Learning Disability

Even with more than twenty five years of experience working with dogs, I am living proof that on the right day and with the right series of mistakes anyone can get bitten on the face. It happened to me last Saturday (Aug. 29).

My first mistake was allowing myself to be persuaded to consider taking a dog based on the circumstances of the people who had the dog, rather than the dog itself. People who want to give a dog to someone else ALWAYS have some series of dire reasons or circumstances for why it has to happen TODAY. On the day in question, I allowed myself to be influenced by the story more than I should have.

My second mistake was arrogantly assuming that the dog’s behavior was ONLY a result of owner ignorance. The dog was very dominant and I assumed it had simply not been trained by previous owners. He pulled everywhere he wanted to go and wasn’t susceptible to persuasion about who was in charge. He marked frequently and ignored his name and instructions.

My third mistake was being taken with the dog’s appearance rather than it’s behavior. He was a Husky/Malamute mix that had perfect husky markings while being large (at least 60 lbs. and maybe more).

Another mistake was accepting the information I was offered at face value. He wasn’t six years old, but considerably younger and more excitable than that level of maturity would create. He may have adjusted to the other animals where he had been, but that is no indication that he would tolerate other dogs or cats in a different environment.

My next mistake was forgetting that canines are carnivorous predators and are capable of disguising their intentions.

When we encountered a smaller, yappier dog at the park Bob-O (the Husky) responded with very aggressive behavior. When I successfully backed him off and calmed him down I thought this would be a good training opportunity. We approached again and I successfully calmed him again. After repeating the exercise a few times, I relaxed and sat on the grass not far from the other dog. Bob-O put on a good show of being calm and sniffing the grass, etc. He was actually maneuvering himself to attack and controlling him from ground level was my final mistake. I pulled him back to me and went to one knee to rise to a standing position. That’s when he turned and bit me on the face.

At the emergency room I had the embarrassing experience of explaining that I am an experienced canine behaviorist who had his face ripped open by a dog. One tetanus shot and several stitches later I was released.

Animal control has Bob-O now for a ten day evaluation that is very likely to result in him being euthanized. It’s very easy to allow our own expectations to overide our common sense where dogs are concerned. It’s necessary to ALWAYS remember dogs are canines with the instinctive behaviors of carniverous predators! I have a new scar to prove it.