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Poor Freckles has suffered enough in her life. She lived for at least seven years the shelter as a night guard dog and has numerous scars from fights she had with rats. The previous shelter manager insisted on using plastic containers to store the dog food and rats chewed right through them. Since Linda took over and bought metal storage containers with secure lids, rats are rare in the kennel now. Freckles was an excellent ratter and she deserves a well earned rest.
Things have calmed down considerably since the attack on Freckles. Inky rests her head unafraid on Apache’s rump. Apache was one of the dogs that was in the attack on her. Inky will miss Freckles the most I think. They used to groom each other for hours on end.
Five dogs are suspected in the attack on Freckles: Ginger, Kaiser, Apache, Ivory and Sweet Pea.
When they go outside you would never guess that a terrific battle had taken place between some of the dogs.
Our first reaction was to put all five dogs down immediately. But we decided to let ourselves cool down first and examine them individually when we were not so emotionally charged. I wonder if they have any idea that their lives hang by a thread. We are considering their whole history and temperament before making a decision.
The first is Ginger, implicated by a blood spot on her side, which could have come from contact with either Apache or Kaiser who were covered with blood.
Ginger was found in January 1995 half frozen, starved and sick a few blocks from our house by some neighborhood children who brought the half dead puppy to us. Her age was estimated to be 4 weeks, way to young to be separated from the mother. One child thought she belonged to another neighbor, but no one was home when we checked. She spent a week at the vet's office on the brink of death. She had distemper and the vet did not think she would live long. Finally we brought the still weak pup back home and slowly nursed her back to health. The first few nights we could barely sleep because she snored so loudly. We still do not know how such stentorian noises can come from such a small dog. Now, we cannot sleep unless we hear those snores. She was the only new dog to be accepted by Tippy after Bear died. In return she provided Tippy with some companionship and canine love in the last few years of her life.
She has been a loving and loyal if not so obedient companion her whole life. She loves car rides and chasing birds. When chasing a bird, she is oblivious to anything else around her. In the car she has to see EVERYTHING and has broken harnesses and pulled out anchoring bolts in her efforts to be at all the windows at once.
While she has growled, snapped and barked at other dogs in the past, she has never actually attacked one, while we were around. The only fight she ever got in that we have seen was when Max attacked her and Apache and Kaiser joined in the attack on her. In that attack she got a few puncture wounds but we broke it up before any real damage was done. She was also implicated in the attack on Inky. In this case the evidence was a wound above her eye. Of course that could be from a separate incident, unconnected to the attack on Inky. I will go into that in more detail later.
Here is a picture of our baby Gin Gin. Could such an innocent face be the cause of so much hurt and misery? Possibly, but I am very doubtful.
The next dog in our list is Sweet Pea, and she is the one that I am concerned about the most. She was supposed to be a short term foster, while being treated for heartworms. Unfortunately, she was also pregnant and for some reason the rescuer who was to take her decided that she wouldn't take her after the pups were born.
She was a good mother, which probably came from experience. She was and is very protective of the pups. She is playful, but very selective about what other dogs she associates with, and from what I have seen will nurse a grudge. I have seen her initiate an attack on Inky and on Ginger, both of which I aborted, but I have to watch her as she waited until she thinks we are not watching to try again. She is not happy with her rank in the pack order and is constantly challenging the higher dogs. When they were going outside one day, she started to push past Ginger. Ginger barked at her and she went after Ginger.
These attacks would normally be settled between the two dogs quickly, but when Sweet Pea Attacks, at least 2 of the pups follow her lead and join in by rushing at the other dog barking loudly. (I haven't seen any of the pups actually bite, but the rushing in and Barking do not help the situation.) Additionally Kaiser and Apache then join the attack, and those two do bite. When Sweet Pea attacks she goes for the shoulder and legs.
Apache is next; she came to us as a puppy from the shelter. Like Ginger, we have not seen her initiate an attack, but she will join in. This is strange to me as she is so loving to the other dogs normally. She will groom and lick Inky and Freckles. She will let them sleep on her and do all sorts of things to her without retaliating. However, if one dog attacks another, she is in there joining the one with the upper hand. Her idea of heaven is to play with Prince and the puppies or to curl up next to one of us while we sleep or watch TV. She is implicated by bite marks on her neck, chest and side. She also had blood on her coat. When Apache attacks she goes for the back, which is where some of the largest wounds Freckles has are located.
Kaiser is another one who has never been seen to initiate an attack, but like Apache, she will join in on a fight on the side of the winning dog. She is implicated by some small wounds on her legs and by the fact that she was covered in blood. In play she goes for the ear, and Freckle's ear was chewed up pretty badly.
The last is Ivory. She is a chicken who flees or flips on her back at the first sign of a strong response. Along with the blood she sports a puncture wound on her left paw. In fact one theory on how the fight may have started goes like this. The pups, in play mode rush at Freckles, who snaps at them getting Ivory. Sweet Pea, seeing or hearing her pup get injured goes into attack mode. Freckles tries to leave the area. Seeing Freckles attempt to leave as fleeing from a stronger attacker, the pups, Kaiser, Apache and possibly Ginger join in the attack. Unlike Inky, Freckles fought back and injured most, if not all of her attackers. While she could have held her own against one or two attackers, the group that came at her was too much for her to handle.
RIP Freckles --- 1993(?) to Nov 17, 2003. -- We love you girl.
), it always happens when Chuck or I are home, either alone or together. We've never had any serious fights that ended up with a dog serious enough to go to the vet, but there's always a first time. But, we pretty much know who the trouble makers are, and make sure that they are aware that we are aware! 
Oh, jeez, I thought........