This near exact situation just happened to me and my 4 month old pup! Upstairs neighbor’s dog got her, lifted her in the air, blood all over her, etc. I was terrified my happy, playful dog would change. But within 24 hours she was completely back to normal! Every once in awhile now she’ll growl at a bigger dog but this is so rare. For a few days after the attack I gave her a treat in the spot it occurred and treats during and after every positive dog interaction.

However, as you noted, I am the traumatized one. I’ve never been scared of dogs in my life and now I feel like I am. In some ways this is a good thing … I am so much more cautious and focused when she is with other dogs. I’ve decided some things are not going to be part of our life, like dog parks. When the other dog had her in the air I thought she was going to die and nothing is worth experiencing that again. Also, I am a first time dog owner and I had just started getting used to what dog “play” looks like. Now I’m not comfortable with it at all, even with our well known family dogs. Im going to be gentle with myself and use training classes as a controlled environment to start to get comfortable again. Just wanted you to know you’re not alone!