Poor Riley

Lots of people have been asking about Riley, so I thought I'd post this note. I was walking Riley in the park on Monday with a friend. Riley was only a few feet behind us when we heard him yelp. I turned around a saw a dog on his back biting him. I yelled at the dog and it took off. I followed it to a nearby house then ran back to Riley and looked him over but couldn't see any wounds right off. He was whimpering and I was steaming mad. The dog had come out of nowhere and just ran up and bit my dog! My friend said he'd go talk to the dog owner later and wanted me to cool down.

When I got home from work, I noticed blood on Riley's back. I called the vet, but they were closed so I left a message on their machine asking for an appointment the next day. I went over to the dog owner's home that evening. A woman answered the door and immediately said, "What do you want?!" I explained to her what happened that morning. Her response was, "So. What do you want me to do about it." I told her I wanted to make sure this never happened again, especially since her dog has attacked Riley and other neighborhood dogs numerous times. She got defensive and asked how I knew it was her dog. I described the dog to her, and she said lots of people have chows in the area (total lie). I told her I followed the dog to her house. She denied it was her dog. I then told her I had another witness who could also describe the dog. She said she "might" talk to her husband about it. The next morning as I was walking Riley, the husband pulled up next to me in his car. He said, "I heard our dogs had an incident yesterday." I explained what happened and he said he was sorry but his dog "don't bite to be malicious" and "he was just doin' what dogs do." I told him that is not what dogs do and ended the conversation.

I took Riley to the vet. They didn't stitch him up because it is a puncture wound. He has one deep puncture wound and one that is more of a scratch. He has bruising around the area too. My vet bill came to $235.10 and there may be more if the wound gets infected. The wound doesn't hurt Riley and he isn't traumatized, so that's a plus. Now I'm filling out a animal bite report. There's not much the city or state can do unless there are three reports filled on this dog, but I do intend on making the dog owners pay the vet bills. I've started asking the neighbors about their experiences with the chow. There have been three other dogs attacked by the chow and two humans charged by it.

I'm asking everyone to report the chow if it is seen off leash anywhere and if it acts aggressively. The attack was bound to happen sometime. The chow has attacked Riley four or five times before, although this is the first puncture bite. I shouldn't have let the other attacks go unreported. Oh well. I've learned. I think the chow's aggression is escalating, and it's only a matter of time before it attacks a human. I've actually seen the dog loose in the park when children were playing there, and the owner was wandering behind it and yelling at all the kids to stay away--he's not friendly. Brilliant. I'll keep you posted on the developments.

New Year Fun

Congratulations to Kevin for winning first place and best special effects in the Elkhart County Parks' photo contest! He ventured outside to take the winning picture when it was -30 degrees outside! What dedication.

We spent the weekend in Chicago to celebrate the Chinese New Year. We went to Lincoln Park and explored the zoo and had dinner on Navy Pier. We went to the parade on Sunday and watched the traditional dragon dance performed at the local shops. We also got delicious dim sum for lunch! We raced home after all the festivities so Kevin could catch the second half of the Super Bowl. All in all, it was a terrific (but busy) weekend.

Kevin has started his new job and is still trying to adjust to it. It's going to be a big challenge, but one that I am confident he can overcome. He found an apartment close to work that he can stay at during the week, which helps break up the awful commute. It's a big adjustment, but our friends have been really helpful and supportive during the transition. I don't know what we'd do without them.

I'm still busy with school work. That never changes. There's always more work to do than I can ever seem to get a grip on. But at least I'm still enjoying it!