I take chester everyday on a 30-45 minute walk most times twice a day. We were almost home and were on a street where there is always a lot of dog poop. While i was checking the floor to make sure i didn't step on any poop i noticed Chester wasn't moving I had to pull him. Then suddenly all i saw was a big rotweiller coming right at us. I tried to pull chester to come but he kept on pulling the other way to play with the rotweiller. when i looked to see if the rotweiller had a owner I noticed there was no one with it, he was alone. for a good 10 minutes i tried shooing the rotweiller away and he was able to get ontop of Chester. I then pushed the dog off of Chester and picked Chester up. I tried really hard to run with a 50lb golden retriever puppy but i couldn't and plus the rotweiller was always right next to me. The rotweiller then began to growl at me because I didn't put chester down, at this point I'm already crying and not sure what to do. A guy came out of no where and was telling me to let chester show him hes not welcomed and i responded by telling the guy "my dog is a puppy, he is friendly and he thinks they are playing, could you please help me" the guy came up to me with a bat and told me "im not going to hit him im just going to show him the bat, but if he attacks me i have no choice" he shows the rotweiller the bat and the rotweiller runs off and I run home with chester. To top it all, when im almost in front of my house i see two pitbulls one leashed and one not leashed and i shouted at the owner "could you please grab your dog" I didn't mean to shout it i was/am just so freaked out from what just happened. Ive never been so scared. Ive heard and read many stories of people being attacked by a dog and trust me it is something I never wish upon anyone. I thank god we weren't hurt and i am ok physically.
Thank you. I'm still shaking. Chester's asleep right by my feet. I just never been in this situation so i wasn't sure as to how to handle it. Walking with him is not going to be the same.
How could i teach chester to understand not every dog is friendly? The whole time he wanted to play while i was trying to pull him away.
It's not easy i was struggling. I don't work out but my boyfriend and I have decided because we want a healthy life for us and chester we need to get in shape. After what just happened is another reason why I need to get in shape.
Oh Erika I'm so sorry! How horrible for you. I'm glad you're both OK! I've been taking DH's walking cane with me. Most situations I have no doubt Ky could handle but I don't want her to have to so I carry it in the hand that holds her leash since she's easy on leash and Bentley on the other side.
I don't know what to tell you but I know the next walks will be scary. {{{Hugs}}}
Thank you Joyce. I guess I'm going to have to start taking something with me but I know walks are definitely not going to be the same at least for a while.
This might not work if you don't see the dog coming, but when Molly and I are approaching something or someone I know she will get distracted by, I put her in an informal heel and I ask for her attention as we walk. We will walk past the distraction with no problems.
Could you tell Chester to leave it? That works with Molly when I don't want her meeting a person or dog.
He knows leave it. Ive just never thought to use it on people or distractions. Thank you for this I'll def try it. He's just gets so distracted very easy we've been practicing look at me but once we get outside its totally different and he won't do it unless i have treats.
Had a very similar experience with my Baxter a few years ago. On a normal walk down the road (woods on both sides) and two huge black dogs came out of the woods. Both looked mean and were growling. Baxter knew something was wrong. I never saw Bax look mean until right then. This was when he was only 30 lbs or so. He was greatly outmatched. I scooped him up and headed back towards the house. The dogs followed (about 10 ft behind) for a good mile. Had to kick one that came charging at one point. Scariest thing ever. I was so worried they were going to hurt my baby boy.
Anyway, glad you and your baby are okay. You should call and report this to animal control. It may not lead to anything but it could possible save someone else from getting into the same terrible situation.
Im sorry you went through this. Im grateful I didn't have to kick this dog, but i was terrified when i pushed him off of chester i thought he would bite me. I kept thinking about a thread i read on here and someone putting their arm in between a dog fight and getting attacked i didn't know what to do. Nothing prepares you for something like this
I did contact animal control already they said they would check around. Which i doubt because the area i live around no one seems to care about stray dogs because half of these owners always have their dogs with no leash.I just cant wait to graduate, and move.
Had a very similar experience with my Baxter a few years ago. On a normal walk down the road (woods on both sides) and two huge black dogs came out of the woods. Both looked mean and were growling. Baxter knew something was wrong. I never saw Bax look mean until right then. This was when he was only 30 lbs or so. He was greatly outmatched. I scooped him up and headed back towards the house. The dogs followed (about 10 ft behind) for a good mile. Had to kick one that came charging at one point. Scariest thing ever. I was so worried they were going to hurt my baby boy.
Anyway, glad you and your baby are okay. You should call and report this to animal control. It may not lead to anything but it could possible save someone else from getting into the same terrible situation.
In our obedience class, we learned the command "bypass" when walking by other dogs. The command tells your dog to not sniff, and to ignore the other dog.
Im so sorry you had to deal with this... that is awful. I had a similar situation and it shook me up too. someone on the forum mentioned carrying a can of wasp spray as a deterant.
I'm sorry you went through this! With my previous dog Amber, I had a similar experience. We were out walking and out of nowhere this little ankle biter-sized breed came running across the street, barking and lunging at Amber! This was especially bad because Amber was a rescue, over 3 years old, and while she was the sweetest, most loyal dog with me, she was cautious around strangers and didn't like other dogs at all (and back then I was ignorant to training older dogs with regard to socialization).
Anyway, I was so afraid of what was going to happen, because I had no idea who owned the little dog, I wasn't sure how to get it to go away since it kept following us. I had even contemplated kicking the little one because it just wouldn't GO, but couldn't bring myself to do so, thank God. Amber kept barking and growling and lunging on the leash, and since she was 50 pounds I couldn't exactly pick her up and go home, plus no one else was around.
Somehow I managed to get us away from the little dog, but I often worried afterward about what would happen if a big dog came up to us one day, since with little dogs she would eventually calm down, but big dogs meant she was ALWAYS on the defensive. So glad you got away without getting hurt!
Oh my goodness, Erika - so scary!! I am freaking out just reading it. This is exactly what I worry about with Winston, he is so young and sweet and has such a nice little temperament, I don't want him to have to deal with anything like this. My boyfriend thinks I'm crazy overprotective, but I get so nervous about all other dogs I don't know while we walk, especially since I've been walking them separately so I can focus on loose leash walking with Winston. I'm glad you guys are both alright!
Thank you val! it is scary. My boyfriend thinks the same about me with chester but after today he sees why. He says we will walk him together once he gets out of work. If you can try to show winston in a way that not every dog you guys encounter is a dog he could play with. I need to find ways to show that to chester, he thinks every dog is friendly and can't control himself once he sees another dog.
I've never had to try this, but I remember reading about the technique where you throw a bunch of treats toward the other dog to give yourself a little break to escape:
Our issue here is not so much aggressive dogs as it is with over-friendly labs that owners can't or won't walk on a leash. I do not allow dogs to rush Cookie, friendly or not. You did the right thing.
Thank you. Ive already looked up pepper spray but isn't there a chance it would go into chesters eyes as well if this were to happen again? I was also looking at Wasp spray which is suppose to be a bit better because it sprays farther away where as pepper spray is more up close.
I hate that it happened to you and Chester but happy nobody was injured. We have been charged several times on our walks but only once (10 years ago) did the charging dog make contact. What has worked for me several times is to make myself as tall as possible (square shoulders, head high), turn my body sideways, put my hand up in a stop sign and in my deepest voice shout "Stop, go home" then turn around and turn a street corner to get out of sight.
I quite understand where you come from when you say your outlook on walks will not be the same ; it is a pity when walks become an exercise in spotting loose dogs for fear of a charge.
I've never had to try this, but I remember reading about the technique where you throw a bunch of treats toward the other dog to give yourself a little break to escape:
Our issue here is not so much aggressive dogs as it is with over-friendly labs that owners can't or won't walk on a leash. I do not allow dogs to rush Cookie, friendly or not. You did the right thing.
Oh, I am glad you and chester are OK. There is a pit bull and German Shepherd a block away from me tied to an eye-hook in the house. The dogs have attacked other dogs and owners at least 3 times now. I think there is finally a case pending. I stopped walking past the house for fear they would attack my dog. Lucky you were able to pick up your dog because even if Chester ignored the other dog, that doesn't guarantee the Rott would have done likewise. In the past few years I've had problems with dogs coming out of nowhere. I actually thought about carrying mace. I know it is not nice but I want to protect my dog. Too many irresponsible dog owners out there
You should definitely carry some sort of deterrent like pepper spray or a good sturdy stick (at least 4 feet long) with you especially in an area where dogs are known to be roaming freely. In most cases it will not be necessary to use the stick as anything more than a tool to keep a buffer zone between you, your pup, and the unfriendly visitor. Also, as was suggested above, try to appear as large as possible to the other dog and try very hard to remain calm and NOT fearful. An aggressive dog is more likely to attack if it senses fear and observes a fearful posture on your part.
When I am out with my puppy, Axl is also along and he is WELL capable of handling any aggressive dogs we might encounter as he has done on several occasions - including a rather large Rottie that ran up and attacked him (unprovoked) and got WAY more than it bargained for.
Yes, you have to have your wits about you before you unleash the pepperspray. Have to make sure you are spraying away from yourself (and Chester) and hopefully not spraying into the wind! Also, this would not be used if the dogs were already entangled, but for a preemptive strike! Certainly something to think about, but I feel safer with it. I also like that it can be effective against a threatening person I might encounter.
Also, wasp spray could be pretty cumbersome because the canisters are so large, the pepperspray is petite enough to carry on your keychain.
Such a bummer we have to even think about this kind of stuff!
I probably would have used my pepper spray on that dog. Ever since a forum member reported his dog getting attacked by two pit bulls, I don't leave home without it.
Gosh this sounds absolutely horrible!!!! I would have been crying as well. I am so sorry that you had to go through this. I'm looking up pepper spray laws in my area now to think ahead when I get my puppy.
I don't know what I would have done....isn't running bad as it makes them think you are playing? I remember walking with a friend and two large dogs came charging at us. My heart started beating so fast. Thankfully the owner came out pretty quickly and called them back but I was terrified! I can't imagine if the dog came so close to my little puppy.
What a scary experience! I don't know what I would have done. I'm very lucky. I live in an upscale gated community where the only dog we ever see off leash is a 12-year old Corgi that is some kind of escape artist and wants to go visit with neighbors. But after reading this thread, I'm going to clip some pepper spray to the bag dispenser I carry, so that I always have it just in case.
You never know. So it's best to be prepared. Better safe than sorry.
I hope this never happens to you again. Reading things like this thread make me really angry at all the irresponsible dog owners out there.
I'm sorry this happened to you. I have thought about carrying pepper spray myself! After reading a few posts here lately I am going to go buy some. I don't know and I don't care if it's legal anymore either. I will not subject my babies or myself to irresponsible owners and their dogs.
I have been lucky on our walks, but more and more neighbors are getting pits, rotties and other big dogs. The Pits down the street are really sweet and the next time they are out I plan on talking to them about having their dogs meet Sage, but some of the other big dogs I have seen out, I'm not sure about...
It delivers a ballistic stream to improve accuracy and prevent wind blowback. The best way to describe it is similar to a small squirt gun. It comes out red.
I've read a detailed description of the effects of getting sprayed with this. I can't imagine many things being worse, other than death. It rarely does permanent damage, though.
Thank you everyone I appreciate all the kind words. I am so grateful my boy and I are ok. My boyfriend placed an order for pepper spray so I guess I'll be walking with that....
Next step is to teaching Chester not to jump on top of every dog and think that they are friendly. I'm still a little afraid of this and don't know if I'll be taking Chester on this walk tomorrow or the following day.
While I do not know what is legal or not in every state, I know that where I live one of these two would be my choice for close contact protection (Stun Guns or Expandable Batons ) not any kind of spray. Of course you have to go by what is allowed where you live.
I may have to consider that. There are no restrictions on stun guns in Minnesota. Browsing on Amazon, they look inexpensive. I don't like that you have to make contact for it to work, but there are situations where it may be a better option. I don't know about the baton. I doubt that would get a dog to release it's jaws, and it could be taken and used against you by a human.
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