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Dog attack
What should I do in case of a dog attack? We have a family dog and we take her out to do her business at certain times. (On our own property of course) Today I was napping while my mom took our dog outside and another dog, about twice as big as our dog came and approached them. My mom was holding onto the leash trying to prevent the dogs from getting into contact and got herself hurt. She lost a big piece of flesh from the leash's friction and when our dog got loose from her collar she ran for it and the other dog chased her. My mom then ran in the house to call me and by the time we got to the door our dog was there waiting for us and trying to get inside. When we opened it to let our dog in, just as we slammed the door shut, the other dog made it to the door. Had my mom closed the door any later that dog would've gotten in the house and it would've been dangerous for all of us. I am still upset that the dog was not on its leash, I don't know who the owner is but I was intending to talk to them. We've never seen that dog around our neighborhood. I just want to know what are the appropriate actions to take if this were to happen again. If that happened to me, I may have to try to kick it hard enough so that I would have time to run inside my house while it was recovering from the blow. But there's also a risk of that dog would rebound really quick and chase after me, if that's the case then I won't be able to outrun it so I would have to keep defending myself until that dog gives up. I don't want to hurt it, but I don't want to get myself or my other family members to get hurt either. There were plenty of reasons for us to call the dog catchers, but we understand the situation when having a dog. Sometimes they get loose, but I'm just really upset that this happened. 1. That dog was on our property 2. It was off leash 3. It injured my mom. This has never happened before. I'm concerned every time we take the dog out now. I'm glad it didn't go after my mom either. She's a small woman and it could've easily taken her down. She's 4'11, and the dog that we saw was either an american bulldog or pitbull. I can't even express how annoyed I feel.
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Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Pets?
You don't know the situation, animals have a certain amount of territory they will cover from home. Could be a new neighbor a few blocks over. These days, the the economy, more people are abandoning their pets instead of trying to find a new home. So either way, if you begin to see it more often on your street, call the police or local dog catcher. In meanwhile until, you know the situation is secure, anyone who takes your dog walking might want to have a pepperspray with them for protection. The breed you mentioned has a tendency to be violent. A pitbull attacked my dog in a park 2 blocks from the police station. We called police and they didnt show until the owner of dog had walked out of the park with it and disappeared. Our dog was on the picnic blanket with us and our 3 kids. We could have been injured. So think of not just yourselves but other neighbors safty to and report the dog.
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The first thing you do is call the police.
Whether this dog was a violent stray, or someone's pet, it needs to be stopped. So your first move is report the incident. The police might know whose dog it was by description, they might also be able to warn others in area to be on the look out.
Part of having a dog is securing your dog. If someone can't secure their violent dog, they deserve no sympathy at all.
You got lucky this time. Someone's dog or mother might not. Someone's child might not. You have a responsibly to notify the police.
As for what to do if it happens again, it's tough to say. Getting away with your dog is obviously the best course of action. Standing still and saying No loudly and firmly will deter some dogs (most know what No means.) If you ever do have a dog attack you or your dog again, and you aren't able to get away, you have to fight it and keep fighting it.
Pepper spray, or a large stick are most useful. Empty a can of pepper spray in the dogs face, or hit them as hard as you can between the ears with a stick. Don't turn and run - never turn your back on an aggressive dog, or let them circle behind you. Running away is behaving like prey, and you wont outrun a dog. Standing your ground is better if you have no immediate means of escape. If you don't have a weapon, kick and hit until the aggressor dog backs offs or run.
Most dogs haven't been trained to attack humans, so most will back off if you can land a few solid hits, especially to the dogs groin or underbelly.
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