No, I Don’t Get to “Play With Dogs” All Day

Animal professions are not all fun and games, especially working with dogs who bite people.

Recently I heard about an unfortunate circumstance where a dog attacked the trainer that the family was working with, sending them to the hospital with serious injuries needing surgical intervention. I count my lucky stars every day that that was not and hopefully will never, be me. But it is a risk that I take choosing this as my career.

My job is dangerous. I work with dogs who have bite histories every single day. This past week alone, two thirds of the dogs I saw had previously bitten someone, and that’s a normal week. I see dogs who have sent people to the hospital, caused surgeries, broken bones, amputated appendages, and killed other dogs. It is not a joke, or fun, or playful. I choose to specialize in working with aggression and there are not many other trainers who see the same severity and frequency of cases that I see - but, even dog trainers who just do basic training run the risk of being bitten or attacked. Even if their risk is lower than mine, it’s still a risk.

And yes, since training is not a regulated industry, there are more trainers than there really should be who do unfortunately provoke aggression while working with dogs… but even someone with the best intentions can make mistakes. Even the most cautious can sometimes become complacent. It happens to the best of us. And it has happened to me.

Events like this remind me to stay on my game and stick to my rules because I am not invincible and it could happen to me, too. I have safety rules for a reason. Every time a client gives me resistance because I ask them to secure their dog in a certain manner or I ask them to not walk their dog towards me or because I don’t physically touch or interact with their dog, THIS is why I don’t bend my rules. This is also why I don’t hesitate to cancel and reschedule appointments if I am not feeling well. I can’t give my 100% if I don’t feel good and that’s not safe for me or others involved.

I’ve been bitten my fair share of times. Mostly from working as a veterinary technician and also a handful of times from my own dogs. Thankfully bites from client dogs are few and far between. I’ve had plenty of punctures and lacerations, some pretty deep. I have more scars from dogs than I can count. Some indentations in the muscle surrounding scars. A week or so of limping or not being able to use a hand. Some ruined tattoos. But thankfully that’s all, nothing that was ever severely debilitating or life threatening. And for that I am grateful.

Next time you hear about someone who is in any type of animal related career, just know, that it’s not all fun and games. There is serious risk involved and even though that’s a choice that we make, we don’t appreciate when others disregard it’s seriousness.

For all my fellow animal professionals, I wish you safety today, and every day.