A tough day at Chilly Pepper - Miracle Mustang

I think this is one of the hardest things I have ever written.  However, you have to tell the truth, and that means the good with the bad.  I made a huge mistake today and our life changed forever.  We never ever leave the babies unattended, that is why we literally move in with them.  It never occurred to me in a million years that what happened today was even possible.  I would never ever leave any of the babies or critters in a situation that I thought could be dangerous.

Today started out fabulous, as we were getting ready for Robin & Denise to arrive for the big introduction to Rocky.  I fed Collins his breakfast, (or whatever meal of the day it was) and then I opened the door to the baby yard and let him outside.  That simple action changed our lives forever.  After I let him out, I was heading inside to use the restroom.  I stepped into the kitchen and heard a horrible noise.  This all happened within a minute, or so it seemed.  I never even made it to the bathroom. I opened the door and Collins had been attacked by two of the dogs he had grown up with.

I feel beyond horrible, as the first rule of taking care of these babies is to never leave them alone and to ALWAYS have someone watching them.  That is why life stops when we get them.   If we go somewhere we take them with us.  That is why he is so good in the trailer already.   However, I made the mistake of thinking I could just run to the bathroom.  I had zero, absolutely no reason to be concerned about the dogs as far as I knew.  We raised them from pups, they have spent time with us in the nursery and they sleep beside our bed every single night.  They have slept with Collins and at least two babies before, although always with us there.

But for some reason they snapped this morning.   I am sure Collins was probably bucking and kicking and chasing around, but for some reason they attacked him.  When I heard the noise, I ran back to the door and he was standing there and the dogs were attacking him.  

We immediately took him to the vet where he was examined and given antibiotics and some banamine to relax him.  Doc had us bring him back to the warm nursery so he could calm down and relax, before he was sedated to the point where he would be as comfortable as possible while being treated.  

Doc said that we were lucky because the wounds were not on his legs and joints, and he is sure that he will be fine.  He said it was obvious the dogs didn't know what they were doing as they missed the critical areas.  Doc stitched up the areas he could and left a couple areas to heal open.  He then gave Collins some meds and us instructions for his after care.  He felt he would be able to travel, but we will take it a day at a time.

Unfortunately, after this kind of attack, we had very little choice but to put our beloved pups down.  They went quietly in our arms, and I know my mom was waiting for them in heaven.  Once dogs start this type of behavior, you simply cannot guarantee that it won't happen again.  We tried to save a shepherd that had acted in a similar manner before, and she continued to kill.  Most often, they don't normally stop going after the blood.

Collins is resting quietly at this moment, and we are just taking it an hour at a time.  It was hard to share this, first and foremost because I feel responsible.  Even though I would have bet my life on the fact that this couldn't possibly happen with these dogs, Collins is my responsibility and I let him down, and ultimately I let my  dogs down also.  We will never understand what triggered it, or why it happened.

So now all we can do is give Collins the best rehab possible, and move forward, while waiting for the heartbreak to subside.  We appreciate lots of prayers as Collins needs them.

God bless!

p.s.  We are waiting for Robin and Denise to get here so she can meet Rocky.  As much as our hearts hurt, we need to be there for Robin and make this occasion as special as she is.  But I wanted y'all to know about Collins and how a few minutes alone can change an orphan's life.