Gustave got bit :(

[Ladysmom]

OMG! How lucky Gustave didn't lose his eye!

We have two daycares here and I have toyed with the idea of taking Bailey there for about a year. He loves other dogs and would love to be able to play off leash with them. I always chicken out, though. My sister worked at a vet office for many years and said she saw a lot of bites from doggie day care. There are just too many variables in a pack of dogs for me to feel safe leaving Bailey unsupervised.

[Bailey&Me]

Oh no, I'm so sorry Gustave (and you) had to go through something so traumatic I'm glad he wasn't seriously injured and doesn't seem to be phased.

I also agree with others in that I think that this could really have happened anywhere, even in a small dog play group or with friends' dogs. I'm impressed with the way your daycare handled it...no matter how many safety precautions they (or really any other daycare) could have taken, something like this could unfortunately happen any time you get a group of dogs together. I am very nervous letting Bailey play in a group of other dogs just because of this. I used to take him to a lot of small dog play groups and also day care when he was younger (for socialization) but it was really hard on ME because I was always so nervous :/

Maybe you could get in touch with the parents of a couple of Gustave's best doggie friends from daycare and see if they want to do one-on-one playdates?

Sorry again that this happened Glad Gustave is okay!

[shellbeme]

Honestly this could happen anywhere, and I think the daycare handled it very well and it sounds like they felt horrible for what happened. If he is afraid of dogs the best way to get him over that fear is to have him around dogs-in a controlled environment. I would continue to bring him, but it is up to you do what you think is best.

[eiksaa]

Thank you everyone for your responses and concern. I was going to do individual replies but since there are common themes I'll just do one big reply.

I agree with those of you that say it could have happened anywhere. I also agree that the daycare handled this very well. There are two problems with sending him back. One is I don't know if he has a negative association with that place. I am planning to just go there, treat Gustave and come back. Not sure why, I just don't like he has negative association for something.

Second reason is me. I don't think I could live with it if something like this happened again. This time surprisingly I don't feel too guilty, because I know I was very diligent about picking this place. But just in case it happened again, well what excuse do I have then?

Well, I have a third reason too. What if the daycare isn't telling me the whole story? What if it didn't happen as fast as they say it did and this was something they could have prevented? Now let me say, I think this is highly unlikely, but I won't be able to trust them again.

I'm going to begin my search again for another daycare. Who knows, I might end up in the same place after all of that. But for now, I am not in the right state of mind to trust them again.

Gustave is doing good. He's acting normal but didn't poop this morning. I think that's a known side effect of the antibiotic he's on. He also didn't drink any water last night. But he's drinking fine this morning.

I was able to successfully groom him so all those bloody hair from his topknot are gone. His eye looks the same to me, I can't see the wound. It's definitely startling to look at him and see the big black patch.

He's acting a bit more needy than usual. He always whines for me in the morning but usually stops when I give him a bully stick. Today he kept whining while chewing on it, lol. That was funny. He likes it when we laugh. Starts dancing (in circles). He started dancing with the bully stick in his mouth coz I was laughing. So cute!

Thank you again for your concern. I am sure Gustave is feeling the love.


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[Snowbody]

Poor Gustave and poor you. So hard when our babies get hurt. I do feel that daycare did act very responsibly. That they took him to the vet gets props from me. I had that with my son in a pre-pre-school. Wonderful place, small ratio of kids to adults, trained them about food allergies my son had. Well they did a project of making playdoh out of flour and turns out my son also had an allergy to wheat but not if it was baked, only in raw form. They raced him right to his doctor and called me. It could have happened anywhere but what I loved was that they did the right thing right away when there was a problem. Many dogs tend to be resource guarders and that's what must have triggered the water incident. I would think in the future they will come up with a solution but at least they dealt with it correctly. There are many places who would have not done so. I'd do some private playdates with a few of Gustave's friends to see how he's doing and then decide. Don't know if you'll find a better daycare.

[MalteseJane]

Originally Posted by hoaloha

What?!?! Oh my geez poor Gustave- I know you must be so disappointed . That daycare sounded wonderful on paper and I'm very glad they covered his vet bills. Sometimes, dogs can have food (and water) and toy aggression that doesn't really show in a normal evaluation. That other dog may not have been socialized well regarding those things. The important part is that Gustave is acting normally and that the injury wasn't too serious! It's so scary! He has such GREAT pigment, btw I think it's important for dogs to be socialized to not be possessive over their food and toys. Gustave is such a trooper and I think with some positive experiences, he will overcome what happened today!

I agree with you. As long as no other dog tried to get on the bowl when he was there, the daycare people had no way to know. Now they know and to be safe they don't want that dog back. I hope the daycare can get the vet bills back from the owners. At least the day care acted responsibly.
I never had a problem with any of my dogs showing aggression with food or water. They always shared with other dogs. My daughter's chihuahuas are rescues from the pound and they are not aggressive when it comes to food or water. Charlie, Rambo and Rocky they all drink and eat from the same bowl. My daughter's house or my house. And when we feed by hand leftovers from the table (good leftovers, not the ones who go in the garbage) we always try to give equally to all of them. And they know that. They don't snap at your fingers, they take the food gently from you.
I am glad Gus is okay and not traumatized.

[ladodd]

Poor sweet boy. I hope he's not traumatized over his attack. Addie said she would give him kisses.

[eiksaa]

Originally Posted by ladodd

Poor sweet boy. I hope he's not traumatized over his attack. Addie said she would give him kisses.

Gustave says thank you for the kisses!

I have updates. We just took him for a walk and he met some dogs (of all sizes). He acted completely normal. Not overly friendly (which he never was), but not shy or fearful either. Just polite sniff sniff and he was on his way. Phew! Feel like we got really lucky.


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[eiksaa]

Originally Posted by edelweiss

Ouch!
Glad your baby was seriously injured. Were the dogs separated according to size?
I think it might be the other dog who will need the socialization. Just a thought you might want to express in writing to the day care. Big hug.

Yes, this dog wasn't a lot bigger than Gustave. Well, he was 15lbs and Gustave is 5, but atleast it wasn't a huge dog. The manager is going to follow up with me, I will definitely have a talk with her to get more details and to tell her my thoughts.


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[Furbabies mom]

I just read this, I'm sorry that Gustave got bit! I would not have been so calm, remember I wouldn't let .Dewey around Hardy forever!! I think it's harder on us, than the fluffs! So glad he's OK and behaving normally around other dog's!