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<div class="phishy">I gasped.  It felt as if my heart stopped beating and sunk down to my feet. The loud scream and wailing sounds from my son numbed me.</div>
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Wait, let’s take this back a few months...

Our next door neighbor bought home a puppy.  It was big for a puppy and very wild.  My kids were intimidated by it because it chased them around and pulled on their clothing.  She would even give them “friendly” nibbles (you know the playful kind) that they weren’t too excited about.

A month or so later we noticed her barks started getting a little aggressive when we  went to visit.  Although our neighbors are our friends and our children play together quite often, I decided until they could train her and were able to tame that wild in her, we would stop coming over.

There were times when my kids stepped outside and would have to run right back in because she would aggressively bark at them as she ran towards them.  My neighbor apologized and started to keep her chained while she was outside.  My frustrations towards the dog started to grow.

Now let’s fast forward to last week…

As normally, my kids were outside playing with their friends. Our neighbor’s son went back into their home to grab a bike he wanted to show my kids.  In doing so, he left the door wide open and inside their dog was roaming freely (yea she’s so wild they usually keep her restrained even inside).

*I’m sure you can easily guess what happens next.*

Their dog (I haven’t bothered to remember her name) darts out of the house and immediately starts chasing my six year old son.  

At the time this happened, I was in the house putting away my purse and things from a grocery shopping trip.  My husband was outside in front grabbing the last of the groceries.

The first screams I heard from him were from the fear of the chase.  He always screams when their dog chases him because of how aggressive she is.  

But then the aggressive barking followed. 

Next, came the wailing sound and that’s when I new it was serious. The dog had bit my son.

I was already on my way to the front door to grab him in and tell the other kids to come inside when I first heard her bark.  When that dog is out I don’t want them to be and this very day confirmed my concerns and worries.

When my husband saw our son run passed him he immediately tried to grab the chain of the dog to stop her from chasing him.  They were moving so fast that he couldn’t turn in time and missed the chain then had to run to catch up with them.  

When he reached the chain he grabbed it up and yanked the dog away from our son but by that time it was too late.  She had already  bit him in the back of his leg.  The way my son described it was that she first yanked at his leg and then she bit him. 😖

After she bit my son she tried attacking my husband’s face but he was able to block her with his arm.  He also used the chain to yank her neck and keep her from biting him. After a few seconds her collar along with the chain flies off of her neck.  

At that point our neighbor came out to grab the dog.  She had to use one arm to hold its body and the other arm she placed around its neck to calm her down.

<div class="phishy">In that moment I felt rage and anger and wanted to hurt that dog for biting my son and attacking my husband.</div>
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*But of course I didn’t.*

I do believe my husband used some restraints due to it being our neighbor’s dog. Fortunately he didn’t have to hurt it but if it keeps attacking our family who knows what the outcome will be. 🫤

I couldn’t bring myself to take a photo of the bite mark at the time.  Thankfully there wasn’t much blood but it was bruised and swelled up.  The bite could have been a lot worse.  We’re thankful she didn’t tear into his skin deeper than what she did or bite him more than once.

This is what it looks like now after a week of applying essential oils…

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My son is okay now but unfortunately he is afraid of all dogs atm. He thinks they will turn on him and attack him. 😟

I’ve been telling him that it’s okay to be cautious but not all dogs will treat him that way.  Not all dogs will attack you for no reason.  He’s not ready to trust them and I will not force him to do so.  I do pray he eventually overcomes this and that his love for dogs will return.

It was so hard dealing with this because I was so upset this happened to him but at the same time I could imagine how my friend, the owner of the dog felt. As a mother I know I would be devastated if my dog bit another child.

So what did I do?

After taking care of my son’s wound and making sure he was okay I went to talk to her.  Her husband was already over here talking with my husband and checking on our son.  

When I arrived over there she was in tears.  The first thing she said to me was

>**That should never happen.**

I grabbed her and hugged her as she apologized over and over.  I assured her our son was okay and that we know it was an accident that the dog got out.  I’m glad I was able to overcome my anger and be there for her as mother to mother…I would have definitely wanted the same if the shoes were reversed.

At this point I think they are thinking about letting the dog go because they don’t know how to train her.  

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It’s not only their dog I’m worried about.  I’m starting to hear about more and more incidents where dogs have attacked and injured people. An Amazon deliverer recently died being gnawed to death by two dogs. The owners were out of town when it happened. 😣

I just recently read about when [@jobeliever’s](https://peakd.com/hive-165757/@jobeliever/my-scariest-experience-as-a-mother-dog-bite-awareness) son was attacked a couple of years back by their neighbor’s dog.  It is truly a scary situation to experience.

We live in an unfenced area where the open woods face our backyard.  Any animal can come from there at any given time and sneak up on us while outside. I can only remain watchful and keep an eye on my children the best I can while they’re out playing with friends.

Listen to your instincts and remain watchful for signs of an aggressive dog. Take precautions and do your best to keep a safe environment for your family.  

I personally hope they give the dog away if they can’t afford a trainer.  I have watched them try to train that dog and it’s certain that it needs a professional’s attention.  I don’t want it biting or attacking my family again or anyone else in our neighborhood.
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