I Could Have Died

It was a great day. Festivities were heavy in the air as many people had already begun to celebrate. Two thousand twenty one was finally coming to an end. This realization brought a sense of undeniable relief and bitter sweet joy due to the time passing and the new year beginning. It hadn't personally been the worst year for me, but for mankind as a whole, it was devastating. I don't have to get into the details, but I think we'd all agree. I was ready to be done with it and planned a not so quiet evening at home with my children. On New Year's Eve at just after one, I heard a horrible commotion in my backyard. My dog was going crazy, growling, barking, and yelping, and there was a lot of banging which I later learned was his chain hitting his doghouse. He's usually fairly quiet, aside from the occasional cat, squirrel, or butterfly battle. He would also whine to be played with. He's a bit spoiled, but as a pet owner, similar to being a parent, you learn what the different sounds or tones mean. This was something completely different and far more urgent. I looked out my window to see two big, brown pit bulls circling and biting at him. I immediately grabbed a stick and went out to try to run them off. They were in the yard again. I'd seen these dogs on numerous occasions taunting him and my son. They'd usually run off when I yelled at them. Unfortunately, that was the day when I found out these dogs are not only a nuisance but also dangerous. They had been back and forth through the woods between me and my next-door neighbor's house for months watching me and my children, sometimes even chasing my oldest son, growling, and taunting my dog who is a mix and very short and small even at the age of three years. They've had my son so scared on a few occasions that he climbed on top of our grill and had to wait for me to come to get him. I swung my stick and yelled, running toward my dog thinking that they'd run as usual. This particular day, the biggest one decided she wanted to attack me. I immediately threw up my arms as she went straight for my neck, and I fell back onto the ground. She was on top of me in seconds, teeth snapping and grazing. I can't remember the last time I was so scared. I'm not sure what I did to get her off, but I got to my feet quickly and began to yell and swing my stick to keep them away. They ran, and I retreated into the house, shaking, thinking I'd need help or a better weapon if I was going back out. I was in shock and am now grateful that I thought again before I did something even more stupid and dangerous. I realized it could have easily been one of my sons, and again, we are in our own yard. My sons are eleven and one. This was the last straw. I called animal control who didn't answer, so I called the police to file a report. They came out, offered medical treatment, took my information, informed me that animal control would simply pass the call back to them, and went to talk to the neighbors. As it happens, the dogs were still loose. The neighbor was not home, and since my security camera shows the same dog in my yard the day before, I don't think they had just 'gotten out' as the neighbor claimed upon arriving. The officers attempted to keep the dogs contained until then but were unsuccessful. The bigger pit bull that attacked me attempted to do the very same with the female officer. She got a terrible surprise as the officer was better prepared than I. As a last resort, she did shoot the larger of the two in the leg. They later informed me that the dogs ran into the woods, so they are still out there somewhere. The neighborhood seems to think I went too far in calling law enforcement, and now I'm the 'bad guy', but being the person I am, I've always given people more chances than they deserve, and I gave them many. I felt a little bad, but I need my family to be safe. My babies could have easily been gone or without a mother had the situation gone differently. I don't know the outcome as it's unfinished, but I'm grateful. None of us died. We are still here!