Sunday Morning Nightmare

This is not about a horse, but it is about my new Seeing Eye Dog, Dextra, my 4th guide.  I wrote it and thought it was very important to share it, to help the awareness of this particular problem that a lot of guide dog users face.  This article is about to be published in Paw Tracks, as well.  

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SUNDAY MORNING NIGHTMARE
by: Lisa Calhoun

A Sunday morning walk in Morristown, NJ started out so nice, the cool spring morning energizing my new Seeing Eye Dog, Dextra, and I, as we smoothly made our way through town, crossing streets, weaving around pedestrians,quickly passing by people sitting in café’s with no distractions.   My instructor following me, just behind my right shoulder, explaining the new route for me, as key landmarks approached or if I needed any further details on our new path.  We talked casually as we made our way through this new route and as we were nearing the end, suddenly things went from a peaceful morning walk to a nightmare.

We were two blocks from completing the new route when my instructor informed me that there was a dog up ahead, but that the people were backing it up into a doorway.  Dextra, a very small female yellow Labrador Retriever, walked calmly up the sidewalk as we approached the dog.   Suddenly from my far left, I heard a deep growling sound and then instantly it lunged and was on top of my poor little girl.   She quickly turned to the right, trying to avoid the attack, but the dog was unrelenting and kept on top of her.  She got me to the curb, I swear she tried to stop to tell me it was there, before she continued into the street, taking me between two parked cars.   My instructor helped me, to make sure I didn’t fall, but luckily I have very good balance and I was fine, so he then quickly turned to helping my poor defenseless dog, who was still suffering a brutal attack in silence.   He was able to get the aggresser off of her and almost got bitten himself.  He then took my arm and we quickly made our way down the sidewalk and away from the mean dog, I heeled my poor dog at my left side, as I kept calling out, “Oh, God, no!”  I just repeated it over and over again, not able to get any other words out, asI fought back tears.  I was trying to stay brave for my dog, so she wouldn’t distress any further and get more upset by the whole horrific situation.

I put Dextra at sit and my instructor quickly went over her, looking for any signs of a wound.  Her whole neck was wet, on the left side.  At first, he did not see anything, then he made sure I was okay, which I was, just shaken by the experience, as any blind person would be that found themselves in this situation.  Unfortunatley, I had been through this before, with my 2nd dog, Zach, who suffered two attacks from a Chow that my boss had at a horse farm I worked at.   I was lucky, then, as it did not affect my dog’s work, so I prayed and still am praying this experience has not affected my brand new Seeing Eye Dog, as the incidentwas less than 24 hours ago.

As my instructor examined my dog he looked back at where the people had been with the dog, but they had quickly disappeared.

As we walked sighted guide, Dextra happily heeling at my left side, he explained what he had witnessed.   There were two people holding the dog, one holding the leash and one holding the dog by the collar, so he thought they would keep control of it, but when the dog started to growl, the person holding the collar just let go of it, and it happened to be right as I was passing infront of the dog.   Luckily, there was a parking lane, so when my Seeing Eye Dog had bravely taken me into the street, to get away from her attacker, she was still thinking of her job and did not take me into traffic.

When we got about a half block from where The Seeing Eye van was parked, I went ahead and worked Dextra back to the van, to give her a bit of a boost in confidence.   She did a great job.

When we got back to The Seeing Eye, my instructor inspected my dog again and this time, he found a puncture wound on the left side of Dextra's neck.   He took me sighted guide back to my room and there,I had to part with my dog, as she needed to seek medical treatment and be checked over more thoroughly.

It was the longest two hours I have experienced in a very long time, waiting and wondering what was going on with my new partner.   I had been told at lunch that they had called the vet in from home, so that was part of why it was taking so long, but it didn’t help my nerves as I awaited the word on how she truly was doing.

I was also told a Police Report was in the process of being filed and my instructor had driven right back to town to try and track down the people with the dog.   Unfortunately, he didn’t have any luck.

I finally got my girl back and she does have a puncture wound on her neck, but should be fine.  She is getting antibiotics and the wound is being cleaned and cared for properly, alongwith her now wearing a regular nylon collar, instead of the usual training collar.  I let her sleep in her crate, last night, so I could take the collar off, to let even more air get to the wound, to help promote healing.   Tomorrow she will get a Rabies booster, just to be safe, since we have no clue as to the vaccination history of the dog that attacked her.

It is a reminder that things can happen so fast and things can change so suddenly, from that peaceful wonderful Sunday morning walk, to a nightmare in a split second.   I wish people walking their dogs would keep better control of them and if the dog is aggressive in the least, it does not belong in town around people walking, especially where Seeing Eye Dogs and guide dogs are.  Dog attacks are one of the biggest reasons dog guides are retired, as it can damage their confidence and more.   I was lucky with my male black Labrador Retriever, Zach, and I hope I will be lucky with Dextra, this gorgeous perfectlittle female yellow Labrador Retriever, she did not deserve what happened to her, no dog deserves such a thing to happen to it.   Stricter laws are in the works in some states to make it a higher crime for a guide dog to be attacked and I am now going to do what I can to help the cause of getting these laws passed.


UPDATE:   It has been three weeks since the attack and Dextra, my little yellow Lab is doing great.   She has healed physically and seems to have had no lasting mental affects from the attack.   We are now home and she is joyfully working for me, getting along with my retired Seeing Eye Dog, Nalley, and happily interacting with my husband and two young daughters.   She is a great worker and I am thrilled that she is such a mentally solid dog that she was able to overcome what happened to her, less than a week into our partnership.

My father-in-law, a former Virginia General Assembly member, is helping look into what can be done to make the laws stricter here in Virginia, as when he was in office, he was the sponsor of the Vicious Dog Act, so this is one of his causes and he will help me do what we can, here in the state of Virginia.