weight: 88 lbs.
height: 26 in.
length: 54 in. (nose to tail)
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Since we had a long weekend I thought we would take Lucah out for an L.A. Dog Park Crawl. I wanted him to visit a different dog park each day and see which one he liked the most. Friday we went to our local Hermon Dog park. Nothing too eventful there...he actually played with another dog which he never does. He is more interested usually in balls rather than other pups...but a nice Pit name Buddy showed him a good time.
Saturday was another opportunity for our boy to be social. We decided to step it up a bit with a hipper park. The Laurel Canyon Dog Park is the place where the rich, young and shiftless take their dogs, or at least have their dog-walkers take their dogs. Its a big place with a lot of running room. I thought this was a good thing. This seems to cause people to let there dogs wander around as they smoke, make cell calls and listen to iPods (the people not the dogs) though.
First Lucah had been accosted by two German Shepherds as their rotund owner sat on a bench and told me "they're only playing with him". Lucah had a scratch from this event...but I think it helped him get use to other dogs and be ready for anything.
An hour goes by and we feel all is well. We relocated away from the two Germans and Lucah was just chasing balls and meeting people. The one thing I think we need to learn is to recognize when dogs are "hunting" for a young pup to molest. It seems like dogs like to gang up on a young dog...and even if you don't start out with a group harassing your dog you can end up with one. They seem to just pick up on trouble and run over to hassle your dog.
Later on, over comes a little grey Pit Bull...not that threatening just playful...then comes the large Borzoi...then comes the French mastiff, then before we know it they have our Lucah pinned against a fence! It was like a bad dream. I could see it happen but I couldn't get there quick enough...almost like I was running in slow motion. I even stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle trying to get to him. Lucah tried to defend himself with the "cower and scream" technique but they weren't buying it. He showed his teeth but it didn't matter. They just ganged up on him and didn't let up until I could get over there to throw myself in the middle of the snarling mass of fur and teeth.
One owner ran over, but he didn't own any of the dogs in the scrape. He was just helping me get my pup out of harms way. The actual owner of two of the dogs came over and pulled her dogs off. She seems apologetic (sort of), but not too concerned. I noticed the same type of incident earlier with the same dogs, but thought it was just a fluke. Apparently in the dog world some dogs, or groups of dogs, are just assholes.
When we left the park we didn't think Lucah was worse for wear, but after about an hour we were at a pet store and we noticed blood coming from his side. We moved his fur aside and found a hole the circumference of a pencil. Akiko and I freaked out a bit and were immediately upset. We didn't realize he was this hurt...the little trooper is so tough...had we known we would have collected some names and numbers. But now we have a dog with a small hole in his side and no way to execute any recourse.
We asked two different pet stores what to do...they both said to just apply neosporin on and keep an eye on it. One lady (thank goodness for her) told us we should go to the vet even for something that looked so small. We are glad we did. After waiting in the pet ER (shout-outs to Eagle Rock Emergency Pet Hospital) the doctor looked him over and gave us the bad news. Apparently in a bite situation the wound may look minor, but the damage is much more considerable. Basically, Lucah's skin was pulled away from his flesh creating a small pocket. This pocket would have eventually filled with fluid and became infected causing all sorts of problems. Because we took him in so soon the damage will be minimal, and he should recover pretty quickly.
Lucah spent the next day sleeping. He was pretty soar, but didn't bleed or do anything that made us worry. This morning (Monday) he was very energetic and was able to get up and down the stairs on his own. Akiko has reported that he is willing to play and willing to eat normally. There are no signs of infection and he is healing well.
I guess you can say we have learned a couple of valuable lessons here. First keep an eye on your dog, you need to know how your dog might react in any situation and be prepared to help out when his reactions create a problem. Secondly watch other people's dogs, you need to know who might be over to say "hi" or who wants to start a fight.
Another thing we learned: you should go to the vet after most injuries. We thought he would be okay with just some neosporin and a band aid. But some good advice and our concern lead to us preventing Lucah from having a serious infection and fluid build up in his side. We could have been out a lot more money as well as risking Lucah's life. I feel a good rule of thumb would be if the skin is broken have a vet or vet tech look at it. A lot of people who work in pet stores "claim" to know things, but had we listened to the pet store staff we talked to I have a feeling I would be at the vet now with a dog with a swollen side and infection.
And finally, Lucah is a very somber drunk. He was pretty drugged up on Saturday night after the vet. He didn't seem confused just real relaxed. Getting him up the stairs was a task and it required me to hoist all 88 pounds of him in my arms and make the trek up the two flights of stairs. Which reminds me of how much we need to move.
