Almost lost my old lab to an otter attack.

[C-Money]

That's a strange story.. I've had several otter vs. dog encounters and only once was there a conflict and that was when my Chessy cornered a large male otter. All the other times they ran or swam away avoiding the dogs like the plague.

In your case it could be that the otters were very hungary and were fighting over who got the duck. I know otters love duck, had one steal one out of my duck sling only 20 feet away.

Wunder who would have won that battle? A Male Chessy is quite a force to reckon with!

Glad the both of you came out ok! Darn otters!

[Goshawk]

Thanks for all the good wishes.
Like I said, this lab of mine in well into the retirement stage so that's it for him. He's still stoved up from fighting. His cuts are healing nicely but one paw is swollen. At 14 this was not the fight he was looking for. What was so scary was the ease at which the otters would skid up on his back, grab the back of his head and just roll him upside down in the water. No dog could take too much of that from full grown otters. Then once he grabbed one it was a mob attack. 
I'll be sure to pack the largest steel shot legal next year, but this old dog will be staying home for everything except a wet hay field.
Later All.

[duck stamp]

Glad your dogs OK, the same thing happen to me years ago down at willapa, the weather had been below freezing for about 7 days and I shot this mallard and it landed in this small fresh water lake just inside of the salt my dog had to brake some ice and he was on his way to getting the duck when all of a sudden 5 otter came from no where and got to my duck first 2 otters grab the duck and the other 3 came at my dog doing that hissing, I shot up in the air and the 3 otters that were coming at my dog took off with the other otters with my duck.  I was abel to get my dog back safe. So now I am always looking around for otters.   Be careful.

[jagermiester]

I was pheasent hunting one time when my lab and an English pointer cornered a Barn owl on the ground. It was vicious and in the 20 seconds that it took for me to get the dogs pulled off my dog got cut up pretty bad. I was also with a buddy and his wirehair when the wirehair got into a knock down drag out bad fight with a racoon there was about three times that I thought that dog was going to meet his demise before we were finally able to split it up. What makes bird huntin fun is the dogs and it sure can be scary when something like that goes down.

[TheHunt]

When I was waterfowl hunting I always had lots of T's and F sized shot in 3 1/2 inch mags that I loaded myself.  That stuff will mess an animal up. 

We ran into some otters.    

[Encore 280]

Probably a good thing you're retiring the ol guy. Be interesting to see his reaction if ya took 'im back to the same spot. 

[Goshawk]

Had I asked him, he would have gone after another duck. That old dude has no "off" switch when it comes to feathers in the mouth.

Having said that, he did snore on the way home!

[mossy8352]

Had I asked him, he would have gone after another duck. That old dude has no "off" switch when it comes to feathers in the mouth.

Having said that, he did snore on the way home!

Glad you are semi retiring your old buddy.