If a strange dog attacks

[DJEtzel]

If it's a real attack, I don't know how effective I'd really be. I always drop my dogs' leashes - partially because I want them to be able to get away, partially because I don't want to inhibit their ability to defend themselves by getting them wrapped up, and partially so my own hands are free. I've got one heck of a kick on me that I wouldn't be afraid to use.

Usually, I get off leash, rude dogs charging us - not dogs looking for a huge attack. Because Meg is so reactive (and because Gusto isn't, and I'd like to keep it that way), I do everything I can to keep them away. I throw food at the dog's face, since I usually have a pocket full of treats with me. I put my dogs behind me and stomp at the incoming dog and yell "git". I've kicked (nowhere near as hard as I'd kick if the dog really wanted to fight), with a comment to the owner that "I'm being a lot nicer than my dog will be".

Probably 80% of the time, treats raining down on them from heaven stops the dog enough for the owner to grab them.

This. I've only been charged by rude dogs with owners, never attackers and never without owners.

That said, I'd break up a dog fight on a walk the same way I would in the dog park or at work in a shelter. Wheel barrow, tether, wheel barrow, tether. Then I'd call animal control.

 

[houlahoops]

We live in a rural area that is just spacious enough that people don't leash their dogs, but not so much that running into loose dogs is a rarity.

I've only ever had two incidents where the dog made physical contact. Once I was walking past a house and the owner was out gardening with her GSD and it came at us. Mammoth (blind, arthritic, and ancient) was unaware of the dog at first, but as soon as it had ahold of him he was just screaming and screaming. He fell over and I grabbed the other dog (by the scruff and tail base) and just chucked it at a parked car as hard as I could. The owner was livid and I got bitten pretty good in the process (by Mammoth, poor guy) but it was the only thing I could think of to do.

The second time I had the little Coton de Tulear (our family dog) and I just picked him up and kicked the other dog once and he ran off.

There was also an incident that my sister was involved in, but which I wasn't present for. One of my dad's hunting dogs (Bailey) was repurposed as her service dog, and they were charged by a pair of guard dogs from the place across the road. Bailey killed one dog and injured the other before they took off. I don't know what I would have done in that situation: where the offending dog was in more danger than my own?

 

[Kyllobernese]

The only time my dog was ever attacked was when I was standing in an arena waiting to put on an Agility demonstration. Remmy was sitting beside me on leash and a German Shepherd came running around the corner, took one look at Remmy and came racing over to grab him. I shoved Remmy behind me and kicked the dog to get it to back off. It circled around me (I was against the wall) and tried to get him from the other direction. I swung my hand at him and ended up with a bite on my finger from his teeth. I don't think he actually tried to bite me, we just connected when his mouth was open.

The owner finally managed to grab his dog. I have seen the dog get in a scrap (more noise than anything) with a Golden Retriever and another German Shepherd so knew he was meaning business and Remmy is only 10 pounds so could have been badly injured.

 

[Paige]

I threw a shih tzu that belonged to my neighbor back over their fence when it charged bandit for the hundredth time with its owner once again standing there doing nothing.

 

[shadowfacedanes]

The only time I've ever had strange, loose dogs come up with malicious intent was about 18 years ago when I had my first dane, Hootch. He and I were out walking in the country and I had that eerie feeling that something was just...there.

I turned us around and started to head back towards my house (about 2 miles away...and not a house in sight) when I saw what was giving me that eerie feeling. It was a large chow type dog and it was peering at us through a break in the brush. I stomped my foot trying to get it to run and it bared it's teeth at me and started snarling. About that time two other chow type dogs came out of the woods. I was legit scared out of my skin. The ring leader was extremely intimidating, and the other two didn't look so cuddly either. They were very rough looking, like they were wild. They almost resembled African Wild Dogs, minus the splotchy coat color.

I put my head down and started to walk but I wasn't comfortable with my back to them so I kept turning around every so often and they were following us. It was extremely creepy. I picked up the biggest rock I could find and threw it at them and it didn't even phase them.

About that time, I picked up the pace and Hootch started getting aggravated about them closing in on us. Hootch was about 200 lbs in his prime, and had just hit that age where he no longer appreciated strange dogs invading his space. He was especially opposed to male dogs.

The harder I tried to put distance between us, the closer they moved in on us until finally the biggest one charged at us. I honestly don't know if it was coming after me, or Hootch, but it ran straight at us, and the other two went around like they were flanking us.

Hootch went straight to it with the big male, and for as creepy and gnarly as that dog was, Hootch tore him up. I kept swinging a big branch at the other two to keep them away but they were trying to grab at Hootch, almost like a cattle dog does to keep cattle in line.

I was ashamed to admit for a long time, but Hootch killed that dog, and it was horrific. It was over in maybe less than 90 seconds, if that. It felt like an eternity. As soon as he killed him, he went after the other two, but they hauled ass after he gave each one of them a good chomp.

I was so upset with myself that I was so unprepared for something like that, especially living in the country. I should've known better. I should've carried my gun, a baseball bat, bear mace, anything...Luckily Hootch wasn't hurt too badly, but it could've ended so much worse. I felt bad for the dog Hootch killed for the longest time, but over time I realized that it was either that dog or mine, or even me.

Now I always carry something with me when I walk. All the romanticism of "never hurting a dog" goes right out the window once you've dealt with something legitimately trying to harm your dog. I will do what I gotta do to keep mine safe if I know the dog in question is bent on hurting mine.