Approximately 60 percent of dog bite victims reported each year are children. Most of them are boys between the ages of six and nine.
Like all herding breeds, Aussies are highly energetic and need a job to do, or they quickly go a little crazy. It’s as if the great open spaces of the West are built into the breed; some simulation of all that room to roam is required for them to be happy. In fact, according to the American Kennel Club, one of the most common reasons Aussies wind up in shelters is that “their owners didn’t realize how much energy the breed has, and weren’t willing to channel that energy through training.”
But this collection of virtues, together with a fateful circumstance, may have at least partly accounted for Annie’s biting incident. Because of her strong herding instincts, she tended to exhibit guarding behavior and also displayed a tendency to chase or nip at strangers. And she was flying through the air when she nipped the child, which made the bite even worse—tearing the skin in addition to puncturing it.
Sherry was informed that the infant was taken to the hospital and apparently fully recovered, though she lacked any further details. But she assumed that because Annie was so “light on her feet,” the bite would probably be classified as a puncture with tearing, which would be a very serious development.
(A widely used dog bite assessment tool developed by Dr. Ian Dunbar, a veterinarian and author, ranks the relative severity of dog bites on a scale of one to six. In level one, the dog lunges and snarls, but there is no contact with the person. In a level two bite, the dog’s teeth touch the skin, but there is no puncture. At level three, the dog’s teeth puncture the skin, but there is no tearing or slashing. Level four is characterized by one to four punctures, with tearing, and level five by a “concerted, repeated attack.” In level six, an attack results in fatal injuries.)
By Dr. Dunbar’s scale, Annie’s bite would rank as a three or a four.
“A serious bite to me is a puncture with tearing,” Sherry said, and though such bites can be accidental, they do require medical attention and sometimes leave scarring. Sherry did not try to minimize the seriousness of the bite. Still, when she heard about the circumstances of the incident, she felt that Annie had not intended to harm the infant—she had been scared, she had felt threatened, and she had lashed out. Annie’s main problem was that she lacked social skills. She was not a mean, bad dog intent on attacking and hurting people. It’s possible that her owners never socialized her around small children, which led to her fear during the confrontation with the toddler and the parent. “I think she was just having a moment of panic and making bad decisions,” Sherry said.
DEATH ROW TO DOGTOWN
Frankly, Sherry said, when the shelter first contacted her about taking Annie, she was terribly busy and really didn’t want to get involved. “They told me the entire situation and they said, ‘Can you take this dog?’ And I said, ‘Let me think about it.’” Sherry was hesitant—she knew it would be a big job—but after she hung up the phone, she couldn’t stop thinking about Annie.
When the shelter called a second time, they turned up the heat a little bit. Sherry’s friend at the shelter began hinting broadly at the difficult decision that would face them if Sherry couldn’t accept Annie. It was the position most shelters found themselves in—overwhelmed, understaffed, and underfunded, they had no way of taking the time to retrain a dog, especially one with a bite history, to make her safe around people. Euthanasia (from the Greek for “good death”) was the quickest, simplest, and often the most humane alternative for most animal shelters. “It wasn’t like I was jumping at the chance to have Annie in my life,” Sherry explained, but she couldn’t help wanting to help the dog. Despite her intense work schedule and her misgivings, Sherry was won over and decided to work with Annie. After all, she said, “I’m living what I’m passionate about, and it’s very important to me to feel that I’m making a difference.”
That was the luckiest day of Annie’s life—the day she went from death row to Dogtown.
Before Annie arrived at Dogtown, Sherry began developing a plan for retraining her. The ultimate goal was to help Annie become comfortable in a wide range of situations involving different settings and people of all ages to help her work through her fear and aggression. She wanted Annie to be as comfortable as possible so she could go out and experience life and do the things that dogs generally do. Sherry did not feel that Annie was a vicious, biting dog. She was just frightened and socially inept.
Dogs who lack positive experiences and exposure to other dogs and people might also lack basic social skills that are necessary to have a healthy, happy life.
“I think that’s something that people don’t think about,” said Sherry. “They really expect dogs to be comfortable even if they haven’t been exposed to things. And out of that, dogs like Annie can get into serious trouble because of her fear, just a lack of social skills.” Annie was, in some ways, like a nerd who hits people.
If Sherry failed at this task, there was a likelihood Annie would never get a chance at a happy home. To intensify her efforts to help the little brown-eyed Aussie, Sherry not only began teaching her at Dogtown, but also decided to take her home as a foster dog.
AN AMAZING GIRL
When Annie first came to Dogtown to be fostered by Sherry, it was clear from her body language that she was a very anxious dog. She kept her shaggy body low and tense, ready to react to the first hint of a threat. Annie’s gaze was nervous, constantly scanning and searching her surroundings. But what was clear to Sherry was that Annie could be a very gentle dog and a great playmate if she could overcome her fear of new situations. If her energy and enthusiasm could be brought out, Annie would be a wonderful companion. Sherry saw the potential in Annie and was determined to help her shine.
Annie, an Australian shepherd, is a high-energy dog who thrives when she’s able to get lots of exercise and time for play.
Although Sherry feared that she couldn’t satisfy an Aussie’s constant need for exuberant play, she was pleasantly surprised to see how easygoing Annie could be. Annie settled right in to Sherry’s life. She played when Sherry played and napped when she napped. As Annie grew more comfortable with Sherry, her playful sense of humor began to emerge. Sherry was pleased to see that Annie seemed “to enjoy life as much as any dog I’ve ever met.” Annie entertained Sherry by being silly: “After she’s been swimming in the creek, she’ll drag her body across the ground and play in the sand and just turn herself into a sand bug, which I find charming.”
Annie also began to show an independent streak and was happy to entertain herself if Sherry was busy. Sometimes, Sherry would find Annie playing ball by herself or romping with the other dogs, usually engaging in a game of keep-away. Annie would pick up a toy, show it to the other dogs, and then run to get the others to chase her. She clearly enjoyed her new dog friends and life at Sherry’s house.
It was turning out to be a great match, and Sherry’s heart began to melt for Annie. “I’m very glad Annie is in my life—she’s an amazing girl,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of fun together, and we’ll undoubtedly know each other now hopefully forever, for the rest of her life.” The pair were getting along swimmingly, which was a great start to the hard work they had to do to overcome Annie’s bite history.
LEARNING NOT TO BITE
“One of the major tools of a dog’s life is their mouth—it’s kind of their opposable thumb, I guess you could say,” said John Garcia, Dogtown Manager at Best Friends. “And for a dog to use their mouth in a negative manner like that shows us she’s never learned ‘bite inhibition.’
“Or she’s never learned that she can have a different warning system. Every dog has a warning system. The first level is avoidance. The next level is growling—vocalizing her emotions. The next level after that, she could show her teeth. Or she could ‘muzzle punch,’ which means bumping something with her mouth closed. And then air snap. And then bite.”
But there’s one big reason why do
gs with a bite history are so often put down at shelters, John added: Doing the work required to make a dog comfortable in all situations, to “make the right choices,” is a time-consuming task. In fact, all behavior modification takes time, sometimes enormous amounts of it. And time is in short supply at shelters, as it is everywhere else in modern life.
At Dogtown, it’s different, John said: “We do have that time here. Plus we have the resources, we have the knowledge, and we have the people. It just takes a lot of patience, and somebody who knows what they’re doing.” John was confident that Sherry could teach a dog like Annie, who had bitten once, not to bite again. Sherry herself had trained John and taught him how to succeed at getting biting dogs to stop biting, so he knew firsthand that Sherry could show Annie that she had communication options other than biting.
Quite often, John added, dogs bite because they are simply trying to communicate that they are in pain. He guessed that seven out of ten times dogs bite not for some behavioral reason but because they’re in physical discomfort. In one case, a dog came in who had bitten several people in a rescue operation, and a simple vet exam determined that he was in severe pain. He was put on medications, and he stopped biting. Sometimes it’s that easy.
Dogs who are stimulated both mentally and physically are in general better behaved than those who are not. Tired dogs are less likely to get themselves into trouble out of boredom.
Other times, dogs bite people not because they mean to hurt someone but because they get overly excited and go into a “hyperarousal” state. When they get really excited like that, it’s like they forget how to act, John said. They almost get tunnel vision. It’s possible that’s what happened with Annie. “High arousal’s probably one of the biggest problems we have at Dogtown, because it’s a very stimulating environment, and when you have an environment like that, dogs do kind of get out of their heads. Then they start mouthing people. Then they start mouthing harder, which turns into a bite.”
What started out as a party can wind up with an arrest.
FACING DOWN FEAR
As one of the first steps in introducing Annie to the big, scary world and teaching her to stop reacting to it by biting, Sherry took her to see a dog groomer at Dogtown. Sherry knew the groomer well and thought her easy, laid-back manner would be a good start for Annie, since even such a comparatively low-key experience could send the dog’s anxiety level through the roof.
The groomer picked up Annie and set her in a utility sink, where she began washing the dog off with a hose. Ears up and alert, Annie seemed unfazed by the soap and water. The loud noise and hot air of the power dryer would be the next challenge. Annie was startled by the sound of the dryer being turned on. As the hot air hit her fur, she tucked her tail and tried to get away from it, moving from one end of the deep sink to the other. Sherry was pleased to notice that Annie, though clearly frightened, was not panicking and, better yet, was not growling, snapping, or biting. Sherry stepped in and stroked Annie gently as the blow-drying continued. Annie settled down but still nervously watched the dryer’s every move until it was turned off.
In the next step, the groomer tried to trim Annie’s nails. As the groomer held one of her paws and clipped the nails, Annie let out a high-pitched, anxious whine. The groomer had cut one nail too short, which had hurt the dog. “Sorry, honey,” the groomer said.
But Annie’s anxiety level was rising, and Sherry again stepped in to try to calm her. Only this time, it didn’t work as well. Annie bared her teeth at the groomer as she tried to work on another paw. Annie was not happy, and neither was Sherry. They decided to end the grooming session. Sherry muzzled up Annie, knowing they had a lot more work ahead of them. But Annie’s choice to bare her teeth rather than to snap or bite signaled progress. Annie was learning to tell people when she felt threatened rather than attacking right away. It was a step in the right direction.
MORE TESTS
Soon afterward, Sherry took Annie out for a more pleasant test. She drove out into the idyllic canyon country not far from Dogtown, where a small, clear stream meanders in and out of cottonwood shade and there are little sculpted dunes of pale sand—and no children. Then Sherry took off Annie’s leash to let her roam freely and to see if Annie would come when called. Annie seemed transported into a kind of canine rapture, rambling along scent trails here and there, splashing through the creek, and rolling in the warm, white sand. But when Sherry called to her, Annie immediately came back. Sherry was impressed that Annie had such great recall—she could follow the meandering trail of sense memories, like bread crumbs, and not get lost. She was also impressed with Annie’s obedience and quickness to return.
Behavioral consultant Sherry Woodard observed that Annie seemed “to enjoy life as much as any dog I’ve ever met.”
Sherry had been working with Annie for more than a month and was confident that she had made great progress. The next challenge would measure how far Annie had come. The two went to a public park where they could observe, from a distance, kids playing on the playground. Annie would be wearing her leash and muzzle, and Sherry would be watching her to monitor Annie’s reactions. Annie had made great progress learning to control her impulse to bite, but Sherry was still a long way from feeling she could let her loose in a park.
Keeping her muzzled and controlled made Sherry certain there would be no danger to the children. “This is a situation where I have control,” Sherry said, as Annie eagerly observed the herd of little children scampering around the park. “If there’s ever a situation where I think she is going to hurt someone, I’m going to manage it.”
It was a glorious summer day. Distantly, kids in bathing suits were horsing around in the splash park, while others did cartwheels in the grass. Looming over the little park was a red-rock butte, the sort of landscape feature so vividly evoked in Hollywood Westerns. By contrast, the grass in the park seemed absurdly, impossibly green.
The last time Annie had been close to children was the fateful day when she had bitten the infant. Now Annie seemed extremely alert and interested, but not out of control. Holding Annie’s leash with one hand, Sherry knelt at the edge of the grassy field while kids whizzed past, ever closer. Annie was standing up on all fours, intently watching, but she wasn’t straining on the leash. “That’s good,” Sherry said, soothingly.
Instead of showing fear or hyperarousal, Annie just warmly wagged her tail. She seemed particularly excited by the sight of some older kids, perhaps ten to twelve years old—she wagged her tail so excitedly that her whole body wiggled. Sherry thought Annie might think those were “her” kids, the children in the family she had lost.
“It’s a good sign, but it’s also a sad sign,” Sherry said, “because she had a wonderful life, I’m sure. I think she lost a lot.”
Shortly afterward, a mother scooped up a small blond girl in a sun-dress, who was playing fairly close to Sherry and the little dog. It set Annie off, and she struggled against the leash. Sherry held firmly to the leash and helped Annie to settle down. The result of the test was clear: Smaller children still scared Annie.
“I think we will need to be very careful when parents and children are interacting near her for quite some time,” Sherry said. “Maybe part of what we need to work on is that the parents are part of the picture, because Annie’s bad experience included a parent. It will take time, and I want to see some different behavior before I’m confident that Annie has it all figured out.”
Overall, Annie’s trip to the park was a good experience. Except for the one instance of panic, Annie was relaxed and played: She lolled around in the grass, enjoying the gorgeous, sunny day. She was able to watch and listen to the children at play without being scared. She became so comfortable that she was able to take her eyes off them and pay attention to other things in the park. Sherry ranked the outing to the park as a success for Annie. The pair would just need to work harder on helping Annie see that little kids were no threat to her.
THE ULTIMATE TEST
“Sherry called me and asked me if I would have Zoe come and meet Annie,” Carragh said. “And, yeah, I’m a little nervous about it.”
“I’m very grateful to my friends for allowing this to happen,” Sherry said. “Annie will be wearing her muzzle, so it will be very safe.” The test began. Sherry put a more restrictive muzzle on Annie than the one she typically wore. This new muzzle, which resembled a small basket, was made of hard plastic and fit completely over her mouth and nose so that she could not bite. Annie did not like the new muzzle at all. She pawed at it and rubbed her snout against the ground in an attempt to get it off. But her attempts were in vain. The muzzle would stay on until the test was over.
“If I’ve done the work that I should have, Annie should be able to get very close to Zoe and be comfortable,” Sherry said. “So neither of them will be picking up stress and anxiety from the other. I think dogs are more comfortable when they’re moving, so I’m going to have everybody simply keep moving. We walk and we see how it goes, and if it seems like it’s going really well, then we could slow down and even stop.”
These isolated canyon lands near Dogtown provided an ideal place for Annie and Sherry to work off leash together.
Next, Sherry, Annie, Carragh, and Zoe walked, fairly close together, out into the grassy area of the park. Sherry had Annie muzzled and on a tight leash. But though Annie was so close to Zoe that they were almost touching, Annie did not seem to be reacting at all.
“Want to pet her?” Carragh said to Zoe, gently. Zoe reached over and petted the little dog, who did not seem to mind.
“Is she soft? Say ‘Hi, Annie,’” Carragh said. Zoe drew her fingers through Annie’s luxuriant fur. Annie lifted her muzzle up, eyes closed, as if she wanted to enjoy it more. Then Annie shyly moved closer to Zoe and rubbed the back of her head against Zoe’s stomach.
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