you are recoveing from the shock and I hope your dog is feeling better soon.

People like this really p*** me off I'm afraid if my dog was attacked and the owner did nothing to prevent it happening again I would d£$%% a$%^&* i& m^ c(* a%$ g*( H£"! t&*^ .

Poor little westie  I hope he is better soon .

this type oof think is happening far to often  something needs to be done.

This really does need flagging up to the dog warden, you never know they may have other reports of similar incidents about this dog and the owner and are building up a case. A visit from the warden can do wonders and if this keeps on happening and gets reported then a case will be built against this family.
The DDA only comes into play when off the owners property, so in a public place. I do understand from what you say that the dog left its boundary and came for your dog out in the street??

Hi all, thanks for all your input on this - yes it is sooo upsetting and i only hope that my little westie recovers completely from it - he has been really suffering all week as his leg is really painful. I will definately be getting in touch we the local warden on this as i don't won't it to happen to anyone else and my westie of course!!. Yes i totally agree that big dogs like this are not meant to be put in a house all day while their owners are at work (which seems to be the case in this instance) they need experienced handling. Just to clarify the mastiff escaped out of their gate and had gone into the neighbours front garden. The owner had gone to retrieve it but had only got hold of it by slipping his hand under its collar. When the mastiff saw my westie walking by on the public pavement infront of their house, it was so strong that it got away from the owners loose grip and attacked my dog on the public pavement. As i said this is not the first time i have seen it loose on the front lawn of their house and around the corner on a grass verge near their house.

Starry eyes I completely agree!

If that happened to me I would note the house and after takeing my dog to the vets would return, knock on their door and demand they pay the bill, and if they wouldnt well I would do thing I can not post on here!!!!!!!!

I would report them too as the dog is constantly running loose, if it was a one off where it got off maybe it could be forgiven but not if they keep constantly putting digs and possibly people at risk as a dog running into a road can cause a pile up!

Maxine788,

What an awful experience. I hope you have some joy with the dog warden as this BM, and its owner/s, clearly have issues that need properly to be addressed, and sooner rather than later.

If you haven't done so already, I would urge you to carefully reintroduce your Westie to other big breed dogs (ones that you know and trust obviously). Ideally another Bull Mastiff- a bitch- would be great. Your boy's confidence may have been shaken and he may need some time and help to get back his confidence around other dogs, particularly ones tethered in gardens he walks past!

Of course, you may be lucky and he may just write it off as a once off. However, he is young and the mental effects can be long lasting, if not dealt with.

I know of someone who had a very similar experience to this (small terrier attacked by "tethered" Pitbull x) and I am pleased to say that with time and training, the dog is not only as good as new but completely confident around other dogs.

Goodluck.

Hi

This happened to me about 8 years ago.  My greyhound was attacked unprovoked when passing the house of a bull mastiff x great Dane.  The dog laid into him completely.  Neighbours came out with hoses and sticks to try and get the dog off, then the owner noticed the commotion and obviously heard my screams, he wrestled with his dog which actually bent his wedding ring out of shape and suffered a few major cuts.  Eventually they got him off and I was so relieved to see my dog get up and run home.  He was in a sorry, sorry state.  Being a greyhound, with thin skin he was on deaths door.  Whilst I was at the vet with my dog (in bits) the neigbours called the police and the owner surrendered the dog to be put to sleep.  He realised this was the best thing to do, he had a two year old in the house and there were other young kids in the street.  Always a worrying factor with an aggressive, unrestrained dog.