Bad Dog!

We've had a problem with some new neighbors, or at least with their dogs. They had four pit bulls, although they have now gotten rid of the two pups. Max, the adult male, seems friendly enough, but the bitch, Lady, has shown nothing but nastiness. Last weekend, they pushed aside our doghouse and got into the pen and attacked our small Zipper. We were eating breakfast when I heard the three of them barking, but we knew Zipper was safely penned up. Wrong! By the time we heard him scream and ran out there, Lady had him on his back. Max was excited but didn't seem to be participating. We got the gate open and Max ran out, then with Lady distracted Zipper got away and ran out. Two stupid adult in a pen with an excited pitbull--not a good scene! But Max kept barking and Lady ran out and he led her home. We got Zipper and he seemed okay physically, just terrified. We kept him in the rest of the day and he started getting worse, trembling and groaning and seeming to have trouble breathing. When my husband reached down to pet him on the backside, he screamed, so we called the vet and took him in. She kept him for two days, having found a couple of small punctures. She said he was probably getting infected, so she put him on antibiotics and pain killers.

The next stage of this is that we told another neighbor, who told his son, who told the sheriff. I told the deputy we were not filing a complaint, yet, but somebody did, and he came out to serve some papers. The dogs would not let him get out of the car, although Lady is chained.

We don't know these neighbors. I met the woman earlier, and she seemed very nice. We met the man after the incident, and he was also nice and kept assuring us "this won't happen again!" But we don't know their history, except for some rumors which don't build any confidence in us. I don't understand why someone with small children would keep two such dogs. We live out in the country where there are no leash laws, and she said they were happy to find this house because their dogs needed some room.

I've always felt safe here, but now I don't even want to walk to the mailbox. Another neighbor has fixed me a spiked crutch with instructions to "let them bite on that," as if they would prefer the spiked stick to me. I let Zipper out this morning to do what I knew he must need to do, and the pitbulls started barking. Of couse he headed that way. I ran after him in my robe and socks, through the rain and mud, and the neighbor came out and helped me get him back home. This afternoon I took him out on a leash, which he does not like at all and which has not been necessary in the four years we've had him.

Life changes. Zipper doesn't understand. He cried to go outside and dig up some moles. I do understand, but I don't like it.