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Animation, Animals, Comics, Cartoons, Scripts, Screenplays, Musicals, Children's Books, Music, and more!!!!!!....... My dog is big....REAL BIG.

Monday, July 2, 2012

sad sad sad

well..its been a while since I posted. Life has just been busy.
Sophie has grown alot and continues to be an amazing guard-dog...
However...
Last night something went terribly went wrong outside our back door.

Being near the 4th of July, there are alot of fireworks going off at night. Sophie doesn't really like the noise and whimpers a little because she gets scared. I usually bring Sophie in around 8 pm or so each night...but since it is so hot, and it doesn't get dark until 9:30pm, I have been waiting a little longer.

Last night, around 9:45pm, as I was laying down, I was thinking that I need to bring Sophie inside. Around 10 pm I heard a bark and a scream. I immediately ran to the backyard within seconds thinking that another dog must be in my yard and Sophie is barking at it....but I suddenly realized that she was on the other side of our house and she was somehow outside of her kennel. I came running to her on one side of the street as she barked at a male and female couple across the street. I was being cussed at and yelled at by the couple who were apparently on a late night walk. They were yelling and claimed that Sophie attacked them.

First of all, Sophie was outside her kennel and on the street. Yes...that was an apparent problem off the bat. Second, I couldn't figure how she got out because she is never out unless she is with me on a leash. But here I was getting cussed at by a frantic couple claiming that Sophie bit and attacked them. I was very startled because Sophie has never bit anyone...ever. She may bark a loud bark, but she has never bit anything but a beef bone. I was trying to make sense of everything. "She attacked and bit you?" I asked in disbelief.

Sure enough, the man did have a small puncture wound on his knee, and there was a little blood. They were scared and quite shaken up ...as they should be. Sophie is big, and if I encountered a big dog and a loud bark, I would take defense against her too. But he did say, "she got what she deserved", and that he "got her real good". So apparently he got a few good licks in.

I tried to talk to them and ask what happened. I couldn't understand and tried to get specifics. In between cussing me and the dog out in front of all my kids, they just said that Sophie attacked and bit him...but I have no specifics...where, how, what exactly happened????I apologized profusely and asked to exchange information. I said that this has never happened before, and that Sophie is never out of her kennel without me. They wouldn't even talk to me they were so upset. I don't blame them.
I didn't get names, or any info. He just said he would be reporting it. Then they left.

We were stunned and horrified. How did Sophie get out? We had some neighbor kids playing by her kennel earlier and I assumed that maybe they unlatched her kennel somehow. We were all sick to our stomach as we walked back to the house. Sophie was even limping a bit.

I put her away and went to the kennel to investigate just how she got out. The door was latched. I checked all sides of the kennel and found a small 10x 10 hole that she peeled back from the chain link. I couldn't even believe that she managed to squeeze that enormous body through that small hole...but how else could you explain it? Wow.....if only I brought her in earlier.

We checked Sophie out. She seemed a bit shaken too. She seemed a little hurt too. I looked at her teeth and claws but couldn't see much. Boy, I wish she could talk so I could get some answers. Did she really attack him? Did she really come across the street and aggressively bite him? Did she bark and he was in fear so he made the first move and then she bit? Was it her paw that punctured him or her tooth? I have no clue. All these questions and more kept going through my mind.
The whole thing lasted about 45 seconds. Sophie wasn't even barking when we came out trying to talk to the couple. I have so many unanswered questions.

I figured that she was spooked by the neighbors fireworks and managed to peel the chain link and came out of the kennel an was probably sniffing around the house (as she usually does when I am walking her.)  Then she must have encountered the couple as they walked down the street.

I didn't go in to work today and mended the fence. Sophie seemed sad and far away. She didn't bark hardly at all. I wondered if she is hurt too? I waited all day to hear from the animal control but never did. I have no idea what will happen. We are extremely sorry that this even happened and would like to work it out...but we don't know what the couple will do. We don't even know where they live. Will this get ugly and go to court? Will they pursue other avenues to have the dog destroyed? We have no idea what to expect.

I wish our world was one where we could talk and work things out without lawyers and insurance companies. We are extremely responsible dog owners....but it doesn't matter. It only needs to happen once....and something like this could happen to anyone.

I guess we'll have to wait and see....

sad sad sad