Eaten Alive: How Kittens Saved My Life

I use to breed my Kuvasz dogs and train them. Often people would wait a year or longer for me to train them. Mostly women and children were the homes they went to. They are still a rare breed of dog. They were almost extinct after the German war. Very few Americans or Canadians breed them and often the breeders give a limited registration, making it impossible for new breeders. The dogs can be pricey for potential buyers and they often have to have a lengthy resume. When I sold them as puppy's I spoke with the potential owners to make sure they knew how socialized these dogs had to be. There was information and lengthy emails and conversations. These pups were always sold before they were born. That gave time to know and correspond with the new owners. Often they had previously owned one and knew the behavior of the dogs. Kuvasz have to stay socialized. As a puppy, if two weeks went by without being with strangers, they would become aggressive. With hard work, especially the first year, these dogs were remarkable. They were one owner dogs, if ever separated they would never stop trying to find you. If ever given away, they would never be the same.

The dogs could be taught anything. I taught them the find it game. You teach them how to find, for example; your child. So if you ever lost your child in a store, you could simply tell your dog to find him. The dogs had great sniffers and through socialization, learned good and bad. The mail man during the day was good, but in your house while your sleeping is bad. The dogs instinctively knew when and when not to bark. If someone broke into your house while sleeping they would not bark to warn them of their presence, rather just attack. They left single tracks, like a wolf and the California wildlife recommended them to fend again bears and wolves in two or more packs. The Germans killed them first when invading homes, because they knew these dogs were so faithful. They could run as fast as a horse and jump as high as the man sitting on it, to drag him off. I heard a story about a man owning one who had coyote problems and once a year the kuvasz would seek them out and line the bones around the property to warn any other coyote intruders. So now you know about the Kuvasz breed of dog, maybe you could understand why they can be very beneficial to women and children who live alone, if trained and socialized consistently, during the puppy ages. While I trained them I never bonded with them. I kept them separate from me, until it was time to go out. That way they would bond with the new owner, from the love they gave from living inside the home with them.

I sold a puppy to a local man, from my own town. Through the months of waiting for birth and the 8 weeks they stayed with their mother, we talked alot. He had already learned of these dogs and researched them, before seeking me out. He wanted a puppy. I felt confident in selling the puppy to him. He had his fence in place for the puppy, which is a requirement . He had all the info that i could give, including the info to take home and keep. Also, i am always here to answer questions. As you can imagine, one of the first things to teach them is to walk on a leash and at 8wks of age, i had already begun that process, it is just a matter of keeping it up. You have to walk on a leash before you can take them out to the park etc., to keep them socialized. After I sold him the dog, I got a call from a woman who he had given the dog to. The woman was his sister,. It had been his intentions the entire time, to give her the puppy. But unfortunately I had never spoken to her, until she called after the pup had turned 9 months old. At nine months old, the pup is getting close to 100lbs. and very strong. She needed help keeping him fenced and he had not been leash trained. I spoke to her about electric fencing, since hers seemed to be old and was easily pulled at for the dog to escape. She had said she couldn't handle the dog, but her brother wanted her to keep it. Well I could tell the woman had some age on her, possibly 65 years or more. She had called me again to ask if I could re home it. I told her that it would be near impossible because it was not socialized. Through again another call, she said her brother was fixing the fence. The calls went on for nearly three months. Ending with it not being leash trained and she couldn't get it home, when it escaped. I said that I really couldn't do anything at this stage. She finally convinced me that it was very friendly, when it got out, it just went to play with the neighborhood kids that had come home from school. She told me that the dog always tried to go home with anyone that came to visit, by trying to get in the car with them.

So the plan was since I felt the dog was too strong for her, that i would pick up her friendly dog and try to leash train it for two weeks and in the meantime if I had someone capable, meaning with knowledge and experience with Kuvasz that wanted to take him on, I would re home him for her. The plan was to bring him home and let him sniff around the living room, get a harness on him so he can go on a runner and pull til his heart was content, learning that he was safe but also could not get away from the leash. Once he started giving in, through a few days time. I would begin taking him on short walks. Then I would take him on longer walks til I could take him in public, slowly, through the next couple of weeks, so when she got him back he would no longer be pulling. Of course their was a possibility with some training he might be able, to be re homed.

If I had not believed her about his friendliness I would not attempted this. When me and my 10yr old son got to her house, i ck'd out the dog. The woman and her brother were both there. The dog was very friendly, wagging his tail and ready to go. But before we got into the car. She said maybe we should take him and just drop him in your field. I didn't understand her reasoning at the time and should of took that as my first red flag. Why would i put him with other male dogs, that he doesn't know and I thought how would that be leash training him. But it was a fleeting thought, I was busy making a new friend. I was one of those people who always picked up strays and tried to help them get back home or find them a new home. I never thought twice. Anyhow, as we were driving home with the Kuvasz, he was a little boisterous and wanted to come into the front and i drove with my arm blocking him. My son said that he really didn't like that dog. That was my second red flag. After all this use to be my puppy, when I get home, his senses will kick in and he'll know he's safe and start calming down.

After we got into the house, I asked my son to put the kittens, that i was finding homes for into the game room, which is where I knew my son was headed. Meanwhile I got the harness. I was knelt down and he was on his back getting his belly rubbed. I let him smell around for a few minutes while i stood between the living room and dining area adjusting the harness. At that time he was in front of me facing the other wall, wagging his tail. He turned and grabbed my right arm. I was shocked and when i looked at him, for a moment i think he was shocked, but then he started chewing my arm and then shaking it. I think I was screaming. What I hadn't thought much about was my son going from the game room to his bedroom and shutting his door about 3 minutes before. Which is really, really important to know. I took my left hand a tried to push him away. I couldn't pull away. He grabbed that hand and was rapidly and repeatedly biting through my hand. So I took my right hand and again started trying to push as I looked around me for something. I didn't even have the cordless phone on the receiver. I couldn't get him to stop long enough to try and jump on the counter(as if that would of helped). I consciously did not kick. It took alot of self control not to kick. I knew what ever distracted him from eating one thing, that is what he would eat next. I knew if I kicked that he would get my legs and I would be down. He was standing on me, face to face, shaking my arms, tearing through me.

He was trying to get my throat. I sacrificed my arms to save my throat At the time I didn't even feel the claws tearing up my legs and sides, as I kept trying to turn my body away. I no longer could feel my arms, but somehow i could keep holding them there. I couldn't stop screaming. I just couldn't. So as I screamed, don't come out of your room. Don't come out. Over and over, that is what i kept saying. If my son would come out he would surely die. Thank God he listened to his mother for once. When you hear dogs fighting, you never think of being on the receiving end and hearing the sounds they make. I still hear the sounds of his, I guess you could call it growling. Growling just doesn't cover the description. It's vicious. I wasn't really giving up, but I had the thoughts of; when my arms are gone then how will i block my throat. i can't feel my arms and he's still eating them, there really isn't anything i can do. The hope of saving myself was gone. But it wasn't like i was giving up. I just had a reality check. All along, I'm screaming. I look over the dogs shoulder and i see those sweet little kittens. I guess the awful sounds and attack had them hiding under my dining hutch across the room. The kittens are in a single line of just the two of them. One kitten precisely behind the other. You know the thoughts of distracting the dog with something and it would attack it. The thoughts of my son coming from his room or if i kick it, it will grab my legs. Well in that single file the kittens each pushed against each of the dogs back legs, the dog realized something was there, and let go and turned around and his head went to the floor, as he ran after them. Giving me seconds to run. the door to run outside was right there. I ran to my sons room instead. How i opened the door, i still can't remember. my son had got his window open and jumped out. He had to be horrified from all the blood. hearing his mom scream for what seemed like hours, maybe it was only minutes. i have no time perception for that memory.

I was in the hospital for a while, and had two surgeries trying to get that thumb on right. Yeah, it left the thumb barely there, well separated it from my hand. Because the bites went through the palms of my hands i had to constantly have antibiotics going through an IV. and morphine, when you are bit through the palms the infection tries to travel straight to your heart. They wouldn't stitch me up because of possible infections. Even my thumb couldn't be fixed at first. Now i can use my thumb some. I had to practice using my fingers and arms. The muscles and nerves had to regrow.

My second day at the hospital the woman who owned the dog called. She said she didn't want anything to happen to the dog. Well I had been asked if i wanted them to wait to see if it had rabies or have it decapitated. Guess which one i picked. She also said that she had just had the dog a few days. She then explained that she had found a home for it, but the people brought it back after having it for two weeks. Attorneys tried to get the information about those people from her, but she wouldn't say. Since the law says first bit for free in the state of Tennessee. Well the law protects her and unless its proven that it had been done before, the hospital bills are my own. Lots of hospital bills, still. Although its been 2years later this July 07'. You know, if i hadn't had the dog put down and it was returned to her without rabies, who's to say she wouldn't give it to someone else having the knowledge of what it had done to me. It could of been my child. No one keeps track. The have the law, first bite for free, but who keeps the records? No one.

Those kittens had to of come from of the game room when my son momentarily opened the door, to go to his room. i had never seen them leave the room, but they must have. I imagine how scared they must of been, and how they must of went against every instinct inside of them to come forward. Would a kitten really do that? How about two? Can they plan? Of course i found them a home, with me. They really aren't that smart, they get stuck in trees and i have to call tree climbers to get them out. So I've summed it up to angels. Angels used what they had, kittens. It just wasn't my time and i can't wait to find out why.