Competition Time! -Covid Pet Stories

Well these Covid months have certainly been eventful in our house. Bella, our mini schnauzer, was attacked and mauled towards the end of the summer. We honestly thought that night as we handed her over to our vet that we wouldn't see her again. Our vet promised that they would do everything for her once they had gotten her stabilised. I didn't sleep a wink that night not knowing what would happen. The following morning the vets phoned to say she had survived the night and they were going to operate to repair the damage. The internal damage was more extensive than originally thought, she had huge tear in the muscles and lost quite a bit of it, as it had been shredded when she was shaken. She arrived home after a few days with some drains and lots of bandages. Unfortunately, due to the fact that it was a dog bite, necrosis set in in some wounds so she needed more operations, daily wound checks and packing. Over the course of about 2 months we went from daily visits, to alternate day visits, to twice weekly visits. The vets always commended her on her excellent behaviour, so much so, that they didn't need to sedate her to change the packing after a few days. In the middle of her recovery we got married and she was there in all her glory(cone, bandages the works!), happy to be fussed over.
The photo I'll attach shows her in her wedding bandana, it arrived the day after the attack and I remember worrying that she wouldn't get to wear it. Her hind quarter now bares the scars of that day but the incident hasn't changed her personality at all, she is still as sassy as ever!!

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Christ Bells, that's a tough read. I'm so sorry your poor little Bella experienced that. What amazing courage and spirit she must have to come through all of that AND maintain her happy nature. She's incredible. I hope the trauma of it all hasn't left too much of a mark on you and your OH either (congratulations on the wedding btw). I had some form of minor ptsd after my dog was attacked (nothing like what happened Bella) and for a short time I had real fear and jelly legs whenever I walked her.

She's beautiful in her wedding bandana btw.

I hope your dog came through it all too, a horrible feeling. Yes, the fear is still very real but I'm taking a leaf from her book, chin up and bushy brows forward(after another lockdown my brows will give hers a run for their money lol).
Thanks for your kind words, she has just been so so good natured through it all it's unbelievable.

I hope I'm not jinxing myself writing this!!:D

We have spent a good chunk of 'lockdown' working with our gorgeous lurcher, Milo. Many here know he's quite a reactive dog. He was attacked by an off lead dog 3 and a half years ago and since then has been a nervous dog. We welcomed our son in August 2019 and Milo has been an absolute star. He adores him and is so good with him but as our little boy gets older and more mobile, we wanted to make our home as safe and comfortable as possible for both of them.

We got a recommendation from our vet and did a 2 hour zoom session with an amazing behaviourist. We had done training with Milo before but it just never seemed to click for us and he never improved. We asked tons of questions and gave as much info as possible about our situation. We were given a tailored plan and we haven't looked back!:)

I am so, so proud of Milo and us. It's been tough work but he's honestly so much more content and I can see his confidence growing. I honestly thought he would never change and that walks etc would always be stressful but he's just gone from strength to strength and it's so lovely walking our little family together. At home, he gives our little boy space, the odd lick on the back of the head, and honestly he's our son's favourite thing in the world!!

I think he's definitely proven the saying wrong...you definitely can teach an old dog new tricks

Warning! Long post ahead!

Not actually one of my pets but just at the end of lockdown there was multiple reports of a stray dog running loose on a busy road close to me. He was first seen on a Sunday evening, he was a black greyhound type dog, who was very nervous, kept well out of reach of humans who had stopped to try and catch him and had a habit of walking in the middle of the road.:eek:

Fast forward a day and another post up saying he had been spotted (walking down the middle of the road!) I said that I would go out and take a drive about. It was a lovely Monday evening and I just grabbed a slip lead as I was heading out the door, thinking I'd be back in half an hr. Lo and behold I saw him as soon as I got to the area he had been spotted in but he slipped into a nearby field. I rang my husband and told him to bring one of our dogs down to try and encourage him out. I rang the local rescue and soon we had a good few volunteers and dogs trying to herd him up! He led us a merry dance and we were running/climbing/driving around a fairly big area trying to catch him. At one point we had followed him down to the beach and he was up against the side of my jeep, I was hanging out the window trying to get the slip lead around his neck but he just managed to get away. Finally we went home when it was too dark to see.

The following morning myself and the local rescue coordinator went down with a trap, we set it in a field where he had been seen multiple times crossing but no sign of him. Went back that evening and sat and waited, and waited. When it started to get dark we packed up but instead of heading straight home I said I'd take a spin around, and of course there he was standing in the middle of the road right beside the field we were in! I rang the coordinator who doubled back - we set up the trap again - while he stood there watching us! It was practically dark, so he disappeared off and we packed up again:o

Wednesday...We left it until the evening and set up the trap and I had my jeep in the field so we were down in a far corner. He appeared after we were there after only 15mins, but paid no attention to the trap, or the cooked chicken in it and traversed across the field to the far corner. So I got into the jeep and followed him down, he had crossed into the next field, so I followed. I drove alongside him, throwing treats out and he eventually realised that they tasted good. (At this stage it was 4 days since we knew he was straying so at least that long since he had a meal, bar scavenging, and he was rake thin, even for a hound) I got out of the jeep and started throwing treats all around and he was lapping them up, at one point I was lying down and he was so ravenous he was eating out of my outstretched hand but there was no chance of getting a lead near him. The co-ordinator had crept up at this stage armed with a big blanket and a catch pole but he was too skittish and eventually trotted away.

Thursday... We drove to where we had fed him and he was actually hanging around in the same place. We set up with lots of tasty meat and wet food (and coffee for us!) and fed him at his own pace. He wouldn't come too close, so we just aimed to make him comfortable in our company and a full belly that evening. He was comfortable enough to sit down and rest about 10ft away from us when he was finished eating. The poor fella was literally skin and bones, with a bit of a limp and cuts visible on his legs and a big callous on his belly.

Friday...We went back again, but there was no sign of him. Anywhere around. None of his usual fields, or on any of the roads he frequently trotted down. We went home after a few hours of looking. We left a big bowl of food and water where we had fed him previously. I was trying to be positive but the rescue coordinator was worried something might have happened such was the regularity of his appearances over the course of the week.

Saturday...The plan was meant to be similar to previous nights, but it was a lovely warm day and my daughter wanted to go down to the beach. We were on our way down and I asked her would she mind if I checked to see had the food and water been touched from the previous night. I drove down to where we had been feeding him and he popped his head out of the bushes! I had a few treats and also a very large crate with me so I set it up and threw the treats into it. We went back home for more food and fresh water and when we got back the treats had been eaten. So I set up a bowl of mince in the crate and lured him in with little bits. I had tied an extendable lead to the door so I could stand a distance away and pull the door over when he was fully in. I couldn't believe it. Finally we had him. My daughter was delighted as well, she had been out on the first night we were looking for him and from a 5yr olds perspective she felt as if she contributed somewhat:pac:

He was treated by the vet for his injuries which seemed to be minor enough, although he was exceptionally nervous and particularly skittish around men but a few months in foster helped with his confidence somewhat. The rescue put out a poll on social media for their followers to decide on his name and Laoch (Hero) was the winner. Recently he was taken on as a foster with a view to adopt by the local vets receptionist and has come on leaps and bounds. He now sleeps on her bed, curled up with a cat. He's even started to approach people looking for a bit of affection which is remarkable given his initial shyness with humans. I'm delighted the year is coming to a close with him finding a lovely home to call his own.