If you follow Beebo on social media, you know that he was attacked the evening of March 16, 2020.
So many have you have sent him positive healing vibes and supportive comments and we're forever grateful to have such a great community online. We've also received a lot of questions about what exactly happened, what the vet said, and how Beebo reacts to dogs now. I never told the story of what happened on Beebo's social media and frankly I was afraid of the feedback I would get (we'll get into that later). But it's been almost three weeks and I've taken some time to reflect on what happened and I finally feel ready to talk about the whole situation and answer all your questions.
What exactly happened?
I took Beebo out on our daily after-work walk. Our apartment complex has a little dog park next to our building that we always walk by to get back home. That night there was a pitbull running around inside and Beebo got a little too close to the fence as we were walking by. The other dog reached through the fence and attacked Beebo and tried to pull him into the park through the fence. I grabbed Beebo and we started heading towards our apartment when I noticed Beebo was licking his face a lot. When we went under a light, I saw his snout was bleeding and he was shaking. I called after the owner since he was about to leave the park. He said he didn't see what happened since he was throwing away a poop bag and that he would be back to talk to me after he puts the dog away.
We waited for a few minutes before the owner's girlfriend came out and took a look at it. She said that Beebo's wound looked like a little scratch and that he wouldn't need to go to a vet. I insisted on going and got her contact information. Before she left she had mentioned that their dog has never attacked another dog before but they have been in the process of trying to get rid of him for a while now.
The Emergency Room
I called Beebo's usual emergency vet (The Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic) and immediately headed over. While we were waiting, Beebo was licking my arm as if he was trying to comfort me. At this point my arms, legs, and bag had his blood all over. When we got called in for our turn, Beebo's butt was trembling which happens when he's scared. I explained the situation and then we waited in the room for the doctor to see him.
Luckily for us, Dr. Kerby was in that night and he is a huge fan of corgis. He had a corgi cap and tie on and he immediately made Beebo feel better. Beebo got really comfortable and was smiling again as the doctor was looking at him. He went over two options. First, we could put him in a cone and give him antibiotics and pain medication and see if it heals up on its own. The second option would be to do surgery to help the wound close up, but because of where the wound was, he can still lick the stitches off and it may not heal faster than the other option. The second option was also 3-4 times more expensive. I called Beebo's dad and the two of us and the doctor ultimately decided to go for the first option and if it got worse, we would go for surgery. They took Beebo to the back to clean out the wound and put the cone on.
The Healing Process
The first night was the roughest night of both of our lives. Beebo had a really hard time getting used to the cone so I had to pick him up and place him wherever I needed him to be. I hand-fed him water and tried to get him to lay down to sleep since we had gotten home a little past midnight. Beebo was in so much pain that we laid in bed and stared at each other while he cried all night. At around 4:30AM I gave up trying to sleep and I took Beebo outside. He couldn't figure out how to go potty with the cone on but we worked together for about an hour to get him used to walking with the cone.
That entire day he moped around the house and didn't want to be around anyone. He was able to get a little bit of sleep but otherwise he would cry from the pain.
The wound got worse before it got better. The first day he kept getting blood on his cone.
That day I also met up with the other dog's owner so they could pay me back for the vet bill and they had informed me that they already got rid of the pitbull. They said they have been trying to get rid of him for a while and this was the final straw. I don't know where the dog ended up but he lost his home within 24 hours of the attack.
All progress photos can be found on Beebo's Instagram, but after a couple days the wound scabbed over. He stayed really positive throughout the whole process and was being his smiley self. About a week later though, the scab peeled off and Beebo was in a lot of pain from it.
This really worried me because I thought it was going to get worse. He cried a little bit from it. After the scab peeled off it hardly looked any better than it did the first day. He also threw up and it slid down his cone and got all over his neck. I cleaned him up but he was absolutely miserable.
But the wound actually healed quite quickly after that and it's mostly filled up and pink now. We're hoping he continues to heal up just as fast.
Mom Guilt
I wanted to touch on this topic because I received a message about it. I dealt with a tremendous amount of mom guilt. Even now I still think that I shouldn't have let Beebo too close to the fence, I should've taken him to run errands first, or I should've taken a different route than our usual. The thoughts replay in my head and it kept me up the first few nights. I felt guilty that the other dog lost his home and that he is probably confused and lonely. I felt guilty every time I reached for Beebo's medication and I could see the panic in his eyes. I felt guilty because there's no way I could get him to understand that he needs to take his medication or to be in the cone so he can heal faster.
It took one message from someone to make me realize that this was all ridiculous. There's no way I could have known what would happen and I can't blame myself for all of this happening. What I DO know is that Beebo knows that I love him more than anything and that he trusts me. He knows that I'm doing my best and I can't beat myself up for not giving more.
I want anyone who may have or is currently dealing with guilt that it is completely normal to think those thoughts. It is NOT your fault. I know how hard it can be and our DM's are always open to anyone that wants to talk.
Thank you
I wanted to thank you all again so much for all of your supportive comments. I read every single one to Beebo and I know he is grateful for you all as well. Your support is really was what got both of us through this. It really meant a lot that people cared enough to check in with us throughout the process even though there's so much other craziness going on in the world right now.
Q&A
I posted on Beebo's social media for your questions. Although I answered a lot of them above, I thought I would take the most frequently asked ones and answer them directly below. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask us in the comments and I'll be happy to answer them.
What attacked him?
I never directly answered this question on Instagram because I know that pitbulls have a bad reputation and I didn't want to feed into that. Beebo and I have met so many sweet pitbulls and we don't think they are a bad kind of dog. However, I do believe that the owner and how well they train the dog makes a huge difference.
Did he get stitches?
He did not get stitches. The worst cut was right by his nose and getting stitches there may not have worked better than letting it heal naturally since there's no way to stop him from licking it. Thankfully he healed up just fine without them.
How is he around other dogs now? Do you think he has fear of other dogs or any trauma?
This actually wasn't the first time Beebo got attacked. He actually got attacked almost exactly a year prior by another pitbull at a dog park. They were playing and then it suddenly turned around, grabbed Beebo by the face, and played with him like a ragdoll before throwing him into mud. Fortunately all that happened was that Beebo was missing chunks of fur on his face but he made a full recovery.
That being said, I don't think Beebo has a fear of other dogs. He still tries to make friends with other dogs he sees, big and small. He's also walked by the spot where the attack happened and he has been fine for the most part. I think there have only been two occurrences where he turns around and walks away when he sees the park.
Will it heal completely?
At this point I don't know. I think he will probably end up with a scar.
Thank you for sharing your story. I appreciate that you called out the guilt you had felt for the other dog. It saddens me that pitbulls have such a bad rap. When there are some out there with hearts of gold. It truly comes down to the owner and being accountable to raising a well-behaved pup. We are very glad to see Beebo is better and doing ok after the attack. Dog attacks are so scary especially as a corgi owner. Keep being the best dog mom you can be! Beebo loves you no matter what. Sending lots of love from @missdaisythecorgi and her crazy corgi mom
I just read this blog, after looking at your recent Instagram post. It must have been terrifying for you and Beebo. I hope he recovered completely from his injury. I am sad for the pitbull, too. His owners should have trained him better.
From Lynz_n_diego: another corgi owner and lover. I feel for you both. We love our dogs like they are our kids. We also love other dogs and don’t want to see any dog become homeless. It is just miserable when your dog is hurt and you cant do anything to help or explain to them why it hurts and how to make it better. He loves you and you love him and that’s what matters. I hope it keeps getting better for the both of you.
Beebo’s story hit me bad, not really sure why but the night I saw the post ended up in tears.
I’m so happy that the little guy is getting better, best of luck for you guys, love youThanks so much for being very brave and strong for Beebo! Your bond will even be stronger now! The fact that you have compassion for the other doggie is a testament to your character. You are right, you cant feel guilty! It must be hard cause those furbabies can’t tell you how they feel. We just love Beebo and are praying for a complete recovery for the little buddy! You are an amazing Corgmom and thanks so much for sharing your story. ~ Lorri
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