From childhood teddy bear to Gloomy Bear.

Who is Gloomy Bear?

Gloomy Bear is a character that originates from Japan.

He is an angry bear who was adopted at a young age by a little boy named Pity.

Despite constantly being attacked by Gloomy, Pity knows that Gloomy is innocent in his violence.

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Yes, I may sound slightly extreme in my comparison but if you were in my shoes, you too would feel equally intense in your feelings.

Especially when you’re not used to being in this type of situation.

From Teddy Bear to Terrors: What Happened on My Second Walk with Vinny?

Now, you’re probably thinking, what in the world do bears have to do with dogs?

Well my friend, buckle up because today, I’m going to tell you the tail of my 1st battle scar(s) while volunteer with a shelter animal!

It finally happened, I mean I guess it was bound to happen but after 19 week of no problems of walking pups, my walking tails have hit a snag.

Do you remember my adventure with Vinny the fluffy teddy bear?

I decided to walk him again, 4 days later.

Do you remember that I mentioned the hesitation the staff members had regarding him?

They were the following:

1. Jumps on people and has long sharp nails that can cause injury
2. “Mouthy”

I experienced #1 on my 1st walk.

I had no problems with him jumping, he just wanted some attention and love and I gladly offered.

And 4 days later, I experienced #2.

The staff call it mouthy but I call it, places human arms and hands in mouth & bites.

This went down during our 2nd walk.

Oooooh my gosh, I was not expecting our walk to turn out like this, it was so sudden . . .

I don’t even know what happened to trigger this behavior but I was shocked when it took place.

He just went crazy and started lunging for my arms.

Mind you this isn’t some puppy nipping at ones arm, this is a 2 . . . going on 3 year old full grown dog biting for my arms.

I just finished talking to a lovely couple who were curious about his eyes.

He was well behaved during this interaction.

As we headed back to the shelter, he turned towards me and started jumping for my arms.

He grabbed hold of my right arm, I tried pushing him off yet he kept aiming for my arms.

As he jumped he would sometimes grab hold of the leash, teeth in full display and then he’d start reaching for my arms again. (Maybe my arms are made of beef jerky and I wasn’t aware?)

This went on for what felt like 10 mins but more like 2 mins.

Pushing him away, him grabbing for more of my arms, and pushing again.

It was terrifying, this repeating cycle of going after my arms!

No exaggeration here, I felt like I was one of those dog trainers that are armed with a bite sleeve, but in this case, I was without the sleeve.

That’s how intent he was for reaching for my arm.

I didn’t know what do???

I just kept hoping that this episode would be over soon.

Somehow I finally managed to call the shelter to report what was happening.

I told attendant #2 (this particular person is the same employee I referred to as #2 in my previous post about Vinny) that Vinny was being aggressive and mouthy, wrong choice of words, I should’ve just said biting me.

She said, “Yeah he does that to me too, he’s not aggressive . . .”

(Thinking to myself “Huh, not aggressive, excuse me? My arms were in the mouth of a strange dog, not once but multiple times, this is aggressive in my books”)

By this time I’m out of breath, she asked if I needed someone to come over for help.

I said, I think I can manage to return him to the shelter.

He eventually slowed down on gnawing and jumping on me.

With this brief opening, I hightailed it back to the shelter.

All I could think about while returning him back was, “What if he acted like this with a child?”

Once I returned to the shelter I was meet with 3 staff members.

Attendant #1 took Vinny back to his cage. (this particular person is the same employee I referred to as #1 in my previous post about Vinny)

And attendant #2 asked if I was okay.

They went on to say, “Yeah, Vinny behaves like a puppy by being mouthy but doesn’t realize he’s a big dog”

“This is way I don’t recommend volunteers walk him”

Me thinking to myself again “Well, I wish you would’ve fought harder on your position, so this whole situation could’ve been avoided.”

I wasn’t sure what the protocol is for volunteers when experiencing a troublesome dog.

I thought attendant #2 would ask to see my scars but they didn’t.

A few weeks back I heard about another walker who received a scratch mark from a dog.

They reported the injury and the dog was quarantined to insure safety.

I wondered if the same would happen to Vinny.

My next concern was rabies, I wanted to know if he was up to date.

So I spoke to another worker, let’s call them attendant #4.

They were more through and attentive about the situation.

They asked to see the scars and if he drew blood.

I showed them my wounds

“A little mark.” they said.

(I suppose, I think to myself but a marks a mark and when I arrived this afternoon, I had no marks on my arm.)

They connected me with an officer to file a report.

The officer asked me to recount the incident, he took some photos of the scars, got my info, and then explained the difference between a dog that is being playful and one that is aggressive.

His point of view: dogs that draw lots of blood are aggressive.

While dogs who bite your arm or kick you in the nuts; (I swear, these are his words), just need to be corrected.

He tells me, that Vinny was just being a playful pup is all . . .

Okay tell that to my arms!!!

I hope Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Body Lotion will help fade these scars!

We were standing outside Vinny’s kennel while having this conversation and he was jumping and scratching at the window.

The officer once more said, this behavior is a sign of excitement and playfulness.

For a moment, I thought I was in the Twilight Zone.

I couldn’t understand why they were downplaying a serious behavior problem.

I asked him what he recommends I do if I find myself in a similar situation.

He told me about his pets, a husky and pit bull who tend to hit him in the nuts.

To correct this behavior, he kicks them away.

So I guess my answer is to kick dogs when things get out of hand . . .

I asked if Vinny’s behavior of gnawing due to excitement will be available to the public because I don’t want anyone to be surprised by his antics.

The officer said yes, this incident will go on his record and Vinny will be quarantined.

He goes on to tell me if I feel dizzy or if my arms feel numb, I should visit my doctor for further assistance.

Scars of the Walk: A Look at My Dog Walking Mishap

Day of the event

Day after the event

The plan is to use Neosporin twice a day.

My arm is sore to the touch.

Why Do I Feel This Way?

Wanting to shake the incident off, I decided to continue walking.

As I walked down the halls in search of another dog to take out, I overheard the whispers of Vinny’s accident being scattered amongst the shelter staff.

As a recovering people pleaser I felt guilty for even bringing up the incident.

I know, it’s ridiculous of me to even feel that way.

Like somehow my safety and concern is less important then Vinny, the Siberian husky mix.

But in that moment, I felt insecure.

Lessons Learned: Essential Tips for Volunteer Walkers and Future Pet Parents

For volunteer walkers:

✱ Make sure for every dog that you want to take out, that you ask about the dog’s temperament

Don’t ignore any warning signs that the shelter staff have noted about a dog

✱ Take photos of your scars for your own record if you do encounter an accident

✱ Don’t ever feel guilty reporting a misbehaving dog. (Your action might prevent a more serious event from occurring)

For perspective pet owners:

✱ Don’t be afraid to ask about a dog’s history to get an idea of their behavior

You have the right to this information since you’re making a huge commitment of opening your home & heart to a shelter animal

✱ Ask questions, ask question, ask questions!

✱ Don’t ever feel guilty about returning a dog to the shelter

You and the dog (any animal really) deserve a stress free life

If it’s not a match, then it’s not a match and that’s okay

Bumps in the Leash: Why One Bad Walk Won’t Stop My Shelter Adventures

And that’s the tail of my unexpected walk with Vinny.

Went in for a walk and left with scars.

I’ll be honest, this incident did put a damper on my enthusiasm for volunteer shelter walking. 

But I’ll try my hardest not to let this experience get me down for too long.

It was just a bump in the leash and I shouldn’t let 1 bad experience cancel out the many great walks I had.

It was such a weird Thursday, it felt like it was Friday the 13th or something.

Which brings me to my next story.

As I was getting ready to leave, I crossed paths with a woman who was returning a dog she fostered for only 24 hours.

I knew this dog, we went on a stroll together, my walking buddy walked her and I another dog.

I admit I’m nosy, or as I like to say, curious.

I had to find out what caused this poor woman to have so much anxiety that she had to return this dog in less than 48hrs.

According to the woman, the dog bit her on the back and attacked her 13 year old pup.

Talk about a strange day in puppy land.

Hopefully my next walking recap won’t be filled with so much drama.

Give Me Your Paw-spective – Let’s Hear It!

Are you volunteer walker?

If so, were you ever in a similar situation with a miss behaving dog?

I invite you to share your story.

General question for animal lovers:

If a dog is grabbing your arms, what would you do in this situation?

And have you ever experienced a dog wanting to “play” with your arms and hands?

Howl at me in the comment section below!

This misadventure took place on Nov 21, 2024