Preparing for dog attacks--pay attention!

[gamer_jim]

Monday my dog was attacked by another dog some jackass allowed off leash at our local park. My dog was leashed, his was not. The other dog was 50 feet away moving at full speed before I noticed it. By the time I reached down to shorten the lead line on my dog the other dog clamped onto my dog's head. Luckily where he bit my dog was the hardest part of her head so the bites were only superficial. I finally got my dog's leash shortened and tried kicking the other dog off of mine but it wasn't deterred--It was some kind of pitty mix. The other owner finally got their dog under control and separated. I got his name and number and he said he would pay for vet fees. Yesterday we took my dog to the vet and $330 later she is on the mend. I did get the money from him.

I'm thinking about this incident post-analysis. I wasn't paying attention so my reaction was slow. This could have easily also been an attack on me or a more serious attack on my dog. I had an ear bud in listening to a podcast and just enjoying the time in nature. I totally was not in an attentive reaction mindset. I was armed and also had pepper spray with me. The other dog was moving so fast I did not have enough time for me to grab either my gun or spray by the time I realized it was there. I'm going to start looking for a better way to carry my spray so I can get to it faster. Moral of the story for me is to pay attention, even when out enjoying nature. There's also coyotes out here. A friend we were talking with said they often walk in that same park with their dog and have seen coyotes recently. There was also a murder in this park in 2018. I need to do a better job of awareness when in public.

Please keep your dog on a leash and pay attention.

 

[MattTheGunslinger]

I don't have a dog but I have little kids. I can't stand it when people let their dogs loose in parks like that. One time as my kids and I were coming out of the woods from a trail, I noticed a couple folks sitting on the picnic tables with their backs towards us, with a leash but no dog on it. Just as I noticed the people, the dog comes out of nowhere charging at me and my kids. I grabbed both kids by their shirt collar and shoved them behind me as I opened my knife. Not a big one(Spyderco para 3)but better than nothing. The dog stopped about 5 feet in front of me and thats when the people noticed their dog was missing and I had a knife out. I thank God nothing happened, but those people are still idiots.

 

[mpollan1]

Been nipped at countless times after the owner reassured me that their dog is friendly. Never been nipped by a leashed up dog. I keep meaning to craft a "walking" stick for just such a time. Muzzles are a good thing IMO not only for the bites but for the barking as well.

 

[TexDefender]

As a former Security Specialist that worked with K9s, I would caution you. Dogs will tend to grab the arms and legs, just be aware of that when you pull out the spray. Generally, the trained K9s I worked with, will go for an arm due to their training. I have also known a few dogs that when they latch on, unless they feel the target is no longer a threat, commanded to do so, or you can get them by the throat will not let go. And if they get you, don't move. They may let up but will not let go. People would be amazed by the amount of pressure a dog's bite can deliver. I been bitten by a couple, and to me the crushing effect hurts more than the punctures or cleaning of the wounds.

 

[OMCHamlin]

I have a confession. I think that to a certain extent, I am one of those bad dog owners at the dog park. At our local dog park, it’s fully fenced and divided into <35# or all others. My 77#, 6yr old rough collie (a rescue), gets turned off leash as soon as we clear the inner gate. I do that to avoid the issue of “dog on a leash syndrome”, their demeanor changes markedly when they are not tethered. He is a barking son of a gun, always a shrill “happy” bark, but piercing. And constant. And he is playful, he goes up to other dogs and wants to play after a little sniff. (Of course not a Biden sniff, the other end!)
I figure if the are roughly similar size, let them find ground, if they are playing and tumbling and both are mouthing each other and chasing each other mostly equally, they are just having dog fun.
But I believe that I may be viewing that wrongfully, as I get the idea that the other owners don’t share my view point. I think the boy is going to have to be happy to just be walked, he seems a little rambunctious for dog parks. It’s a shame, because with 4 or 5 of the “right” other dogs and owners, it’s pure joy watching them all tear across the park, raising hell with each other.. Being dogs…

 

[RFBfromDE]

We noticed our nightly fox visitor disappeared.

 

[Park ranger]

A dog bites my dog, its lights out. Yes, op situational awareness is the first line of defense

 

[gamer_jim]

I have a confession. I think that to a certain extent, I am one of those bad dog owners at the dog park. At our local dog park, it’s fully fenced and divided into <35# or all others. My 77#, 6yr old rough collie (a rescue), gets turned off leash as soon as we clear the inner gate.

I think letting your dog loose at a dog park is fine, that's what they are there for. There's signs about the risk owners have releasing their dog around others within the fence. I didn't sign up for that risk the other day when my dog was attacked.

We used to take our dog to the dog park. The problem is she spent over a year out in the wild before she was picked up and adopted. She is sort of a social idiot and doesn't take queues from other dog's behavior that they don't want to play. She plays rough and likes to do the play bite thing and jumps on them a lot. One other dog we met there also liked this so we let her play and they had a great time. But the other times the other dogs there just wanted to run and play ball, which she doesn't do.

The point of my thread wasn't about dogs but more of being mindful and alert when in public. I was not alert and it cost my dog a few scratches--It could have been much worse.

I appreciate TexDefender's insight about the training.

 

[davsco]

i thought the whole point of dog parks was to let them run around, unleashed... never been to one though.

our current golden retriever, #4, we cannot break of his chasing deer habit, so he is almost always on leash, vs our first three that were almost never on leash while we did our walks and hikes. current guy has way more pent up energy which is a shame.

we were walking #3 on a local trail a few years back and a kid/teen had two pit's on leashes, and they really wanted to kill our dog and were literally dragging her towards us. fortunately the kid held on and we were able to get around but that was one of the few days i didn't have a knife on me. could have turned out really bad. i'm not really sure how well a gun would work out in this situation with dogs moving around rapidly, other people in close vicinity, and you're aiming down so some ricochets.

 

[OMCHamlin]

I think letting your dog loose at a dog park is fine, that's what they are there for. There's signs about the risk owners have releasing their dog around others within the fence. I didn't sign up for that risk the other day when my dog was attacked.

We used to take our dog to the dog park. The problem is she spent over a year out in the wild before she was picked up and adopted. She is sort of a social idiot and doesn't take queues from other dog's behavior that they don't want to play. She plays rough and likes to do the play bite thing and jumps on them a lot. One other dog we met there also liked this so we let her play and they had a great time. But the other times the other dogs there just wanted to run and play ball, which she doesn't do.

The point of my thread wasn't about dogs but more of being mindful and alert when in public. I was not alert and it cost my dog a few scratches--It could have been much worse.

I appreciate TexDefender's insight about the training.

Sounds like ours would get along. He’s not a mean-ass killer, just an overly happy clown (through the eyes of his admittedly biased owner) . I don’t like to be the causer of problems at a place like that though.

I do understand the difference between our situations though, and if we are attacked while out walking on leash, a dog will lie in a leaking, bloody heap, and it won’t be the one on the end of MY leash…

 

[Allium]

I would never bring my dog to a dog park. Several reasons but one being we had an owner take a dog on leash into the park, another dog came up and got aggressive so the owner shot the attacking dog. His dog was still on a leash so was already fearful but there were several people including children in that park.

But I have to admit my dog is not socialble at first. We did have him get out of the yard and go after another dog. He was fast and slipped under the fence - not even sure how he fit. That cost a good chunk in vet bills for teh other dog and a couple thousand in remedial training. Keep in mind many dogs have not and did not socialize for a couple years. So they got real close and protective. I know during the lockdown he didnt go out in public. Now when he goes out he is supervised. Hedoes like running the fence with next door kids but we ensure theres a distance between and the kids understand not to reach through.

 

[2nd=Good+Substantial]

gamer_jim sorry you and your pup went through this but I'm glad she's ok.

The two local parks with walking trails (not dog parks) always seem to have idiots with unleashed dogs (despite signs saying dogs must be leashed). We stay very situationally aware but I'm not sure how I'd handle an attack.

 

[Lafayette]

My dog is o e of those overly friendly, “bark worse than bite” pup who loves to play (admittedly roughly.) He is never aggressive (malicious), but certainly can be overwhelmingly playful - especially with dogs that are fearful.

I NEVER let him off-leash unless in a contained area where other owners have acknowledged some amount of risk.

Agree with OP - you have to be more alert, as there are tons of owners out there who refuse to take responsibility for their animals. Unfortunately if they don’t, someone else will - and it may result in injury or death of someone’s beloved dog.

 

[pbharvey]

A dog bites my dog, its lights out. Yes, op situational awareness is the first line of defense

What are the legal ramifications of killing someone else's dog in a dog park?
Dog parks seem gross, too much poop/grass ratio.

 

[Park ranger]

I'm only aware of the ramifications on a dog trying to kill my dog.but I refuse to go to a dog park, so ...

 

[rondon600]

At my local (kinder park/Severna park) park we have fenced ball fields galore... even fenced in cows, pigs, chickens. No dice for your pets. Oh and you can ride a horse on the trail and the horse is not leashed. No love for the dogs in this area. There are dog parks near but not close especially with traffic congestion. Easily 30min each way.

 

[TexasBob]

My two GSD "Don't" play nice with people or other dogs. We never have them off leash or use public dog parks, we have a 6 foot chain link around the back yard that gives them all the room to play they need.

 

[Triggerfinger]

 

[Allium]

What are the legal ramifications of killing someone else's dog in a dog park?
Dog parks seem gross, too much poop/grass ratio.

The incident I was speaking about was in 2010 severn. shooter was a dc federal cop and he barely was slapped on teh wrist. no carry permit either https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/father-shoots-and-kills-pit-bull-in-severn/

 

[Deep Lurker]

I don’t have a dog, but I’m grateful for this thread, because I’m a dog-walking uncle when visiting family.

It is an even better reminder to me about the rest of my day: the human world has become more like a dog park: a place with rules, but there are always animals present.

I admit I must focus more on my situational awareness (and mentally rehearse the steps I must take to ascend the ladder of response) both inside a dog park, and out.