Trick or Treat? Dog attack

[thewildeman2]

Trick or treating here in Sheboygan is actually very well planned. It’s suggested that you only go from 4-7 pm and I’ve had a couple suggest that is the law here. The press recently posted the advice of the police department that while trick or treating you pay attention to where you go. If there is a problem, you should report it. Please remember that last sentence.

After going around with some friends, my son wanted to try a couple of houses on the way home so I let him. All went well until we approached one house that gave a pretty rotten trick with it’s treat. When the woman answered her door, her dog came out. It looked like a rat terrier but I admit I can’t be sure from the whirlwind that occurred next.

The dog immediately went into a barking frenzy and jumped on my son. He screamed in sheer terror and did what any 7 year old child would do, he tried to run and fell down the eight or so front steps of the porch. I felt so much like I was moving in slow motion. Like I couldn’t get to him fast enough. That dog gave no quarter and followed down those steps right on top of him. He tried to get to his feet and that blasted thing knocked him right over again. I shouted and wanted to swing my cane, but my son’s body was too close. The woman had the nerve to try and tell him to just stand still. By this time, he’s in my arms. The candy bucket is in the driveway with a tell-tale trail right up to the top of the stairs. My son is absolutely screaming in my arms.

The woman gets her dog inside and I start checking for injuries. He thought the dog bit him but there was no blood, no broken skin. The woman starts telling me how her dog doesn’t bite. Sorry if I’m skeptical but after what I witnessed of it’s behavior, you’ll never convince me. She invites us inside, you have to be kidding me, I just want to get my son and what’s left of his things and get out of there. Then she tells me her excuses about how she didn’t think anyone else was coming so she let her dog in. Then tells me she knows how territorial he is. I want to shout at her and give her a serious piece of my mind. It wasn’t 7 pm yet and her porch light was on. Am I wrong that such is an invitation for trick or treating? Or did I suddenly get beamed to another planet. She gave him an extra piece of candy and we left. He could care less about the candy now, his favorite costume was ruined.

Now, remember that fateful advice to call about problems? I did, I called the police dispatch and my night got quite a bit worse. The dispatcher was halfway understanding but that deteriorated to completely dismissive in short order. She told me a ticket couldn’t be issued so there was really nothing they could do. She said “We can’t go out and be everyone’s parents.” This is what I got for following the advice in the press and trying to be Mr. Good Civilian and report a problem. Tickets are not the only way to handle problems with the law. Education is another approach. She did finally say that she would see if someone could talk to her but she had repeat herself ad-nauseam on the ticket issue. I couldn’t help but feel like a waste of time. Like the last thing in the universe I should have done was call the police. I didn’t use 911 either, I called the NON emergency number. I even tried to say I wasn’t looking for a “ticket” but that made it worse. So this ended our night and made me wonder. Just how bad should anything be before I decide to make that call?