Wednesday, May 11, 2011

I WILL NOT SAY THIS AGAIN!

Yes. I am yelling in my title .... and I will probably owe a lot of apologies by the end of this but I do not want to ever have to say this again:

LEASH YOUR F&^%$#@ DOG!

Sorry for the "foul" language [apology #1] but I am so fed up with people that think it is okay to NOT have their dog on a leash.

Yesterday:

A beautiful, sunshiny day and Wallene took Spot and Scooby for a walk. ON LEASHES. Because that is what  responsible pet owners do.

She was strolling along with them when a neighbor friend came rollerblading down the street carrying her dachshund, Coco, in her arms.

Don't even ask me how weird I think that is -because, well.........just don't.  The point is she was carrying her dog and did NOT have a leash on her.

She skated up to Wallene and with no warning set her [teacup] dachshund in front of Spot and Wallene.  May I repeat: With NO LEASH. Our daughter was completely caught off guard and before she could ask the neighbor to pick the dog back up....this is what happened:

Scooby was sniffing behind Wallene on his leash and didn't notice Coco right away.

Spot and Coco were doing the usual doggy butt sniffing when Scooby came around Wallene's side and saw Coco.

He immediately picked Coco up in his mouth. Hard.

He didn't shake her but he wouldn't put her down either.  We don't know if he thought he was protecting Spot or if he thought Coco was a dog toy [she is less then half the size of Spot - about 7 lbs] but Wallene and the owner finally managed to get Coco out of his mouth and the poor thing ran away.

I have to mention here that Scooby is huge. Most of you know that, but it bears repeating. You can't miss our 120 lb wonder, but he is also an incredibly gentle dog.  His breed [Chesapeake Bay Retreiver] is known as a gentle, non aggressive breed.  I have absolutely no idea why this woman thought it was a good idea to put a 7  lb dog down in close proximity of our dogs without a leash.

The woman scooped up Coco from underneath a nearby car and skated off.  When Wallene arrived home she told us what had happened and Pooldad went over to talk to them to see if Coco was okay.  They were on their way to the vet and although very polite they did say they thought the pup might have a collapsed lung.

Turns out Scooby broke two ribs and bruised her lung but Coco will heal. Thank goodness.

Here's the thing - we provided them with our information but I will be damned if I am paying one cent of that dog's vet bill.  Who in the heck rollerblades with a dog [is that not dangerous to begin with?] and where the heck was her leash?  I realize a leash might not have made a difference in this case but it would have at least given the owner a chance to yank her dog back before Scooby picked Coco up.

I sat last night [and here tonight] waiting on Animal Control to show up and quarantine my dog.  I also realize that now I have to muzzle Scooby to walk him.  Not too terribly happy about that, but I don't want this to happen again because someone is too stupid to not restrain their own dog.

Argue with me, tell me you are right to let your dog off the leash or that leashes are only for residential neighborhoods [like ours] or that the only person that should ever walk Scooby is Pooldad [because he outweighs him] but I don't care.  We take every precaution with these guys - we know our dogs - and act accordingly, but if you present your dog up in an unsafe manner - then our dogs and we are NOT responsible.

When your dog dies as a result of your carelessness do not blame me.

Sorry [apology #2] for the angry rant, but the thought of Coco being hurt and us possibly losing Scooby because someone was so stupid just hurts.

18 comments:

Phelan said...

You know how I feel about dogs allowed to roam free. I got into an argument the other day with a woman about people shooting dogs. I thin I won that one, as she apologized to me in the end.


Good luck if animal control shows up.

Kathy's Klothesline said...

I know exactly what you mean! I don't let my dogs run loose and I OWN this place! So why do people think it is okay to let their dogs roam? It is a matter of respecting others, don't you think? Not to mention safety for everyone. And, don't even get me startd on poop! People, pick up your dog poop!!

wonderchris said...

Unless it is a designated "off-leash" area it is common sense to leash your dog. That is the whole point of an "off-leash" area...it is saying now is the time that it is okay to take the leash off - all other times you MUST keep your dog on the leash.
I feel so badly for you - so frustrating!!!! No apologies from you necessary - I'm sorry you had to endure that horrible experience.

Travelin' Mike said...

Standing "O" & AMEN!! Put them on a leash!!! Well said!

Yart said...

Skippy, I'm sorry that your life has been upset by stupid people. Keeping you and Scooby in my thoughts.

not displayed said...

I am still shocked with the stupidity of that woman. When we had a dog, esp when the kids were little, we were told never to approach an unknown dog, leashed or not. In fact some dogs are more aggressive when restrained not that I think that this is true in this case.
I am surprised the rollerblades didnt spook your dogs. Some animals would find them terrifying.
Great big hugs darln
I am glad you got it out.

Anonymous said...

First of all, not your fault that Coco wandered around Wallene and what not because it didn't have a leash.

Second of all, because Coco came across Scooby like that, none of them knew he was gonna do that, so history of that happening previously shouldn't be your concern.

Third of all, if they try to put you with the bill, remind who broke the leash law! It's a law for a reason!

http://theadorkableditzmissteps.blogspot.com/

Rudee said...

It's their own ignorant fault. I wouldn't muzzle your dog because of this.

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Bloody hell you should not muzzle you dog because these idiots where so stupid as to take a dog out without a lease, they should be thankfully that little coco didn't end up scooby's lunch. I wouldn't be paying their vet bills they are idiots and stupidity should not be rewarded........

Southhamsdarling said...

Eeek! What an awful situation for you all to find yourselves in (especially poor Wallene who was actually there). As you say, wtf was that woman thinking of, being on a skateboard with her dog in the first place. DOH! Obviously I feel sorry for poor Coco, and do hope that she is okay, but it really annoys me when dogs are not on their leads. She was obviously pretty stupid, because if I had a tiny dog like that and saw your very large dog, I would have either just said Hi and passed on, or held on to my little dog for dear life!! She was obviously so irresponsible. I just hope that you're not going to have to pay the price for her stupidity, Skippy. I really feel for you, and you must be dreading every knock on the door at the moment. Do let us know what happens.

christopher said...

Not a good situation, and it really sucks for Wallene too. :( She must have been freaking out.

I hope things end well.

Celia said...

That's so annoying. It's like the law doesn't apply to them.

that guy said...

no such thing as a bad dog, just bad owners...you were following the law, the other person was negligent...

dingbats with kids and animals...

Judge Bruce has spoken...

a dog is still a dog no matter how much you think he or she is not...

it is up to the owners of the dog to train it and care for it.

when ever i see another dog on a walk and i look for it all the time, i heal tucker until i talk to the owner.

i do not put my dog in harms way. he is my responsibility.

when i see a bigger dog or dog i do not know, i change the sides of the street or go in another direction, or down him until the dog(s) have been properly introduced. or the dog goes by if the owner is at all apprehensive.

and i am quick to pull tucker away from harm if i see any of the tell tale signs of aggression...

scoobers was prolly just acting in protection of spot...

two dogs are fine, three dogs are a pack...

and no matter how we try to rationalize anything, a dog will always have its primal instincts to guide it...

hope fully they do not f with your chee...

and i woulda been cussing much more than that...

may even gone to blows...

have nearly gotten into many a fight because of jack ass pet owners...

well, mebbe not now...

but i still have my dog instincts too..just may be too old a dog now...

Jeannie said...

I agree with you in so many ways (believe it or not). I am all for leashing in regular areas. I don't think you should pay because small dogs need to be protected by their owners. I wouldn't trust any larger dog around one. They look like lunch. It is instinctive that dogs will go after smaller creatures. Leashes allow the dogs to remain at a safe distance from each other.

(My complaint locally is that while there a million places for people, there are precious few for dogs to run free - the one is far too small for the number of dogs using it so the dogs often have tussles. The best one requires a 2 mile walk to get to and isn't open in the winter and there is no water there for the dogs to drink. The one area we go to has been used by dog owners for over 20 years no problem. It is only in the last couple years people have begun going and complaining about the dogs going free so they have signage requiring leashes. That isn't fair. There are many other places those people could go where dogs must be leashed.)

Jennifer said...

I completely agree with you! Back in Mi, there was a woman who rode her bike every morning and let her two poodles run behind her - Waaaaaaayyyyy behind her. They pooped everywhere and just did their own thing, which included approaching me and my dog (who was on a leash), barking and snipping at our heals. One day, I asked the woman if, to make things fair, it would be alright for me to just let Cheyenne go and see what would happen to her dogs. Oh, how I wanted to. They were so very annoying. She never did change her ways, though. Right up until the day we moved, I still saw her out there every morning. She thought that because she walked her dogs so early in the morning it was okay. Like the whole world was hers at 6 am. I'm sorry, but NO! PlAEEEEZE! Idiots! Then there was the German Shepard who approached us aggressively and wouldn't let us walk past his house and when I spoke to the owner about it, she told me to stop making such a big deal over it. Some people are just so moronic. I'm sorry to say that, but it's true. It's really too bad that you're going to have to muzzle your dog. What a shame that he has to be punished for someone else's stupidity :(

Rebecca said...

girl let me tell you i totally agree my neighbor all have dogs that run free and get into everyone's yards it is a nightmare. i love animals but i feel dogs should be kept on leashes unless fenced in. just saying. i totally got this rant thank you. let me knoe how things turn out with the neighbor.

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Ok I will post another comment but really I hope blogger gets sorted out soon as this is bloody annoying......
That said the moron was lucky the scooby didn't eat coco and you should not pay her blood vet bills she was stupid enough to go rollablading with a little dog who was unleashed the she should have to suck it up and deal with the with it.

Our backyard backs onto a walk way and I really hate it when people walk their dogs past and let them shit right behind our back gate........how rude

joi said...

I think you should get a grip.
Why the name calling and the insults?
You are so self righteous. I wish you hadn't commented on Jill's post so I would never have clicked (by accident) on your self righteous, judgmental, dribble. Jill's posts are full of wisdom, grace and compassion as well as a desire to look at herself and others and find connection. I don't see how having her dog on a leash would have prevented or even helped the situation--it could have made it worse, if she would have started pulling on the leash in panic and your dog reacted. My dog (who is only 17 pounds) has picked up squirrels and rats, while on leash.
Things happen. Regardless of your assertion that you're not libel because the other dog was off leash I think you're looking for excuses. Splitting the vet bill would be the right thing to do. And people rarely learn lessons from people who try to shame them. You and your dog ARE partially responsible. And if you truly cared about dogs and their owners and wanted the dog-owner, to learn a "safety" lesson from this, kindness would have gone alot further. Plus, I'm sure you can't relate to someone carrying their dog--Your dog is really BIG. A tiny tea-cup pet is a very different experience.