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Kythas wrote:I'm a little late to the party, but you mentioned pet insurance for ~$200 per year. Who is your pet insurance through (or where did you get the quote)? I have pet insurance on my dogs and it costs me $60/month, which comes out to $720/yr.

We did not have insurance at the time. We did get a quote from http://www.gopetplan.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and it worked out to just over $22 a month. Note that just like a human, the older they are the more the cost.

Carry-a-Kimber wrote:Glad you and yours are okay.

Edited until further clarification....

Where you on your or your neighbor's property after you crossed the fence?

Once we crossed the fence--the direct line rather than up the drive--we were no longer on my property.

@Excaliber -- You have touched on points that are have/are part of our decision process as we move past this incident.

Yes, I have had a brief conversation with the male occupant next door. No, I do not believe that we will become buddies any time soon. Enough said!

One other point that I was unaware at the time of the incident is that the two non-leashed dogs have killed another neighbor's chickens and brought the carcass back to the leashed dog. Apparently, this was investigated by the local sheriff's office and worked out between the two parties involved.

As of yesterday, I believe there is only one dog remaining next door.

Thanks for all of the comments. I truly hope that others can take something from this and not have to face what has become a small nightmare for us.

I have been hesitant to post this incident but after consulting the parties involved and reading the almost non-existent sheriff's report I thought it may benefit others.

The background:
On Sunday October 23rd, we had the entire family at here and spent the mid-morning carving pumpkins with the grandkids (seven-ages 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, & 1). Both of our children and their spouse were here as the clan had arrived on Friday night and planned on departing to their respective homes later Sunday evening. Lots of BBQ and good old family fun had been the agenda all weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday involved time with our various guns and insuring all was set with the deer feeders and game cameras for the upcoming season opening. Although there was alcohol on both Friday and Saturday nights we never indulge on Sundays when everyone has long drives home with the kids. After the pumpkin carving my son and SIL broke down some of the guns for cleaning and all of the guns--sans the Judge--were safely locked in the workshop. This included all of our EDC weapons. I had the Judge openly holstered, on my left thigh, because my wife and I had seen a couple of snakes earlier in the week due to the warmer weather.

The incident:
Sometime around 2:00 PM we were taking the last of the food off of the grill and had already prepared the grandkids plates. The grandkids were eating and the plan was to let the finish and put them all down for some rest/nap so the adults could have a nice meal to cap off the weekend. We were outdoors at our picnic tables helping the grandkids finish their meals.

One of the dogs from next door came down our main driveway (~200') and attracted the attention of our Jack Russell Terrier (see avatar). Jack's (his name is also Jack) interest was peeked and he bolted down the driveway. My wife slowly got up to retrieve him. The other dog simply turned and walked quickly back towards the end of the drive and back to his property. Jack continued to follow. As soon as Jack got to the property line the dog turned and attacked him. Jack was out weighed by over 60 lbs and could do nothing once the other dog had a hold of him. Like a scene out of a horror movie the two other dogs that belong to the same owner suddenly joined in on a killing frenzy. My wife screamed as any mother would do when one of her 'children' was in trouble. My son and I also saw what was happening and instinctively went to Jack's rescue.

The next minute played out in very slow motion. Some how my son and I found ourselves on the other side of a four foot barb-wire fence and were doing everything humanly possible to get Jack out of there. What exactly happened and how we got hold of Jack is still a mystery to both of us. We both recall punching, kicking, and rolling on the ground. Somehow I got Jack under my right arm and was punching one dog that would not let go of his ear. I saw my son kicking one of the other dogs and trying to fight it off. During the struggle we had moved out of the range of the only dog that was tied-up. We were still losing! My son was doing everything he could to keep one dog from causing him further injury and was in for the fight of his life. I managed to land a kick to the belly of the dog that had Jack's ear and he let go and was rolling across the ground. The next thing I know the Judge was in my hand and all I could hear is my wife pleading at the top of her lungs not to shot the dog. (I later learned she was afraid of the impact on all of the grandkids that were now seeing what had to be the most traumatic event of their young life. She did not want them to see the dog shot by Papa.) Knowing I could not safely fire a round at the dog attacking my son and seeing the dog I just struggled with getting ready to have another go at it, I FIRED A SHOT in the air. Call it a warning shot or whatever you want. The shot startled the dogs long enough for my son and I to get back over the fence. Again, we do not know if we climbed, jumped over, or went through it but by the grace of God we ended up on the other side of the fence and the dogs did not peruse.

The aftermath:
Jack was alive but was almost limp and had a six inch gash across his back just past his neck--this was bleeding profusely. His ear was punctured and he had a bite on the top of his head but it was not bleeding much. There were numerous bites all down his back but very little bleeding from them. I rolled him over in my arm and was relieved to see he had not injuries to his underside--bites here would have certainly been his demise. While inspecting Jack, my SIL came over and calmly removed the Judge from my hand--I was unaware that it was still in my hand over my head and pointed to the sky. Jack was seriously injured and although he had little fight in him, he was ready to bite anything/one that came near him. My daughter retrieved his muzzle and I coxed him into letting me put it on him. This allowed us use a hose to rinse him off and further assess his injuries. My son was being tended to by my his wife and he said he would be fine. We got Jack wrapped tightly in a towel to help stop the bleeding. My daughter was on the phone and within five minutes had contacted the only open animal hospital we were aware of and informed them we were on the way.

It was at this point that my wife and SIL pointed out that maybe I should go to the ER and let my wife take Jack to the hospital on her own. I had a bite on my upper torso that was bleeding through my shirt, a bite on my upper thigh, a bite on my calf, a bite on my right hand and my right index finger was ripped open down to the bone. My son had bites on his hand and a couple on his legs but the denim he was wearing helped prevent any punctures of his legs. Although my finger looked very bad the I believed the rest of the bites were not so bad and I opted to take the dog to the hospital with my wife--she was in no condition to drive. My DIL took my son to the ER and my daughter and SIL remained to care for the little ones. It was about a 45 minute drive to the animal hospital and they were ready for us. We spent about 30 minutes there while they evaluated Jack and presented us the bill. Without hesitation I paid the bill and they prepped Jack surgery. The vet asked to look at my wrapped up finger and suggested I go to the ER right then. We stuck around for them to process his X-rays to insure that we did not have to make any decisions over the phone. We were assured that Jack was in good hands and it would take at least two hours for them to put him back together. The X-rays and ultrasound showed no internal injuries and off we were for the 55 minute drive to the ER.

When I arrived at the ER my son was still in the waiting room. I checked in and they took us both back at about the same time. He required just a few butterflies and a round of antibiotics. Once I laid back on the bed I realized I could no longer move my right wrist nor my index finger. Bottom line--20 stitches in my finger, a badly sprained wrist, general clean-out of the other wounds, and a big dose of antibiotics.

While we were gone a deputy form the Sheriff's Office arrived at the scene. My daughter and SIL handled this interaction and I have heard nothing thus far--nor to I expect to.

The analysis, in no particular order:
1. Always be armed! Some here will question my firing the round in the air (.410 7 1/2 birdshot). That shot gave my son and I the time we needed to get to safety. While I do not advocate firing a warning shot as a normal practice, I do believe that this instance it allowed us to retreat without further injury.

2. Even though your dogs normally do not stray, keep them under you control. A leash may seem cruel but seems tame to compared to what Jack went through.

3. Any dog that encroaches my property will be immediately dispatched. The dog that came down the drive growled at me a few months ago when I chased him from one of the deer feeders. I never thought he would have the temperament that he did. Think this is cruel? See number 2. above!

4. If you Open Carry around the house or on your property, you may wish to reconsider. My weapon was strapped to my thigh and once I left my property I am sure that a few laws were broken. What if this happened in the middle of the public street? We do not know who called the Sheriff; someone driving by or someone heard something and called the non-emergency number. What if it was called in as "man with a gun"?

5. Consider pet insurance! We have in the past thought about it. Jack is almost 12 yo. At ~$200.00 a year that would be $2,400. The vet bill was almost $1,400. So, we are ahead in the long run. However, what if we did not have the money at the time? Unlike your two-legged children, medical care can be refused for your four-legged kids. Additionally, find the nearest emergency animal hospital NOW! Program the phone number and address into your cell phone today. One of the stores my son manages is in the same strip mall as the one we went to, this was the only way he knew it was there. I had my vets number but it took his service 20 minutes to contact him. Time we may not have had had the injuries to Jack been worse.

6. No matter the breed of the dog, assume ALL can be vicious! The dog that started the attack was a Golden Retriever--a breed that most would consider very tame. Of the other two, one was a Boxer and the one tied-up was of a mixed breed. I would guess the total weight of the three would be just under 300 lbs.

7. Always have a carry weapon available. The animal hospital we went to was in Killeen. The store my son manages in the same strip mall was just targeted in an armed robbery this week. Because of the urgent nature of our departure from home I was basically unarmed in the an area not know to be very safe. (I did have a rifle in the truck but how do you fight your way back to it if needed?)

8. Most accidents are the result of many things, in succession, that go wrong. Being a pilot I have found this to be the case in almost every aviation accident I have every read about. I would not be writing this if I had shot this dog on the first occurrence it showed aggressiveness towards me on my property. What if my wife or I had been more assertive in getting Jack to quit following? I have no gate on the drive to keep my dog in or other animal out. I have no real relationship with my neighbor (his choice), maybe if I did I could have mentioned the first incident to him and he would have done something to control his dog. I am sure there are numerous other things that could have been done that would have prevented this.

9. The Lord does watch over his flock.

Jack is well on his way to recovery. The drain tube and stitches have been removed. The laceration is still slightly open as he will not quit rolling around on his back. I am guessing it itches, particularly while the shaved hair is growing back. My son's wounds are almost healed and he says everything is fine. He commented the other day that this was one of the most traumatic events of his life, including time across the pond in the sandbox. In all of my experiences this is also among those at the top of the list. My stitches came out this week but I have very little feeling in my index finger and only have about 50% motion in it. My wrist is still splinted and must remain that way for a couple more weeks. The physical injuries will heal and over time I am sure that the ugly memories will fade to the background at some point. My mom claims that it was punishment for not attending church Sunday morning. Maybe she's right--Moms usually are, aren't they?