Damn That Barney

No I am not speaking of that purple beast that all of the prepubescent masses flock to, because they think that he is just sooo darn cute.
I am speaking of a totally different Barney entirely.
I first met Barney about a month after we first moved here.
I met him while we were both going for our respective walks....me with my ipod and Barney with his owners.
Barney is a chocolate Lab but I think he also has a bit of the Cujo gene running through him.
I really like dogs...some more than others. Those yappers and ankle biters aren't really my type, but I have never met a Lab that I did not like...until now.
When I first met Barney, I tried to befriend him but he would have nothing to do with that.
Every time Barney saw me walking, he would charge directly at me, growling and then right at the last minute he would kind of run by me and take a mouthy swipe at my arm or hand baring his teeth...just another canine bully.
I got to the point that when I saw Barney charging me, I would stop instantly and let him have his fun with me before I would proceed on with my walk.
Every time Barney would charge me, it brought back memories from years ago, when I got jumped by 2 German Sheperds while delivering newspapers with my brother. One of those dogs latched onto my hiney.
I think that Barney sensed my anxiety when I was around him and he rejoiced in the opportunity to mess with me.
The bottom line is that Barney has my number and he knows it.
Please keep in mind that Barney was always with his owners but never put on a leash during his walks, even after he had charged me and tried to nip me on several occasions.
Well today turned out to be Barneys lucky day.
Barney was out for a walk with his female owner.
During our first encounter he did his usual charging and mouthy swipe at me before he happily continued on with his walk.
Our second encounter was a little different.
Barney was about 30-40 feet away from me with his master about 10 feet behind him.
They were walking in my direction.
I heard Barneys female owner tell him "don't even think about it".
I am sure that Barney is a relatively smart dog but for the life of me, I can't imagine any dog understanding that type of doggy command. Maybe it is something new that they are teaching dogs in their obedience school. I really do need to get out more so that I would know these types of things.
It was at this time that the Cujo gene that runs in Barneys family, kicked in and he charged me.
This time was different though.
Barney actually got a hold of my arm and started to clamp down. I could feel the power in this dogs jaw. For some reason Barney decided to let go.
Barneys owner asked me if I was ok. I told her yes in a really pissed of fashion. I wasn't about to get into a long winded discussion with this lady for fear of Barney returning to my arm to finish of his mid morning snack.
I kept on walking and once Barney and his owner were out of sight, I stopped to look at my arm to see if there was any damage.
There were 2 small puncture wounds that broke the skin and I was bleeding a little bit from one of the wounds.
To make a long story just a bit shorter...I ended up calling Animal Control and had an officer come out to take a report from me.
I took a couple of my own photos of my wounds and the officer also took a couple.
I gave the officer all of the info that I had about Barney and the owners.
I did not have that much info on them and what info I did have, I got from a neighbor that also had a run in with Barney and his owners last night, while this neighbor was walking his dog...on a leash I might add.
About an hour after speaking to the Animal Control Officer, I had a message left on our answering machine that stated that the officer had located both Barney and the owners.
They live in a different neighborhood and go through our neighborhood for the sake of walking Barney...without a leash...did I mention that earlier?
Well, let me mention it again. Even after the owners knew that Barney had charged me and tried to bite me on several earlier occasions, they still did not feel that Barney needed to be on a leash and under their complete control when walking through our neighborhood.
As it turned out, the owners were talked to about the situation, it was suggested to them to leash their dog on its walks and that Barney was given 10 days in a doggy time out corner. Actually the official term would be that Barney was under quarantine at the owners house for 10 days and could only go out to use the bathroom in the owners fenced in back yard. Hopefully the owners will comply with the quarantine. But if they don't and Barney is out and about before the 10 day period is complete, a quick phone call to Animal Control will be in order
Luckily Barney rabies shots were all up to date.
It will be interesting to see if the owners make any changes when they return to our neighborhood to walk Barney. Hopefully they will bypass our neighborhood completely.
As for me, I cleaned the 2 small wounds completely, applied some antibiotic ointment and bandaged the area.
On a lighter note, Veronica and I packed up 99% of our items into the luggage that we will be taking on our cruise.
This is the earliest that we have ever packed our things up for any trip.
Only 17 days before we head out on our next adventure.