Bite the Hand

Will you bite that hand that feeds? Will you chew until it bleeds? -NIN

The answer to that question can be answered in my statement to the Pamlico County Animal Control officer after my dogs and my unfortunate incident on Wednesday. It's a bit matter-of-fact, but it is, after all, a statement so I'm just going to let it do the talking...

October 28, 2022 

Statement Regarding Dog Attack on Wed, October 26, 2022

I was walking my two dogs, Dobby, a Finnish Spitz mix, and Chloe, a Cairn Terrier mix, toward the dock of the condominiums at the end of Teach’s Cove Rd. I have walked this route every day for the past 10 months without incident. I have always diverted myself and the dogs away from the dock if I see someone there, especially if they are with their dog. When we were approximately 10 feet from the dock entrance, I noticed a woman leaning over the railing. I planned to walk past the dock and proceed to the picnic table further away at the point.

At that moment, the woman yelled, ‘Brandy, NO!’. A large, tan dog with short hair ran off the dock and barreled toward us. I had not seen the dog until then and I could clearly see the dog was not friendly. I had no time to react before the dog jumped on Dobby. Dobby tried to defend herself but was attached to the leash I was pulling on to try to get her away. The other dog grabbed Dobby's face and ear in its mouth and drug her to the ground. I had fallen down and started kicking the dog in the face to get it off Dobby, but the dog wouldn’t let go and began to shake Dobby’s head with her jaw.

I don’t recall when the dog’s owner got into the mix, but she was behind her dog, pulling on her. I believe the dog had a checkered harness on, but the dog was not on a leash. I jumped up and threw myself on top of the dog’s head and neck and tried to pull them apart. The dog would not let go and kept biting down harder.  I started punching the dog in the face and snout, but the dog didn’t let go.

I realized then that I couldn’t free Dobby and started screaming at the top of my lungs, ‘somebody help me!’ over and over. I screamed for the woman to get her dog off mine and she said, ‘I can’t.’ I was certain that the dog was going to kill Dobby and instinct took over. I shoved my hand into the dog’s jaw when it tried to get a better grip and I pulled its upper jaw back with all the strength I had. I was able to get Dobby released and she ran away, as did Chloe. I pulled my hand out, but not before the dog bit down on me. My left pinky finger was bitten in two places and my finger began bleeding profusely. The dog tried to get away from its owner to go after Dobby again, but the woman had hold of it. I told her I thought her dog had broken my finger and that the dog was violent.

This is what my sweatshirt looked like after the altercation

I then stumbled about 20 or 30 feet away from her to check on my dog, sobbing from the trauma and the pain, and yelled to the woman that she was going to be responsible for the vet and my medical bills. I asked her what her name was. She did not respond. I yelled the question again, but she said nothing. At that point, a gentleman drove up in his golf cart and asked if he could drive me home. He took me and the dogs back to my home, with me sobbing the entire time.

At the behest of a friend who came over to take care of us, I notified the police, EMS, and Animal Control of the situation. 

My dog has a hemorrhage in her left eye and a puncture wound in her right ear. She still will not let me touch the right side of her face. The vet prescribed Carprofen for pain, Clavacillin and Amoxicillin antibiotics, and Tobramycin drops for her eye. My doctor prescribed Amoxicillin and K Clavulanate antibiotics, and Mupirocin ointment for my wounds. I am currently waiting to hear if the dog who attacked Dobby and me is up to date on its rabies vaccination.

My finger, post bite.

Today, I walked a different route as I am scared for my dogs lives, and two very friendly-looking large dogs from the neighborhood started jogging toward us. I panicked, got my dogs off their leashes and we proceeded to run in the opposite direction. I can’t even walk them anymore without being scared to death. 

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And there is my story. It's been two days and I still break out in tears when I look at my recovering beautiful baby girl with the half-closed eye. I didn't mention in the report that I now carry an ice pick with me on walks, but I will never again let another dog harm mine. Also, I still can't bend my finger so I'm not sure if it's just because it's swollen or if it's permanent.

This morning on our walk, a deer bounded out from the woods and crossed in front of us. This usually makes me smile because deer are beautiful and graceful, and that cute white tail always makes me happy. Today, I was almost frozen with fear for a split second. I hate that dog and its owner for causing me this emotional trauma.

As many of you know, my mom left on Oct 7. The 30th will be a year since her memorial. This is too much right now. Too emotional. Too sad. Too traumatizing. But I do what we all do when we are overwhelmed. Get up, get dressed, and keep moving forward. What's the alternative?

The only thing I know for certain after all this is the answer to the age-old question: fight or flight? I'll fucking shank a bitch for my girls.

Update-I found out last night that the dog is current on its rabies vaccination so there's a bit of great news.

A very cool tune by Nine Inch Nails; its lyrics inspired my blog title.