She was a rescue dog and had apparently been previously abused. I was helping her owners load their dinghy with provisions. She struck without warning, in fear I think over close quarters on the dock and too many people. I had to step over her to get off the dock and it scared her. I got excellent care at the hospital and unlike most extensive dog bites, I did not develop any infection (I attribute this to the excellent work of the emergency room nurse). The owners offered to put her down, but I didn't really want that. They did consult with a dog behavior specialist and decided to keep her.

Interestingly enough, her owner is Canadian with some experience with their health care system . He, the owner, had lost an eye in a self inflicted accident. The Canadian health system paid for 3 operations, no cost to him. They even flew him to Boston to be examined by a specialist and would have paid for another operation her if he decided to go forward with it, which he didn't. The cost of US medical treatment was a real eye opener (lucky for him he still has one good eye)!