I don't even know where to start with this story, and I WISH I didn't have a hunch how it's going to end.
Farmer H went back to work on Back-Creek Neighbor Bev's house on Monday. He said Bev in a frenzy. Seems her dog had bitten an old lady on the hand, and shredded the skin. It was the lady she bought the house from.
"Bev was nuts! She came up and told me she had to do something about her dog. She begged me to take her out and shoot her! I told her I couldn't do that. She kept insisting, because now that dog has bitten five people that I know of. Two of them are ME and Old Buddy! But still, I'm not going to shoot her dog."
"Didn't you say that dog had her shots?"
"Yeah. As far as I know."
"Well, then the person will be okay, and surely Bev has homeowner's insurance, so it should pay for the medical bills if that bitten lady sues her."
"You'd think. Old Buddy said Bev jumped all over HIM, telling him he should have tied the dog up! It's not Old Buddy's responsibility to take care of Bev's dog!"
Later in the evening, Nick called Farmer H at home, to see if he'd be working there on Tuesday.
"I told him yeah, until 2:00. They don't like to leave their house unattended, so one of them will have to be there when I leave. But he said they are taking the dog to the vet for a rabies test. The old lady she bit went to the hospital."
"I thought the only way to test a dog for rabies is to kill it, and mail in its head."
"That's what I thought."
"Surely she's not taking that dog to be euthanized! They live in the country! That dog isn't bothering anybody. They should tie her up when they're expecting somebody. Or they could put up a clothesline, and let her have a run in the yard. I wouldn't want a dog that has to be penned up or chained. A dog should be able to be a dog, unless you want to keep it in the house."
"They don't keep her in the house. They used to put her in the basement at their old place, if someone was coming."
"I'd just hate to see them put her down. She has nipped people coming into her yard, not escaped and latched on with a death grip trying to kill them."
"I told her, 'Bev, just take her to obedience school to break her of that biting.' But she still wanted me to shoot her dog! I thought the dog had its rabies shot, the way Bev carried on about feeding it scraps, and how she takes care of her. Now I'm not so sure."
The only optimistic information I could find is that if a dog has the rabies virus in its saliva when it bites you, then penning up that dog to watch it for 10 days can show if it has rabies or not, because they'll die in 10 days if rabies has progressed enough to be in their saliva.
The bitee still has to have rabies shots, I think. Though dog rabies in the U.S. is very uncommon. A dog has to be bitten by a rabid animal to catch it, and if the dog has its shot, it won't. But seriously, it's not like the countryside is crawling with rabid animals.
I guess we'll find out the conclusion in a few days...
8 comments:
Is the dog old? Is its name Yeller?
Sioux,
That reference would be lost on Farmer H. As a matter of fact, that dog IS yellow, as I remember from when she spent a week here. Not sure of the age, but likely younger than Juno.
I wouldn't keep a dog that bites, but I live within the city limits where there are more people and lots of children.
Out in the country I'd be inclined to get it retrained, construct a dog run where it will be safely confined and still free to run, and put up "Beware of Dog" signs.
River,
I there's a difference between an aggressive dog, like the Rottweiler our neighbor used to have, and their giant poodle. They would chase our own dogs up on our porch and attack. They killed our chickens. They'd chase T-Hoe as I was leaving or coming home. So I hated it when they were loose. It's different to have a dog that might bite somebody coming up to your house. Still, it's a biter, and definitely needs to be put up when somebody comes, and have all the shots, and have a warning sign.
I agree that if kids are in your neighborhood, you should definitely never let a biting dog run loose. They are, after all, animals. Animals are unpredictable, and can act on instinct and attack anything that mimics prey.
So sad for the dog. I have often said there are no bad dogs, but there are bad dog owners. It is a responsibilty akin to parenting. I am not so simple minded that I don' realize there are animals who refuse to be trained. Even I have encountered some dogs that respond to me unfavorably, though not many. Most dogs recognize people who love their kind.
Kathy,
I think this dog was salvageable, but not after the old lady went to the ER with her bite, and info came out that the dog had not had its rabies shot. I'm pretty sure there are laws dealing with that situation.
Dog bites and gunshot wounds have to be reported by the medical facility.
Kathy,
That makes sense. Although I don't know why Bev wanted Farmer H to take her dog out and shoot it. That would have solved nothing as far as getting a rabies diagnosis or rule-out.
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