Encounter With A Loose Dog- Not Sure I Handled It Right

jennyp · 10-08-2011, 11:49 PM

I was walking with Brody the other day in my parent's neighborhood. We went down a side street that I was not familiar with and it turned out to be a dead end. Just as I turned around to go back, a dog from a yard a few houses down jumped the fence and ran at us- and not in a friendly Just Want To Say Hi kind of way. Brody can be reactive to other dogs at times, mostly he's just excited but there have been a couple times when he's growled and lunged so I was really concerned about how he would react to this. I immediately put Brody behind me and tried to act confidently but to be honest I was really scared. The dog was circling us and I'm turning around too trying to block Brody. I really didn't know what to do at that point because I couldn't turn around- it was a dead end and I was afraid to go forward past the dog because Brody was acting very defensively and I thought if I passed the dog Brody might either bite or get bitten. So I tried to scare it away by kicking at it. And let me clarify-I did not actually kick the dog-it was 5 or six feet away so I knew I wouldn't make contact, I just was trying to scare it. That didn't work. Then, 3 kids came running out of the yard and were yelling for the dog to come. The dog ignored them. At this point their mother comes out, calls the dog (the dog listens this time) and proceeds to yell at me for kicking her dog!!! I told her that I DID NOT kick the dog, that I was trying to protect my dog from HERS! That was the most frustrating part. I honestly truly did not kick her dog but I couldn't make her believe me. She was CONVINCED she had seen me do it. She was carrying on so badly I thought she was going to call the police! When I explained to her what her dog was doing she just said "oh he wouldn't have hurt your dog". I said "Well I don't know that!! I don't know your dog and he wasn't exactly being friendly" The whole thing made me so flustered. When the dog was circling and blocking the way I just didn't know how to get out of the situation. Should I have just risked it and tried to walk past? How should I handle this if anything like that were to happen again?

lar07 · 10-08-2011, 11:55 PM

You did the right thing in a sucky, SUCKY situation. You did a good job trying to protect your dog. Gosh darn it--irresponsible owners like that are what drive me insane. They are also the reason why I want to carry a baton when I am walking now a days. Mace spray has not worked in the past. I've literally had to kick dogs in the past because they were coming head on towards my dogs like they wanted to eat them.

I once walked my dogs by a yard in a neighborhood. A Labradoodle came out of the yard and began to viciously lunge and growl at us. He also tried to bite one of my dogs through the fence. The owner began to yell at me and tell me that I shouldn't be walking my dogs that close to the fence. REALLY?? On public property on a walk...and she told me that. I told her I can walk my dogs here if I wanted and that I hope she can get better control of her dog. BLAH!!

Germanshepherdlova · 10-09-2011, 12:02 AM

You should have invited her to call the police because the only person receiving a citation would have been her for having a dog at large. You wouldn't have been in trouble even if you had made contact and kicked her dog because her dog was charging yours. If he had charged an officer he may have been shot or tasered.

e.rigby · 10-09-2011, 12:25 AM

Ha, I would have insisted she called the police! Like Germanshepherdlova already said, you wouldn't have been found at fault, even if you did kick the dog! The woman who owned the dog really should have been apologizing to you profusely!

S19977 · 10-09-2011, 01:06 AM

Welcome to my life. I live in an upper middle class neighborhood, so you would think people would have some type of sense. I have a neighbor right behind me, that allows their full grown bulldog to jump on a platform (in their backyard) and jump their fence (and my fence!) into my yard. I have asked them several times to remove the platform, and they never do. I am planting a tree there next weekend to block the stupid dog. He is an English bulldog, nothing but muscle. It is near impossible for me to even grab him since he is so low to the ground and stocky and I am 6'2. Great for my back.

Then, 2 houses down, we have a neighbor with 2 small poodle mixes. EVERY TIME I walk by with my dog, they charge him full speed. Nipping at his face. The first few times I thought it was funny, after the 5th time in a row, I began lunging at the dogs myself to back them up. It always takes a good 3-5minutes for the owners to come outside. I'm surprised their dogs haven't been hit by cars yet.

Then, 3 houses down, (another poodle!) is allowed to run off leash. I think I am going to let my GSD start eating these dogs when they run up to him aggressively. I've had it. Imagine if I let my boy run off leash! It took me a while to learn that I should be protecting my dog completely from these no manner having beasts. That's why I put a leg in between my dog and the other ones. I think you did the right thing. If their dog is hopping the fence, they need to buy an electric fence or find another solution. Imagine if it hopped the fence and bit a kid.

/rant off. Sorry for the hijack OP! You invoked some feelings in me LOL

doggiedad · 10-09-2011, 06:36 AM

you handle the charging dog differently
each time it happens. i don't know of a
correct way to defend yourself and your dog.
what you did worked. i wouldn't worry about
what the lady thought. from her angle it might have
seemed like you made contact. Brody is a nice
looking dog.

sharkey19 · 10-09-2011, 06:44 AM

This may make me a horrible person, but frankly I wouldn't blame you if you had kicked that dog. You should definitely report the person to city officials that this dog has been loose off leash so they have it on record in case the dog gets loose again and bites someone.

Todd · 10-09-2011, 07:01 AM

Guess I'm a horrible person too...I've not only kicked a dog in that situation, but after I found blood on my dog, I told the owner if their dog attacked my dog again, I'd beat it within an inch of its life. I guess my attitude at the time was such that they believed me since they didn't have anything to say other than quickly getting their dog inside the house.

The apartment manager and animal control both knew my dog and had a little talk with the owners. Never saw that dog loose again...

Jax08 · 10-09-2011, 08:31 AM

You did exactly the right thing. Let them call the police and explain why their off leash dog is charging your dog.

Kittilicious · 10-09-2011, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharkey19

This may make me a horrible person, but frankly I wouldn't blame you if you had kicked that dog. You should definitely report the person to city officials that this dog has been loose off leash so they have it on record in case the dog gets loose again and bites someone.

Yep, me too, no blame from me. And I agree to report it... most cities have license laws, maybe the dog isn't licensed and thats all it will take.

10-08-2011, 11:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
jennyp Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Somerville, MA Posts: 191	Encounter With A Loose Dog- Not Sure I Handled It Right I was walking with Brody the other day in my parent's neighborhood. We went down a side street that I was not familiar with and it turned out to be a dead end. Just as I turned around to go back, a dog from a yard a few houses down jumped the fence and ran at us- and not in a friendly Just Want To Say Hi kind of way. Brody can be reactive to other dogs at times, mostly he's just excited but there have been a couple times when he's growled and lunged so I was really concerned about how he would react to this. I immediately put Brody behind me and tried to act confidently but to be honest I was really scared. The dog was circling us and I'm turning around too trying to block Brody. I really didn't know what to do at that point because I couldn't turn around- it was a dead end and I was afraid to go forward past the dog because Brody was acting very defensively and I thought if I passed the dog Brody might either bite or get bitten. So I tried to scare it away by kicking at it. And let me clarify-I did not actually kick the dog-it was 5 or six feet away so I knew I wouldn't make contact, I just was trying to scare it. That didn't work. Then, 3 kids came running out of the yard and were yelling for the dog to come. The dog ignored them. At this point their mother comes out, calls the dog (the dog listens this time) and proceeds to yell at me for kicking her dog!!! I told her that I DID NOT kick the dog, that I was trying to protect my dog from HERS! That was the most frustrating part. I honestly truly did not kick her dog but I couldn't make her believe me. She was CONVINCED she had seen me do it. She was carrying on so badly I thought she was going to call the police! When I explained to her what her dog was doing she just said "oh he wouldn't have hurt your dog". I said "Well I don't know that!! I don't know your dog and he wasn't exactly being friendly" The whole thing made me so flustered. When the dog was circling and blocking the way I just didn't know how to get out of the situation. Should I have just risked it and tried to walk past? How should I handle this if anything like that were to happen again?

10-09-2011, 12:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
Germanshepherdlova Knighted Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: USA Posts: 2,935	You should have invited her to call the police because the only person receiving a citation would have been her for having a dog at large. You wouldn't have been in trouble even if you had made contact and kicked her dog because her dog was charging yours. If he had charged an officer he may have been shot or tasered. __________________ You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Germa...96574693743892

10-09-2011, 12:25 AM	#4 (permalink)
e.rigby Senior Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 498	Ha, I would have insisted she called the police! Like Germanshepherdlova already said, you wouldn't have been found at fault, even if you did kick the dog! The woman who owned the dog really should have been apologizing to you profusely! __________________ Virgil, CGC - GSD Tara, Reagan, Madison, and Jefferson - Aussies Socrates - the cat The birds: Dante - CAG / Sammie - Blue fronted Amazon / Gavin - TAG / Nero and Sunshine - Budgies

10-09-2011, 01:06 AM	#5 (permalink)
S19977 Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 105	Welcome to my life. I live in an upper middle class neighborhood, so you would think people would have some type of sense. I have a neighbor right behind me, that allows their full grown bulldog to jump on a platform (in their backyard) and jump their fence (and my fence!) into my yard. I have asked them several times to remove the platform, and they never do. I am planting a tree there next weekend to block the stupid dog. He is an English bulldog, nothing but muscle. It is near impossible for me to even grab him since he is so low to the ground and stocky and I am 6'2. Great for my back. Then, 2 houses down, we have a neighbor with 2 small poodle mixes. EVERY TIME I walk by with my dog, they charge him full speed. Nipping at his face. The first few times I thought it was funny, after the 5th time in a row, I began lunging at the dogs myself to back them up. It always takes a good 3-5minutes for the owners to come outside. I'm surprised their dogs haven't been hit by cars yet. Then, 3 houses down, (another poodle!) is allowed to run off leash. I think I am going to let my GSD start eating these dogs when they run up to him aggressively. I've had it. Imagine if I let my boy run off leash! It took me a while to learn that I should be protecting my dog completely from these no manner having beasts. That's why I put a leg in between my dog and the other ones. I think you did the right thing. If their dog is hopping the fence, they need to buy an electric fence or find another solution. Imagine if it hopped the fence and bit a kid. /rant off. Sorry for the hijack OP! You invoked some feelings in me LOL Last edited by S19977; 10-09-2011 at 01:10 AM.

10-09-2011, 06:36 AM	#6 (permalink)
doggiedad Crowned Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Jenkintown,Pa. Posts: 9,853	you handle the charging dog differently each time it happens. i don't know of a correct way to defend yourself and your dog. what you did worked. i wouldn't worry about what the lady thought. from her angle it might have seemed like you made contact. Brody is a nice looking dog. __________________ "Life Without A Dog Is A Life Unfulfilled"

10-08-2011, 11:55 PM	#2 (permalink)
lar07 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 277	You did the right thing in a sucky, SUCKY situation. You did a good job trying to protect your dog. Gosh darn it--irresponsible owners like that are what drive me insane. They are also the reason why I want to carry a baton when I am walking now a days. Mace spray has not worked in the past. I've literally had to kick dogs in the past because they were coming head on towards my dogs like they wanted to eat them. I once walked my dogs by a yard in a neighborhood. A Labradoodle came out of the yard and began to viciously lunge and growl at us. He also tried to bite one of my dogs through the fence. The owner began to yell at me and tell me that I shouldn't be walking my dogs that close to the fence. REALLY?? On public property on a walk...and she told me that. I told her I can walk my dogs here if I wanted and that I hope she can get better control of her dog. BLAH!!

10-09-2011, 06:44 AM	#7 (permalink)
sharkey19 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Guelph Posts: 321	This may make me a horrible person, but frankly I wouldn't blame you if you had kicked that dog. You should definitely report the person to city officials that this dog has been loose off leash so they have it on record in case the dog gets loose again and bites someone.

10-09-2011, 07:01 AM	#8 (permalink)
Todd Elite Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Wilkes-Barre, PA Posts: 1,130	Guess I'm a horrible person too...I've not only kicked a dog in that situation, but after I found blood on my dog, I told the owner if their dog attacked my dog again, I'd beat it within an inch of its life. I guess my attitude at the time was such that they believed me since they didn't have anything to say other than quickly getting their dog inside the house. The apartment manager and animal control both knew my dog and had a little talk with the owners. Never saw that dog loose again... __________________ Todd Abby - Adopted 11 July 2011 Heidi - RIP (3 May 2011) Run free little girl, you gave me the best seven years of my life.

10-09-2011, 08:31 AM	#9 (permalink)
Jax08 Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NNE PA Posts: 14,337	You did exactly the right thing. Let them call the police and explain why their off leash dog is charging your dog.

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