Protection while walking your dog

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Now that I've been able to safely get out in the neighborhood and walk Yogi, I hear and see many mean sounding dogs. So I naturally wonder what I'll do if we are charged by an aggressive dog somewhere, sometime. Yogi is 20# now, probably get to 35#.

I think I will naturally want to pick him up if it happens, because I can't see him versus an GS or Rottweiler, or even small aggressive chihuahua lol. I don't think I'd fare well either. Do you guys take anything with you as you walk alone with your dogs just in case something like this would happen?

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

How terrifying! Hobo was the Hero of the day!

[Carol and Banjo]

Oh my gosh…..just reading this is horrifying!    How incredibly brave of you.   You certainly did what you needed to do to keep your family safe!    I sometimes wonder how I would react in such a situation.   My initial thought is I would be paralyzed with fear.   I hope I could react half as well as you did Leslie.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

I'm not a particularly brave person, something in us just takes over I think.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

thanks for raising this important topic. It's always good to refresh as you never know when something might happen.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Welcome!

I so appreciate everyone's input here, we can all help each other.

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

So my daughter visiting from Maryland and I just went out for a two mile walk with Libby.  Along came a very close friend of ours and her Golden Retriever which Libby has been around many times.  So we walk up to each other and the dogs go to each other's face and I immediately notice her dogs tail went down between her legs and I pulled on Libby's leash and said "leave it" and at the same time her dog went for Libby's face and she was very angry.  My friend felt bad and said she was sorry and Libby was fine, but you just never know!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Yikes! Goes to show you...one just never knows! Way to go with paying attention and reading the Golden's body language! Wonder what was going through his head???

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Rosemary, I think because we had this discussion today it was on my mind and I was paying attention to the other dog.  Thanks to DK again!

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Whew! Way to be in tuned

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Yep, you never know!  Even good dogs have bad days and that's their only way to say "leave me alone!"  Fast thinking --good for you (and for Libby)! 

[Stella]

I have two doodles, one of which is fearful and dog reactive. I recently moved from a very isolated home where we rarely saw other people, let alone other dogs. Now I am still rural, but have neighbors. I have already noticed three dogs that are allowed to roam unaccompanied. I am now worried about walking my two in case we come across one of these loose dogs, because the likelihood is that if Chase is approached it wouldn't be pretty. I also have an unfenced yard, I have a wireless fence. The dogs are never outside alone, but I am worried incase one of these dogs comes onto my property when we are outside. I don't want to start muzzling Chase whenever we go out because other people are letting their dogs wander - that would be unfair on my guy.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

That's just it. We all have to be on pins and needles, and our dogs suffer, because of a few idiots who think it's perfectly ok to let their dogs roam. :(