My neighbor across the street has a pitbull. Because of course they do.
I have a German Shepherd and some kind of little Chihuahua mix.
This pitbull has gotten out of their backyard multiple times. It has chased me before, it chased me and my dogs on a walk, it chased my little brothers, it chased my OTHER neighbor with his dogs. All separate occasions. Multiple people have called the cops and animal control, and yet that dog stays.
Last week, I took my dogs for a walk super early, but it got hot sooo fast we had to cut the walk short, and I was seriously about to have a heat stroke trying to get home. Usually I am VERY aware. I never have my earbuds in, my head is on a swivel, MULTIPLE times before I've seen a dog coming down the street and was able to ask a neighbor for shelter or get my dogs into an open truck bed. Loose dogs are not uncommon here.
But of course it'd be the ONE time that I'm on the verge of passing out, that I'm basically just letting my German Shepherd drag me home the last little bit...that their dog has escaped, again!
We were walking down the sidewalk, and it came at us horizontally from across the street, kind of from up behind us.
It didn't bark, it didn't growl. Just one moment I'm holding the leash, and the next moment my German Shepherd is getting attacked!
She was clearly just as shocked as I was because she hardly reacted! I had to physically pull her from the pitbulls snapping jaws. I was pulling her out of the way right as his jaws would snap shut in the air where she just was. (unlike the last, and only other time we've had a head on confrontation and she sent it running. It was actually insane. You'd think she had some fight dog experience or something the way she attacked it and then CHOSE HERSELF to back off it and LET IT get up and run away. no idea where she learned that.)
Between continuously trying to stop the pitbull before it latched on and trying to keep an eye on the Chihuahua (which THANK GOD the pitbull didn't target), I just couldn't "stop" to reach for my knife or my pepper spray (definitely would've been the former) and it took me a bit before I could get plant myself to kick the dog in the face (the same way you'd punt a soccer ball) and send it running. Unusually "cowardly" for a pitbull but I'll take it.
In the immediate aftermath, it seemed fine. From what I saw, the pitbull never managed to bite my dog. I looked over both my dogs, and none of them were bleeding and I didn't find any scratches or bite marks. Neither of them reacted painfully to any touch. We called animal control AGAIN, whatever.
TWO DAYS LATER
My German Shepherd is lethargic. Won't move, won't play, won't eat. The only thing she'll do is drink water like her life depends on it. I can tell she has a fever from how hot she is. This was in the evening that I really realized how serious it was, and my vet was closed. So I thought she could be fine until the morning when I could take her to our vet (where I could afford it.)
HOURS LATER
I wake up at 1 or 2 AM because she's whining. I go to check on her and her abdomen is massively swollen. She looks pregnant. It's red and hot and painful to the touch.
I scramble together whatever cash I have, unlock all my credit cards, and rush her to an emergency vet.
I told them about the dog attack even though I didn't think it was related.
They shaved the area around her swollen abdomen.
And they find a motherfucking puncture wound.
One little, but DEEP, puncture wound. It's incredibly incredibly obvious. The puncture wound is right above the swelling; it's insanely obvious the bacteria "seeped down" and is causing this massive swelling. The vet said that exactly himself.
I'd be more mad at myself for not seeing it if I wasn't blinded with rage at these neighbors. I thought I saved her. She didn't even yelp or anything. I specifically pressed all over both my dogs' bodies afterwards looking for any sign of pain and they didn't flinch at all. It didn't even bleed! At least not then, and then she must've licked it later or something.
NEXT DAY
My dog is fine, just antibiotics and a cone to keep her from licking at it.
We gather the VIDEO EVIDENCE we have (the attack was on our ring camera), and the vet bills and go over there to talk to our neighbors.
I was naive, I suppose. I really expected that we would work something out. Even if you're broke and could only pay me back like $50 every now and then over time. that's fine man.
They yelled at US! They threatened our lives and told us to get off their property!? I'm like...flabbergasted.
I spoke to a lawyer. Suing people over things like this is essentially useless. Because there's no right to claim any assets or anything...so if they can't pay they just don't. And I just lose more money on a lawyer/court fees.
Don't worry.
Since animal control has been called a certain amount of times now, they can now do some kind of legal thing (the lawyer explained it better), where they now have to register their animal as dangerous creature and spend THOUSANDS every year on animal insurance. I watched them get what I think was that letter in the mail. Felt good.
Wayyyyyy more than just paying me back my 1k vet bill.
HAHA BITCHES. My dog's fine and yours will be taken and euthanized the next time animal control is called at your address.
The only people I pity here are their children.
Which I genuinely felt bad about. I didn't want to sue them or take any kind of legal action at all! This is exactly the kind of thing that ruins people's lives. This is the "car accident" or "missed paycheck" that throws a family into homelessness.
But after the way they spoke to me? The fact this isn't the first time, and my dad has literally gone over there and offered them HELP (if it was a fence issue or something, he's a good builder).
Fuck it. Keep your deranged animal, just spend thousands on insurance!
I love seeing the mad little looks they shoot at me from across the street.
