Maybe I am a city girl after all!!

[ReFur]

I am trying to have a good attitude. But, I think things have finally gotten the best of me.

 

You all know I love the outdoors and rural living. ..well, lets say I have!! Remember the story a year or so ago where the red-tailed hawk flew into my house after a morning dove and I had to take a towel and get it out?

 

...well, yesterday I took my three mile walk. It is a rural area here, about 30 minutes outside Atlanta, Georgia. It is agriculture (farmland) with some beautiful high-end properties on 3 to 20 acre parcels scattered throughout the area.

 

One property, about two miles away, is a small llama farm. As I walked by, I noticed they had a horse loose, so I walked down to the house to let them know. Just as I got to the front sidewalk, a startled and furious Australian Sheep dog came tearing around the house, teeth bared. In fact, it did a wonderful version of a "junk-yard dog" by making it very clear it intended to tear a hole in me. I was able to "stand the dog down," at least until the dog's owner started pounding on the window to get the dog to stop. The minute I looked up to the second story window the dog bit me on the right calf. No deep puncture wounds but it got me good!

 

Probably didn't help any when I decided to continue my walk home, after the owner helped clean up my leg. By then it was numb.

 

I won't even tell you about the next few hours when everyone flipped out when I realized I should probably get medical attention. Lets say I now know more about rabies, animal control, local fines, etc. then I want. The dog is in quarantine for 10 days. The owner probably will have spent about $800 on this before it is over.

 

Well today my calf is black and blue with a nice print of the dogs mouth and a few small slices gone. It is also not numb!!

 

I did not go to the doctor. But, I did get on the Internet and read how to care for my wound and to keep the leg elevated and to be "quiet." That was all going fine until the neighbor golden retriever, Bailey, came to visit our prize very colorful rooster, with his three colorful hens, whom I had let out to enjoy the afternoon sun.

 

When I ran out to save the poor birds, Bailey thought I wanted to play and I had terrible time getting the birds back into their pen. He really wasn't trying to "eat" them, as they thought - he just wanted to have fun running in circles after them. Somehow the birds just did not see this as fun.

 

Now I am laying here with my leg throbbing!! Maybe the city is where I really belong!!

[JGalanos]

Hoping you have a quick recovery, Linda!

[White Fox]

Linda...

 

Hope you get better soon!

 

Remember one thing. There are a lot of bad stories about Rabies shots out there but that is pretty much all old news. I went through the old system (Just one week later they changed), and no it was not that pleasant if you were a person who did not take them well. And I did not. But the alternative was much worse.

 

Today the whole thing is way different. And... if you get the shots today you probably will have immunity for life. I needed a booster shot, and that shot was the new type. And I immediately had that immunity. To tell you the truth, today I would recommend people get them, as the problems are so small, and then you are protected forever.

 

So, if it comes to that don't be afraid. Likely it is no worse than a flue shot or something similar. Though the old stories still abound, it really has not been that way for more than 20 years as I recall.

 

Good luck! Hope things get better soon. You might want to avoid walking past that particular house again for awhile though.

 

W

[Worker 11811]

Maybe the city is where I really belong!!

 

OR... Maybe you don't get along so well with strange dogs?

 

This is odd... Aussies aren't usually so aggressive. They are certainly "high energy" dogs but they are supposed to get along with people really well. Either you had some bad vibes going on between you and the dog or the owners trained it to be mean.

 

Some of my neighbors have Aussies. Three of them!

Whenever a stranger comes around, they come a-runnin' and a-barkin' up a storm but they are always friendly and will even let you pet them. Two seconds later, they are barking at you again. Their tails are wagging the whole time.

 

They make great watch dogs because they are alert and social and NOISY.

 

I have known several people who have had Aussies and not one of them has had a bad temper. They'll let kids pull on their tails and ride on their backs, even! If a stranger comes into the yard they are on guard but I've never seen one bite that wasn't threatened.

 

I recommend you go have a doctor look at your bite! This whole thing about dogs' mouths being clean is bunch of BS. Look where dogs put their mouths! They lick their own butts and snuffle their noses in old, rotten, dead things! Who knows where that dog's mouth has been?! I feel confident that you won't get rabies or anything nasty like that but you could end up with an infection. Just go get a check up for safety's sake.

 

I hope you heal quickly! The Bears are pullin' for ya'!

 

If it hurts too much, put some fur on it! That's SURE to make it feel better!

[FurLoverinFL]

This just in from ESPN...

 

Nature - 2

Linda - 0

 

FLinFL

 

PS - Even I know the big dumb golden retreiver just wants to play with your feathered friends!

 

PSS - Feel better!!

Edited March 6, 2008 by Guest

[ReFur]

I am much better today.

 

The bite is only minor puncture wound. My jeans stopped the teeth except this lower front. Thank goodness she had a small mouth!!

 

Worker, the dog was surprised. Almost no one walks up to a house around here. Usually they approach by car. I think that was the problem for the owners as well. They assumed no one would walk into their yard? Glad it was me and not a kid.

 

I actually feel bad for the dog. Situations like this are caused by owners not dogs.

 

I must admit I am surprised at the viciousness of the dog, too. Only time I have seen a dog act like that was when it had puppies. One thing is for certain, she thought I was a great danger to her turf!

 

If I had not known how to handle the situation, in theory, it would have been much worse. Showing fear or running would have only made it worse. If I had not looked away, I probably would not have been bit.

 

I know this sounds silly to many of you, but animals behave very differently around women than they do men. They will mind a man without a whimper. As a women, they look at me like, "Oh, come on. Do I have to?"

 

White Fox, as far as rabies go, this dog is a family pet showing no signs of illness. Its eyes are clear. Rabies around here are only in Fox population. I am not worried.

 

FLinFL, you would just love this golden. Baily is a light creamy gold color with "long feathers" is about a year old and is a sweetheart. Did he want to hurt the birds? no. But he could have hurt them without meaning to. After all he is a bird dog. I thought the poor Rooster was going to have a heart attack!! He was pissed off for hours!!

 

As for me in the city ...well, not ready yet. But, I may give up walking though. A month ago I had a truck with two guys pull off the road and set and watched me for a good five minutes before they drove off. Scared me to death. Pulled my cell phone out. But, I was a setting duck. The houses are set way back and far apart here.

 

Guess I will get my exercise videos out instead.

[White Fox]

God I would love to reply to a certain line there!

 

W

[ReFur]

[auzmink]

Linda - keep to the bush, the City is much more dangerous - a definate hazard to ones health in many ways. And how fresh was the air you were breathing before the dog took a chunk???

 

Auzmink

[ReFur]

This will make you laugh ...or cry for me.

 

I am a skier and Rollerblade so, in theory, I should be a person who has decent balance. Right?

 

Well, my wound on my right leg is much better today. Decided to walk to mailbox and see if a letter I was looking for had arrived. The drive way is asphalt and there is the usual country ditch. (getting the picture of what is about to come?) ..you got it. I fell!!! Skinned my wrist and elbow and have a huge skid mark with huge swollen knot on my left knee cap. I actually though I had broken it at first!!

 

Can you believe it!!? I also badly burned the inside of my right inside arm at elbow in the kitchen a few weeks ago, which I didn't mention before. I am a walking disaster!! Glad it is still sweater weather. I would be embarrassed to be seen with all my boo-boos!!

 

And, who says I can't handle stress?

 

Linda

[fallguy68]

Sorry to hear about your excursion, I have lived in the counrty and in the city before, mind you it was not as big a city as Atlanta, but I prefer the country living myself. You are probably correct about how dogs are with women strangers compared to men strangers. I wish you a speedy and pianless recovery.

[JGalanos]

I am a walking disaster!! Glad it is still sweater weather. I would be embarrassed to be seen with all my boo-boos!!

 

Linda - I can relate (unfortunately!). I am a major klutz. There are 4 airports within a 2 hour drive of my home ... And I'm embarrassed to admit that I have I have slipped on ice and fallen at 2 (50%!) of them. I mentioned previously that I'm not a fan of ice and snow!

[ReFur]

The dog issue aside, I just have too much on my mind. I am not paying attention to some very important things around me.

[JGalanos]

Hopefully your distractedness will be short-lived. I fear my klutziness is perpetual.

[frugalfurguy]

Happy recovery to you, Linda!

 

A local friend of mine recently was petting a friend of his cat. The cat bit his wrist. He went to the ER. Had to have his arm in a sling for a while. That's just a freakin' cat bite!

 

And you can get that just as easily city as country.

 

frugalfurguy

[rug901]

L,

I don't post often/ever. But on the city dog v country dog (like mice i guess) is a topic I have a thought on.

 

I live in a City and the dogs are terrible, mean fighting dogs -- I got bit twice in the past 12 months, once by a pit bull on a leash (think mean mike vick dog) and the second by a pit who was trying to turn my burmese monkey dog (aka a stupid bernese mountain dog) into a snack. Decent owners, in the latter case, but they, like the owner of your assailant, had no idea that the proper way to handle an aggressive animal is to actually handle the dog. (pounding on a window don't do it for me.)

 

Bad owners get me soooo angry.

 

Heal well, and maybe some pepper spray for dogs and truck drivers would be worthwhile (?).

 

rug

[ReFur]

rug901,

 

Nice to see your post! I do agree. The owner of the dog is putting up a fence. Plus, has a sign warning people of the dog and has a no trespass sign. So, hopefully no one else will have a "run in" with the dog.

 

In your case, pit bull bites are much worse than what happened to me! Glad you are OK.

 

It has been a good two weeks without any more accidents! And, I am mending. The black and blue marks and boo boos from my fall have healed mostly. The dog bite will take longer. Hopefully my string of bad luck behind me!

 

Thanks for all of your concern and letting me "cry on your shoulders."

 

Linda