I recently started walking in the mornings for exercise. This morning I leave the house at 5:30, start walking down my street, go around the bend, and this BIG dog comes running at me!!! It was a golden retriever, I think. It jumped on me!!! I crossed my arms over my face and tried to keep my balance. He kept jumping up, over and over, biting me gently. It turns out he was just playing. Whew!! He ran around like crazy, picked up a discarded plastic bottle, raced around throwing the bottle.
Nobody was around! The dog had no collar, either. I actually was pretty scared. He ended up following me (leading me, really!) for my whole walk, zigzagging abck and forth across the street, but never jumped on me after the first time. I love dogs, and I was cool with him joining me, but somebody should have kept him at home! It was obvious he was well cared for.
I would have been very worried if a big dog was charging at me, not knowing if he was friendly or not.
I don’t understand why people just let their pets out and don’t keep an eye on them. My doggies stay in their fence or on a leash unless I am out in the yard with them…then, and only then, will I let them out for a little while to play. If any of the neighbors come out or kids start riding bikes then I put up the doggies.
That’s why I won’t walk in my neighborhood. We have a large dog in the neighborhood that comes running out barking like he’s going to eat me alive. He’s never attacked me but it scares the bejeesus out of me. Yep, it’s time for mace.
We have a cabin we’ve been going to for years way back up a canyon in the mountains of Colorado. There’s about 30 other cabins up there too, all along a rocky mountain road. For 34 years it’s been a wonderful, peaceful experience.
This year as I stepped out the front door the first morning we were there, a large Weimereiner chased me back inside. The lady in the cabin next to us had an infant with her and brought her two dogs for protection. Problem was it completely ruined the feeling of serenith and relaxation we’d enjoyed up there for a third of a century. Not to mention it invited all sorts of problems with the bear population and other wildlife. Gaah, I’m still miffed about it.
Sorry you were frightened.
I’d suggest if anything similar happens again, that you try to cow the dog using a commanding posture and voice.
IME saying “No!” in a loud, deep voice works wonders on both aggressive and playful dogs - for women as well as men.
Heck, you can even growl or bark at them to make them back down. Or just scream something like “get out of here!” The main thing is to convince yourself that you are dominant to the dog, and convey that impression to the dog. Most dogs aren’t stupid, and aren’t going to attack someone substantially larger then them who looks like they’ll put up a good fight.
Then be prepared to give a good solid boot to the beast should it keep coming.
But running, or covering up is not generally what I would recommend.
Note, while I have no experience, my understanding is that this may well not work with a pack of dogs.
Check on leash laws in your county. Where I live, dogs must always be under someone’s control either by being confined to a yard or on a leash. The police will give a citation to the owner for not controlling their dog and if that fails, contact Animal Control to have the dog picked up.
I love animals and volunteer with a dog rescue group but I cannot abide irresponsible owners.
I am especially angered by the neighbor in lieu’s situation.
Dinsdale, yes, I have used pepper spray on a dog, defensively, while working as an animal control officer.
And yes, it worked quite nicely. Got a rottie with a thing for people in uniform out of my face.
However, I learned an important lesson that day. Pepper spray is not ideal to use indoors! (although I hadn’t much choice at the moment) It can kind of fill up a room, and I was dashing out gasping. Nice to know, but it wouldn’t stop me from doing it again. And I could see someone carrying some if aggressive dogs were a problem.
Bring a leash next time, and haul the dog into the your local shelter. People who let their dogs run loose are idiots, and deserve to have to pay an impound fee. And ithey decide not to pay the impound fee, a gold retriever will get adopted mighty quick, and probably end up in a better home.
My husband is a mailman, and he’s used pepper spray (USPS-provided, and it is expected that any letter carrier has it with them in case of attack) - sends them off sneezing and wiping their muzzle on the ground. He’s had occasional problems with blow-back if the wind’s coming the wrong way, or with wiping his hand on his sweaty brow later and then feeling the residue of the pepper spray that was just transfered (from blow-back onto his hand only) start burning into his forehead. Usually more trouble than it’s worth, in his experience, but he’s a large guy who not only can fight off dogs (he’s had to) but also knows well how to relate to him. At least half the dogs on his route adore him, and few give him any problems.
As a UK postman dog attacks are something that happen to us far too regularly. Luckily I have never been atacked but one of our guys had his arm and face badly bitten last year and the owners are claiming that he provoked the animal by entering their property. We don’t have those mail boxes outside houses we have mail slots so how is the bloke supposed to deliver the mail without entering the garden and going to the front door.
Incidentally we are issued either pepper spray or a device which when a button is pressed sends out an ultrosonic blast which only the dog hears and it sends them nuts.
That ultrasonic thingy, what is it called and where can I get one. I have a little beasty that chases me on my bike and that sounds like a good solution.
Dunno about the pepper spray but I wouldn’t trust a stick to do the job against a medium sized or larger dog that is really intent on doing harm. My brother once had to fight off a dog that was attacking his doberman. It took several strong kicks to the ribs with little apparent damage. My brother is 6’1" , 195 lbs and fairly well trained in karate. He started carrying a pistol after that.
Question for you folks who are knowledgeable about dog attacks:
-is there a set attack pattern that (larger) dogs will use when attacking a single person? do they go for legs to bring you down? do they try for throat / neck?
-Is there a different pattern if they are two or more dogs?
-are there established “self defense” techniques against attacking larger dogs?
-is it true that a dog barking & running at you won’t attack if you stand still and don’t make eye contact?
I take my 1 year-old son for walks in a backpack child carrier pretty regularly, and there are some mean looking big dogs behind pretty low (3.5 feet?) looking fences along the way. Are dogs, especially when there are more than one in the same yard, likely to jump over the fence to attack?
I dearly love dogs, but know very little about them because, being alergic, I’ve never had one.
The pepper spray idea is a good one.* (Better than my original plan of letting them chew on my left arm while I try to slit the throat with my swiss army knife) * ALthough it’s illegal as a self defence spray in Canada, you can use it against animals, and it’s sold as “bear” spray. I think I will start carrying it on our walks.
I’m glad some of y’all have had good experiences with dogs and pepper spray. I tried some (the same kind letter carriers carry) on a pit bull chasing me on my bike once, and he just kept coming. Here in San Antonio, the dogs get hotter stuff than that in their table scraps. Stuff only makes them hungrier.