My initial reason for wanting to write this was in the hope that I'd be able to get rid of some of the anger and pain I still feel following an unprovoked attack on me by a dog in December 08. So I'll start with what happened and events since.
At that time I was running a franchise of Trophy Pet Foods which involved the home delivery of pet foods and accessories. Mick helped on his days off from his job. On 8/12/08 we were both out and had arranged a taste test with 2 dogs at a pub. We had not actually met the dogs but in conversations with the dogs' owner (also landlord of the village pub) he had told us he had a Labrador and a Flat Coat Retriever. As we have both of those breeds ourselves we were looking forward to meeting his dogs.
We arrived around mid-day as agreed and he directed us to the gate leading into the backyard of the pub. As we were entering, the Labrador came bounding towards the gate and the owner (Alex) asked Mick to hang onto him to stop him getting out. The other dog ( a black, probably Flat Coat Retriever/Labrador cross) was at that time being held by Alex but not appearing particularly aggressive.
After a very brief discussion with Alex about what the dogs were currently being fed and trying to ascertain whether he was keen to help the very overweight Labrador lose weight, we put a selection of the Trophy foods down for each dog to eat. As anticiapted, they ate the lot, quickly!
I then continued the discussion with Alex as to which was the most appropriate food for each dog. During this time the Labrador was happily wandering round the yard and the black dog came to sniff around my legs. I had no concerns about this as it was a daily event and I'm quite used to being with dogs. I'm also always careful never to do anything to appear to threaten a dog or make it nervous. At this point Mick was slightly behind me, putting away the 'taste test pots'.
The next thing I knew was that the dog was in my face. Much of the next 10 mins or so is somewhat of a blur - I recall Alex taking the dog away, Mick asking for a first aid kit (how fortunate he was with me and that he's a paramedic), Mick asking for scissors to cut the dressing, Mick asking for some water and Mick saying he was getting me to A & E. No doubt I was in shock but I certainly didn't realise the seriousness of the attack at that point and didn't think I needed to go to A & E. Luckily I couldn't see that a big piece of my lip was missing and another bit hanging loose. Poor Mick had to witness all this. I recall suggesting we should do the next delivery on our way to A & E. No doubt if Mick hadn't been so worried he'd have laughed at me.
At A & E I received excellent care and treatment from all the staff there and then from 2 consultants who came down from the maxillofacial department. They examined and dressed a deep puncture wound in my hand and after all the anti-tetanus, anti-biotic injections etc, they took me to their department where facilities etc would be better. One of the consultants then 'tacked up' the little bit of loose skin from my upper lip and discussed what he could do. Then brought in the senior consultant who decided on a different approach.
I still hadn't seen my face and it was suggested that I should look in the mirror. Not pretty. it was decided that I should stay in hospital overnight to have intravenous anti-biotics and then return on Friday 12th for an operation. The consultant wanted to be sure there was no infection before doing the operation. The operation involved doing a graft from my lower lip onto my upper lip causing me to spend 5 weeks with the lips grafted together, leaving a very small gap on one side for food and a straw for drinks. For the first few days I had a feeding tube and wasn't even able to drink through a straw for the first 36 hours.
I stayed in hospital for 5 days and then returned the following week for the stitches to be removed.
After that I was able to eat only foods which I could pick up and put in through the small gap using my fingers (no, Mum, I can't eat ice cream!!!). Over the 5 weeks we became very inventive - Christmas dinner was mainly ok - no cranberry sauce with the the turkey though and gravy separately through a straw. Tried a tiny bit of Christmas pud (cream through a straw) but too sticky to really be able to pick up and enjoy. No mince pies. But chocolate - that was easy. Toast was ok too, if cut into thin fingers. No fried or poached eggs, but omelettes, cut into thin strips, no problem. Meats too, if cut into small pieces or strips, quite manageable.
5 weeks after the operation I had to undergo a further operation, just under a local anaesthetic, to have my lips divided. Then a further visit 10 days later to have the stitches from that operation removed.
So what are the long term effects? How do I feel? What's happened since? What's happened to the dog? Well, here goes................
As responsible dog owners we reported the attack to the police, little interest at first but eventually they took a statement and eventually it was decided to prosecute. But what a farce. The dog's owner didn't even bother to attend the first hearing and was simply asked to attend on another date. We were told this hearing was just to set a date for a plea hearing and that nothing would happen. In fact, at that hearing, he told the court he normally keeps the dog on a muzzle and the court decided that was good so he was simply ordered to keep it under proper control in the future. Who monitors that? No-one until it attacks again. Are they stupid? Yes, clearly. To us it is obvious that if he stated he normally kept the dog on a muzzle, he knew it was dangerous. So why did he let it wander, muzzle free, when we were there? Why does he allow it to escape from the pub's back yard by jumping over the fence if he knows it's a threat? Why did he not even warn us?
So now I worry constantly about the dog attacking someone else, particularly a child. Whenever I see reports of dog attacks (it's usually the incidents where a child has been killed that hit the news) I worry that the dog will attack again. Once a dog bites, it is known that it is likely to do so again. Reports of such attacks are upsetting for all the obvious reasons but then I get angry. I could have been killed. Does it take a death to cause a dog to be put down. I love dogs and we've said all along that if one of our much loved and adored dogs did anything like that, they'd be straight to the vets. I don't know how we'd cope with that but we couldn't risk keeping an animal like that. Ever.
Other long term effects and feelings since in Dog attack 2
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