Jessie is Our April 6, 2014 Pup of the Week

This week we salute a long time friend who was innocently walking along when near tragedy struck, a heroic Mom, and a beautiful angel, all three no strangers to this blog.

Our friend Jessie and her family are still recovering from Willie (The Dog Who Said No) who joined me at the Bridge a few months ago.  Willie led them to the perfect brother for Jessie, Roscoe, who, despite the bumps all families go through when a new member joins, was fitting in perfectly in his new family, and new love was being created in his pack’s hearts that had been destroyed when Willie departed.

But, on the mortal side of the Bridge there is always danger lurking, even in your own neighborhood, and even when you are doing something as innocent as taking a walk.

That’s what Jessie and her Mom were doing.  Taking a peaceful morning walk like we all do, if lucky, and that’s when two pit bulls came flying out a front door, down the steps, and straight towards Jessie and his Mom with malice in their hearts.

Like me take this moment for a brief aside:  While Jessie and her Mom were attacked by two pitties the pitties were just the tool used in the attack.  One of them was a female in heat, the other a male under full effect of a female in heat.  It is common for any dog to attack when they think there is either a threat to their mate, or to their position as mate.  In such instances intelligent humans make sure both dogs are kept out of danger and away from other dogs for their protection and that of other dogs.  But the humans who owned these pitties did none of that, so, while the pitties did the attacking, it was actually the pet parents who caused it.  End of aside.

Jessie went into a submissive position, a wise choice given the ferocity closing in towards hers, signalling to them that she was no threat.  But a lollipop in full heat and a mate protecting his red rocket launching pad weren’t taking chances.  They lunged at Jessie’s throat, an action, like the firing of a gun at close range, means certain death.

There are two reactions Moms can have in the milliseconds before death strikes their babies, frozen in shock, or self sacrifice, and her automatic response was the latter, grabbing Jessie, dragging her baby towards her and trying to cover her.  If the out of control pitties were going to kill her baby they would have to chew through her to do so.

The dogs were biting, growling, thrashing and gnashing at our friends.  At that point a third dog joined in, attacking Jessie and her Mom. Jessie was struggling too, exposing her neck, her most vulnerable point.  The pitties owners, having created and left unprotected killing machines, came outside yelling at the dogs and punching them (a training class to get your dog to come when called:  $100.  You can train a parent to make their dog come but you can’t train a human to stop being stupid.)

Other humans came running as Jessie’s Mom kept screaming no while praying that somehow her baby was surviving the attack.  The pitties were then pulled off and brought into their own personal hell house.  Jessie’s Mom checked her and found no wounds, no blood (although later she would find two puncture wounds and have to take Jess to the vet to get them cleaned.)  The pittie’s Mom defended her dogs as being kind and sweet.  I am sure they were when they came to her home, but they aren’t any longer.  Someone had called the police and they took a report.  Hopefully the pitties can be saved and brought into a home where they can be properly trained.

Jessie is showing no after effects from the attack.  Her Mom hurt her knee, and wrenched her back but the largest wounds were to her psyche, as any Moms would be.

How did Jessie and her Mom survive being attacked by three angry pit bulls?  There is only one answer:  Angel Willie helped protect her Mom and his sister, keeping those sharp teeth away from them, pulling off another Willie Miracle in a string of Willie Miracles.

So say a prayer of thanks to Willie and the Angels that his Mom and Jessie weren’t badly hurt, and pray for those pitties too and they can be removed from their careless humans and be allowed to have a normal life where they are agents of love the way dogs should be and not death.

And pray for safe walks for all of us.