Cosmos was always afraid of Off Leash Dog Park. As a result, neither of my boys attended there. I was sad about it as I had good experiences with Mr. Daisy, Achilles, and other dogs. But each dog is an individual and I certainly wasn't going to take anyone where they were not happy.
But with the passing of Cosmos, and the adoption of Lucy, I suddenly had a dog on my hands that needed exercise. LOTS of exercise. Dog park seemed a good way to get what Lucy needed. Sunny, I was sure, would enjoy it. And so we went and our first few visits were very successful.
Then came a visit last Wednesday. I described it in my Facebook account as follows:
"Sunny badly hurt from attack in dog park yesterday. He's at home, but with admonition that I am to bring him back if he worsens. Can barely walk, face is 1/2 shaved to expose wounds from dog bites, and thank goodness they didn't get the eye that he can still see shadows in. I've never seen anything like what happene...d yesterday. Different breeds, different owners, all ganged up on Sunny and dog piled him.
In response to many MANY comments, and also a thread started by Steve on his own account, I made additional statements:
"One dog - who started it - knocked him down and started biting him in the face. It was at Off Leash Dog Park. Dogs started coming in from all corners of the park to attack him. It was a dog pile.
Owners came charging in to remove their dogs from the pile. Everyone disbursed quickly with their dogs. Nobody - including me - realized how badly Sunny was hurt right away. Nobody stuck around to find out. Probably just as well as the dogs continued to want to attack, even as the owners were grabbing them and pulling them off. I've never seen anything like this.
I don't know who the owners or the dogs were. I am liable for vet bills.
We know that one of the 3/4" long facial bites went all the way through to the inside of his mouth. There is diminished neurological function in his back end. We don't know whether it is from before (he already had a bad back, we think from being hit by a car before he was mine) or new from the attack yesterday.
He's on heavy-duty meds, in a lot of pain, and all I can do is watch him closely right now."
"He went in this morning. I didn't realize how badly he was bitten until later last night and vet had 6 hour wait at emergency. They advised, since Sunny doesn't do well in waiting room, to go in first thing this morning. That's what we did.
Last night, he could still walk normally. Now he can barely sit up, stand up, or walk.
He can't stand or even sit to eat. I sat next to him on kitchen floor and hand fed him his dog food. Fortunately, he is still willing to eat."
I received this comment back from a FB Friend:
"Laura, I am so sorry to hear this. It sounds like one dog was the aggressor, and then pack mentality kicked in. When a dog is down, especially if it's old or injured, other dogs will move in for the kill. It happens even established "muliti dog" households when one is old or sick. Shame on the owners for not offering to help, especially the owner of the dog who started it. It's the problem with dog parks--you cant temperament test what is allowed inside. I hope Sunny recovers quickly but I wouldn't take him back there, ever."
And made the following comments back:
"We don't want to start with Steroids because we suspect Cushings is starting based on last blood test, so we're going to wait and see. Sunny is getting an antibiotic and Roxbaxin for pain. He's a little goofy on it which, to my way of thinking, is fine. I'd rather his memory be dimmed.
Don't worry. He - and we - will NEVER go to dog park again. I will find some other way to get Lucy the exercise she needs. Maybe we will go after agility training hard and enter competitions; she's the right breed for it and then she gets to run and jump off leash. Or the Obedience Club we're taking lessons from have other types of competitions for dogs and I don't even know what they're for. We'll explore everything until we find something that Lucy likes. Sunny can come to the competitions with us and lounge around in his exercise pen and be fussed over.
Next summer when Eric & I move in together, the dogs will have a yard for the first time as well as lots of kids to play with. That will be a blessing. Goodbye Condo Life.
I've lived in multi-dog households and still have not seen the likes of this. In fact it was exactly the opposite. The dogs were ultra protective of the sick and old ones. That's what's happening now. Lucy is being very careful around Sunny. Surprising since she is only a puppy, is new, is insecure, is possessive of me, and has no real established etiquette yet. It's nice to know that she comes by compassion naturally."
The conversation turned towards whether off leash dog parks should exist or not. and I was urged to contact local media:
"I am not in favor of closing dog park. There are a lot of dogs and dog parents who get a lot of pleasure there. Additionally, there are a lot of dogs like mine, who live in condos and this is their only outlet to be able to run and play the way dogs should. That's why we were there.
I have never seen dogs that looked or acted abused in any way, shape or form at dog park. And in fact, the entire thing was so fast and my dog was not killed because the owners got their dogs off of Sunny very quickly.
The part that saddens me is that nobody, and i mean NOBODY stuck around to even see if Sunny was ok. And he is not by a long shot.
If you would like to help, e-mail news tips into local Los Angeles organizations, telling them that you heard of t his incident. Steve is right. News media needs to warn people that this is possible, so that others don't expose themselves or their pets in the way that I did. I will NEVER bring an old dog to dog park again, and since I always have at least one in my brood, I will not be going there again. But that does not mean it is a bad place.
From what I understand now, this is classic dog pack mentality, and while not common, is also not uncommon when a sick or injured dog is felled. It has nothing to do with mistreated or evil dogs.
ABC Los Angeles can be found at http://search.abclocal.go.com/search/results?station=kabc&search=siteSearch&q=news+tips&submit.x=0&submit.y=0
Scroll down the page until you see: "Story Results" and a link to click is directly under the banner.
CBS can be emailed at : kcbstvnews@cbs.com Thank you for caring. Thank you for your help."
Look at my boy today. I took the video above this morning. I feel so awful that I exposed him to get hurt in this way, especially just after losing Cosmos. I do agree that others should be warned that this could happen. Please, if you think this story is news worthy, contact the media as follows and direct them to me and/or this blog. I can be e-mailed through this blog or, if you know me personally, feel free to supply my phone # to the media.
Again, I am NOT looking to close dog parks down, nor am I interested in getting the owners in trouble. What I want is to make sure that the public is aware that this could happen so that other innocent dogs are not attacked.
HANDLERS LEVEL OF OBEDIENCE TRAINING: Many rescue dogs taken through classes at Reseda Park, varying degrees of “lack of success.” My last three in order: Sunny – my current Lab/Shepherd mix was expelled with an admonition to have him destroyed due to his tendency to attack all other dogs and bite people including me. He is doing fine, thank you, and it only took four years to find somebody who could identify the difference between being a bad dog and one who had a terrible fear aggression issue, and then finally help us. He is a very sweet and gentle boy and I love him.
Cosmos – my amazing Dalmatian - who I lost about a month ago - in the end of class “competition” came in 3rd out of a class of 4. He was very bright, but was definitely a ‘special needs’ student. Too many distractions, too little time. But we had a great Graduation Party for him, featuring hot dogs as the main course. He was in favor of that.
“Mr Daisy” – a Terrier / Border Collie Mix, who if he felt like working, couldn’t be beat in local obedience competitions, but at the times he wasn’t in the mood, he was considered a very disruptive influence on the other dogs. He was left behind in school on many occasions, and was often bumped into private lessons. That was a time that I thought maybe I wanted to do Dog Obedience trials, but the others at the local play competitions did not appreciate us, no matter what Mr. Daisy’s outlook of the day was – lol!
DO YOU WISH TO COMPETE IN ANY TYPE OF DOG SPORTS? : I don’t know. Maybe. This is the first time ever I’ve ever had a “go to the head of the class” kind of dog, so we’ll see.
WHERE DID YOU HEAR ABOUT VHOC: The Internet
PRICES: $60.00 FOR 6 WEEK CLASS ON TUESDAY EVENINGS 6:30 TO 7:30PM CANOGA PARK LUTHERAN SCHOOL 7357 JORDAN AVE. CANOGA PARK PLEASE MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO VALLEY HILLS OBEDIENCE CLUB AND MAIL TO LAURIE BURNAM, 13626 OAK CANYON, SHERMAN OAKS, CA 91423 ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT: LAURIE BURNAM 818-784-8440 home 818-427-3032 cell bellaluna@pacbell.net
Sunny & Lucy went to the Off Leash Dog Park. Sunny hasn't been there in close to a decade, and this is Lucy's very first outing.
I was so proud of both of them! Sunny was a perfect gentleman, and he not only played with the other dogs, but even broke into an old-dog arthritic run at one point. Lucy was very sweet, albeit nervous. She didn't get more than about 20 feet from me at any time. However, I can see the makings of a dog-park pro in her. She wanted to go off and chase that dog and chase that ball. When she's more secure, I have a feeling that she will be burning a lot of energy out there.
I've been so immersed in dog issues as of late, that it seems like I've had no life outside of my pets to report here. To some extent that is true. Taking care of Cosmos, especially in his last weeks, was a 24/7 job, and the loss still brings me to agonized tears when I think about it. I miss that boy terribly; he was so incredibly quirky and loving and I can't imagine ever finding a love like that again.
Lucy is delightful, Lucy is terrible, Lucy is a fantastic addition to my home, and I know that I am going to love her wildly too. She's weird enough and trouble enough to fit my preferred criteria, and the fact that I swooped in and saved her life at the very last moment adds to her charm. I do have to admit, though, feeling a little bit of discomfort with her. All of my dogs have been beautiful in my eyes, but I've never had a dog that could be considered classically beautiful before. Lucy is beyond gorgeous by any standard, even that of complete strangers. It's obvious that she must have a pedigree that's quite impressive if only we knew it, and that if she had papers and if I was so inclined, she could have been shown in confirmation competitions successfully. Of course, I've done dog shows and horse shows in the past and have absolutely no interest in going down that path again. But the idea of having a dog so stunningly beautiful that she stops people in their tracks (even my vet) is something new to me.
Sunny's Senior Dog Check came back very good with the exception of his eyes. He is almost completely blind now, and I have to be very careful to watch out for him during our walks. If I don't warn him about curbs and stairs and uneven pavement, he will fall over them. On the other hand, he has quickly learned the implication of the word "stair" and is rarely tumbling now. I have reported before how he knows numbers and how to count... that skill is standing us in good stead now as he has come to realize that if I repeat the word "stair" three times, that there are three stairs to negotiate. He is facing an eye biopsy surgery... there is a suspicious lump on one of his eyes that may just be a weird pigment thing, but potentially could be malignant melanoma. We need to get to the bottom of it early, and have it taken care of if necessary. Worst case scenario, he will lose an eye, but since he is 100% blind in the eye in question anyway, the issue is simply cosmetic and I don't think he cares. I don't. What I do care about is that he has suddenly gotten an interest in life again and is walking up to 2 miles a day again. He looks years younger than just a few weeks ago. I also care that his blood work from his physical came back and Dr. Florio stated that if she didn't know that he was somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 to 12 years, she would have thought the blood came from a dog of between 6 and 7. Bottom line, assuming we deal with the eye issue quickly, I am not immediately staring down the barrel of another dog death. I can't tell you what a relief that is.
* * *
Last weekend, I had the honor of filming a segment for Richard Simmons to be used in the Infomercial for Sweating to the Oldies 5! To have been asked was not only an honor, but quite a surprise as I did not audition for the video itself, and if I had auditioned, I doubt I would have been chosen as the only repeat cast members from earlier videos he used were those that appeared in the original Sweatin' tapes. Additionally, my health is such that I don't think I would have physically held up under the pressure of rehearsals and taping. But the good folks at Time Life asked Richard if he had any long term success stories in his classroom that would be willing to speak to the benefits of his program, and I was an obvious choice. Despite my issue of small weight gain this year, I have kept off an incredible amount of weight and changed not only my eating habits but my entire life to the extent that if you didn't know me from before, you'd never believe I was the same woman. I owe Richard for his part in this transformation... it was huge, I owe the universe as it was not just Richard who helped me with this change. Anything I can do to get the word out not only about Richard's program - it works! - but the value of losing weight is very important to me.
Oh, but do I ever owe Sharon Klindworth of Macy's Fashion Square (Sherman Oaks, CA) who is my Personal Shopper as well as an extraordinary woman. She's the one who helped dress me for this filming as well as on other important events in my life. I will fully admit that shopping is still a horrible experience for me. I have never gotten over trying to find clothing at close to 400 pounds, and I still don't understand how normal sized clothing works. When left to my own devices, I find items of apparel that don't serve me well, don't make me look that good, and usually don't last very long either. But when I entrust the job to Sharon, allowing her to "dress me like a Barbie Doll," I come out looking good, and I know it. And if I didn't know it on my own, I got the external validation from Richard that I needed. When I walked into the room where we were filming (he hadn't seen me on set up until that point), he took one look at me and stated low and reverently "Holy crap!" I think that means he liked what he saw - lol!
* * *
Ethan turned 14 last weekend. I was in charge of making his cake. Trust me, the irony of going directly from a weight loss / maintenance interview with Richard Simmons to my kitchen to bake this: was not lost on me. But that's the thing about Richard's program; it allows for a multitude of lifestyle options, and it allows us to live and be successful at the same time. I think that's why it worked so well for me. I never felt restricted in my food choices; I never was forbidden to partake in cake or whatever. I just learned how to moderate my choices to fit my ultimate goal.
Who am I? I'm not quite sure myself. I've lost more than a whole person in weight, and it's time to rediscover myself.
The journey to self realization has been trying, but also envigorating. The friends I've made along the way are enough to last me a lifetime.
Artwork from World Renound Artist (and my good friend) Sandy Burstein
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