If you had your hand on my chest right now, yes it’d be inappropriate, but the point is, you’d feel my heart beating like I’d just seen a ghost. I’d love that, actually. Seeing a ghost, that is. But the reason my heart is on overdrive is because my 4 mutts were just attacked by another dog.

I almost talked myself out of taking Callie, Skip, Wally and Taffy for a stroll because, well, it’s called pure laziness. My days have been so packed lately that when I drag my weary bones home, the thought of moving from my cozy chair is not an inviting one.

Callie and Wally

Taffy

Skip

Still, guilt won me over. How can I relax when 8 eyeballs are glued to my every move? I felt their stares even as I pretended to be asleep. But my unsympathetic mutts were having none of it. So I begrudgingly took them for a walk.

There’s a home down the block where their large dog is kept in the backyard. I know most of the dogs in the neighborhood but I’ve never seen this one on a walk. I always feel sorry for him when we pass by while he frantically barks, lunging at the wrought iron gate.There’s a tall hedge that lines one side of their driveway, blocking any view of the home until you’re in front of it. So as we passed the hedge, I looked toward the gate, expecting to see the dog behind it. No dog and no barking. Hum…that’s odd.

Instead, the garage door was open and standing inside staring back at us was the dog. I heard myself say, “Uh oh.” In a flash he was sprinting toward us. My dogs are tethered together on our walks so I can keep one hand free. But as they saw the dog approaching, they attempted to run and the leashes quickly became a tangled mess.

Before the attack

As the dog got closer, I yelled, “No! Get away!” But like my own dogs, he didn’t listen. Callie, my 3-legged Border Collie mix, is afraid of everything. Knowing she was trapped, she panicked and tried to bolt but got nowhere since the leashes were now one giant knot.

The dog went for Callie first, the largest of my mutts; a bold but smart move. My mind quickly flashed to my old dog Gussie who was also attacked from an off-leash dog resulting in punctures, stitches and skin grafts. Instinctively, I threw my leg between Callie and the dog, pushing his advance away.

Gussie

Now don’t get me wrong; I know that was stupid. I was wearing shorts and could now be sans a chunk of calf. I wasn’t thinking, but had I been, I would have done the same. The dog came back for more, barking like mad before lunging again. This time I put my bare arm between them and miraculously came away unscathed. All the while poor Skip and Wally were futilely struggling to escape while my littlest, Taffy, tried her best to jump on the dog and ride him like a cowgirl at a rodeo. She’s fearless and has one of those piercing tiny dog barks that drive me nuts. But this time it didn’t. It did, however, cause a neighbor to come running over to help.

Just then, the owner drove up as the dog took one last lunge at Callie’s butt and bit down. Thank goodness she’s legless on that side so his bite essentially missed, catching only fur. If Callie had a right leg, I’d be writing my blog from pet emergency.

The dog’s owner was horrified, apologetic and shocked that their garage door was open. Me? I was grateful she arrived when she did because her dog backed off. Anyway, on the walk home, both Callie and I were shaking. Skip and Wally were still a bit wide-eyed and dazed. But Taffy? She pranced home quite full of herself, like a Clydesdale leading a parade.

Feeling rather smug