I got in a fight with a pitbull today :O
I got in a dogfight with a pit bull today. He was in the midst of pouncing on Eddie, and the only thing that came to mind was to pounce on him. Miraculously, I won. Eddie didn't get hurt. And we all walked away nervous but unhurt.
It was one of those situations I've heard described here on YT many times. Funny, when others described it, something in the back of my mind always thought "You know, it might have been avoided if ..." But it's been 10 hours since the attack, and I still don't know how it could have been avoided.
The incident happened as we were taking our daily walk at a neighborhood park, the same one in just about all of my videos. There is hardly anyone ever in this park in the winter, and I often let mine walk off-leash. But while we were standing on a hill, I heard a neighbor shout loudly and I looked over and saw a dog about 50 yards from us, unleashed.
I quickly leashed my three -- Yorkies Eddie and Jillie and Chessie Lucy -- and started walking the opposite direction. I looked a couple times over my shoulder and didn't see anything, so I figured the problem had been avoided. I was relaxed and so were the dogs.
But as we rounded a corner on the circular trail, I saw a kid chasing a dog about 100 yards away. At first, I didn't even think it was the same dog because they were quite a ways from where I'd first seen the dog, but as the kid kept chasing and the dog kept running, I realized I had a problem on my hands. If they followed the trail, they would come right up to us.
I looked around quickly for a place to take shelter, but there was just the groomed trail we were walking on and deep snow everywhere else. I decided not to walk into the deep snow because I didn't want to have a confrontation on ground where I didn't have good footing.
I shouted out to the kid when he was about 25 yards away "I hope that dog is friendly." He said nothing, just kept herding the dog toward us.
It was then the whole situation turned into a terrifying comedy of errors. I'd wished I'd picked up the Yorkies and let the Chessie run free. Too late. As the dog approached, it wasn't even looking at me, it was making a beeline for Eddie and Jillie. They were on harness, so as I was maneuvering myself to get between the Yorkies and the pit bull, I literally lifted the Yorkies off the ground in a semicircle around me.
Big mistake. They looked like a couple of pinatas dangling on a string, and if the pitbull didn't have bad intentions when the incident started, he certainly did now. Can you imagine how much fun flying Yorkies look to an undisciplined dog?
When I finally lowered them to the ground, the pitbull had run around me and pounced on Eddie. I didn't think. I dropped all the leashes and tackled the pitbull at about the same time he was landing on Eddie. Thankfully, he hadn't bitten him, just gotten a little slobber on his back.
Just about then, the pitbull turned his attention on me and snapped just as I was grabbing his collar with both hands. I was able to control his head while my body was still pressing down on his.
By then, the kid had shown up along with his dad from the other direction. I shouted at them to leash the #%*#! dog. The father grabbed his collar too, but I told him to put the leash on him. I didn't trust the guy who had allowed the dog to escape in the first place to be able to control him without a leash. He complied.
We were all shaken, but as they were apologizing I looked around for my dogs. Lucy and Eddie were still standing there, but Jillie had taken off running. I had no doubt she was headed home -- about 300 yards away -- which meant running on the streets.
I grabbed my two leashed dogs and took off running toward home. I discovered Jillie had stopped about 50 yards away and was looking at us. She was obviously terrified, because when I called her she took off running the other direction.
Fortunately, I'd driven my car to the park that day and she was just running to the car. She stopped before running far into the road.
As I loaded the last of the dogs in the car, I remembered breathing for the first time since the whole ordeal began. What a nightmare, but we had all escaped. And the only injury was a small scratch on my arm, likely from the pit's toenail.
So what's the lesson in all this? I wish I knew. Part of me thinks I may have had a better outcome if I'd just dropped all the leashes and let the dogs sniff each other instead of dangling the Yorkies in front of the dog.
But that would have required me putting my faith in a dog I knew nothing about. I knew my dogs could handle a friendly encounter, but I wasn't sure of the pitbull's intentions. Part of me thinks he wasn't vicious. I don't think I could have subdued a pitbull who was in the "red zone" as they call it. But I wasn't willing to take the chance.
I might have picked up the Yorkies, but how would I have fended off the attack if the dog leaped at me to get them? Or attacked Lucy? Lucy was larger than the other dog, but she's also 11 years old. She doesn't need to be fighting a runaway pitbull.
I couldn't have dropped the leashes earlier because Jillie is a runner. She would have fled, and that would have incited the dog just as much as my flying pinata alternative.
One answer that's coming to me is to carry some kind of deterrent. I don't like pepper spray because you never know which way the wind is blowing, and I don't want to blind myself. A friend says she carries a stick, which would have been better than nothing. I'm thinking the best solution might be to make one of those pole snares like animal control uses. Loop it around the dog's neck and keep him at a distance.
All of those might help, but it's no solution. The fact of the matter is that a person walking multiple dogs is at a distinct disadvantage when trying to intervene in a dogfight. If I want to "solve" the problem, I'm going to have to walk them separately.
I'm not sure I'll do that. I've made twice-a-day walks to that park for 8 years, and this was our first close call. I'd hate to change our whole routine because of one serious encounter.
Sure makes you think, though, how vulnerable a small-dog owner and dogs are on leashed walks.
Sorry about the "novella," but this was as much a journal as a blog as I try to figure it out. And as long as I'm admitting to a novella, here's the epilog:
I took Jillie and Lucy on a "hair of the dog" walk tonight to the same park. Eddie didn't want to go. I don't think he's traumatized because he acted fairly normally the rest of the night.
Jillie was willing until we hit the same stretch of trail where it happened, then she started stopping and needing encouragement to keep going.
When we reached the exact spot it happened, my jaw dropped when we saw ANOTHER DOG! It was leashed and smaller, but Jillie didn't care. That was the last straw. She started pulling to go home as hard as her 5-pound body would let her and no amount of treats could get her to change her mind.
I ended up picking her up and carrying her past the spot. As we started heading back, I put her down and she walked comfortably the rest of the way.
Looks like it might be a long winter getting her confidence back up. So sad.
It was one of those situations I've heard described here on YT many times. Funny, when others described it, something in the back of my mind always thought "You know, it might have been avoided if ..." But it's been 10 hours since the attack, and I still don't know how it could have been avoided.
The incident happened as we were taking our daily walk at a neighborhood park, the same one in just about all of my videos. There is hardly anyone ever in this park in the winter, and I often let mine walk off-leash. But while we were standing on a hill, I heard a neighbor shout loudly and I looked over and saw a dog about 50 yards from us, unleashed.
I quickly leashed my three -- Yorkies Eddie and Jillie and Chessie Lucy -- and started walking the opposite direction. I looked a couple times over my shoulder and didn't see anything, so I figured the problem had been avoided. I was relaxed and so were the dogs.
But as we rounded a corner on the circular trail, I saw a kid chasing a dog about 100 yards away. At first, I didn't even think it was the same dog because they were quite a ways from where I'd first seen the dog, but as the kid kept chasing and the dog kept running, I realized I had a problem on my hands. If they followed the trail, they would come right up to us.
I looked around quickly for a place to take shelter, but there was just the groomed trail we were walking on and deep snow everywhere else. I decided not to walk into the deep snow because I didn't want to have a confrontation on ground where I didn't have good footing.
I shouted out to the kid when he was about 25 yards away "I hope that dog is friendly." He said nothing, just kept herding the dog toward us.
It was then the whole situation turned into a terrifying comedy of errors. I'd wished I'd picked up the Yorkies and let the Chessie run free. Too late. As the dog approached, it wasn't even looking at me, it was making a beeline for Eddie and Jillie. They were on harness, so as I was maneuvering myself to get between the Yorkies and the pit bull, I literally lifted the Yorkies off the ground in a semicircle around me.
Big mistake. They looked like a couple of pinatas dangling on a string, and if the pitbull didn't have bad intentions when the incident started, he certainly did now. Can you imagine how much fun flying Yorkies look to an undisciplined dog?
When I finally lowered them to the ground, the pitbull had run around me and pounced on Eddie. I didn't think. I dropped all the leashes and tackled the pitbull at about the same time he was landing on Eddie. Thankfully, he hadn't bitten him, just gotten a little slobber on his back.
Just about then, the pitbull turned his attention on me and snapped just as I was grabbing his collar with both hands. I was able to control his head while my body was still pressing down on his.
By then, the kid had shown up along with his dad from the other direction. I shouted at them to leash the #%*#! dog. The father grabbed his collar too, but I told him to put the leash on him. I didn't trust the guy who had allowed the dog to escape in the first place to be able to control him without a leash. He complied.
We were all shaken, but as they were apologizing I looked around for my dogs. Lucy and Eddie were still standing there, but Jillie had taken off running. I had no doubt she was headed home -- about 300 yards away -- which meant running on the streets.
I grabbed my two leashed dogs and took off running toward home. I discovered Jillie had stopped about 50 yards away and was looking at us. She was obviously terrified, because when I called her she took off running the other direction.
Fortunately, I'd driven my car to the park that day and she was just running to the car. She stopped before running far into the road.
As I loaded the last of the dogs in the car, I remembered breathing for the first time since the whole ordeal began. What a nightmare, but we had all escaped. And the only injury was a small scratch on my arm, likely from the pit's toenail.
So what's the lesson in all this? I wish I knew. Part of me thinks I may have had a better outcome if I'd just dropped all the leashes and let the dogs sniff each other instead of dangling the Yorkies in front of the dog.
But that would have required me putting my faith in a dog I knew nothing about. I knew my dogs could handle a friendly encounter, but I wasn't sure of the pitbull's intentions. Part of me thinks he wasn't vicious. I don't think I could have subdued a pitbull who was in the "red zone" as they call it. But I wasn't willing to take the chance.
I might have picked up the Yorkies, but how would I have fended off the attack if the dog leaped at me to get them? Or attacked Lucy? Lucy was larger than the other dog, but she's also 11 years old. She doesn't need to be fighting a runaway pitbull.
I couldn't have dropped the leashes earlier because Jillie is a runner. She would have fled, and that would have incited the dog just as much as my flying pinata alternative.
One answer that's coming to me is to carry some kind of deterrent. I don't like pepper spray because you never know which way the wind is blowing, and I don't want to blind myself. A friend says she carries a stick, which would have been better than nothing. I'm thinking the best solution might be to make one of those pole snares like animal control uses. Loop it around the dog's neck and keep him at a distance.
All of those might help, but it's no solution. The fact of the matter is that a person walking multiple dogs is at a distinct disadvantage when trying to intervene in a dogfight. If I want to "solve" the problem, I'm going to have to walk them separately.
I'm not sure I'll do that. I've made twice-a-day walks to that park for 8 years, and this was our first close call. I'd hate to change our whole routine because of one serious encounter.
Sure makes you think, though, how vulnerable a small-dog owner and dogs are on leashed walks.
Sorry about the "novella," but this was as much a journal as a blog as I try to figure it out. And as long as I'm admitting to a novella, here's the epilog:
I took Jillie and Lucy on a "hair of the dog" walk tonight to the same park. Eddie didn't want to go. I don't think he's traumatized because he acted fairly normally the rest of the night.
Jillie was willing until we hit the same stretch of trail where it happened, then she started stopping and needing encouragement to keep going.
When we reached the exact spot it happened, my jaw dropped when we saw ANOTHER DOG! It was leashed and smaller, but Jillie didn't care. That was the last straw. She started pulling to go home as hard as her 5-pound body would let her and no amount of treats could get her to change her mind.
I ended up picking her up and carrying her past the spot. As we started heading back, I put her down and she walked comfortably the rest of the way.
Looks like it might be a long winter getting her confidence back up. So sad.
Comments 6
Total Comments 6
Comments
I believe you did the right thing and the only thing possible to keep them safe. I imagine the death-grip you had on the offender was firm until you were convinced that someone had it under control. Letting go of the leash would not be something I would think of...so I'd have a couple of yorkies trying to get a piece of him also. How did you feel going back to that spot? Did your heart start pounding? Could Jilly sense it? It may take some time for her to be comfortable going back there...or maybe she thought she'd go "flying" again I imagine you have a moose plan in your mind. Meeting one on the trail and Eddie trying to wrangle it, did you ever expect another dog coming at them like that and what you would do? | |
Posted 01-10-2013 at 07:05 AM by YorkieMom55 |
Wow I am sorry you had to go through that. I am glad everyone is safe. I know you . . You will have a plan. | |
Posted 01-10-2013 at 07:34 AM by Verbena |
Man, reading your blog, was like watching the Walking Dead, I was horrified the whole time, so glad everything’s ok, including little Jillie, she’s such a tomboy, but she sounds like she was terrified. My rescue, Ralphie had a history of panic attacks and walking made him much better, but one day two large poodles ran out of the car when the door was open and we all just froze, the dogs were barking in both of my dog’s faces, but I couldn’t pick both of mine up, they weren’t attacking just barking. No one was hurt just scared, but Ralphie started having panic attacks on walks after that. I gave him high value treats on the walks, but most days an attack would still come. We stopped walking for about 6 months, and now he’s finally able to walk again with no panic attacks. I’ve got to say, you’re an excellent writer, have you considered being an author? I wish you would submit that to a dog magazine, maybe owners of big dogs should consider the trauma that little dogs go through after something like this. | |
Posted 01-10-2013 at 01:20 PM by Nancy1999 Updated 01-10-2013 at 01:21 PM by Nancy1999 |
Thanks for the kind words, you guys. I'm thinking Jillie's going to be slow getting over this. So sad. Nancy, LOL, I always dreamed of writing a novel when I was younger but I haven't found the discipline or inspiration. I enjoy writing short pieces when I have something to say. At the least it's good therapy But thanks for the vote of confidence. | |
Posted 01-10-2013 at 03:09 PM by alaskayorkie |
YorkieMom55, I was relaxed when we went back to the trail. I've walked it so many times that I knew it was an aberration and I had nothing to stress about. I guess it's possible I was so worried about Jillie's reaction that I was a little tense, which might have fed her anxiety. As for a moose plan, the main plan is to thoroughly scan the area before we go anywhere. The park is mostly open and I can see pretty much everywhere we're going. There are some trees, though, so I either skip that area when the light's bad or go slow through there. Plus moose don't pursue you great distances like that dog did. My plan for a surprise attack from them is to hide behind a tree. While a dog could easily maneuver around it, I think it would be possible to hold them off by keeping a tree between us. Well, until it jumps up and knocks the tree down. :O | |
Posted 01-10-2013 at 10:23 PM by alaskayorkie Updated 01-10-2013 at 10:31 PM by alaskayorkie |
Mike, you really have a gift, I've read that if you set aside even 15 minutes a day, and write, you will evenually come up with some ideas that you want to write about. What's 15 minutes a day? It beats exercising! | |
Posted 01-11-2013 at 10:15 AM by Nancy1999 Updated 01-11-2013 at 02:53 PM by alaskayorkie |