I did a bad thing
We have a four year old German Shepard who sometimes gets aggressive towards other dogs. We got her from my bother-in-law who couldn’t keep her because she didn’t get along with his other dog. I’ve spent a lot of time getting her under voice command and she’s become a good pet.
Scooter (our dog) loves to run. I usually take her for her evening walk after 9:00 in the evening when it’s usually quiet at the park down the street. She walks by my side without being on a leash until we get to the park, at which time I let her run around if there’s no one around.
Well, last night, it appeared that we had the park to ourselves but it turned out, there was a young woman walking her little dog but I didn’t see her because she was behind a group of trees. Scooter went after the little dog. The woman tried to separate the two as I ran yelling “NO, SCOOTER!!! NO!”
When I finally got there, the woman was curled up crying. Scooter had bitten her on the knee but was now just sitting calmly as if she were the perfect angel.
I tried to comfort the woman. It wasn’t a bad bite but the skin was pierced. I offered to take her to the hospital but instead, she wanted to call the condo security. We live in the housing complex on one side of the park and she lives in the condo complex on the other side.
So she called security and the woman from security called the police and paramedics. Soon a firetruck arrived and the firemen administered emergency first aid. They put her on oxygen and cleaned the bite marks. Two police cars arrived a few minutes later followed by the paramedics. I stood watching about twenty feet away with Scooter.
The emergency workers were joking with the young woman and she seemed to cheer up from all the attention. I watched, not saying anything, feeling like a dumb bully. Once of the cops came over to take my name and birth date. A paramedic came over to tell me the woman would be alright. I knew that. It wasn’t a bad bite and she was more scared than anything.
After it was determined that the woman was alright, one by one, the emergency workers left until I was the only one left. I was expecting to be arrested and my dog taken to the pound, but everyone just left us standing there. I didn’t want to leave, thinking I’d be fleeing the crime scene. I walked down to the corner to see if any of the cops were down there, but everyone was gone, so I went home.
That wasn’t the first time Scooter had gone after another dog. I think that might be just the way she plays and when the other dog responds aggressively, she fights back. Otherwise, they just jump on each other, playing. Obviously, it’s not apparent to the other dog or its owner. Once, Scooter went after another dog and that dog responded by biting me.
Our dogs become like our children. We love them and see things with a bias towards them. If another dog had attacked Scooter, I’d be outraged. This is the first time she had ever bit someone and it will be the last time something like that happens. From now on, she stays on a leash. No more running free except for in our back yard. Maybe after she gets old and slows down she’ll be able to run off the leash again, but right now she has too much aggressive energy.
