Dog Attack
Does anyone have any recommendations on what to do and/or carry if this should ever happen again? Not all dogs are nice and unfortunately not all owners keep their dog on leash or ahve control...  |
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| Wow that is scary! I am so glad you are both ok. Whenever I see loose, unaccompanied dogs, I cross the street and walk the other way. But it sounds like you were suddenly surrounded. You can't always anticipate it. And it is really hard to be prepared for all the terrible things that scary dogs can do.
I've thought about carrying a large marine horn because I think the noise would scare them, but I never actually remember to bring it with me. If you walk with a bottle of water, that could be useful in breaking up a fight. Or carry your cellphone and have the number for animal control programmed in. I suppose it is important not to act scared or wave your arms around. How did you escape? I sure hope it doesn't happen again! |
| Lucky you to escape - it sounds like it easily could have been much worse.
I think staying still was the right choice. Most dogs attack a moving target more than a still one. I hope the other dogs' owner learned a lesson too, and keeps his dogs under better control in the future. |
| That is so terrifying, I don't know the answer, except I would have a huge blast at the owner and say next time you see the dogs running uncontrolled in the street you will ring the ranger.
I had it once with brie, except she was still a pup at the time, I actually picked her up, held her in my arms and turned my back on the big rotti loose in the street and just stood there holding her and not moving because I was scared out of my wits and terrified she was going to be attacked. The dog eventually went away, i did not move FROZEN and brie just got carried back home then. I got home and rang the dog ranger and they picked the dog up that was roaming around. Not a friendly dog either, he came at us growling & snarlingand I think I did the right thing by not trying to run away, or move or have eye contact with the dog. Just greatfull brie was still small enough to pick up and hold in my arms. I don't know the answer there, but I wish people would be more responsible with their dogs and not let them roam. I am so glad you and bowie were not badly hurt, but do report it to some sort of authority, hopefully then it won't ever happen to anyone else or a little kid and the owner of them can be warned of the consequences then for not so nice dogs roaming around, might make them more aware of where their dogs are then . |
| Pepper spray?
Even if your own dog gets bothered by the spray, it seems to be to be better than being mauled. Can you avoid walking near there? Also, I would send a certified letter, return receipt requested to the owner, informing them what happened and putting them on notice that their dogs have escaped and threatened you and your dogs, even lightly injuring one. If anything else should ever happen, they will not be able to claim their dogs had never been vicious or had never escaped before. Your use of force may be more likely to be condoned and their financial liability assured for anything that occurs in the future. |
| Bowie and I are now avoiding that end of the street. We live on a street that is actually called "the point" because it is surrounded by water on both sides and curves sort of around to the next street and there are no side streets to cut thru in an emergency. But for now we are walking the other way...
I went to my trainer and asked what to do in these circumstances and she also recommended a marine horn. She said the pepper spray can sometimes make an agressive dog more agressive and recommended the citronella spray. However, both of these are temporary and will only allow you time to get somewhere safe. She also said I apparently did the right things....Never run away. Stand as still as possible. Let up on your own dogs leash so as not to excite him. Try and remain calm ( yeah, right)...and do not look the dog in the eye or wave your hands or scream in a high pitched tone...and say a few prayers 
I was going to go back over there and speak to the neighbor. But I was actually afraid of the dogs! Unfortunately he did not seem to think it was a big deal and/or his dogs were dangerous...Which is why they bite him too..obviously the dogs rule in that house  And they are new on the block... |
| In some cities, it is actually against the law not to report a dog bite, whether it is to another animal or to a human, and whether or not it is severe. If your dog was bitten and has any type of mark or puncture wound, I would immediately report it to animal control, especially if the owner did not take the incident seriously and if he does not seem to have good control over his own dogs. Otherwise if the dogs end up biting someone else, the animal control officers will think it is the first incident and may go unreasonably easy on the owner. If they have a proper history on the guy, they can handle the next situation (and from the sound of it, there will be a next time, it just may not be with you)... the next time, they will be able to handle it more appropriately.
My son's bridge of his nose was completely ripped out by a dog who apparently had bit people before but had never been reported, and so it appeared to be the first biting incident for this dog. Animal control ended up going easy on the dog because my son had been in the dog's yard, and got too close (had the dog been loose, they would have killed it). Several months later the dog bit another child and was finally put to sleep... but had people been responsible and reported the previous biting incidents, that dog may not have ever been available to rip my son's face up and scar him for life. Please report this to animal control, even if it's not severe. The bites that happened prior to my son's facial bite weren't severe either, but if they had been reported, that dog would have been taken care of. Reporting this is the only responsible thing to do. You know that these are dangerous dogs, and you can now take precautions (avoidance, citronella spray, marine horn, etc...)... but what about anyone else in the area, including kids. They don't know the dogs are dangerous and wont be walking around prepared for a potential attack. If animal control officers take a report, they HAVE to talk to the owner, and that alone might be enough to convince him that this IS a big deal, and he will be more diligent about his dogs not getting loose, and the entire neighborhood will be much safer. whew!! Sorry about that... dog bites are a very sensitive issue with me ever since my son was mauled. Responsible reporting could have prevented the whole thing. ~Emily |
| Well, I sent in a written report. Bowie was not injured, no puncture wound either BUT you are right...I was lucky. There are so many joggers and kids on bikes, etc around here, they may not be lucky...You know, if the owner was able to gain control over the dogs or if he had even said something to me like, sorry, they are usually confined, etc...but he didn't. And his own dog growled and nipped and kept him at bay as well. I mean, even a perfect stranger stopped to help me...
I had to report it. Let the cards fall where they may. I don't feel good about reporting it but it had to be done...Nice welcome to the new neighbor  |
| I was recommended by a trainer to carry lots of treats in my pocket, and if need be you could always toss them on the ground "away" from you. That could keep the dog (s) busy while you make a retreat... |
| Don't feel bad about reporting the neighbor. You did the right thing!
Nicole, that is a really good idea about the treats. |
Yes Nicole... very good idea about the treats, but don't tell Stella I'm carrying them, or she'll stop complying with me for free when we're in public  |
| Something I started trying and has seemed to work the last couple of times is yelling "NO" as a dog approaches.
Most dogs that have had an owner seem to understand this command and stop (surprisingly). We got chased by two german shepards in my neighborhood the other day. One of which charged us while we were riding bike. We stopped and I commanded "NO" and it worked. While I don't expect it to work everytime, it's worth a try (not to mention that it is easy to remember and say quickly!) |
Wouldn't work with my dogs. I don't use the word "no".... 
But I think many, if not most dogs learn that it means that they should stop what they are doing...Anything is worth a try, when it gets to that point. |
| I think dogs basically will not attack but will approach and sniff and maybe do a bit of a woof, woof with your dog to set the pack order, etc...However, when its more than one dog it becomes a pack and that becomes a different problem. Unfortunately too in this day and age of puppy mills, bad breeding, etc, one never knows if the dog or dogs charging at you are "normal"...You really have to be on alert.
The "No" command may just work..I'm not a pro on what will work. I just know for sure what NOT to do! let's hope none of us are in this situation too often! |
| I've had several occasions while walking my dogs that another dog and approched us in an unfriendly manner. Maggies leash has a 3/4 " metel ring in the hand loop (came that way, guess it's for hanging the thing up) I hold the guys close to me while at the same time swinging her leash in a big circular manner. The strange dogs have always backed off, but if they didn't they would have been hit by the ring on the leash. Unfortunately we have a number of dog owners in the neighborhood that leave their dogs run loose. Most are friendly. |
| Hi,
Thankfully you or your boy weren't injured! A similar situation happened to me several years ago when I was walking Merlin who was 6 months and Blue who was 14. Ironically for many years I did Pet Talks for schools in which I would educate children how to prevent from being bit by a dog. However saying that, and experiencing it, and deperately trying to remember all the info at the time of stress is terrifying. On a walk around the neighborhood one day,someone yelled from a window to be careful of a loose aggressive dog around the corner so we turned and walked back the way we came. Suddenly I hear screaming and the woman is yelling ,Look out!!!! He's charging at you! The dog is charging us with our backs turned! I knew without a doubt he was very aggressive to be charging us when we had no confrontation with him. I placed my dogs behind me and braced myself for the attack. Here's what I know: SOME DOGS ARE DOG AGGRESSIVE BUT NOT PEOPLE AGGRESSIVE. In this case I didn't know which or if he was both, but stood as big as possible and yelled NO! The dog backed away and I knew immediately he was dog aggressive and thankfully not people aggressive. Standing still, making yourself look big and yelling NO may deter an attacking dog. No screaming or high pitched yells however..just firm NO. If a dog is also people aggressive unfortunately this won't work and looking for somewhere to climb to safety such as the nearest car may be the only safe place. He raced towards us again and aimed for Merlin, and I placed my body again infront and yelled NO. Each time the dog backed away but would repeat his attack. It happened three times. It seemed like an enternity. He did not go for Blue but was intent on getting Merlin which I realize now in retrospect he must have sensed Merlin even at 6 months was an Alpha dog. Blue is very submissive. Unable to manoever the leash of both dogs I let Blue's leash go as he never intended for Blue to be his target, and unbelieveably Old Blue was trying to fight off the dog. His first fight in 14 years! My old boy was trying protect me and his baby brother. At that moment three different people from various homes came out with sticks, chains, to help but the dog now seeing he was outnumbered high tailed it and to my knowledge was never caught. Merlin suffered a dislocated shoulder but thankfully he recovered quickly from the injury due to his young age. I also know now that Merlin has always been the target of aggressive dogs and never Blue or Panda as dogs will (not always but usually) attack a dog whom they may view as a threat to their own dominance. Although in the circumstance such as you described it probably was pack mentality or in mine the attack was without provocation. It's been close to 4 years since that happened and I still avoid that block , so I feel for you regarding that scary experience. Marianne |
| in most states these days there are leash laws..even for cats..its called public safety. So IF an animal runs out in the road and gets hit it is the owners fault and he/she has to pay for damages done to the Vehicle. This may sound cruel but as an avid dog lover i LOVE this law. It requires if not (forces) people to take (not assumed) responsibility for their pets. Had your state had this leash law..the dogs would have been immediately kenneled for 72 hours no matter WHEN the inncodent had occured. I have 4 Dogs and love them all with every ounce of humainty that runs through my veins. BUT if any of my dogs would have or ever do display PACK LIKE Behavior..you can be rest assured that the (Leader) would be put down immediately as i have 3 children and i would not tolerate such actions in their pressence. Pet means just that- Protect-Engage-Tolerate.
Pepper Spray is ok citrinilla is ok..but that generaly makes them mad like water on bees. LOUD Noises startle dogs and confuses them so yes i definatley carry a Marine Horn with me. Although it causes my own dog distress it will definatly keep any attacker at bay ..until the can of air runs out. |
| That is so scary. I have had two bad experiences with off-leash dogs targeting Bingley. In both cases I did exactly what Marianne did. I was firm, held my body position tall, and tried to block Bingley from the other dog's view. Luckily in both instances the dogs left him alone after some tense moments. It drives me crazy, though!!! |
| Where would I look to see if there are leash laws? A friend at work said he has one in his Town but it mandates all animals on a leash ONLY between 7pm and 7am...something like that. Only at night..which is wierd...
Unfortunately there are lots of dogs in my neighbrohood who are out or walked without a leash. This was the first time we had a problem...these dogs just moved in, and there are three of them. I wonder if I had "puffed" myself up etc, if the "ring leader" would have seen me as challenging him. Bottom line is, we tend to do what our instincts tell us in an emergency and not always what we are supposed to do I think fear and surprise take over our brain! |
| You could try and call the non-emergency line for the police (or better yet -- go into the station) and ask them about the local leash laws.
If they ask you if there's a reason you want to know, you could tell them why... Then again, even if they don't ask you why. |
Ashley wrote: Where would I look to see if there are leash laws?
Our animal ordinances are listed on our city's website, you might try that. |
| I think you did the right thing by reporting it. How scared you must have been, I'm so glad you came out of it OK.
We had a situation where we were attacked by a neighborhood dog and did not report it. Some time later the same dog attacked our friend and his dog. Lots of good info in regards to how to handle that situation. Where do you purchase one of the marine horns? |
| I am still looking for the marine horn...you would think I live by the water with lots of marinas, I could find a marine horn
I'm going to look on line for one...if anyone else finds one, let me know. y trainer said it was small so I'm not sure its the regular marine horn... Will keep you posted..and if anyone does find a marine horn, let me know  |
| Check out sporting goods stores. |
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