My Boys Got Attacked By Next Doors Dog!

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Lolly

Lolly

Junior Guinea Pig
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I have never been so scared in my life - the boys seem fine very, very luckily!

I cleaned their hutch out today so they went into their play pen while it dried out. They were on the concrete just outside my back door with hideys, tunnels, food and water both having a lovely popcorn and run about. I went in to make lunch, checked on them and went to eat lunch with the kids, we were inside with the backdoor open for maybe 30 mins, our house isn't big.

I went out to find next doors dog attacking them. They had run into their yellow concertina tunnel and that, without a doubt saved them, The dog was shredding the tube trying to get them out. I scared the dog off and scooped the tube up and put it into the hutch whilst yelling for hubby. I quickly grabbed a pair of scissors and cut the tube to get it apart to get them out. Patch was right in the middle and Rosie at the other end with his bum hanging out - the dog was chewing the other end or she would have got Rosie.

I got them into the hutch and ran in to get my cat basket, put them in there with a pale blanket while I quickly sorted the hutch out. They seemed fine in the basket and when they were put back into the hutch I checked each one as well as I could, no signs of blood or fur missing, feet and teeth seemed ok. No signs of blood on the blanket either. Within about 30 seconds of being back in the hutch they were both coming out of their hideys to eat the pile of dandy-lions I put in there. They have both been in and out since eating hay and nosing around. They seem to be fine and the blood on the tube must be from the dogs mouth.

The dog was not making any noise at all and another neighbour was strimming which must be why we didn't hear anything. Hubby has been making adjustments to the area of fence we think the dog got in through. What a day! Bottle of wine in the fridge for later...

This is the tube, the cut up the middle is how I got them out, the rest the dog did.

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That is so awful, I am so glad your piggies are okay. The fact they are eating is a good sign, but please keep a close eye on them.

Good job you have found the hole the dog got through.
 
OMG I am so sorry that you and your piggies had to go through this. What a massive shock for you :(

Thank goodness your piggies are safe and well. It could have been so much worse :(

I have heard so many stories recently of peoples dogs escaping from gardens and attacking guinea pigs and rabbits and it makes me so sad and angry at the same time.

I know it isn't the dogs fault but I so wish dog owners would make their gardens secure!

Please give your piggies lots of gentle cuddles and keep a close eye on them.

This isn't me having a go but may be you could buy a run that is more secure with a lid on or something just in case?

Again, I am so pleased they are ok xx
 
Oh dear. That must have been horrifying. I'm utterly terrified of dogs but I'm sure my need to protect would take over in that situation.
I'm glad your guinea pigs are okay. Definitely make sure to block that area and even double proof it if you can. Dogs can be stubborn and now the dog knows its there it might make him want another play...

I'm not sure what type of playpen you have but is it an open top one? If so I'd suggest getting something that keeps them hidden because birds are another problem I've seen happen to poor bunnies and rabbits, even when owners have popped into the house for a minute max.

I'm glad your guinea pigs are fine. How scary for you. You definitely deserve that glass of wine. Give your piggies lots of hugs from me. =)
 
Oh god that must have been such a shock!

I am glad their okay and seem to be eating... i hope your okay too, you must have been so worried.

You can get playpens with tops on and you could cover it with a blanket as well which would be a bit more secure or you can always pop them inside while you clean them out.

We have cats and i get really worried when i clean mine out as they go in the playpen on my bedroom floor but my male cat can get my door open, so I'm constantly checking.
 
What huge relief for you that your boys have survived! Dog attacks can happen in such a short time. :(
 
I'm so very sorry to hear this and understand what a shock it must be for you.
You have actually done really well to protect your pigs given the circumstances and should feel really proud of yourself. ...(once you've stopped shaking)

It is a sad fact of life that no matter how many precautions you take....you cannot protect your piggies from the actions of an improperly controlled and determined dog.
And whilst you have a responsibility to protect your own pets....the owners of the dog also have a responsibility to control their dog.....especially if it is roaming on other people's land outside of their control!

5 years ago I employed a group of contractors to "tree-surgeon" my greenery and do a load of landscaping. They had 3 Jack Russells between them who were allowed to roam whist they were working. I therefore took all my guinea pigs inside..put them in pet carirers...and for the most part, all was finel.
However...on the last day when we were doing the final payment...their dogs decided to jump over my 2' high flood defences, enter the house and upended/worried all the pet carriers in an attempt to "get at" the guinea pigs. Thankfully they didn;t succeed in injuring any...but I had health issues develop as a result of the shock...resulting in at least one death.
A year later I heard that the same dogs had killed two guinea pigs in a neighbouring garden to where they were working.

Like me - you responded properly to the shock of the attack whilst it was going on - well done for keeping your head and saving your pigs! It must have been very frightening but you did all the right things. However you must be worried at where that leaves you now.
In my case it is easy..if i ever employ contractors again I now have a "dogs not allowed" notice.
You have a more difficult problem in that this is with a neighbour and a potentially recurring event.

I would suggest that you write (not email...hard-copy write and send "signed for" ) a letter to your neighbour advising them of the problem...namely their dogs are trespassing on your property and attacking your own pets. You need to state what measures you yourself are "willingly undertaking" to protect your pets BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY state what measures THEY need to take to control their dogs.

I cannot predict the outcome of this ...but you need to take the above written steps to protect yourself "in law" should you wish to pursue this issue at some time in the future through the courts.
These points also constitute further "practical" steps you can take to protect you and your pets against aforementioned neighbourly a***holes.

Hugs
x
 
I am glad that your lil ones are safe. I have to be uber vigilant with our dog. Edgar amd Poe are not scared of her but she hates them! I am always checking the bedroom door is shut at least 4 times in one hour!
 
We have one of the playpens which has 8 metal segments that are pinned together, it has a net which I normally use. When they go on the grass I am usually pottering about in the garden and kitchen (they are in direct view from my kitchen window) and the kids are out playing. The net has a solid area for shade which is why it's normally on, but today it's fairly warm but overcast and they were up close to the house so I just didn't think about putting it over like I usually do. It's been one of those days - too much to do, too little time:(

The neighbour improved the fence between us a while back as the dog is a real Houdini. They have just put up a new fence across the bottom of their garden and have blocked a hole at the bottom of the new fence with some boulders, it looks like the dog has used those to jump up and over the fence. Hubby has used some large metal grids (bit like the c&c grids but bigger) that we hadn't got rid of to strengthen that bottom corner and make it taller, it feels really secure and I don't think it's jumpable at all now. There are thick fir trees the rest of the way up on their side and we have checked along the bottom of the fence for holes or weak areas.

I intend to get a pop up pen for inside, just waiting for pay day. They have a children's ball pool we use in the evening as a temporary measure, they have their veggies in it while getting a fuss and cuddles - they popcorn like mad in it. I can't leave them in it though as they can jump out of it - I discovered this in the week, I had Rosie on my lap when I was sitting on the floor next to the pool, next thing I knew Patch had joined us for a cuddle!

They really do seem to be fine. We have keeping an eye all afternoon and they have been in an out eating their hay and nuggets and drinking, I noticed them both running around and popcorning a little while ago and there is plenty of fresh poo around the hutch. I will bring them in a bit later for their usual evening veg so I'll be able to check them both and see how they are, if they seem off at all I'll find a way to keep them in overnight but if they seem normal we will keep things as usual for them. They have plenty of hay in their hutch and they are usually snuggled up together.

Thanks for all the consolation!
 
How awful! I bet it did scare you! Poor things! Don't beat yourself up about the net, I dont think it would have made any difference in this instance.

I'd feel terrible if my dog find that, he bit the postmans trouser leg and that was bad enough! Luckily my dog is good with our guinea pigs! Have your neighbours been to see you and apologised? I'd have been buying the wine if it was my dog!
 
Did you talk to the dogs owners or owner because theres no excuse for them to have thier dog doing that even if there not around then there dog should be locked up, heres hoping your piggies are alright, good thing u had that tunnel.
well done you saved your pigs because you kept a level head.
 
Gosh how awful, bless you. Thank god they are ok! How awful the dog got in! I hope your neighbours keep a better eye on their dog in future. So pleased the piggies are okay! x x((hugs))
 
I went to the neighbour fairly quickly as the dog was still on the loose, she is a very skittish dog, doesn't come near people so we couldn't catch her to drag her home. She was mortified and has said she will replace the tunnel, she was just off to work when it happened so I haven't seen her since. We are on good terms with her so I'm sure she will be over to apologise and whilst I am angry about it I wouldn't want to fall out with her. They have always done what needs to be done in the past like putting up new fencing when we realised they dog could get through.
 
Well done for how you handled this. What happened to you is one of a Guinea Slave's worst nightmares.
I know we all try to keep our Guinea Pigs as safe as possible . I like the runaround runs as they come with a lid too. I will post a link when I am next on my laptop.
 
Oh you poor thing what a horrible thing to happen.So glad they are alright you really did well to keep your head and you deserve that nice drink of wine.
 
Thank goodness your piggys are OK- I have 3 enclosed areas to put my boys when I'm cleaning them all have netted tops, but I still worry as our neighbour has two Jack russells, both of whom are not well trained and would attack the boys given a chance, - my husband has a fence check each week just incase they have tried to dig their way through--give your boys a big hug from me they obviously aren't daft they knew the best place to stay safe.-
 
tell your neighbor to keep their dog on their property ! it isn't good to leave them unsupervised but if you have the area piggy proofed and a dog comes charging at your pigs take charge
 
I've lived next door to these people for 12 years, the are good people, if they had realised the dog could get over they would have done something about it. I know they will do what needs to be done.

Evening veggie fest was totally as normal - bowl emptied in short order. I got the usual nose bumps when I leaned over to chat to them and they were happy having lap time. They behaved as they normally do, bit of running around, bit of hiding, bit of Patch trying to be the boss of Rosie! They are in their hutch for the night, I've checked once already and their hay bowl has been disturbed so at least one has been out in the hutch.

Veggie fest and lap time tonight - with a bit of pear for a treat.
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Your boys are gorgeous.

Please don't beat yourself up about the run and stuff. It is obvious you love your boys very much and it is good that your neighbours are apologetic and aware of the situation x
 
Thank goodness your beautiful babies are safe. You have had such a nasty shock. I hope you are okay.
 
Oh no, that is horrible. I'm glad they are OK! My neibhour opposite lets his dog run round about the front of their house and i once caught it in my garden! I went over and told him to keep a better eye on his dog as it could have eaten my guinea pigs...
 
This is awful, so glad they are ok what a shock. I have one of those pens which I've just made bigger i have chicken wire over the top, I'm not happy what it's a safe run when I'm not in the garden so I'm going to make a wooden box style run to use after winter :)
 
I feel so sad reading this and thinking about what could've happened to your beautiful pigs. I am so happy they are ok! It especially makes me sad because my neighbor owns two shepherds and we've warned him to leash his dogs when he takes them to his fenced in back yard so incase we had our door opened if we were cleaning pads there'd be no way of them running upstairs and disturbing/hurting our pigs. My neighbor claims they are trained to listen to him and run out back when he says, which they obviously aren't as they ripped into one of our garbage bags this past weekend when they were out front.
I'm really glad you have good neighbors that will listen to you if something needs to be done. If it were my neighbor, he'd of gotten a mouthful from me and the cops called on him!
 
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