When the pit/mastiff bit me, it was trying to get at my dog. The shock and surprise of the quick snap and release bite that went nearly all the way through the palm of my hand caused me to fall to my knees in shock. My 12 year old dog protected me fiercely and went on the attack, biting her badly, according to Animal Control. A bystander grabbed the other dog and mine came right back to me, as I had retained control of his leash. Animal Control immediately took possession of the other dog, as ironically, her owners had been trying to get her into their car to go surrender her. They were divorcing, and neither of them wanted to take their THIRTEEN YEAR OLD dog. Who do I blame? Not the dog, and my heart broke when I heard she'd been put down, despite the injury to my hand. She was trying, I believe, to force her way into our pack by laying her head across my dog's neck, and I just got in the way. Then again, after she was bitten, she moved off a few feet and then stood there, considering, as if weighing her options...was this a fight she could win?
My right index finger has contracted considerably when my hand is relaxed, and I have another dogbite scar to add to my collection. When my hands are cold, you can see on the back of my hand where the muscle was torn up by the purple scar tissue between my thumb and index finger. MOST of the sensation has returned to the finger now, and the physiotherapist I saw says it will likely return to 100% in time. I no longer trust any off-leash dog bigger than my own, because I know that I get an adrenal response that my dog picks up on now. If a large breed dog were to run up to us while both my dog and it were off-leash, with my heart pounding in my ears and my guts rolling in flight or fight response, my dog would react in a VERY unfavourable manner. Since he took the throat out of a coyote that tried to menace him last year, I don't worry about them too much. The cougar that has been sighted in my neighbourhood doesn't scare me either, since I'm pretty sure that Willie would be really excited to chase off a kitty that big! I am just as vigilant as badbadboy, and I will defend my dog by whatever means I have to, but mostly, I will be wise enough to avoid situations where we could get into trouble!