[matese]

I know exactly how you felt. Where I live, I was living here one week, one Sat. I decided to take a break from unpacking and took (then) my 2 dogs for a walk to out the community. I hadn't gone that far, I heard a sound behind me, when I turned there was a huge Belgium Shepard running at us with about 10 feet of it's retractable leach bouncing behind him. I scooped up my smallest one first (she was the feistiest one) before I could scoop up the bigger one the Sheppard was there, I hauled her up by her harness like a dangling fish all the time turning my body away from this dog which by now his retractable leash had wrapped it's self around my right ankle, had that Shepard taken one more step he would have I would have been flipped off my feet onto my back, my other dog was still dangling, the one is my arms was getting aggressive, just as I was able to gather the dangling one the in my arms owner was there, the retractable leash was now cutting into my ankle (it was summer,I had on shorts) I hollered at him to not make that dog move, I said look at the leash. After he unwrapped it from my ankle, all he said was, his dog was very friendly, he said he was talking to a neighbor, didn't have a tight hold on the retractable, he said his dog must have heard the jingle of my dogs tags, he lived around the corner from where my house was, reason I never saw any dog on the road, my biggest pup who was the youngest was traumatized, still screaming in fear, he NEVER apologized. I NEVER walked my dogs in my community after that. I have not seen that dog in 10 years, maybe it died, maybe the ppl moved. My first walk was this past March, 13 years after this incident with my adopted boy, and I took a can of wasp spray with me "just in case", and kept looking over my shoulder to make sure no dog was coming up behind me. I am truly petrified to walk in my community, but Cody is leash trained and I want him to not forget how to walk on one, second, should he ever get out of the house he should know this area to be able to find his way home. So I know the horror of your day.BTW, this was not the first time this happened to my bigger, but younger one, this happened to her at a campground 2 summers earlier, severally traumatized by a huge Husky / wolf that escaped from it's owner. Again, no apology from the owner, again said his dog was friendly, yet my dog is still screaming in fear. That had left my dog so fearful of walking, poor thing was always looking over her shoulder. I have a small dog, I wrap the leash twice around my had in case he lunges, I did this with all my dogs, and they were small ones, these ppl with huge dogs lightly hold their leash's, what's up with that? So glad your encounter with this dog, he knew commands and listened to a stranger. Horrifying for you and your lil baby.