How to handle a dog attack?

[Rob, Stacy, Garmisch & Wembley]

My mom was out walking her 6 pound Yorkiepoo last night and a loose black lab ran across the street and grabbed the yorkie in his mouth and shook him like a rag doll.  My mom is 72 and is not much of a match for a big dog, but she said the owner ran over, got his dog and left.  She ended up taking the pup to the emergency vet to get treated for multiple puncture wounds and had drain tubes installed.

Having never been in this situation I'm wondering what the proper way to handle this is?  Is the owner of the attacking dog responsible for any vet costs?  Should it be reported to Animal Control? 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I'm so sorry. Your mom must have been terrified!  I see she is planning to contact authorities which is great. I hope your sis can find the owner of that Lab because he definitely needs to be more responsible as a dog owner as well as pay for the vet bills for your mom's pup. I hope that the Yorkiepoo (what's his name?) recovers soon from the mauling and will keep him and your mom in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us posted on the situation!

[Rob, Stacy, Garmisch & Wembley]

His name is Scully...he's a little fireplug, but gets along great with our 2 doodles when we visit for the holidays.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Scully? Like that character on the EX FILES???

[Leslie and Halas]

Poor little guy!  I hope he and your mom have a full recovery.  I know she wasn't injured, but that still has to shake you up a bit.  I say report it.

[Katie and Sophie]

Oh my goodness! That is such a scary situation to be in! Almost something similar to this happened to my cockapoo when I was a kid. Our dog was in our yard and a lady was walking her German Shepard on a retractable leash and it came into our yard and attacked our dog. It was really bad. My 15 pound dog had to have over 200 staples, tons of drain tubes, and multiple surgerys. The lady did the same thing as the labs owner though and just walked away after the attack. We did report her and even though her dog was on a leash she was found responsible because she did not have control over her dog and she had to pay the vet bills. So in your situation i would also say to report it. The labs owner is the one responsible.

[Rob, Stacy, Garmisch & Wembley]

Ouch!  Glad he made it thru, makes me wonder if I should carry a spray or something when I go on walks. 

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Tara is a mini (20 pounds) and we carry pepper spray when we walk her.Some people on DK suggest carrying a loud noise maker.  But sometimes dogs just come out of nowhere and you really don't have time to put these things to use.

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

I was chased by 2 pit bulls on Christmas Eve with Bailey...I spoke with my trainer and he said not to use pepper spray or mase(sp).  Dogs will fight around it.  He suggested a produce called Hault.  It is what the postal service uses.

 

I trust his advice.  He has been training K9's for over 35 years for the USMC and police depts...

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Here is a link to the Halt product but it is pepper spray too. I'm not sure what the difference it between it and the other brands. Did your trainer explain?

http://www.amazon.com/Halt-Dog-Repellent-1-5-oz/dp/B000E4Q7BS

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

I misspoke.  Only use pepper spray or halt....and Not mace.... Mace is made from a spore.  Dogs have a lower thin eyelid that comes up when mace is used so it protects the eyes...

 

So for my confusion....

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Was just at Pet Smart and they have something called spray shield-it's supposed to keep agressive dogs away-looks like a can of mace. It sprays citronella scent out of it. It was about $10

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

What a horribly frightening experience for your Mom.....and the poor Yorkiepoo.  I agree with everyone that this dog should be reported, if you're able to find out who the owner is.  Here are a few hints that I received from my trainer, since this has always been a huge fear of mine, especially with Guinness because of his size.

-Try your best to stay calm...it's difficult, but it will help to diffuse the situation.  Also worry about your own dog's excitement level...if they're overly excited they can actually invite an attack.  Also not easy to do.

-Keep moving as the loose dog approaches...don't slow down and don't even acknowledge the dog.

-Try not to even look at the other dog at this point...spend all of your focus on calming your dog.

-If the other dog actually starts to "attack" firmly but calmly say "no" and stand as tall and confident as you can.

-If the other dog does not back off at that point, you can try a diversion.....throwing treats.  While the dog is diverted move away quickly....but do not run as that will further excite the dog.

-He said some clients he knows carry a walking stick which they use to try to keep the two dogs separated.  That takes some practice....they kind of use it like an arm.

-If all else fails, and the other dog has actually latched on to your dog, you can sometimes pull them off if you grab them by their hind end pull back.  They will have a hard time getting their head around to bite you.  I know that I am not strong enough to do this.

So these were just hints he gave me....I'm not sure how well I'd do in this situation.