[Kay]

We had a terrible experience a few days ago. My Maltese and I were visiting my mother and a neighbor's dog suddenly very viciously came after my dog. If I had not had my dog on a leash and the patio gated, I'm sure he would have killed my dog. The dog that attacked runs off leash with other big dogs and seems to get along well with them. Thank goodness that this was one time the owner had him on a leash.

I was talking to my dog's breeder and he said to keep the Maltese away from big dogs. He said that some bigger dogs will turn on a small dog and kill it regardless of how friendly they seem with other dogs their own size. I've had two nights of nightmares now reliving the possibilities.

I don't even want to socialize my dog now. I'm scared to death for him to be around anything larger than 10 pounds anymore.

By the way, I had to hold my little lion-hearted 7 pounder back. He also got aggressive in return and tried to go after the big dog. I understood his anger completely - I wanted to go after the dog, too, but I'm not 7 pounds. By the way, this big dog wasn't a normally vicious breed - it was a golden retriever but the terribly vicious way in which it came after my dog reminded me of a pit bull. So I'm just posting this FYI. I'll never trust another dog around my dog again.

 

[Kay]

Well, I just can't believe that I irritated someone with that post. I never meant to malign a breed of dog. I was just using it as an example so that people could visualize how bad the attack was. Sorry - maybe I shouldn't post in here.

 

[Kay]

Well, you know, it actually crossed my mind to say snarling vicious wolf, but the fact is that we had just recently had an incident in our area involving two pitbulls getting out of their fenced in yard and killing a Maltese who was being walked on a leash on the sidewalk in front of their house by her 70 year old owner. The woman was devastated that her baby was killed in front of her - mauled by the pit bulls. So anyway, pit bulls were on my mind yet I still meant it as a figure of speech.

As far as claiming that any breed's personality is always one thing or another is, of course, unfair and untrue. I'm fully aware of that. It is true, however, that there are some breeds that have bad reputations. I once owned a doberman who was the sweetest dog there ever lived and a German Shepherd who have killed to protect my baby while my baby was pulling its ears. Yet even with all this I have to say that I was shocked that the dog that reacted so viciously was a Golden Retriever.

I'll take this one step further and state that I can't guaranteee to anyone that my Maltese won't bite. When asked, I say that he never has bitten - I never say that he won't. I would be shocked if he did, but a dog is a dog and we never know what will set a dog off. My sole purpose was to pass along the experience I had just as an FYI. It was terrifying and I didn't want anyone else to ever have to go through something like that - and with possibly much worse results.

I learn so much from these boards. I will stay and read and learn, but it's not often that I feel the need to post. I see my questions answered in so many other peoples' postings. I'm more of a "lurker" than a poster and I will certainly stay and "lurk" and learn. But it was nice to "meet" some of you and I wanted to post to thank you for being kind and understanding that I never meant to start a ruckus. Anyway, thank you for your support. I admit that I was starting to feel just a wee bit like my poor little dog must have felt.