[WarrantsWifey]

I am just floored. I went on vacation to go visit my husband for a weekend in AL, and my girlfriend dog sat for me. She took Killian and Jazzi from Thursday to Sunday. However on Saturday I got a text from Jessica saying she was taking her dog to the vet, Jazzi (my 5 year old Black Lab) attacked her dog. The vet classified the attack as a "vicious mauling". They didn't SEE the attack, only my female clamped onto their female and they had to pull Jazzy off of their Blue Heeler, Saleen.

First off, they put the dogs unattended outside in the back yard for a few hours and left them alone. With two dominate females free range with the the other two boys, I just don't think that was a good idea. We got Killian as a puppy and Jazzi is now SUPER protective of him. They think that Saleen and Killian got rough and Jazzi got pissed and somehow it escalated from there. Nobody saw it, so this is their best guess.

We of course offered to pay the vet bills, and DID pay the vet bills. I'm just concerned about the fact that I'm not positive what really happened. Jazzi has never even bit another animal, never the less shown any aggression except her resource guarding but thats only growling. I'm floored that Jazz could do something like this.

Anybody have any hints or had an experience like this. My husband and I are just not sure how to prevent a situation like this happening again, when were not even sure what happened. Were certainly not letting Jazzi go over there to "play" with Saleen anymore. I just wish I knew how to handle this. I trust Jazz with my life. I'm just at a loss....

This is their Blue Heeler, Saleen.

 

[onyx'girl]

Wow, I feel sorry for the heeler! Poor Saleen.
Anytime dogs are left to their own devices it doesn't bode well.
Surprised your friend left them unattended. Especially if the dogs don't have a strong bond/ relationship and there are more than two in the mix.
Hope she heals well and with no complications.

 

[RazinKain]

Ouch! She got whooped big time! No marks on your lab? I have owned many, many blue heelers and (1) lab also, and from my experiences, I would bet money on it that the heeler initiated the fight and your lab did what she had to do to protect herself. Heelers are extremely territorial and unpredictable. I hope everything works out, but I wouldn't beat yourself up over it. Like I said, your lab was probably just protecting itself.

 

[WarrantsWifey]

They have been to play together maybe three times together. They are BOTH dominate females of the houses. Saleen is a BARKER, she gets a foot from another dogs face and barks INSANELY. She is quite abrasive. See this is an image I snapped about a month back...

I warned them to not leave them alone outside. I don't leave them unattended. EVER. I still feel really bad. I wish I had witnessed it. I keep checking in on the dog. She is healing fine so far. She gets her drains out tomorrow. She popped one stitch because she didn't want her drains flushed. She is quite a handful but I still feel horrible.... Wish it hadn't had happened.

 

[WarrantsWifey]

Oh yea, no marks on Jazzi at all, Killian had lots of slobber on him at the time, but no bite marks.....

 

[onyx'girl]

Had you been there, it wouldn't have happened because you'd know better than to leave them alone! Really, you shouldn't feel bad, dogs do such things unfortunately...

 

[WarrantsWifey]

Thanks, I swear, when I got there, I laid down the rules, scheduled feedings, walks, sleeping in kennels. EVERYTHING. My other friend keeps saying to me. We may see them as family but they are still "animals" they have instincts we can't domesticate out of them. BUt your right, if I were there, it wouldn't have happened. :''(

 

[Mrs.K]

Could have still happened. Zenzy bit Audie WHILE I was there. They were not unattended but it was going so fast that I couldn't do anything about it. All I could do is to separate them so things wouldn't get any worse.

However, to leave them unattended was just asking for it.

 

[Jax's Mom]

Wow... I have a lab and my brother has a lab... I don't entirely believe that was done by a lab. Most other dogs, yes, but not a lab. They have the most gentle bite (they were bred to retrieve game without mauling it) so I can't really see one tearing through a heeler. If it tried, I bet it would lose. Are they certain something else like a raccoon didn't get into the yard? That's a really unfortunate situation for everyone.

 

[onyx'girl]

I think Sigurd could tell you a lab will bite...

 

[Larien]

Whoa... That's really bad, that poor dog... It was right of you to pay the vet bills, but they should not have left two bitches unattended like that...

It seems like that heeler might be perceived as obnoxious by your dog, maybe she thought it's barking and attitude were threatening or dominant, and that's why she attacked. In that picture that dog looks really annoying, I wouldn't ever let it back over, that's for sure!

 

[RazinKain]

Wow... I have a lab and my brother has a lab... I don't entirely believe that was done by a lab. Most other dogs, yes, but not a lab. They have the most gentle bite (they were bred to retrieve game without mauling it) so I can't really see one tearing through a heeler. If it tried, I bet it would lose. Are they certain something else like a raccoon didn't get into the yard? That's a really unfortunate situation for everyone.

Labs in general have a very gentle disposition and are soft mouthed but I disagree with you on their ability to inflict damage when they have to. I watched my old lab almost kill one of my heelers that had picked a fight with him. Those darn heelers would agitate the **** out of him until he'd finally lash out and set them straight. Another thing about a heeler, they will not give up a fight and they do hold a grudge. I would not recommend putting these two dogs together again, supervision or not.

 

[WarrantsWifey]

Oh no, we NEVER plan to ever bring those two together again. The vet was FLOORED that a Lab inflicted that damage, she was even more floored that it was a spayed female. She said she has never seen a "Lab attack". My MIL was just as floored. Jazmine, she is dominate in our house, has no problem succeeding her dominance to other females when she is around them. I really think this was a defense thing.


You know, I thought it might have been another animal or dog, but the fact they saw her clamped on her and had to pull her off makes me believe it. I however have a feeling we just don't have the full story.

 

[codmaster]

Wow... I have a lab and my brother has a lab... I don't entirely believe that was done by a lab. Most other dogs, yes, but not a lab. They have the most gentle bite (they were bred to retrieve game without mauling it) so I can't really see one tearing through a heeler. If it tried, I bet it would lose. Are they certain something else like a raccoon didn't get into the yard? That's a really unfortunate situation for everyone.

Labs can be quite dog aggressive at times, at least some of them. A female in one obedience class really got into it with my male GSD and she initiated it.

 

[Jax's Mom]

Labs can be quite dog aggressive at times, at least some of them. A female in one obedience class really got into it with my male GSD and she initiated it.

I agree they can be quite aggressive but can they cause that much damage? If no one saw the accident, my first guess probably wouldn't be the lab.

 

[Jax's Mom]

You know, I thought it might have been another animal or dog, but the fact they saw her clamped on her and had to pull her off makes me believe it. I however have a feeling we just don't have the full story.

Oh ok... I didn't see the part where you wrote the first time they actually saw her on the heeler... Now I'm just surprised.

 

[codmaster]

I agree they can be quite aggressive but can they cause that much damage? If no one saw the accident, my first guess probably wouldn't be the lab.

Labs are a big strong dog with quite a set of jaws - yea, I would think that a serious bite from a Lab could do some real damage as could any other big strong dog.

 

[Whiteshepherds]

You know, I thought it might have been another animal or dog, but the fact they saw her clamped on her and had to pull her off makes me believe it. I however have a feeling we just don't have the full story.

Maybe something else was going on that no one saw, and it was transferred aggression?

 

[WarrantsWifey]

Maybe something else was going on that no one saw, and it was transferred aggression?

I agree something went down that was missed since they were unattended. I just wish I knew what the trigger was for the fight.

Transferred Aggression??

 

[WarrantsWifey]

Another reason I wish we knew the story was we had to pay the FULL vet bill. Plus were paying follow up visit bills. The initial visit was 506.58, if their dog instigated the fight, we would only be responsible for half. But since nobody saw anything but the end. Were stuck with bills. The dog still has to go for the drains to get removed tomorrow, then in a few days get the stitches taken out, it's just bill after bill after bill..... I'm too stressed by this ****.