I was walking my puppy this evening, her last walk before bedtime. She had a bout of diarrhea the last few days (because she's teething, vet said I have nothing to worry about, just stay hydrated), so she's a bit under the weather, a little tired, and definitely a little weak. She's almost 3 pounds, and my boyfriend can fit her in one hand.
Anyhow, a husband and wife couple from the neighborhood were chilling on a piece of the block that the city owns, not their own property, and they had two hunting dogs with them, some kinds of retrievers, both probably nearly 100 pounds each. Very tall dogs, very big dogs, is my point.
I saw them, and immediately told the puppy to heel, and she came close, staying right by my leg. She then saw the dogs, and tucked her tail between her legs, and whimpered the same way she does when I turn on the Roomba.
The two dogs must have seen, heard, or smelled her, because they both came at her. Neither one was on a leash, and they both started growling at her, and leaping towards us.
I yelled out first, "She hasn't had all of her shots, please keep your dogs away!" But when I saw that they weren't leashed, I made the mistake of backing away- I was scared of these two dogs running at me full speed- and the two attacked my pup. I yelled out, "Stop them! They're hurting her!" As she was yelping in pain. They responded by laughing.
I feel horrible about what I did next- I yanked on her leash to pull her away from them and towards me. It was instinct, I wasn't thinking. She yelped loudly, but I got her away, and picked her up into my arms, and she buried her head in my elbow. I then cursed out the couple, and informed them in certain terms that it's illegal to have a dog off leash outside of your own property unless you are actively hunting, flipped them off, and ran off.
I called both the HOA of the neighborhood and the cops to inform them each of the situation. The HOA was very apologetic, and will fine the couple (that's the most they can do right now). The cops had me file a report, and will issue a warning to the owners.
My pup is okay. She was bitten, but they just tore off some fur- they didn't have her long enough to draw blood. Maybe they were trying to play, but my pup was terrified. I tried to take her out again tonight, as she didn't get a chance to go potty on that walk, but she absolutely refused to leave my yard, whimpering when I started walking our usual route.
I'm going to call the vet in the morning. The pup is terrified, though, and shivering (it's 75F here right now, so it's fear, not winter cold). I could use some advice for what to do right now, and I could use some advice for what to do in the future, should anything like this happen again. Am I overreacting? I'm a little frightened too- I love my girl more than anything.
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/ehx4dv/two_off_leash_large_hunting_dogs_attacked_my_3/