Do you think you're having a bad day? Linda Floyd must have thought she was still sleeping and in the middle of a nightmare when she woke from a nap. Her big toe had been gnawed off, and to make matters worse, the culprit was her beloved companion, a miniature dachshund named Roscoe.
The Illinois woman has nerve damage from diabetes, which explains why she didn't feel the pain. It was determined that because the toe had been bandaged due to a recent removal of a healing hangnail, it somehow proved very attractive and appetizing to Roscoe. Not only did she lose a toe, but Roscoe had to be euthanized.
The breed is often vaunted for being extremely intelligent and dedicated to their "masters." My personal experience as an onlooker has at times been daunting to say the least. If I had known then what I know now, I would not have gazed in the direction of the dog's chosen piece of furniture, and simply stood during visits to owners of the breed listening to him growl. I also would have ignored his calculated carrying of the lesser dog's bowl to far areas of the neighborhood, hoping she wouldn't remember how to get home again. There is intelligent and there is diabolical.
Dogs are being used in therapy and in diagnosing some illnesses, especially cancer. Let us fervently hope they all have a bit more self control than Roscoe.
Hangnail causes miniature dachshund to gnaw toe off of woman
Frontpage - Top level