Saturday, June 09, 2007

My Heart Aches...

Today was not the best day ever...last night I told you we were headed up to Kent and Kim's and were going to go horseback riding this morning. When we got up there, Kim let me know that a lady she met at a horse show was going to be coming over as well to ride. Cool for me...She and her 3-year-old son showed up around 10:30, we harnessed the horses and came out of the pasture to saddle them. When she had first showed up, Kim was introducing them to all of the dogs (including mine). Mike went over to the little boy and pointed out that Topos is not much of a 'little kid' dog and that he would probably be served best by not playing with him. The boy acknowledged and we moved on. While we were saddling the horses, the little boy was running around playing with all of the dogs and the cats. We weren't really paying that much attention to him but I did notice that he kept chasing Topos and Sedona around so I gave him a gentle reminder that he needed to leave them alone becuase they are not used to little kids and that sometimes Topos likes to snip at little kids. Again he acknowledged what I said. A few minutes passed (we had the horses saddled and were working on the bridles) when all of a sudden I heard Topos growl and the little boy bend down with his hand over his face. You guessed it, Topos got just a little mad and got the little boy on the lip. He bled and ended up with a fat lip. I feel just terrible! He has snipped at people before but he has never broken the skin like he did today. Of course, I took the dogs in the house and Mike doctored the little boy. We finished saddling the horses and rode (I have pictues but they will have to wait until tomorrow)...but the entire time all I could think about was the fact that MY dog just bit someone. The lady said she was okay and that he had been told so he should have known better - but that doesn't erase the fact that he did it. I'm heart broken. I am not quite sure what to do about this. Part of me says that we can't have a dog that is like that around little kids and he needs to find a new home because we know too many people with little kids. Mike recommended he go live at the farm with my parents...which doesn't work well when my brother and Ella are there...The other part of me says that he is my dog and I can't get rid of him - his sister would be heart-broken as well. I'm just torn. Right now, Mike and I have come to the resolution that we will look at muzzles for him and any time we are going any where with little ones, we will have to put it on him. That, or chain him up/lock him up. I hate to have to do that all the time but what else can be done? He isn't like that at home. And later in the day, the little boy came over and was petting Topos and pulling on his tail, and Topos just sat there and let him do it. Dogs don't attack unless provoked and I am sure the boy just scared him (which provoked him). I'm going to have to give this one to God and let it be. I did want to write it all out though because I have been pretty upset about it all day...

I'm really tired now as we left Kent and Kim's right after lunch and cleaned up the rest of the yard...with horseback riding and all the drama...add the yard work...I'm beat. I think I am going to sign off and head to bed.

C'ya!

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