[Codys ma]

I guess I should start with a little background info..I live with my sister and her boyfriend, Pat. Cody is now 17 months old and I get my own place in two weeks.

Cody is usually crated while I am at work, but Pat is on vacation this week so he has been out. Pat is quite intimidating to the dogs, yells and occasionally uses what I believe to be excessive force on his own dog. I haven't witnessed Pat using that type of force on Cody (he knows better) but then again, I'm not home all the time when he is.

This morning, Pat found an item from the trash on the floor. He got mad and picked up the item and asked the dogs who did it. Cody ran to the other side of the living room and Pat began to approach him. Cody's hackles went up and he bared his teeth. Pat then yelled at him to kennel and continued toward him. Cody ran under the coffee table, Pat went after him. Cody then ran to the corner of the living room where we have a dog bed, laid on the bed and rolled onto his back. Pat then went to him and went to grab his collar and Cody bit him on the hand. Pat moved his other hand to grab the other side of Cody's collar and Cody bit Pat on that hand as well.

I was not there to witness it, but from that information I believe Cody was scared. At first, he tried to warn him, then he ran. When he had nowhere else to run, he defended himself. Assuming that theory is right, I don't know why Cody was scared in the first place. It could have been that Pat was yelling, but Pat has yelled before and Cody didn't hackle and bear teeth. Was it because I wasn't there? I'm just at a loss here, I would love some input as to why this entire situation happened, what went wrong, and what can be done to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Pat is fine, he went to the emergency room because he had one puncture wound on each hand that was fairly deep. They had to file a report with Animal Control because it was a dogbite and I haven't heard anything from them yet. I am hoping they will allow me to quarantine him either at my home or the veterinarian's office as I don't want him to go to the rabies center. Then again, I don't even know if I will be able to keep Cody at the house for my remaining two weeks.

Any input on this situation would be greatly appreciated. I am very bewildered about this entire incident, I am still in shock. Cody is the most docile creature, and I know everyone has heard it before but I cannot believe that something like this happened with my dog. I've taken so many precautions. I just don't know what to do.

Kim