Agressive dogs
Joyce Goldenlily
Posts: 2,166
What can you do when a dog attacks your dog?
There have been several incidents in the local area recently. My own dog was beaten up on the village green by a dog, off lead, recently. He was not injured but when I quietly said to the lady owner that she should keep an unpredictable dog on leash or muzzled she went into meltdown, shouting, swearing and stormed off. Unfortunately I do not know what her name, or the dog's name is or where she lives, except she said she lives in the very large village and was going to move out. Yeah! She screamed at me she was f*****g sick and tired of being told what to do. So I was obviously not the first person to speak to her about her dog's behaviour.
In the past, the Village Green committee have banned difficult dogs from being taken onto the Green, except I have seen the respective owners take the dogs onto the Green when they think there is no-one else around. It is such a shame as the vast majority of dogs are well socialised and well behaved, I have counted nine dogs, all off lead running around with each other with no aggressive behaviour from any of them.
In the last 2/3 weeks there have been two incidents where known dogs, known owner, have set on dogs, on leased land adjacent to the Green. I have a feeling that would class as trespass. Also, the same dogs have been roaming the local area, going onto roads etc. The local Facebook page almost went down with the number of reports being posted.
As far as I understand it, the owner has in the past been spoken to by the RSPCA and Police but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Does this mean that everyone has to keep making formal complaints to the Police every time there is an incident until eventually some action is taken?
It concerns me that a dog or possibly child, could eventually be badly injured or killed by these dogs as they have reportedly, in the past, killed a cat in a nearby area.
There have been several incidents in the local area recently. My own dog was beaten up on the village green by a dog, off lead, recently. He was not injured but when I quietly said to the lady owner that she should keep an unpredictable dog on leash or muzzled she went into meltdown, shouting, swearing and stormed off. Unfortunately I do not know what her name, or the dog's name is or where she lives, except she said she lives in the very large village and was going to move out. Yeah! She screamed at me she was f*****g sick and tired of being told what to do. So I was obviously not the first person to speak to her about her dog's behaviour.
In the past, the Village Green committee have banned difficult dogs from being taken onto the Green, except I have seen the respective owners take the dogs onto the Green when they think there is no-one else around. It is such a shame as the vast majority of dogs are well socialised and well behaved, I have counted nine dogs, all off lead running around with each other with no aggressive behaviour from any of them.
In the last 2/3 weeks there have been two incidents where known dogs, known owner, have set on dogs, on leased land adjacent to the Green. I have a feeling that would class as trespass. Also, the same dogs have been roaming the local area, going onto roads etc. The local Facebook page almost went down with the number of reports being posted.
As far as I understand it, the owner has in the past been spoken to by the RSPCA and Police but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Does this mean that everyone has to keep making formal complaints to the Police every time there is an incident until eventually some action is taken?
It concerns me that a dog or possibly child, could eventually be badly injured or killed by these dogs as they have reportedly, in the past, killed a cat in a nearby area.
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Posts
My dog is a Shi Tzu so no match for a labrador cross. Fortunately his harness gave him some protection and it was his ego that was dented more than anything, the other owner had to use her ball thrower to get her dog off mine. I haven't seen her since the incident.
None of the dogs wear collars or tags.
Outrageous.
Dogs must be micro chipped and wear a collar with an identification tag.
If you know who these people are, or have their car registration numbers, you could make life quite expensive for them.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
I get upset about my boy getting attacked, although he's got a thick coat and he weighs 40kg, but that doesn't stop some dogs having a go. Quite a few owners think it's funny when their little precious squares up to a German Shepherd. Rusty just steps aside and gives the aggressor a funny look. I've often shouted to the owner that if the situation were reversed they'd be calling for the police!
Wonder how many 'concerned dog owners' realise what the warning signs are? The main one IMO, when out walking, is 'the stare'! When I see a dog giving us the eye-ball I divert Rusty's attention and direction as quick as I can. The other big problem is food.... many a time I've seen a child teasing a dog with food, they're literally asking for trouble. Doesn't matter how placid a dog is, never leave it alone with a child, especially if the child has food.
Some dogs, big or small, are so aggressive without being checked, and my heart goes out to anyone and their dog who's been attacked, especially service dogs.
What would I do if Rusty was attacked? I'd let him off the lead to either defend himself, or to escape from the conflict, being hampered by a lead wouldn't help me or him. But of course it depends on what you'd feel was right for your given circumstances. BTW I do have damaged ligaments in my hand caused by violent tugging of a lead when Rusty was attacked by a loose dog some 7 or so years ago.
Take a pic or video of the aggressive dog for police purposes (if poss).
We used to have a dog who would bite if another one got too close, she was always on lead and muzzled. Which didn't stop others shouting at us when their dogs ran at her and she snapped. She was entirely capable of biting through the muzzle - although the damage was limited, it wouldn't stop it if the dog charged at her. We learned to intercept incoming dogs with a foot. This would lead to us being accused of kicking their dog, although in fact all the motion was from the dog, we just blocked them. We would just shrug and not get into the argument.
We also had a very timid dog who was attacked. OH had to punch the attacking dog (weimerana) in the face to get it to let go. Our dog had 20 stitches and a drain in his side from that incident.
The only time police have been called was when another dog of ours was walking quite peacefully along, minding his own business, when we encountered a 'scooper' - a woman who squealed and picked up her puppy while making flapping movements, which prompted our dog to stand up on his back legs to sniff the puppy. The policeman who came out said it was the first time he'd been called to an incident of a dog leaving muddy pawprints on someone's coat.
Many people don't understand dogs' body language or instincts, or recognise that all dogs are - or can be - dangerous. Most are not aggressive, but can be provoked, especially if cornered. We do our best to keep ours and others safe. We used to let our dogs off lead in public, now we never do. Fortunately, we have room here for them to run and play as much as they want in our garden, which is securely fenced. Walks are a different sort of exercise.
BTW, our dogs have all been greyhounds and lurchers. Not all lurchers hunt. The one we have now has caught a rabbit. It hopped off having had a thorough wash behind the ears and a bit of a fright. Generally he chases the cats and squirrels away but wouldn't know what to do if one ever stood its ground.