It was probably inventible that I would receive a dog bite that would require medical attention. Since 1999, I’ve had the privilege to work with several thousand dogs. I worked with dogs through shelters, rescues, classes, private consults and seminars. Much of my dog handling experience occurred in shelters prior to the current protocol in many shelters that include some type of behavior evaluation of their dogs. While I had many close calls and little bites, nothing ever required medical attention.
On September 27, 2011 I received a bite from a rescue Akita that required me to head to the ER to get my leg, chest and lip addressed. The end result was puncture wounds on the thigh and stitches in my chest and lower lip. (insert pic.). Some reading this may say, “See Akitas are aggressive!” This is not about the type of dog who bit me, but should serve as a warning to all of us (trainers, rescues, shelter volunteers, vetinarians, rescue personal etc.) that if you work around dogs long enough this will happen. I’ve replayed the series of events leading up to the bite in my head a million times and here is the story of Breezy.
Breezy came to the local KCMO animal shelter in September. She had been abandoned by her owners when they moved out. They guessed her between 7-8 years old. The neighbors had fed and watered her over the fence for approximately a month. When animal control came to get her she was not too happy (aggressive) and they used the catch pole to capture her. They noted she fence fought with many dogs at the animal shelter and was aloof. They contacted the Akita rescue I help and we pulled her from the shelter and housed her in a local boarding facility until we could evaluate her. We like to give dogs 1-3 days to settle in before evaluate them. When I evaluated her it was evident her dog aggression was severe and she seemed very disinterested in me. She was one of only two Akita’s that Jade would not approach in the past two years. Sometimes it’s important to listen to your neutral dog.
I would describe her look as “looking through me”, her eyes were not soft and her body language while not tight, gave the impression of being ready to react at any minute. I used an assess-a-hand to test her handling, startle and food issues. She did not react in the least, except to give me a very cold look with each interaction. Not posturing, but a simple cold stare. Those who work with dogs will tell you, there are the outwardly aggressive dogs, lots of noise and posturing. The other type of aggressive dog will just give you a very cold feeling. This is what I felt from Breezy. As a result, we decided to give her some time to see if it was the trauma of moving into two new facilities or this was who she was as a dog. A few days later another volunteer observed some extreme barrier aggression with humans from Breezy. Unfortunately, this made us realize that there was only one option; we had to put Breezy down. I was out of town so we decided to delay the event until I could be there with her. I make it point to be with those dogs I evaluate and we decided to euthanize.
The day was to be September 27th, at 5:15. To make the euthanasia easier Breezy was given some mild sedatives and we decided to give her one last walk and some hot dogs. I approached Breezy and took her for a brief walk and she accepted some hot dogs from me. I was careful not to pet or get my face anywhere near her. As I handed the leash to my friend (over Breezy’s head), she lunged for my leg. I attempted to hang her to prevent the attack from getting worse; she tagged my chest and lower lip in the mêlée. In just a mere 15 seconds the whole incident was over.
- I should have evaluated her in the shelter before pulling her out and obtained more details from the shelter.
- Semi-sedated dogs in my opinion can be unpredictable; their normal threshold may be increased causing a more extreme reaction than if not sedated. We should have not been handling her in the first place.
- I handed the leash to my friend over Breezy’s head, a classic trigger to some dogs. Especially a dog from a fenced yard issue. My friend had had the most interaction with Breezy and some resource guarding could have occurred.
- We knew she had barrier aggression with people and dogs; we should have discontinued our handling of the dog at that time and immediately euthanized, even with me out of town. We did tell the kennel staff not to handler her.
- I was in my dress clothes and not my heavy jeans, boots and clothing. The heavier clothing probably would have prevented the leg punctures and chest laceration.
This event reinforces the use of behavior evaluations in shelters and rescues. At the very least to identify the obvious dog’s that are not safe to place in another home. Was Breezy a bad dog? No. The fact that Asian breeds can be more aloof and their reaction distances shorter did not help her, but I think the environment she grew up in created a dog with little ability to bond with people. In addition, the complete lack of socialization combined with living in a yard probably help to foster the dog aggression. Breezy could have been a Lab, Pit, Rottie or any other large breed and the results could have been the same.
When dogs want to bite, they bite
I’ve heard over and over, “I almost got bit”, “I moved my hand fast enough and the dog missed me”, “It was a horrific dog fight, but there was no blood?” What my little experience reinforced is what many trainers and behaviorists will agree on – when dogs really want to cause damage they will do it before you or I can do anything about it.
Dog’s have the ability to control their bite inhibition, if the dog snaps and misses. He meant to miss and you should thank him. Two dogs get in a fight that sounds terrible and there’s no damage or blood, feel lucky and address the problem before they escalate to damage. The damage Breezy did to me only took 10-15 seconds. If I had tripped or fallen to the ground in this instance she may have continued and damage could have been much worse. I inadvertently, dropped the leash and took a step back and froze. As a result, she ran away. Luckily we caught her quickly, but I wish I had not dropped the leash, but it may have been what stopped the attack.
I will continue to perform behavior evaluations on the dogs we may have the potential to pull from a shelter or rescue. While the evaluations are not fool proof, I feel that they will identify the obvious dogs. It’s also important as your dogs stay in the shelter, foster or rescue that the handlers really look for negative changes in the dog. This event also reinforced my general hesitation to instantly put my face next to or around a new or strange dog and to take it slowly with new dogs. Always honor and respect your dogs.
I’m thankful Breezy bit me and not my friend, the kennel workers, or a potential adopter looking at her. I am very sad that Breezy did not make it. She was a nice small (65lb) Akita with beautiful brown fur. I find it impossible to look at her a terrible dog that bit me. She’s a dog that we as a society failed to give the right opportunities to for her to live up to her potential. I think given a different life, Breezy could have been a wonderful pet for someone. Rest in peace my dear Breezy, despite our last interaction, you were loved.
Comments
Why is it the fault of the owner? Some dogs are simply naturally aggressive, as Eric said in his post. Especially Asian breeds. I have a friend with an Akita that would have you for dinner. He didn't train the dog to be like that. The dog is what it is. Guess what, the dog is out of Japanese imports....
Some breeds simply don't like humans. Like some humans don't like humans. Some humans are naturally more aggressive than other humans. Do you think it is the fault of the parents? No, of course not. It is what it is. My point is, don't try to make this about man. Make it what it is. A dog that thinks like a dog.