Just reading your post brought back terrible memories of the attack that me and my dog suffered several years back. I didn't have time to pick him up before the dog was upon my little guy. I thankfully still had my purse in my hand and hit that dog as many times as I could with it while trying to pick my guy up. The owner was a young male who got all bent out of shape because I had the nerve to smack the daylights out of his dog that was trying to kill my little guy.
It's sad to say that so many dog owners are clueless about dog training and pay no attention to leash laws or just common sense. Owners of larger dogs many times do not realize the prey instinct that their animals have. A dog that is running free and finds a small animal has an inborn instinct to chase and attack even if they have never done it before.
My son has a Lab that is perfectly behaved and loves Gracie when inside but when he is outside I cannot let Gracie near him because he wants to "play" by trying to stomp her into the ground. He is a great dog and a wonderful pet in his own environment. He becomes a different fellow when he is outside with a small furry little dog that looks like something to play with. I wish pet owners would just keep their animals under control. If I don't let my 5lb little dog run loose then certainly people with much larger dogs should do the same. |