09.13.08
Should I have seen this coming? Dog bite.
How do I tell you about this? As some of you know, I have written frequently about Chester, a dog we adopted a little over two weeks ago on August 30.
This evening Chester attacked me, biting me in the palm of my right hand. We had just finished our walk when I started to wipe his feet of mud from the yard, something I have done dozens of times over the past two weeks. Without warning, he lunged and bit my hand leaving two puncture wounds. I spoke with the woman we adopted him from, and she advised me to allow him a time out in his cage while we go to the hospital. If he seemed OK when we got home we could let him out, if not he should remain in the cage ’til morning, only being allowed out to potty. I spent several hours in the emergency department and after returning home, he seemed to be the same old lovable Chester. Daniel took him out for a walk and then returned him to the cage. I remained in another room with the door closed.
An hour later we checked on him and he seemed fine. He was allowed out of his cage with a leash attached. I sat on the couch and he jumped up beside me and pawed me to pet him. I spent a few minutes petting him on his back, behind his ears, and on his belly when he offered it to me. An hour later he again became very aggressive towards me without provocation. Chester was lying on one end of the sofa and I was at sitting at the other end watching the weather about hurricane Ike when he began to approach me slowly with a look in his eyes I have never seen before, one step at a time, pausing between steps. I had a pointer-beagle mix before who moved like this when he was stalking prey. Chester’s head and ears were lowered. He was not growling or bearing his teeth. I immediately averted my eyes and froze. He stopped right next to me staring at me, his body stiff, muscles tense. I softly called to Daniel to take him away from me. He was returned to his cage and it was covered. Daniel has been the one to take him out for his walks, but Daniel has told me that Chester is becoming more distant. Each time he has been taken out of his cage I have gone to another room. He remains there now.
O.P.W.