# Shih Tzu mauled to death at doggie daycare



## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

Sad story: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/21495916/detail.html

i wonder if things like this are common?? Are doggie daycares supposed to mix small/large breeds OR leave them unsupervised?? I guess those are things to absolutely inquire about if you are leaving a small malt at a doggie daycare....


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## mpappie (Jun 28, 2005)

QUOTE (camfan @ Nov 2 2009, 03:13 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846471


> Sad story: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/21495916/detail.html
> 
> i wonder if things like this are common?? Are doggie daycares supposed to mix small/large breeds OR leave them unsupervised?? I guess those are things to absolutely inquire about if you are leaving a small malt at a doggie daycare....[/B]


I just saw this story in the Herald. It is awful, you think you are doing something good for your pooch and this happens. I can't imagine the pain the family is going thru.


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

Very tragic. :bysmilie: 

This is why I won't leave Casanova at doggy day care. We've been to many "small breed" and "puppy" doggy play groups at well-known and reputable doggy day care centers where large dogs repeatedly were allowed to jump over barriers and play rough with the tiny dogs in small dog section. 

The sessions were always trainer supervised, but the trainers were mostly oblivious and slow to react. If there weren't parents in the play group who helped drag large dogs away all the time, I'm sure many small dogs would have been hurt for sure. 

The worst is the trainer's dogs. I don't know why, but trainers' dogs are sometimes the worst offenders. The trainers justify having them around because they can demo dog tricks, but I've seen some harrass small dogs more than any normal dog owner's pet dogs would. That is just what I've seen in NYC.


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## little paws (Jul 31, 2009)

This is EXACTLY what I'm so paranoid about every time I drop off my dogs at the kennel.
We like the kennel we use occasionally during holidays and such, not every day.
However, since Rudy's accident (he was mauled by a family german shepherd) two years ago, I cannot stress enough how important it is for my dogs not to be in contact with ANY dog in the kennel. I tell the kennel manager this EVERY TIME I go there, and they assure me they will be separated from other dogs the whole time. But I just can't stop worrying.


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## ilovemymaltese (Oct 9, 2008)

Poor thing. :bysmilie: :bysmilie: 
This is exactly why I don't leave Gigi anyplace. Even on vacation. 
This is why when I see a crazy big dog on walks, and the owners have a hard time controlling them, I'M picking Gigi up. When the crazy 70 lb dogs in Gigi's training class go crazy trying to do Lord knows what to the other dogs, Gigi is *safe* in MY arms. 
I don't care if Gigi is afraid of big dogs, as long as she is alive.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

QUOTE (princessre @ Nov 2 2009, 03:38 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846477


> Very tragic. :bysmilie:
> 
> This is why I won't leave Casanova at doggy day care. We've been to many "small breed" and "puppy" doggy play groups at well-known and reputable doggy day care centers where large dogs repeatedly were allowed to jump over barriers and play rough with the tiny dogs in small dog section.
> 
> ...



:amen: I've had the same experience with a trainer's dog at obedience class. I think in a setting with a lot of dogs, a human supervisor may be so used to being around a lot of dogs they may not always notice warning signals as early as they should. Nikki is never in that situation and she never will be, Lord willing.


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## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

Poor doggie  . I've read so many of these horror stories,I won't ever be able to allow Boo & Hannah to be near a big dog,not even a nice one. I'll never leave them at doggie day care for sure.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

Oh, how tragic and sad. And gosh, those "big" dogs really are not ones that people think of as viscious at all... golden retriever... greyhound... I hope I never have to put my precious babies in that situation.


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

QUOTE (K/C Mom @ Nov 3 2009, 08:12 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846562


> Oh, how tragic and sad. And gosh, those "big" dogs really are not ones that people think of as viscious at all... golden retriever... greyhound...[/B]


that's exactly what I was thinking too. 

usually every AM, Bisou and I go to this nearby cafe (they allow her in there) and she was laying by my feet and a golden ran in and made a bee line towards her. I slowly and carefully put my foot/leg in between Bisou and the Golden (I don't know that dog) and the owner looked at me like I was a weirdo! He was like "he's nice"...well he may be...but I don't know him and he just made a bee line towards my girl. personally you can't be too careful especially when you don't know the other dog. 

On the other hand...there's a Husky in my neighborhood who is extremely well trained and behaved and doesn't bother Bisou at all, but I still wouldn't want them playing in the same area together. things happen.


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## mfa (Oct 5, 2009)

OMG, that is sooo horrible!
poor little baby, so defenseless against those big dogs :smcry: . wow, and the parents thinking their baby would be safe there too, i cant imagine.
i never ever left my little boy at any place like that, he either went with me or stayed at home and babysitters/friends would take care of him.


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

QUOTE (K/C Mom @ Nov 2 2009, 07:12 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846562


> Oh, how tragic and sad. And gosh, those "big" dogs really are not ones that people think of as viscious at all... golden retriever... greyhound... I hope I never have to put my precious babies in that situation.[/B]


Exactly! And I can't tell you how AGGRAVATED I am with owners of large dogs sometimes. When we take Casanova on the beach, he is always leashed. 99% of other dogs are not leashed (which by the way is against NY state law even at the beach). We get these huge dogs that come charging at Casanova with their owners lagging a mile behind. We pick Casanova up well before they get to him, but they'll still keep hounding us for a long time. I'm sure you guys know the way some of them look at Casanova- like he's a delicious rabbit appetizer that they're drooling at. 

Honestly, I don't blame the dog. I blame the owner. Because many times, after I have asked them to come control their dog and ask their dog to back off, they come up, laugh sarcastically and say, "Oh *please*, stop freaking out! He's not going to do anything to harm 'her.' Why are you so worried?" 

Okay, who are you to me that I should just trust the safety of my baby to your judgment about your dog who I don't know and never will. Owners of large dogs will never understand how vulnerable our babies are. Like I'm going to rely on a stranger's opinion of how safe their huge dog is around my tiny dog. Even if they cared whether my dog got hurt (which is not always the case), most people have extremely biased and flawed judgments about their loved ones, including me I'm sure. I guarantee 90% of owners of potentially dangerous dogs think that their dogs are harmless and so sweet.


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## myfairlacy (Dec 28, 2007)

QUOTE (princessre @ Nov 2 2009, 07:06 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846603


> QUOTE (K/C Mom @ Nov 2 2009, 07:12 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846562





> Oh, how tragic and sad. And gosh, those "big" dogs really are not ones that people think of as viscious at all... golden retriever... greyhound... I hope I never have to put my precious babies in that situation.[/B]


Exactly! And I can't tell you how AGGRAVATED I am with owners of large dogs sometimes. When we take Casanova on the beach, he is always leashed. 99% of other dogs are not leashed (which by the way is against NY state law even at the beach). We get these huge dogs that come charging at Casanova with their owners lagging a mile behind. We pick Casanova up well before they get to him, but they'll still keep hounding us for a long time. I'm sure you guys know the way some of them look at Casanova- like he's a delicious rabbit appetizer that they're drooling at. 

Honestly, I don't blame the dog. I blame the owner. Because many times, after I have asked them to come control their dog and ask their dog to back off, they come up, laugh sarcastically and say, "Oh *please*, stop freaking out! He's not going to do anything to harm 'her.' Why are you so worried?" 

Okay, who are you to me that I should just trust the safety of my baby to your judgment about your dog who I don't know and never will. Owners of large dogs will never understand how vulnerable our babies are. Like I'm going to rely on a stranger's opinion of how safe their huge dog is around my tiny dog. Even if they cared whether my dog got hurt (which is not always the case), most people have extremely biased and flawed judgments about their loved ones, including me I'm sure. I guarantee 90% of owners of potentially dangerous dogs think that their dogs are harmless and so sweet.
[/B][/QUOTE]


ugh I know exactly what you mean! I live in a townhouse complex and a lot of my neighbors have bigger dogs even though the rules say nothing over 40lbs. Last week I walked out my front door with Lacy in my arms and Rylie on a leash..we were headed to the car. Anyway, a neighbor pulled up and opened their door to get out and their lab just bolted out of their car and straight toward me and my dogs. I tried to block Rylie because he did exactly what I thought he would do...snap at the lab's face. Of course the guy that owned the dog took his time coming to get him. It just makes me really mad because there are leash laws and their big dog could run over my dog or hurt them. Many times my dogs will act aggressive toward a big dog they don't know and I know that big dog could retaliate. I don't just let my dogs run around off leash (for several reasons) and it makes me really angry that they will let their dog out off leash sometimes.

This article is aweful..how irresponsible of the doggie daycare center! All of the doggie daycares I've ever visited only allow smaller dogs together and bigger dogs together..and there is always someone in the room supervising the dogs playing.


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

QUOTE (princessre @ Nov 3 2009, 09:06 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846603


> QUOTE (K/C Mom @ Nov 2 2009, 07:12 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846562





> Oh, how tragic and sad. And gosh, those "big" dogs really are not ones that people think of as viscious at all... golden retriever... greyhound... I hope I never have to put my precious babies in that situation.[/B]


Exactly! And I can't tell you how AGGRAVATED I am with owners of large dogs sometimes. When we take Casanova on the beach, he is always leashed. 99% of other dogs are not leashed (which by the way is against NY state law even at the beach). We get these huge dogs that come charging at Casanova with their owners lagging a mile behind. We pick Casanova up well before they get to him, but they'll still keep hounding us for a long time. I'm sure you guys know the way some of them look at Casanova- like he's a delicious rabbit appetizer that they're drooling at. 

Honestly, I don't blame the dog. I blame the owner. Because many times, after I have asked them to come control their dog and ask their dog to back off, they come up, laugh sarcastically and say, "Oh *please*, stop freaking out! He's not going to do anything to harm 'her.' Why are you so worried?" 

Okay, who are you to me that I should just trust the safety of my baby to your judgment about your dog who I don't know and never will. Owners of large dogs will never understand how vulnerable our babies are. Like I'm going to rely on a stranger's opinion of how safe their huge dog is around my tiny dog. Even if they cared whether my dog got hurt (which is not always the case), most people have extremely biased and flawed judgments about their loved ones, including me I'm sure. I guarantee 90% of owners of potentially dangerous dogs think that their dogs are harmless and so sweet.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Thank you!! I have the same feelings.


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## pinkheadbaby (Jul 27, 2008)

Oh that was so irresponsible of the day care center! I feel so bad for the family.
People who let their dogs be off leash really aggravate me too. Dogs are dogs & when people start to think they are always going to act as a human would, well , it's a recipe for disaster. I never even leave my 16 pound Jack Russell alone with Cookie. It only takes a second & I don't want to have any regrets.
RIP poor little baby. :smcry:


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Back when I had dogs before this, there was no such thing as doggie daycare. Since I'm a new owner I was thinking about it as a good place for socialization assuming that the big dogs can't get anywhere near the little ones, but apparently that's not the case. :bysmilie: A scary thought. I feel so bad for that poor little pup and his mom. :crying: All the dogs off leash are totally frightening for our fluffs and our children and even us. My DH who's a runner was jogging in the morning at a park near us and he saw a dog suddenly come running right at him. The dog took a big bite at his leg. This obviously vicious, uncontrollable dog was OFF LEASH!! My husband was shocked and had to try to get a cell phone to call me to call the dog's vet and find out about his shots, and was trying to clean the wound with water someone brought him. As he was doing this the dog, then put on the leash, started lunging at another runner going by. The woman who was taking care of her son's dog kept saying how the dog needed to run free. Luckily he had his rabies vaccine. PS the guy whose dog it is called and said he'd make up for it, pay for my husband's tetanus shot, new shorts, etc. And then he never did anything; not a cent!! I blame the owner not the dog. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What if it was a child running?? :smmadder:


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

One of my pet peeves in life is a sense of entitlement, from everything to politics, to humanity, to even taking your dogs off the leash. It just kills me!! Like that lady whose dog bit your husband, her excuse. _oh please._ it's just so lame.


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

QUOTE (Snowbody @ Nov 2 2009, 09:52 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846658


> Back when I had dogs before this, there was no such thing as doggie daycare. Since I'm a new owner I was thinking about it as a good place for socialization assuming that the big dogs can't get anywhere near the little ones, but apparently that's not the case. :bysmilie: A scary thought. I feel so bad for that poor little pup and his mom. :crying: All the dogs off leash are totally frightening for our fluffs and our children and even us. My DH who's a runner was jogging in the morning at a park near us and he saw a dog suddenly come running right at him. The dog took a big bite at his leg. This obviously vicious, uncontrollable dog was OFF LEASH!! My husband was shocked and had to try to get a cell phone to call me to call the dog's vet and find out about his shots, and was trying to clean the wound with water someone brought him. As he was doing this the dog, then put on the leash, started lunging at another runner going by. The woman who was taking care of her son's dog kept saying how the dog needed to run free. Luckily he had his rabies vaccine. PS the guy whose dog it is called and said he'd make up for it, pay for my husband's tetanus shot, new shorts, etc. And then he never did anything; not a cent!! I blame the owner not the dog. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What if it was a child running?? :smmadder:[/B]


"Run free"?!?! :exploding: :blink: I'm so sorry that happened to your DH. That woman is a danger to society. They should run the heck out of NY state because the leash is the law. This is the kind of "ME first" mentality I encounter all the time with big dog owners. How would "bite out of leg" even compare to "running free and reckless in public" as a going concern for public safety?

What I love too is sometimes when the huge dogs hound Casanova even when I've picked him up, Casanova starts barking and squeaking because he's scared-- probably because he can tell that I'm scared...Of course this only excites the bigger dog who proceeds to hound us even more while drooling on my dog. When the owner of said large dog catches up to us much later, I love it when they remark on my "bad" "yappy" dog, "Oh wow, YOUR dog is CRAZY!" Oh okay, yeah, you break the law and you're cool. We follow the law and we are crazy... :confused1: Why don't I just chill, relax, and act "cool" until your dog has seriously injured my dog. THEN, I can "freak out!"


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

QUOTE (Snowbody @ Nov 2 2009, 09:52 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846658


> Back when I had dogs before this, there was no such thing as doggie daycare. Since I'm a new owner I was thinking about it as a good place for socialization assuming that the big dogs can't get anywhere near the little ones, but apparently that's not the case. :bysmilie: A scary thought. I feel so bad for that poor little pup and his mom. :crying: All the dogs off leash are totally frightening for our fluffs and our children and even us. My DH who's a runner was jogging in the morning at a park near us and he saw a dog suddenly come running right at him. The dog took a big bite at his leg. This obviously vicious, uncontrollable dog was OFF LEASH!! My husband was shocked and had to try to get a cell phone to call me to call the dog's vet and find out about his shots, and was trying to clean the wound with water someone brought him. As he was doing this the dog, then put on the leash, started lunging at another runner going by. The woman who was taking care of her son's dog kept saying how the dog needed to run free. Luckily he had his rabies vaccine. PS the guy whose dog it is called and said he'd make up for it, pay for my husband's tetanus shot, new shorts, etc. And then he never did anything; not a cent!! I blame the owner not the dog. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What if it was a child running?? :smmadder:[/B]


Hey, you could take that to small claims court. Seriously. A German shepherd who was not on a leash in my dad's neighborhood rushed at him and his malt. My dad went to grab his malt and, in the process of bending down and twisting his body to shield his malt from the German Shepherd, he slipped on some ice and broke his ankle. He missed a lot of work, had lots of medical bills, etc. He seud (sp?) the dog owner and, althought it has taken a long time to make it through the system, it looks like he will be compensated for his bills and then some for his pain and suffering. 

You guys deserve compensation!!!

And yes, God forbid if that were a child!!


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

we have two beaches here in maine that allow dogs off leash as long as they are "under voice control." I can't tell you how many dogs have come up to visit my husband or I despite their owners calling them. It takes a truly well trained dog to be "under voice control" at all times with all the various stimulants that one can encounter at the beach (picnics, little kids, other dogs, etc). It is a joy to see some of the bigger dogs running in and out of the water and wrestling for rope toys and balls with their owners talking and watching BUT (you knew that was coming) it doesn't outweigh the need to know your dog and know what it is capable of and what 'triggers' it to suddenly bolt.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

I didn't read the article....it's too scary a subject for me.... :new_shocked: 

and I am babysitting my friends 18 lb dog for the first two weeks in December!!! He will be going to doggie day care while I'm at work. Although he's gentle around Ava, I am still scared to death that he'll accidently step on her as he's a big clumsy puppy! ....ohhhh, I'm already regretting this.....


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

QUOTE (2MaltMom @ Nov 3 2009, 11:26 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846819


> I didn't read the article....it's too scary a subject for me.... :new_shocked:
> 
> and I am babysitting my friends 18 lb dog for the first two weeks in December!!! He will be going to doggie day care while I'm at work. Although he's gentle around Ava, I am still scared to death that he'll accidently step on her as he's a big clumsy puppy! ....ohhhh, I'm already regretting this.....[/B]


YoYo is 30 lbs (probably a few more ) and is as clumsy as they come. He and Ollie really go at it and Ollie has always been fine (Ollie is just under 10 lbs).


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## Starsmom (Jan 31, 2009)

I'm sorry another fluff lost it's life to agressive canines :smcry: . The owner of the daycare is responsible for the seperation of the little ones from the larger breeds. But a 20# ShihTzu??? That's no small dog...


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

What a travesty!  

Never utilized the services of a"doggie daycare" before, but now I must say I'm even *less * inclined to. ((sigh))
When I was 8, my Dad was mowing the lawn in our chain-link fenced backyard when the next door neighbor's German Shepherd jumped the fence and attacked him, biting him, requiring numerous stitches...and _that_ dog was a highly trained K-9 for the Austin Police Dept (the owner/neighbor was a policeman). Evidently, even highly trained animals can become unpredictable given the right circumstances. SO scary.


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## myfairlacy (Dec 28, 2007)

QUOTE (Starsmom @ Nov 3 2009, 11:40 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=846859


> I'm sorry another fluff lost it's life to agressive canines :smcry: . The owner of the daycare is responsible for the seperation of the little ones from the larger breeds. But a 20# ShihTzu??? That's no small dog...[/B]


no it's not that small. Most doggie daycares seperate "small" and "big" dogs but I think the main issue here was that dogs were left unsupervised. Doggie Daycares should ALWAYS have someone in the playroom supervising the dogs at all times. You never know when a fight could break out..and it doesn't matter if it's two small dogs, two big dogs, etc...a dog could easily get hurt. Supervision at all times is the key with doggie daycares.


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## jodublin (Sep 27, 2006)

poor baby ..this is terrible. :shocked:


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