Champ is the
name he was given by his previous owner.
We rescued Champ on Nov.24,1997. Tim and I had gone to see "Starship Troopers"
and after the movie let out, there was a woman in front of the theater trying
to give this dog away.
He was scared and whining and had been snake bitten. He looked so sad.
So, Tim and I discussed it and decided to give him a home.
We had 50 miles to go to get home and the ride was nothing short of tense.
We have a small car and I had Champ in between my legs in the front seat.
I don't know if he'd ever been in a car.
He was panicky half the time and whined almost the whole time. We did
get home and we put him in the pen we have our outside dogs in.
Elum is like a mother hen. He shadowed Champ, licked his head and ears
and seemed to be saying welcome.
Clint sniffed him and then ignored him and wanted to have all of mine
and Tim's attention.
Chelsea was the same, not very interested in Champ.
Champ snapped at Elum and Clint a few times, nothing serious. Champ really
just wanted us to let him out. We checked on them periodically through the
night and as Champ seattled down, all seemed well.
The next day I called the number on Champ's collar. I spoke with an elderly
lady who had owned Champ. She said Champ was a present for some guys girlfriend,
but when they broke up, the guy took Champ back.
I'm not sure how she ended up with him, but she did. She had him for about
4 years. She said he was kept chained to a tree and she wanted someone that
had lots of land and could let him run lose have him.
She also said something about having a lot of goats (??).
Anyway, she had given him to someone about a month before. The woman at
the theater had said her brother-in-law gave Champ to her, because he lived
next to the highway and didn't want Champ getting run over.
She had taken him home and he had beaten up on her dogs. Her husband was
yelling at her to get rid of Champ and she couldn't come back home with him.
So, that was Champ's story.
We were leaving for the Thanksgiving holiday and had already made plans
to board the 3 outside dogs.
We took Champ and our other three to our vet for boarding, with just a
small growling match between Elum and Champ.
We left on our trip with instructions to the vet to check Champ out and
give him his shots.
The next time we saw the four dogs was Monday after Thanksgiving. Tim
and I went to the kennel to get the four dogs.
Clint and Chelsea and Elum were loaded into the back of the car and I
waited for Tim to bring Champ to me.
As they got to the front door of the car, Elum jumped over me from the
back seat and attacked Champ.
I guess Elum had sat in that kennel for four days building up more and
more hostility towards Champ, because I had never seen him act so aggressive.
Problem, Elum is about 7, and he weighs about 50 lbs. Champ was about
4 and weighs 70 lbs and was very strong.
Champ clamped down on Elum's face and would not let go. This fight was
very short however and Champ did let go and we did make it home without another
incident.
I put Champ in the pen, then Clint came and as Clint ran in, Elum slithered
passed Tim and attacked Champ again.
People, I've never seen such a brutal fight. This was a fight to the death
on both of these dogs part.
If Tim and I hadn't been there to break it up, Elum would be dead today.
Champ had Elum's face in his mouth most of the fight. Champ clamped down
and he would not let go. We couldn't pry his mouth apart for the world.
Tim was hanging on to Champ's collar and I had Elum's. Elum had gone
limp a number of times, and I was screaming "He's going to kill him".
At one time Champ was all the way in one of the dog house's and had Elum's
face in there with him, with Tim hanging on to Elum's legs.
Tim dragged Champ out of that house with Elum's face.
Champ had taken him in there for the kill and possibly dinner.
I started beating Champ in the head with a leash and Champ let go of Elum.
Guess what? Elum attacked Champ again before I could grab him.
Champ didn't have Elum in his mouth for long this time and Tim had Champ
and I had a bloody, beaten, Elum.
I rushed Elum back to the vet. He was bleeding profusely and I was about
to have a nervous breakdown.
Elum stayed at the vet for 2 days.
All of the cartilage in his left ear was broken, he had a hole all the
way through his lip and a hole right between the eyes from Champ's teeth.
He also had lots of minor teeth marks.
I had him neutered while he was there.
Tim had a minor wound from the ordeal and I escaped unharmed.
When I got home from taking Elum to the vet, I took some antiseptic out
to the pen to treat Champ's wounds, he had one small scratch on his nose.
He had lots of blood on him though.
Champ was really a good dog. He loved us and we understood that what he
did to Elum was instinct.
So, we had a pen added on to the one we already have and Champ lived there.
Champ was also neutered. I guess I know why his name was "Champ".
 UPDATE 2-21-98 Champ
and Elum took turns living in the smaller pen. Champ got into a fight with
Chelsea and bit a hole right through her ear. He hasn't fought with her since.
He periodically fought with Clint though. Champ had an equal contender in
Clint. In fact I think Clint won most fights. He and Elum fought right through
the fence.
UPDATE 4-8-98 Champ
and Clint got into a pretty bad fight today, but Clint can hold his own.
I wish Champ could get along with the other dogs. It is really a shame.
UPDATE 7-18-98 There
haven't been any more fights in some time. Champ is settling in and seems
to be happier.
UPDATE 11-7-98 Champ
died of acute pancreatitis. We buried him on our property next to Tim's dog,
Mule and his cat Max.
Clint, Elum and
Chelsea
love to romp around and play with each other, but Champ would just sulk and
attack them.
This is Elum and Champ fighting through the fence.
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