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]

It's funny how one reacts! Afterwards, I was shaking like a leaf and even burst into tears when I got into the safety of my own home. But at the time of the attack...I remember thinking this dog is not going to hurt my aging Golden....and was willing to do anything to prevent him from getting bit.
And what made even madder...here I am bleeding( and it really looked a lot worse than it was)... Blood running down my legs and I must have touched my legs and then my face, because I had blood on my face( but no cuts were found) and this guy is mad because I dared to pepper spray his loose dog! Never once got an apology.
To make matters worse, I heard from a neighbor, that the same dog attacked a woman who was out jogging while pushing a baby carriage, the carriage was knocked over and her toddler bit.! She was sueing the guy. Never did hear the outcome....but it is apparent the guy didn't learn from the first attack.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I think pepper spray is a good idea in a neighborhood where you have a concern about large aggressive dogs being loose.

As for panic, I think you would surprise yourself if your dog was seriously threatened.  When the cocker attacked Finn out of nowhere, I tried to get in between them and dislodged her for a second.  Her owners did nothing but stand on their lawn and scream. When she went at his face a second time, and knowing I was not going to get any help, I did something I never thought I would or could do.  I gave her one sharp kick in the solar plexus that sent her flying about 3 feet. Then we kept moving. And no, I wasn't sorry for a minute. I wasn't about to discuss the matter with her. Of course, that wasn't a pit bull :)    

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Agreed... I now have pepper spray in all of our cars , one in my purse and one on the end of Enzo's leash. ( for both 2 legged and 4 legged attackers)
I just read the other day, if a dog has someone or your dog clenched in his teeth, to grab his back hind legs and lift his feet off the ground. Supposedly, he will release. My thought is...then does he turn around and make a lunge at you? " In theory" it may work...but don't really want to test the waters!

[Wendy and Myla]

I've heard that you pull their tail, but like you, I wouldn't want to test the waters! 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

All of this is great review and suggestions. I just hope I can remember what to do in an attack situation and in cases I have witnessed, as neither of mine have ever actually been attacked, it seems teeth and jaws and tails and hind legs are flying everywhere, so Im not sure what Id get between, grab onto, or kick. Just such a scary thought. I can only imagine that if one of mine were attacked, that the other would jump right into the mix and then I'd have 3 to deal with. Not a happy thought.

[a.k.a. Rodney]

I can report a Woman living in my community was out walking her little white dog when a German Shepherd mix was off leash and ran out of his house and as she attempted to pick up her dog he was biting and ripping apart her dog and went after her
she had some serious surgery and so did the dog
apparently not a very good idea to pick up a dog while another dog is attacking
I think the pepper spray sounds like a decent idea but it would take some serious time to get it out and aimed at the advancing dog also
I guess no easy answer....Epilogue ...those people were ostracized from the neighborhood b/c they continued to act inappropriately about refusing to acknowledge culpability ....they moved!!

[Breanna]

My pepper spray is made for joggers so it has a hand strap. When I am walking my hand is always near the button. It has a little piece of plastic over the top so it doesn't spray accidentally, but you can slip your thumb in immediately. 

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I attach mine to the leash...always ready. LOL...I can honestly recommend you NOT sliding into the front pocket of your jeans! First hand experience ....if it should somehow spray within your pocket....it BURNS like a .......,even through my jeans it left a good burn on my thigh.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Good to know. So poop bags and pepper spray on leash, check!

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Thank you all so much for your input. I like the pepper spray idea, standing my ground in between dogs, and I'll be happy to kick if I need to.

I think we all will surprise ourselves in how we react if our babies are threatened.

My house was broken into in the middle of the night when my girls were young. My DH was out of state. We had a cocker spaniel at the time, he started barking ( which was not normal for him). It woke me up and I simultaneously heard a crash in my garage. I cautiously went to the garage door, flipped the garage lights on and off a few times, walked out into the garage and could see the outer door had been opened with what I guessed was a crowbar. I calmly went back in, gathered up both my daughters and the dog, then I went back into the garage, got in my car and left. At that time in my addition there had been serial rapes going on, so I knew I had to get out. Long story short, we do what we have to do, I was surprised in hindsight how calm I was. Of course later I fell apart. ;-)

And to this day I thank The Lord for my sweet cocker spaniel, Hobo.

[Breanna]

That is terrifying! Home invasion is my biggest fear so I hope that when Crush is older she barks when people come around. Right now she doesn't make a sound no matter who comes over. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

awww…I'm sorry the dog in my story just happened to be a cocker spaniel.  I really love them -- we joke that my ALD has cocker spaniel ears :) because the australian labradoodles have cocker spaniel mixed into the breeding. And we used to have a sweet blond female cocker named Buffy next door who just loved to shoot a ball back to you with her paw…all day long. I love all dogs but I think we do whatever we can when we see our children or our dog being hurt. Hobo sounds like he was pretty special :)