[Blessings2You]

Lately there have been a couple of dogs running loose (from separate families). The husky has killed chickens, piglets, a guinea pig...but I don't know if he is aggressive toward people or not. The other is a shepherd of some kind; I don't even know where he/she came from.

I walk to the post office and back when I can, almost always with my rollator. I'm nervous about these dogs, and about getting someone's attention if I needed help. (Yes, my husband would walk with me, but I don't really want an escort!)

I was wondering what the consequences would be if I blew a whistle if a strange dog approached me. Would it chase him off? Would it TICK him off and make him more apt to hassle me?

I carry a whistle in case I fall or something, but hadn't thought about using it to deter a dog. My friend suggested pepper spray or whatever it is, but I wouldn't want to hurt a dog who had no ill intentions. It's been 40 years since I've had a dog. What are your thoughts, dog owners?

[Blessings2You]

No dog owners?

[curlydawg]

Hey Blessings,

I'm certainly no expert on dogs though I do have a big dog who loves people.

I love dogs tremendously but when there's more than one you always have to be careful. They are like a kid in a gang, they do stuff they would never do alone.

And the whistle sounds like a great idea...I can't see a dog wanting to be near that sound.

Even my people loving dog will almost knock us down sometimes just out of playfullness.

Curly

[mrsD]

We have big dogs around here and up North all the time running around. Recently one ran up the outside stairs and jumped me and almost knocked me down(we have a leash law here)...I walk with a hiking pole for stabilization. I gave the owner "what for"... and we continued for a few months this way until I called the police, which I was forced to do...as the dog was huge... a Louisiana hound hunting creature. He was being friendly but I could have fallen down the concrete steps that day! The dog responded to the calm--go home. The owner was another story!
.


I do what Cesar Milan does on his shows and it always works for me. I stand calmly and try to project this "calm submissive attitude". The dogs stop and stare and when they do, I say GO HOME... and slowly point away from us to where I want them to go. You can do the gesture just with your chin and eyes, and not need to point. I even did this thru a window. Two big dogs from our cousins came, one day, when our old cats were out 3 summers ago upNorth. The one looked at me, and I did the "calm" thing, and she got confused and I said "go home" all the while looking at her.
She not only made some wuff sound, but called the other to her and they BOTH left, looking over their shoulders once or twice.

Anger, waving arms, raising the voice, any sign of fear, and it is over! It is a stoic thing you do, instead. If you take ownership of your immediate area, they will leave unless they are "sick" or "crazy". If you know for sure they have attacked humans, that is another story. And I would have the pepper spray in that event. Dogs in general will defer to a "leader". Just hold your ground, and try not to keep walking-- as this shows weakness. You don't want to appear to be running away. So stay there as long as you need to take ownership of the area.
Any fear, or weakness and it is over IMO. Really aggressive dogs are another story... if I were you I'd have a cane or stick with me just in case and a cell phone.

[Dr. Smith]

Originally Posted by Blessings2You
.

I was wondering what the consequences would be if I blew a whistle if a strange dog approached me. Would it chase him off? Would it TICK him off and make him more apt to hassle me?

There is no way to predict the behavior of a strange dog. Period.

IMO, the best thing to do is report these dogs to your local animal control officer. Leash laws have been enacted all over for good reason. You are not a bad person or heartless for doing so; you are protecting yourself, other humans (children, elderly, disabled...) who may not be able to handle the situation, and the dogs themselves from being hit by cars, shot, poisoned, trapped, etc.

I've done it myself on several occasions. If my dog got away, I would THANK someone for caring enough to protect my dog by having him picked up rather than risking all the hazards that could befall the little numbskull.
.


Doc

[mrsD]

It has been my experience living in rural and city environments each year that the "attitude" in the rural areas, is very different than the citified one.

In our city, which is really good at picking up animals, they will come if that animal is on YOUR property illegally off leash.
They will not HUNT or find roaming dogs...who tend to move around. In our rural area, only dangerous dogs are attended to, as EVERYONE lets their dogs run around. And this is rare, for one to be "mad" etc.

There was just an incident here in the city with a dog that got out of his yard, and ended shot by police:

.

This is what Dr. Smith illustrates. But IMO the dogs roaming free and used to that behavior do not stay long enough in one place anymore to be caught. In my area, the dog person is no longer in the budget even. At some times the contracted Vet service (a local clinic) will respond, but sometimes not.
If you know the owners, then yes, get the local law after them, but I would not expect much enforcement. The longer these dogs run loose, the more comfortable "hunting", the bigger the risk with them going feral.

Your question is what to do if they approach you. Do not act afraid or aggressively, and hold your ground and have some back up plan in place (pepper spray or whatever you choose).
Most dogs will not attack a person unless they are wild, or sick or have some aggressive reason. Dogs trained to fight when they get loose may be very aggressive-- like pit bulls. But your description is of house pets, just running amok.

We used to have a dog catcher here in the city, but that service is terminated as financial crunches tighten. I would expect other places to have similar woes.

[Blessings2You]

Essentially the leash laws (at least here) are for people who care enough about their animals to control them anyway. Like locking your door "keeps the honest people honest". *sigh*

I wonder if the dog would consider me to be acting afraid if I pee my pants? Maybe I'll just stay home.

[mrsD]

Well, putting it THAT way to the police may get you some action! LOL Our local postal workers, sometimes give out dog treats, and that may be a way to win the dogs over to you. Train them to be your escort for your errands!
.


You have a very good reason, to press for action. But there is no guarantee the owners will comply. That is where I see the rub.

If a citizen cannot go about in public without fear, you might go to the local papers, if the police do not help with this. Some public light shown in the proper places tends to be motivating in some difficult situations.
.

[Dr. Smith]

Originally Posted by Blessings2You
.

I wonder if the dog would consider me to be acting afraid if I pee my pants?

Definitely. Urination is an act of submission in a dog's world. Submission is supposed to be a signal to the dominant dog to back off - "I give up." Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. We took our current therapy dog to a local dog park when he was about 8 months old. Several dogs got very aggressive, and he did what dogs are suposed to do - he rolled over on his back and urinated. About half of the dogs backed off and left him alone; the other half went after him even more! When I saw this I went to the rescue with cane ready. It ruined this dog's docile temperment for nearly a year afterward; he bacame very fearful and aggressive, and I was afraid for a time he would be useless as a therapy dog. We never went back to the dog park. I've been asked to do an article on the flip-side of dog parks; I'm kinda reticent about it. Bottom line, good dogs come from good owners & vice versa.

There was just an incident here in the city with a dog that got out of his yard, and ended shot by police:

.

This is what Dr. Smith illustrates.

Actually I was thinking about more rural areas where dogs can legally be - and are - shot by farmers/property owners for running deer, harrassing livestock, etc. but the above point is well-taken too.

Just the other night at obedience class, we learned of a dog we'd known from a previous class - sweetest fella - who suddenly turned on his owner without cause or provocation, and bit him seriously on both hands (held up in defensive posture). They had no choice but to have him destroyed. Very sad.

Dogs - even house pets running amok - who have been running free regularly, especially when they begin to run with other dogs, revert very quickly, and can become quite aggressive, often without warning or provocation. These same dogs may act docile and normal at home with their owners and completely differently when out on the prowl. There is just no way to tell. This is why most animal control officers now use snare poles (and sometimes carry firearms) routinely. They know from experience how fast a situation can change.

My concern with pepper spray is that it could be false confidence; one has to be fast and accurate against a potentially fast(er)-moving predator with built-in hunting instincts and a possible partner. It's easy to say not to act afraid, but these animals learn to smell fear. Just too many variables.

If people are (made) afraid to come out of their homes because of roaming dogs, that's a serious public safety issue, and needs to be dealt with seriously. There's also a potential civil liability against owners who flaunt the law and civil authorities who have been negligent in enforcement.

Call animal control, the police, the media.... If you can, take pictures from a safe location (inside a building) to assist in proof/identification.

Be safe,

Doc