Rules, boundaries, and limitations are very important to a dog because they define what is expected and allowed. Also, when a dog goes into this mode, react calmly and assertively. When a dog is being overprotective, the worst thing you can do is correct her by yelling, because this just increases her energy, making the behavior worse. The dog should not approach you when he wants to; he should only approach when you invite him. If he leans on you, gently push him away. If he nudges you, walk away. Finally, only reward the behavior that you want to see.
The goal is to teach your dog how to ask to come into your space by being calm and submissive and waiting for you to invite her in. In this way, rewarding the right behavior turns you into the treat, but one that your dog has to — and wants to — work for. Here are ours for the comments:. Also, please note that because of volume, we are unable to respond to individual comments, although we do watch them in order to learn what issues and questions are most common so that we can produce content that fulfills your needs. You are welcome to share your own dog tips and behavior solutions among yourselves, however.
Thank you for reading our articles and sharing your thoughts with the pack! View the discussion thread. Skip to main content. Project calm and assertive energy Provide exercise, discipline, affection Provide rules, boundaries, limitations Master the Walk Read your dog's body language.
Be aware of your energy Live in the moment Know the difference between story and truth Work with Mother Nature Honor your dog's instincts Nose, eyes, ears Know your dog's natural pack position Create the dog's calm submissive state Be the Pack Leader Life is simple; we make it complicated. Puppy care Senior dog care End of life care.
All about Dogs Natural history Dog news. Instinctively people are prone to lash out, struggle or run away when confronted by an aggressive dog so it's good you point out what to do INSTEAD of doings these things which would make the situation worse. In the first instance no doubt you have to keep a cool head, calm yourself and control your fear so that you can actually put these excellent recommendations into action - and that for me would be the difficult bit!
Something else I had not thought about before I do not own a dog and am ignorant of dog commends - If confronted I would probably scream something like "Leave me alone" or "Get off of me" but having read this, I hope I'm right in concluding that one word commands are what is needed. I live in an urban area but I notice over time there are more and more foxes around. I suppose that shouting firm commands at a fox may not help much but hopefully I'm right in thinking that spraying water, keeping still and rolling into a ball would be right for foxes as well as dogs?
It happens so often. Last week a lady was walking her little dog and a Pit bull got out of the house ran her down took the small dog out of her arms killed it and went after her. The dog has been banned from the city. A couple weeks ago our friend's child was taking his dog outside when a woman walking by let loose of her dog and it attacked our friend's dog in his yard. The woman called the police, when they got there they realized the dog being walked was the aggressor and did not have its shots. Thank goodness the child wasn't attacked. Voted up on your hub. This is very useful information for all of us.
I remember we had an aggressive dog in our neighborhood when I was a child. We all ran inside if we saw it coming down the street. I will definitely carry a spray water bottle and have dog treats if walking in such areas. When I started going to the dog park here, I hadn't yet rescued my dogs. I wanted to scope the place out first and get a sense of safety. There was a large dog that approached me and tried to jump on me. He was just being friendly, but I was actually quite surprised that he listened to my commands when I spoke to him firmly. Another time I went at lunch time.
I had some business calls to make and took my calendar book with me. I sat down at a table and three large dogs came running up to me. They jumped up on the table. One jumped all of my calendar, and they another started trying to climb up on my head. The commands worked at that time too. It is surprising, but it does really work. Dogs need to know that they aren't in charge. It's their nature to run in packs and to appoint a leader.
So when a human exhibits a strong presence without fear, the dogs learn that it's safe. They learn to relax. This is a very sobering article. Dogs often run loose in Peru so this advice may come in handy someday. I hope to have the presence of mind to remember your tips. I didn't realize that forceful, yelled commands could actually stop a dog attack. I feel bad for the pit bull and am glad you were able to save it. Rolling into a ball is definitely a good idea if all else fails.
Thank you for this important information. Yes, you are right. The famed Ceasar Millan talks about no look, no talk, no touch which I apply in my household as well. It's better to have a dog approach you without looking at it, talking to it, or touching it. A lot of times children make the mistake of sticking their hand out to offer the dog to sniff it. That also has been a problem in some attacks in the past. So it's better to stand still and let the dog sniff while you have your back turned to it. Now obviously this wouldn't work for a dog that's charging someone.
Thanks for stopping by. I thought it was a joke when I first came across the headlines in Google. But it was true about the Chihuahuas. They were terrorizing children in neighborhoods. I think they have groups now rounding them up and putting them in shelters. I had never heard of such a thing happening. We have a pretty good network of animal control authorities where I live.
I have never come across a stray dog. But in some parts of the world, it's a normal part of life. Compu-smart, I'm so sorry to hear that you've been bitten 3 times by dogs. I was bitten twice as a timid child. Now as an adult, I've learned to issue authority with my voice. It has been quite useful at dog parks where there are pet owners who don't seem to pay attention to what their dog is doing.
Thank you so much for commenting here. I'm so glad you are safe. It's important to alert the authorities because they can be pro-active in helping a situation before it escalates to a dangerous level. I think if more people were visited by animal control, they might take caring for their pets more seriously and more cautiously.
When I cross pass with a strange dog I always tries to stop staring at their eyes. I saw it on Animal planet or Discovery channel that when you stare at their eyes their instinct is attack mode since its like your challenging them. Yes, I see how that could be a huge problem.
The stories coming in on this hub are amazing. Attacks really are so sad--even the threat of one is. I've been bitten 3 times so I hope all this information helps when I get hassled by a Dog again. Yes, this is very timely indeed. I've had some close calls with dogs in the same street twice this month! I'll be avoiding that street for a long while from now on, and I'll consider informing the authorities of the fact that dog owners in this area leave their pets outside the fence where they can cause others harm!
We have a park with a walking trail less than a mile from my home. There are tons of people who go there to enjoy the trails, especially children and elderly because there is also a playground and park benches to relax. There are a lot of people who bring dogs there, and I have never heard of an attack either on a person or another pet.
However, the dog park has had several mauling incidents. It's supposed to be a family friendly park for children, but some of the dogs don't exhibit very friendly or good manners. It really ruins the experience for everyone. One reason I don't walk my neighborhood is because too often I see dogs wandering about that have gotten out of the house or yard while their owners are at work. I'm a firm believer that if a dog senses your fear, they will attack in order to defend themselves. It's so nice to see you.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I don't know about the area where you live, but some countries have large populations of stray dogs that never bother anyone. I just read an article about a pack of wild chihuahuas living in America that terrorize neighborhoods though. Gave me quite a laugh, but I'm sure the people there aren't laughing too hard.
Hi Rajan, absolutely, securing a place for the dog is the most important and critical piece to avoid dogs biting people enjoying the neighborhood. Thanks for stopping by! Hi cfin, I know right? I was at a dog park one time and saw a guy walking two beagle puppies with those chokers on them. I couldn't believe it! It didn't seem right at all, and he was talking about breeding more dogs. Hi RTalloni, Yes, that's true. People are either careful or not. I also think sometimes it's a matter of being niave.
Someone might take in a dog that they have no true experience handling, but were convinced by a shelter, rescue group or pet store that the pet would be low maintenance. I've seen that happen a time or two to unsuspecting people wanting to adopt a dog. For example, an elderly lady I met at the vet was terribly saddened and distressed by the dog a shelter gave her for protection. Now, most shelters do have a screening process.
The ones in my area do have protection in place for people looking to adopt. Some don't allow dogs in homes with children. Some don't allow dogs in homes with cats for instance. But this poor lady had this huge dog, that even I hestitated near, at the vet's office. She had no idea what to do. She got the dog from a shelter, it stood up to her waist, it was very strong and had pulled her down the street already. She took the dog because the shelter convinced her it was a mild mannered dog. The dog tried to take out the neighbor's cat. So sometimes we hear about these stories as well, and that troubles me that innocent people are also taken advantage of by facilities that just want to get rid of an animal to make room.
Hi Minnetonka Twin, thanks so much for your comments here and sharing your story. That's so sad that your dogs were attacked. It also causes the dog to be afraid after such an attack. I had a dog that was attacked once too and after that he was always so jittery. I worked it out of him, but it took a while. A great hub which I know will benefit many. You certainly have the knack of covering your subjects well.
Voting up and sharing. I do walk daily and don't have any problems with dogs thus far. An informative and very useful hub to the daily walker or jogger and so much to consider here. Voted up and useful. Excellent tips for protecting oneself from dog bites in unexpected situations. Some knowledge rather than none is always better. Though I would like the dog owners to act wisely to take precautions and ensure their dog never gets loose in the first place. Pain and punishment really don't work on dogs as they seem to become quite vengeful.
Sad that they would suggest that at a pet store. Your reply to my first comment reminds me of other stories…but the bottom line is that the range of owners seems to have no middle ground. They are either very wise and careful, or either not very bright or very inattentive, to put it nicely. This hub's comments will be interesting to follow. Me thinks you will be busy with replying to them on this hub for sometime to come--a very good thing on every level.
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Excellent article on protecting ourselves from dog bites. My dog and I were attacked from the dog across the street. Thankfully, my dog only had minor injuries, but it was scary as hell. So many things can trigger a dog to attack. I will be sharing this informative article. Hi MsDora, our neighborhood has no sidewalks. We pretty much have to walk in the road around here and that alone is reason we drive to the park.
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with sidewalks. There is no shortage of dogs around here either. By the park, there is a woman that lives on the corner with dogs that she fences in. Those dogs have what I would call fence aggression. They get more ridiculous when I bring my other dogs for a walk. Sadly, it's right by the school path where I walk the children every day. I've learned the names of the dogs though, and now I call them by name when I walk by and they start barking.
It calms them down. Rebecca, your comment made me laugh. Dogs are so smart. They love to dig under fences and jump over them if big enough. We have a pot-belly pig. Imagine trying to keep him barricaded behind a fence. He got out once too. He walked all through the neighborhood and picked up a plank from a fence with his snout in the back yard of a neighbor.
The neighbor had 2 huge dogs, but they welcomed the pig. As I'm running around the neighborhood frantically shouting for Wilbur, the neighbor came out totally unsuspecting that his dogs were playing with the pig. Anyway, while it may not be pretty, we had to barricade our back yard with chicken wire buried a few feet deep. That was the cheapest accommodation we could make without spending a fortune on real fencing.
But the pig can't dig himself out any more. Hi Heidi, thank you so much for commenting here. You are absolutely correct. It starts with the owner. Many people don't own up to responsibility for their dog expecting the dog to behave on its own. It takes hard work and training. I too have worked with dogs pretty much my whole life. It's a very scary situation when we encounter an aggressive dog while walking our own dogs. Crafty, this article is ultra helpful to me. I walk long the sidewalk in my neighborhood and am always afraid of dogs.
I will act on your advice and be less afraid, but as careful as ever. Harvey the Hamster Hound get loose all the time. The kids in the neighborhood chase him. I just have to figure out how to keep him in the fence, he cries if you chain him. He is so little it is easy for him to get out when I get the mail. He has spent a lot of time in doggie jail for it. He loves the mail women. She always threatens to put him in her mail bag. My guess is he would nip someone He needs to be neutered soon cause I think that is a lot of his attempts to roam.
While I agree that every situation is different and may require different tactics, there are some good tips here. I might start carrying the spray bottle. Even though I've been a dog owner for well over 20 years, as a kid I was quite traumatized by aggressive dogs and their insensitive stupid owners. Now that I work in pet rescue efforts, I see how most of these issues are usually owner issues. People are often so lazy and uninformed about pet discipline and control! We have a young dog in our area who's pretty friendly, but is rambunctious and somewhat aggressive.
She will tear out of her house and jump the fence, circling and jumping on my dog and me, making it impossible to go forward. A very aggressive movement! But until I see that happening, I'll walk down a different street. Owners need to select a dog and breed that's in line with their energy, time, budget for fencing, training, etc. This would solve a lot of these dog behavior issues before they even start. This is an excellent hub, Crafty. Thank you very much for sharing your tips. I've never been attacked by a dog, but I have met dogs who are aggressive towards my dogs.
I love the water bottle idea. A jet of water is often a great deterrent for bad behavior! I hadn't heard of that trick before, and I bet it would have worked. He's fine on a leash now but it did take some time to get him to that point. I was at a pet store once and they told me to buy one of those choker collars with the metal prongs.
But he has such as sensitive skin, I was afraid they would poke through. Thanks so much for your comments here. I'm so sorry your dog went through that ordeal. It's awfully scary as dog parents to witness such a frightening event. Crafty, I have a 9 week old pup at the moment mini schnauzer who is going through bite inhibition right now.
Beautiful that you gave that dog a chance. Try dousing the leash in vinegar or bitter apple something harmless to the dog before you go walking next time. It's a friendly reminder for him that biting is bad and may save his life. Fantastic advice all around. I like the water bottle idea. I was walking my two dogs and one had been attacked by my neighbor's pit. Your advice of stopping moving is great.
If Aggressive Dog Threatens You, Know What to Do - CBS News
My dog who was attacked didn't bark, didn't growl, didn't scream. She simply laid down. It still attacked her, but finally the owner was able to pull her off, and my dog had only tiny scars, but nothing that needed stitches. I think that is because she remained calm unlike me and stopped moving. Hi cfin, thanks so much for your comments here. Puppy training starts early. My pit bull was rescued at 7 months and he came with some bad habits. He was more interested in chewing the leash up than walking on it.
It was a very hard habit to break. It's this type of behavior that pet owners need to correct. And sometimes, people instill it. Hi Carter, I'm so sorry to hear that you were mauled by a dog as a child. Stories like that send shivers up my spine. One thing I always suggest to people who are afraid of dogs is to try to visit a dog shelter. I don't know what is available in your area. By visiting different dog breeds and interacting with them safely, you might be able to overcome your fear.
It would be so beneficial to you. Thanks so much for commenting here. I agree with everything you say here and I appreciate every word you wrote. I can tell you are as passionate about me as the subject and it's great for two people with similar thinking to join together. I wrote out some charts summarizing the fatalities by year and what factors were present when the dog attacked.
Common Dog Behavior Issues
Almost all of those situations could have been prevented. Pet owners must take responsibility! That's the first key. We can't allow dogs to become alpha dogs and think they run the household.
Management has to be in place for the safety of all involved and dogs need to know their place. For example in this article which addresses safety of people walking in neighborhoods, the elderly woman who was attacked was walking in her own neighborhood. Tragically, the dog bolted from the front door of the home where it's lived and has caused no other problems. I think people should read about that and learn from it. What can we take from this event? In my opinion, the dog didn't belong in the living room or front end of the house where it had access to the woman walking down the street. This is just a suggestion but it seems to me it's common sense.
I'm not judging the pet owners, because I wasn't there and I have no idea about all of the circumstances. I'm just going by what I heard on the news. But, if I had a rescued dog, a pit bull especially, I would not have it in the front room of my home near windows and access to the front door. I do have a pit bull and there is no way he could ever escape. There is no way anyone would ever be hurt by my dog. I have management in place in my home because I love and care about my pets, but more importantly, I love my community and neighbors.
Why would I ever risk any of my dogs escaping and attacking someone, even though they have never showed any signs of aggression. It's just good practice to understand that dogs are not humans. We can't read their thoughts. Things happen and accidents occur. But we ultimately have to do things differently that what we've always done. Some people think their innocent little dog would never hurt anyone and is fine sitting on the family couch until it jumps out the plate glass window and mauls the mail carrier, which has also happened here several time.
I trained my german shepherd not to bark at people walking by. It took a while. It was hard work. But this is what it takes these days. We can't just bring home dogs from the pound without any training and expect the dog to know how to act, or what's expected of it. I took my dog out daily and practiced with her. When people or cars walked by I trained her how to respond appropriately by sitting and waiting quietly. Everyone loves my dog. She especially loves children, so she has been a tremendous blessing to our family. But it takes work. It takes commitment, dedication, responsibility.
And the worst thing a pet owner can do is bring home a pit bull and pretend like it would never hurt anyone. That goes for any dog breed as well, but pit bulls are often in the news the most. People that cannot handle certain dog breeds shouldn't have them! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and your well-thought insight to this matter. I truly appreciate it. The thrill of the hunt as they say. The motion causes the dog to react from instinct and prey drive.
And by no means am I saying it's the jogger's fault. I hope that people will learn some self-defense strategies here. One thing that I read about when I was writing this is that some experts believe if a small dog is being attacked, to walk away from the dog. I don't think I could do that if it was my dog being attacked. I'd probably bring it up close to me, roll up in a ball, and cover it with my body. It's so scary though to think about how fast these things occur and sometimes there just isn't any time.
Hopefully, these suggestions will be useful for many that might not have otherwise known about them. I personally have used the water and it did work. But one can never be too careful and other strategies of self-defense may have to be used in a situation where a dog attacks. Thank you so much for commenting here! Faith, I'm so glad you commented here, because it's refreshing to see that someone else has tried these techniques and they worked for her!
Two pit bulls coming at someone aggressively is a very scary ordeal. Especially for anyone who has no experience with dogs or someone who is helpless such as a child or the elderly. I have a pit bull and he is well trained. When I first got him, he used to bark a lot. We don't know his history because he was rescued at 7 months. But after some initial training, I was out in my front yard with him. Two women walked by with baby strollers.
That was a real test. My pit bull sat right down and gave them utmost respect as they walked by my yard. That's another thing people don't think to do when they adopt a rescued dog. They don't think to train them to offer respect to passerbys. The dogs don't know where their territory starts and ends unless they are taught. Chaining dogs and penning them are both factors in a lot of these dog bite fatality cases that I studied for my prior Hub about proper pet management.
People pen up their dogs or chain them without thinking about the consequences of an unsupervised dog. The dog is protecting it's territory, but if that dog got out, it could result in a devastating tragedy. Hi Mishra, I can certainly understand why you would fear dogs after being bitten.
Dog bites are extremely painful and scary. I was bitten twice as a child. One way you might try to overcome that fear if you want, is to visit an animal shelter in your area. I don't know how India deals with strays. I've heard a lot of countries allow strays to roam free in packs. If you have a shelter close by, you can visit it and interact with the dogs safely overcoming your fear.
Dogs that were never trained tend to nip. Puppies are born mouthing and nipping. It's sad that dogs bite, really, as it's a huge misunderstanding and scares the heck out of people not to mention scars them. In theory, it's that we have soft skin and they are used to rough playing with other dogs.
Notice how puppies gnaw on your fingers and toes. They don't have hands so they investigate the world with their mouths. Moonlake, I have no experience with bears! Honey, maybe honey would work. That's so sad about your puppy in your childhood. That breaks my heart. And it proves my point that I wrote about in my previous Hub about proper dog management.
Chaining a dog is one of the most denominators in dog bite fatalities. Gizmo has good reason to be afraid. There have been numerous accounts here where both a person and their dog was injured or killed by a loose dog. My pit bull is afraid of other dogs that are roaming loose or barking behind a fence.
Another day, another dog bite.
And he can hold his own if it ever came to it. The reason I don't suggest pepper spray is because many people don't know how to use it properly. It would be a total loss if someone used it, the wind blew it back in their face, and they can't see to protect themselves. Then the victim would be flailing and screaming in pain which will only cause the dog to attack more. So, if one knows how to use it properly, then that's fine. But water is universal, and it can't hurt to carry a small bottle. The elderly woman was bitten so severely on her leg that she may need plastic surgery.
That's another reason I suggest walking on the other side of the street away from homes with dogs people are afraid of. If this woman had done that, the dog may not have run out of the front door and attacked her. Again, I'm not blaming the victim, but it does take precaution this day and age when dog bites are in the news every day. Jackie, my previous Hub on proper dog management goes in to detail for pet owners about what they can put in place to properly manage their pets. The problem as I see it is people get dogs and don't care for them, leave them unsupervised, or allow them to exhibit improper behavior without correcting it.
In this situation where this tragic event took place, the dog escaped from the house and mauled the woman on the sidewalk in front of the house. My suggestion here is that this pet owner, looking back on this tragedy, could have kept the dog behind a gated partition or away from the front room of the house to begin with. If a dog is barking at people walking by on the street, or seems agitated with people in front of their territory, this is a warning that the dog may have territory aggression.
It's like dogs that live in fenced yards that develop fence aggression. So, as I say in this article, it's not about blaming the victim. But with the increased number of homes built in close proximity and the increased amount of pet owners, people need to be proactive about defending themselves as well. It's by no means the victims fault, which I clearly express here. It's starts with the people that own the pets.
It's the owner's responsibility. There's nothing scarier than trying to break up a dog fight. I've had to do it on a few occasions and I'm always grateful when the dogs listen. It can really become deadly quickly if escalated. There was a woman walking her two small show dogs at our local dog park. A man was walking with his husky which was unleashed.
The husky got a hold of those dogs and killed them both. I can't imagine how that owner felt. She said they had no fighting chance. I believe she was injured in trying to get the dog off her dogs. We have leash laws here for a reason. I wish people would use leashes, but many don't. Thank you so much for sharing your story here.
My driveway ends at a circular area with pine trees in the middle. The road curves around 2 houses. My neighbor in one of the houses tells me that people are always allowing their dogs to go to the bathroom in his yard. In this state, there are laws about that, but people do it regardless. We have a beautiful walking park in town with doggie bags and trash cans supplied by a grant. Then there is a dog park which provides everything as well.
When we walk any of our dogs in to the town park, we bring plastic bags with us in case the dog goes before we get to the park. But we never allow our dogs to walk on to someone's property. Last summer, I was driving home with my children and found a woman walking her dog in my front yard. We live in the woods so it was very unusual for someone to be up here. I stopped the car and asked her what she thought she was doing. She said that she thought it was a park. I told her that it is my yard!
She said that she was from a city so people weren't used to having front yards where she came from. We are friends now, but it really shocked me that someone was walking their dog in my yard! Great advice, but I think people should keep in mind that there are no guarantees these suggestions will work every time or with every dog. I think these suggestions can be very helpful, but at the same time I would hope that people would realize there are no guarantees they will work anymore than there are guarantees in anything else in life.
If a person is fearful of a dog, that gives the dog the upper hand because dogs and all animals can smell your fear and then they know they have the upper hand. I, too, grew up on a farm around many different kinds of animals and we always had a dog. Our dogs were very protective, but when they got beyond where we could control them, they were put down. They were never taught to be mean, but for some reason some of them just seemed to get that way as they aged. When we could no longer trust them not to attack a person, that was when they were put down.
We couldn't take the chance that they would harm someone. The liability alone for something like that is just not worth the chance. I have always said, and still believe, that if you can't control your animal, then you shouldn't have it, especially in a congested area like a city or suburbs where people live close by and are put at risk as a result.
The shear cost of an event where someone's animal attacks and injures someone should be a detriment to keeping a dangerous animal. Law suits and possible jail time for having an animal one can't control should be enough to make someone think twice about keeping an animal that may at some point get beyond their ability to control that animal or of having an animal that may act out of character for some reason and harm someone.
The possibility that a child, or any innocent person could be permanently harmed, disfigured, or killed by that animal should be a detriment to people who want to keep such an animal. It may not be a stranger who ends up in serious condition or dead because of an animal attack. It may be you, your baby, your child, spouse, parent, friend. Is it really worth it to keep an animal like that? From my perspective having grown up around many different kinds of animals and always having had a dog, I believe people need to be responsible pet owners.
If they can't control their pet or if their pet is aggressive towards other people or animals then maybe that pet needs to go. I know we hate to destroy an animal for acting naturally, but we also have to be realistic. Some animals will never be happy or fit into some environments and it is our responsibility not to put them in those situations in the first place. No person going about their own business should have to fear dog attack because they stepped outside their home to check the mailbox, to get into their car to go somewhere, or because they are walking or jogging in their neighborhood.
Anyone who doesn't make reasonable and wise precautions against their pet getting loose should pay for that error. People usually know if their pet is aggressive, but even if they do not know, they should take precautions just in case the animal has a different disposition when not with their owner. It is sad when a person uses bad judgment and takes an aggressive animal into a situation that is all but certain to end badly, but everyone has or should have the right to be safe in their own yard, and in their own neighborhood. Everyone who owns a pet should take the responsibility of that ownership seriously.
I think your suggestions here are great, but I also think we need to prevent these situations from developing in the first place. People who do not take reasonable precautions to make sure their pet cannot harm any person, should be subject to horrendous fines and even jail. Keeping a dangerous animal should be done with the greatest seriousness knowing that it could end badly, not only with someone dead or permanently disfigured or disabled, but with the owner of that animal in jail and much poorer than before the incident.
I really have no patience for people who keep dangerous animals and risk the safety of everyone around them as well as their own safety. At some point we must remove our heads from the clouds where everything is ideal and realize that what ought to be or what should be in an ideal world almost never exists. We must live in the real world and deal with real probabilities and events. We must recognize the responsibilities with pet ownership and take every precaution to see that we do not step on the rights of others in our zeal to have a pet.
I'm sorry that some animals do not fit well in congested situations and I understand it isn't their fault, but that's no reason to put people at risk of being attacked or harmed. Anyone who brings these animals into what are unnatural situations for the animals should always be prepared to bear the consequences of any problems those animals cause, and those consequences should be severe enough to make people stop and think before putting any person's safety at risk in order to keep a pet that may be dangerous.
No one in my neighborhood should be put at risk for their safety because of my determination to own a dangerous animal whether it's a dog, cat, or other. I think it's important to avoid an injury due to animal attacks in the first place and one way to do that is to make sure all animal owners know they will be held responsible for any harm their animal s do and that the consequences will be very serious for themselves too.
The fines for owning an animal that harms people or other animals should be horrendous, and there should be jail time in the most serious cases. The animal should be put down in every case, no exceptions. It has proven it cannot be trusted and is a safety risk to every living thing around it. It has proven its owner cannot control it. If it has harmed someone, clearly its owner is not a responsible pet owner and there should be no chance that the animal can harm another person. When it comes to people's rights to be reasonably safe, I tend to be very hard nosed.
For some reason a lot of people think animals should have more rights to be where they don't really belong forced to be there by irresponsible pet owners than any person should have to not have their face ripped off, or their throat ripped out. No one should have the right to put other people at risk for serious harm whether that other person is their own child, a visitor, or a neighbor, etc. Pet ownership should be taken seriously and animals should not be put in a situation where they may lose control of themselves.
Ultimately it is pet owners who should be held responsible for treating their animals well and for protecting them from being put down because of an unfortunate incident. Most such incidents can be prevented by pet owners not keeping dangerous animals, and by pet owners taking every precaution to assure that their sweet, cuddly,adorable, loving pet, doesn't get into a situation where it may act out of character. I really appreciate this article and I think it can go a long way in helping people protect themselves when an unexpected situation involving dogs occurs, but at the same time, I believe we need to prevent these situations as much as possible in the first place.
Animals have no say in what we do with and to them, so that leaves it to people, especially pet owners, to do the responsible thing, and what is often the thoughtful and kind thing for both pets and people. I guess I never think much about these things since I have been around dogs all of my life and have never been attacked by one, or even been bitten other than a couple of minor nips.
I have witnessed dogs attacking other dogs and it can be frightening. I can see how a jogger could seem to be running away, thereby triggering a dog to chase. This is a great hub with useful suggestions. For example, I really didn't know that spraying water on dogs could prevent them from attacking you. I loved this hub. It was informative, helpful, and a lot of fun to read.
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I voted up and all the way. I admire your writing style and I wish you my Best in your future writing of hubs, poems, and maybe books. I Cordially Invite you to check out a few of my hubs and then become one of my followers. You have provided a lot of insight into these scenarios. When my sister was living with us for a bit last year, she went jogging and around here it seems there are dogs that are allowed to roam free or either they get out. Anyway, she was not near their home or on their street. There were two dogs, looked like pit bull mix. She saw them coming thank goodness she is a dog person , and she said they were coming at her very aggressively.
She stopped running and did as you stated, yelled commands at them to stop. They stopped and then one finally just turned around and walked back towards its home. Then the other more aggressive one did too after about a minute. We walk with our grandchildren and now new Lab around the hill in our town, and there is a neighbor who has a huge German Sheppard in a pen and it seems to get wound up when we walk by.
We will be taking a water bottle and walk on the other side of the street. My family has experienced a dog attack. It was like something out of a Stephen King movie, Cujo.
Why do dogs attack innocent people walking or jogging in a neighborhood?
Voted up and shared. When I was young a Boxer broke her chain ran out of her yard took my small pup from me and killed him. This is very useful!