[sportschick]

Hi all, first off I want to say that she is o.k. THANK GOD. Second, if any of you have any experience and or suggestions as to what I can carry (such as pepper spray), what I should do (try and kick the dog) or not do (antagonize dog even more), I would appreciate it.

I was walking Beanie Monday early evening around my friend's neighborhood. I take her up there because it is "suburbia" and she has a huge fenced in yard where I can let Beanie run around free and actually be a dog. For some reason, she pees and poops better when she is on leash - maybe she thinks she isn't supposed to go in my friend's yard. Anyway, I knew she had to go, so I put her harness and leash on and walked her around the nice neighborhood. I stay away from yards where I know there are large dogs. Some yards, the STUPID owners don't even have the dogs tethered or fenced.

Anyway, I was walking past this yard and in a split second, this HUGE husky came flying at us so fast that I couldn't even react and pick up my dog. The husky was over her and had her in its mouth and was shaking her. I was screaming like a banshee at the dog and trying to get Beanie out of her mouth. The wife came out of the yard and grabbed her dog and I was able to pull Beanie up to me by her leash. I was crying, Beanie was freaking out, the owner was crying and saying I am so sorry, over and over. I was so afraid to even move my hands because I thought I was going to be covered in blood or my dogs neck was going to be broken. The husband came out and was like, what is going on? My dog would NEVER do that, I just don't know what happened. Of course, I flipped out on him and was like how the he11 can you allow this animal to be loose, you NEVER know what a dog is going to do.

He started to take the dog inside and the thing got away from him and charged me AGAIN. Of course, the wife started yelling at the husband, etc., etc. Anyway, I took my dog back to my friend's house and we examined her and she was fine, just covered in dog spit.

This isn't the first time that we have been in bad situations with other dogs, but this is the first time that something like this has happened, where a dog actually got to her. I just don't know what to do. I try to walk a line with allowing her to be a dog and to take her out on walks, etc. but also protecting her. I don't want her to be just an indoor, pampered dog that is afraid of everything and never goes out.

And no, I haven't reported the dog. And yes, I know I probably should, but I also feel like if that dog wanted to kill my dog or ME, it would have. Maybe it thought Beanie was a rabbit (there are a lot of them in the area) and realized she wasn't which is why he let her go. I blame the idiot owners who allow their dogs too much freedom and think that nothing is ever going to happen.

Anyway, if any of you have the same problem and have a solution (i.e. pepper spray or some other type of deterrent, I would appreciate any help.