# They locked my topic



## KellerJames (Jan 19, 2004)

Okay, I confess. I was in one of those rare "chain yankin'" moods last night. I went over to the 'other' forum to post a topic about a dog attack that occured the week that we were camping with my parents, who were visiting from Florida. It happened to my daughter and myself after my folks had left. If you DO go to RVnet. The topic is titled "This Really Happened". The Points of view being expressed were just getting interesting,, then ....LOCK DOWN. I don't know about that place. Thinking of cancelling my membership or 'unregistering' or what ever it's called.
It was a good topic. I'm not going to post it here because I respect this forums atmosphere and don't wish to cause conteversy. However, it is an interesting and very REAL story.


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## rennerbee (Jul 25, 2004)

I read your post there and that had to have been terrifying. I am so sorry that your little girl had to go through the experience once, but let alone twice in the same incident. It is horrible and that owner should have had the dog under control and tethered or something. I do have to say thought that I am glad that he at least apologized to you, although that is the VERY least he should have done.

I hope that your daughter is able to build up her trust towards dogs again. I can imagine that it is probrably a hard situation to work with since there really seems to be dogs just about everywhere. Good luck with it and I am glad that neither of you got physically injured.

~Brook


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## KellerJames (Jan 19, 2004)

Thanks for the reply Rennerbee. I started thinking that it might have been a mistake posting this topic. I'm just trying to alert everyone of what 'could' happen either with their pets, l or especially with their children. My daughter likes to ride her bike around without me being with her. The 'sence of independence' kind of feeling it gives her ,I guess, is why she requests that we let her do this at times, when camping. I tell her the "boundries" and she adhears to these boundries very well. Always something within our line of sight. It CHILLS me to think what COULD have happened if she were hundreds of feet away, minding her own business, perfectly within what should be safe territory and then this "dog" thing happen. A lot of damage WOULD have been done before I could get there to save her. I have tryed to forget the incident, but when she wants to do something that exercizes that 'sence of independence', I keep thinking of the dog that nearly got BOTH of us and I'm hesitant to let her do some things, though I usually say okay because I want her to be an independent person and do the things she wants or likes to do. It's very hard for me to NOT be over protective. I guess I'm just trying to air this thing out so I can come to better terms with it. I thought raising a little one would get easier as time passed. In some ways it does, but in some ways it's tougher. But I still love it. 
Thanks again.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Ok, I bit, and I looked......Got about halfway through, and had to return to Outbackers.....Just too much "your opinion is wrong, mine is right..."

KellerJames, I am glad the no one was injured, and I hope that you are able to help you daughter overcome her fear. We had the same problem with my son, but he started to grow out of it, and now we have a yellow lab that he plays with and helps care for. He is still leary around strange dogs, but that is not a bad thing....is it?

Tim


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## rennerbee (Jul 25, 2004)

Easier as time passes? Oh my, I don't think so. And from what I have experienced, girls are harder than boys. I have just gotten into the fun times of Jr High School with my daughter, I don't know if i'm going to make it. I decided long ago that the easiest part of parenting, for both mom's and dad's, was pregnancy! And you dad's had that part pretty easy!







In fact, I hear it doesn't get better until they are in their 20's or so!! Great...


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## bassplunker (Dec 2, 2003)

I went to 'that other place' because I was very interested in your topic because I too, have a child that had a very bad experience with a dog when he was young (a big great dane/lab knocked him hard to the ground which was that epoxy rice crispy looking deck). He got scrapped up pretty bad. Also, being a meter reader for the first 15 years of my 21 years with the Gas Company I have had many incidents with dogs and their sometimes ignorent (to put it lightly) customers. After kicking a Pitbull in mid air in the head with leather boots as it lunged for me I began carrying a large stick in my back pocket. There were a few times it really saved me. Loose dogs are the worst because they sneak up on you. The kick was effective but it left a big black and blue bruise on my ankle. Pepper spray is effective IF you hit the dog right in the eyes with it. This is difficult with a moving target though and the person who said it won't work on an overly aggressive dog is right too. Why take a chance. A nice broom handle is a good combination walking stick/walking tall defensive weapon. I know many fellow meter readers whose legs or arms were puntured and afterwards they heard those famous last words from the customer. "He's never bitten anyone before." I believe I was the only meter reader who never got bit. Of course I never reported the time one of those big poodle looking dogs ate my mechanical pencil out of my hand.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Maybe you can post it here and see if your responses are different!
I haven't seen the post, nor will I. I don't go there anymore.


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## KellerJames (Jan 19, 2004)

Okay, here's the post from "the other place". 
I applaud all pet owners that control their pets at ALL times and I don't mean to offend any one except the irresponible people like we encountered.

" Not long ago, there was a thread about how â€˜badâ€™ pet owners can ruin the camping experience for others around them. One person even said that they didnâ€™t believe that itâ€™s as bad as some folks said it is. Please read what REALLY DID happen to us. 
My daughter, who is now 7 yrs old, and myself like to take what we call late night strolls in the campground. Just as soon as it gets completely dark. Around here, this time of year, weâ€™re talking about 8:45 or so. We rounded a curve and suddenly a HUGE dog came at us very aggressively. I could hardly see it until I turned on this VERY bright flash light that I always take on these strolls. This big dog was not on a leash and was about 6 to 8 feet from me. Showing his teeth and all that. This sent my daughter into panic mode. She had an incident with a dog in our neighborhood when she was 2 and weâ€™ve been working to get her over her fear of dogs ever since. The owner of this dog, at the campsite, came out to the road and called his dog back. At first, the dog listened and turned to follow the owner. At that time I notice my daughter crying and shouting â€œmake him stop Daddyâ€. I told her to stop crying. Itâ€™s okay. In backing away from the dog, I notice she was about 8 or 10 feet behind me. We started to walk away, thinking it was all over. Then the dog made a second charge. Now, heâ€™s only about 3 to 4 feet from me. Then he tried to go around me to get at my little girl two different times. I stepped in front of him each time and made sure to shine the bright light in his eyes. I believe thatâ€™s the only thing that saved us from being bitten. The dog wouldnâ€™t come to the ownerâ€™s calls the second time. I had to shout at the owner to take control of his fu&%â€™n dog. He finally took the dog by the collar and lead it into their trailer. I looked up and all the neighboring campers were watching the situation unfold. I made note of the site number so I could talk to the Park Rangers about it. Shaken by the experience, we started to walk away. The dog owner came out and apologized and told us that it was a Bull Mastif. I wasnâ€™t very friendly toward the guy though I did accept the apology. All the work we have put into getting my daughter over her fear of dogs was erased in about 180 seconds. 
You pet owners can say what you want, but when it comes down to it, your animals are just that,,, ANIMALS. Things can â€œtriggerâ€ even the most even tempered pets. They only act out of instinct. Itâ€™s the owners that make poor decisions and cause innocent people around them to be in danger or to have to put up with the mess and noise. Thereâ€™s no excuse for the irresponsible behavior. My daughter and myself nearly paid a price for someone elseâ€™s ignorance. UNACCEPTABLE !!! "

Again, I hope none of the members of THIS forum are offended. The rare occation that I DO go to 'that place' is to stir the pot a little. However, this is a true event that my daughter won't forget. She has mentioned it several times since.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

*~TOPIC LOCKED!~*

Just kiddin'!









Seriously, (and this is a serious subject!) I can see by your tone that this really shook you both up. I'm glad she or you weren't bitten.

I completely agree with all your statements...and I'm a dog owner and lover.
I have a problem with people not following rules as well. In my city, there are loose dogs everywhere. (there is a leash law) People just open the door and let them go. The "leash law" must be for other people, and not them. I've had to defend myself against an attacking dog in my own front yard before, so I know where you are coming from.

I've been bitten in the past, (a few times!) and so have a couple family members. If the animals had been under proper control by the owners, most of the incidents would not have happened. (a couple of my bites were scared or injured animals I was trying to help on the job, and I don't blame the animals nor the owners for that)

Two HUGE














for irresponsible pet owners! Animals are wonderful creatures...but they need control, training, and guidance. (and so do humans!)

FLAME WARNING: Be advised, I'm a firefighter trained in very hot, flaming enviornments!


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

There's not even anything to debate about this. I can't imagine what the goons over at .net could possibly complain about. (didn't go there to see).

I'm sure you will have other opportunities to expose her to friendly dogs and hopefully retake the ground you lost that night. The little ones can be so fragile and I completely understand.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

KellerJames, having read about half of the replies "over there" and what I've seen so far here, I'd say your not going to get the same reaction.

Tim


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

KellerJames,
I don't go 'over there' unless someone here links to a post that they know to be worthwhile. Whatever their comments were, there is only one response that is sensible and responsible - we are responsible for what our pets do and are. Any other arguement is nonsense and likely comes from guilt at having not been responsible in the past. There is not defense for the kind of incident you describe.

I'm glad you and your daughter didn't have even more trouble and I'm glad the owner finally contained his dog - I'm wondering why the owner didn't take physical control - suppose he is afraid of getting bitten himself? Also surprised that his defense was that the dog was a 'bull mastif' like that explained things.

My son is afraid of dogs - the main reason we only have cats. He was knocked down by an overly friendly black lab 'puppy' when he was 4 and the owner wouldn't stop the dog from standing over him and licking and barking even though my son had balled up to a fetal position and screaming. The dog wanted to play and even though the owner (a relative by marriage) knew Ben was frightened, he excused the dog because the dog's intentions were friendly. Ben has overcome some of his fear now at 13 yrs old. He can play with small dogs but large dogs still frighten him.

I don't fear dogs but have had my own run-ins with some including a doberman that broke its chain and came after me. It ended badly and I'm really sorry for that but there was little I could do, the dog was apparently trained to guard or attack and wouldn't stop. I don't fear dogs but I also don't want to be an owner because of that incident. Too bad because I had a best friend (Ruff - Austrailian sheep dog) when I was Ben's age and remember how much fun it was (well, except the skunk thing). But even Ruff was guilty of chasing kids on bikes when he got away from me.

I hope your daughter can get past the event and realize that not all dogs are bad or dangerous. If my son is a guage, it will take a long time but he is making progress.

Regards,
Brian


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## schnauzermom (Aug 23, 2004)

That is really sad that campers with pets don't keep them on a leash when they tend to have an attitude. We have 2 min schnauzers that are like our kids but we have taught them to behave but we still keep them on a leash when we are camping. You never know what could happen so we feel that it's better to be safe than sorry. 
I hope that your daughter can get past this. I can imagine how horrible it was for and you also with her with you.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

I went over there to read what was going on and I saw where KellerJames asked the Moderator why it was locked.

The thread turned repeatedly away from the dog incident itself and the owner responsibility to a gun issue. There were threats about shooting dogs and a couple about shooting dog owners. Some of the replies were dumped but when they kept showing up the thread was locked.

There are several topics over there that will get you in trouble as it will bring out the rabid types.

Wall-Mart, Guns, Pets (any kind), Noisy Kids (what other kind are there), Generators (tech issues are fine but don't talk about using them) and I love my trailer. Any of these will get all kinds of smart a$% responses until it gets someone mad then it just goes down hill. They are fun to read sometimes but they are aggravating if you feel there is a positive way to talk about the subject.


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## KellerJames (Jan 19, 2004)

I doubt my little one ever gets completely over this fear, but a couple days ago, my neighbor had his beagle/basset mix out in the front yard. A very good dog I have to admit. As I was talking to my neighbor I was petting and playing with the dog. My daughter came over after a while and petted her as well. She was VERY leary about it, but she made that step on her own.







That was good. 
I found the 'gun' comments somewhat disturbing over on the 'other forum'. I would rather face an aggresive dog than have stray bullets flying arround the campground. 
I've encoutered dogs like this several times as well. I too have been charged in my own front yard. I called animal control repeatedly on this one dog. They eventually made the owner put up a six foot stockade fence and it was mandatory that the dog wear a bright orange collar with the word 'vicious' printed on it. The thing that bothered me the most about this campground incident was the way the dog kept trying to go around me to get the "easier prey", my daughter. THAT just creeps me out.


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

Yikes, that's quite awful.

Although she has never been bitten, my 5 year old is very apprehensive around dogs, whether its loud barkers or playful ones that want to jump all over you. She just hasn't had enough experience around them to know what's friendly and what's not. I would HATE to have an incident like yours where all of a sudden she has a reason to be afraid of dogs. Of course, facing a pit bull, being scared is the least of your worries.

This "gun" business is ridiculous, but I'll carry a 3-cell Maglight on our campground walks from now on. . . for the light of course ;-)

Kevin P.


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## vern38 (Aug 18, 2003)

I'm going to chime in on this one, I think after you read my post you'll understand. OK true story, when my daughter was around 7 or 8 my father and brother were building a small house on some property they had close to where we lived. My daughter would walk on the property easement/alley to get to these lots to visit while the family was working on the house. One day a pit bull trained for dog fighting attacked my daughter and started trashing her leg back and fourth and side to side. It took 2 grown men and 3 teenagers to pull this dog of my daughter. This dog ripped up her leg pretty bad, some of the muscle tears were large enough to put 2 adult size fingers in the tears. She was taken to the emergency room and required quite a bit of work to repair the damage to her leg. The sheriff was notified and the dog was picked up and put under quarantine. Well as it turned out the dog owner knew someone at the pound and released the dog back to the owner 3 weeks ahead of schedule. Now the really bad part the dog attacked again but this time it was a 4 year old boy in the face and sent him to the hospital for several days. Tore his face up pretty bad. There were charges brought against the owner and I really don't know what happened to the pound employee. Oh by the way the sheriff dept. returned to the dog owners home the day of the attack and exterminated the dog on the spot. I will keep any personal comments to my self at this point...

Vern


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## rennerbee (Jul 25, 2004)

Sometimes it has to be done. There is nothing else to it. Little Johnny Streeter in Vancouver, WA lived right across the street from my mom (where my daughter and I used to live) and was killed by 2 neighbor dogs--that he knew. There was a big rucuss as to whether it was actually those dogs or not so they took dental records, just to make sure. Sure enough it was them. They had to be put down and the owners agreed with it. Horrible. How awful for anybody, let along a child, to have to go through any kind of attack or intimidation by "the family pet".


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## KellerJames (Jan 19, 2004)

Vern,
I truely apologize for dragging up those memories by way of this topic. I hope your daughter wasn't permanently dissabled. That's exactly the kind of thing I absolutely FEAR, not just for my child, but any child. 
I should have listened to that little voice inside that said I shouldn't bring this topic to Outbackers.
Again, I apologize or as the kids say, "My bad".
Nuf said.


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## vern38 (Aug 18, 2003)

No harm done, my daughter is going on 26 now and most of the scars have healed very well. There is one area that looks like she was shot in the leg but not to bad. She was very lucky as there was no permanent damage. It did take her a very long time to overcome the fear of large dogs though, well except for Sparkey. He is our adorable 100 pound 13 year old pure bread Dalmatian. Yes I know he is over weight, just a few pounds









Vern


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

On the other hand, perhaps posting it was a good thing.

If someone reads this thread, understands it's importance, and controls their pet in a more responsible manner...it's helped.

If a person reads this, (and may not have thought of an attacking dog at a campground), maybe they'll be better informed or prepared...and it's helped.

Either way, I see it as helpful. Thanks for sharing your stories everyone.


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## kjp1969 (Apr 25, 2004)

KellerJames said:


> I should have listened to that little voice inside that said I shouldn't bring this topic to Outbackers.
> [snapback]18069[/snapback]​


I'm glad you posted it- the beauty of a forum like this is that we can all maybe gain a little bit of wisdom from each other. Whether it's my Crash or your dog experience, we're all a little bit better off for it. I told my wife about it, but not my kids of course. Maybe we can be more aware of our neighbors' dogs and avoid trouble in the future. Thanks.

Kevin P.


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