permission to crosspost received. It is one of our own that needs help.

Sunday at the Ventura show in the photo area a Swiss Mountain Dog attacked the show photographer, Kitten Rodwell, and ripped off most her ear. They could not find all of her ear and she spent many hours Sunday night having reconstructive plastic surgery ..... ......... ......... she is an
emotional mess and very stressed that her insurance will leave her with 20% to pay.
The dog show family needs to join hands and help with even the smallest donation. If you are able her address is:

Kit Rodwell
P. O. Box 300400
Escondido, CA 92030

Why should you need to take up a collection? The owner of the Swissie should pay, don't you think?

Sure they should Pay and then some. How awful.

Thought Swiss Mountain dogs were supposed to be tempermentally wonderful.. If so, why was this dog being photograhed? For a win?????????????????? What is the owner of the offending dog going to do about it????/ Nothing>?

Her insurance will see it is an accident. They will go after the owner of the dog that attacked her's insurance if a report was filed. Along with that the club hosting the show has insurance or the site. It is a lot of work, but there are options. Until all is settled her insurance or the doctors/hospitals will not be hounding her or at least not at this point.
I had bills in excess of 500,000 for a high risk pregnancy/premature birth. If her bills are excessive her insurance will asign a case manager to help settle everything.

Greater Swiss Mtn dogs do NOT have good temperaments. They can be very nasty. I steer clear of them at shows.

The ones I have been around do not have a good temperament. Have heard some say they do but my experience with any I have been around is not good. More of a bully dog.

I agree with the last poster, stupid breeding is all it is... I know some very sweet swissies.... Its all on how you breed them... After all, we do have some very nasty labradors out and about....

Jen

Crosspost from the Curly-Coated Ret Forum....


Subject: Re: Kitten Rodwell, show photographer news

I was the one that posted this. I'm also getting feedback saying it wasn't
quite like it appears in this post. I've asked but not gotten permission yet
to forward this info. She is doing well considering and it was a dime sized
area of her ear that was torn. Either way a shame that something like this
had to happen to someone in our sport and by a dog who someone said had
already gone for someone the day before but wasn't turned in!*****
from Chessie person posted to chessie list
MORE from same chessie person
I have gotten a couple of "updates" on Kitten.

One said "The dog took about a dime size chunk out of her
ear. The ER doc arranged for a plastic surgeon to be waiting for
her at her local hospital. Kitten was in good spirits when I dropped
her off at
her hotel. Her biggest concern was not having to spend the night in
a hospital". Coming from the Emergency Coordinator for the show.

The next came from someone who was at the hospital with her and lives close enough, to
where she lives, to go by several times a day. "I was with Kitten at the hospital
Sunday night at her side while she had plastic surgery on her ear. She is at home and I
am over there numerous times of the day. She is in quite a bit of pain with what she
went through BUT she is handling it quite well. I do not know where all the wrong
information is coming from. She has not given anyone information about her insurance so
please tell all to send cards wish her well but quit spreading information that is not
true".

Regardless, most of what was first sent out is true, Kitten did get bit in the ear, it
was a Swissy, it was at the Ventura shows and she did get plastic surgery. She will have
tons of bills to pay, insurance or not and we all know that insurance companies take
their sweet time paying out.

I also heard that this same dog went for someone else the day before this incident and
ripped a bluetooth out of the persons' ear. Unfortunately these were novices and didn't
file any complaint against the dog, which might have saved Kitten from this painful
experience.

I do agree that the first people should file a complaint against that dog and that dog be
taken out of the gene pool, in fact, in my opinion, should be pts. A dog that bad has no
business being bred to perpetuate its' temperament, no matter if it is the most gorgeous
dog ever seen in its' breed, ANY breed. What happens next time if it is a child, and
there WILL be a next time if these incidents are any indication.

Gail Ferguson

Not so sure it was a Swissie. I have heard that it was a breed that was recently admitted to the AKC within the last few years. Also heard that this dog has had questionable displays of temperment in the past.

It was in fact a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, and I am aware of the actual dog that did this.

I have known many Swissies personally for 10 years as I have a family member who breeds them, and I have shown most if not all of her dogs. GSMD's can be a tough breed as they are very stubborn and they definitely need a 'pack leader'...however they have WONDERFUL temperaments when bred and raised properly, and make great family dogs. They are even great and gentle with young babies and I have trusted my own daughters with the Swissies I know, since they were infants.

It's unfortunate that this situation happened for both the photographer and the breed.

I just gotta ask. What were 2 different people's ears doing within reach of any dog at a dog show??
I don't get it??

How many times do dogs pass behind your chair, when you sit ringside at a show. For a Swiss Mountain dog, your ear is easily within reach. As for the photographer, sometimes people want a head shot or head study of their dog. It happens. Or the photographer may have been stooped down photographing at eye level with the dog. If the handler or the owner do not give you a head's up, that the dog is skitish of people or cameras or people with cameras, even if it is for something that might have just spooked the dog on that day (I think they have an obigation to), then incidents like this will happen.