I haven't had a lot of dogs in my life up until recently. At least not ones I owned and got to keep for long periods. My family were frequent movers and we lived in a lot of houses that wouldn't allow pets. My longest though, was technically my second dog, and she was with us for about 1.5 years. Kia (Red Heeler, can't remember what they're called in the US) was given to me for my 12th birthday after my parents divorced and she was 3 years old at the time. Up until Ori and Jasmine now, she was also the longest time I'd had a dog.
Sadly though, she was very protective of me, and had a habit of "nipping" those who she thought were a threat to me, and she was also very aggressive towards other dogs. She was an absolute sweetheart usually, just had a VERY off temper, and my mother and I really at the time, weren't that dog-smart. She's still lacking in that department, I'm afraid. But she was never really an animal person like me. The neighbors had their little Jack Russell mix in their front yard one day (still remember the date, weirdly) and in the public housing we lived in at the time, and the rural town, there were no fences in between front yards.
Kia bolted out of the door when my uncle was opening it and me already in the front yard grabbed her collar...successfully, my uncle decided he could handle her better, brushed my hand away and missed grabbing it so she took off. The 15-year-old thought it was a really smart idea to break them apart with her hands at their mouths, and she got bit from Kia. 10 minutes after, I was in the most hysterical state locked up in in the bathroom with Kia, hugging her to me knowing exactly what they were out there discussing. I refused to come out knowing that they were talking about having Kia put down, but I had to come out eventually, my mother was in tears on the front lawn as I emerged, told her that she's sorry, she has no choice, I think I remember throwing a stick at her and screaming before running back into the bathroom and locking the door once more.
When the council came to get her the next morning, I tried running after the truck, but my uncle restrained me until they got halfway down the street, and I still chased them as far as I could before breaking down. I don't think I've truly ever gotten over it, and I never spoke to our neighbors again after that...I hope that girl's a lot wiser when it comes to breaking up dog fights again.
Wow. I'm sorry, I just realized how much of an essay this was.
