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Originally Posted by AZME  I took to carrying a 9 iron with me (golfer) but I like the umbrella better and will adopt that with the new puppy I am getting in October. I love to walk and hike and am vigilant but as you say sometimes even prepared you have the occasional issue. Now to find the perfect umbrella  thanks you made my day! |
Oh, thank you! My little 3 lb. Yorkie, Jilly, was attacked years ago by a 65-lb. off-leash dog who had apparently been lying on his porch when we were out walking blocks from home and if I hadn't had a walking stick with me (for the first time ever that day), I doubt I'd have gotten him off her before he killed her.
After that, I realized I needed something intimidating and impressive and that made a bit of a sound and thought of the one-button, auto-open umbrella and ever since that time, we've run off many a belligerent big, powerful dog plus a few smaller ones when they hear and see that big thing blossom open in front of us with that "whoosh" sound and the dogs just either totally stop in their tracks or begin to go the other way. I've seen one or two owners gets a little ticked with their big, powerful dogs and force them to walk on past us after I employed the umbrella, all the while the dog was leaning and balking to avoid coming near us and that big thing!
But that big dog came running so suddenly from that porch and engaged us, I barely had time to process what was happening, let alone open an umbrella so I doubt if even that would have saved us as the time-frame from porch to bite was about 4 or 5 seconds total, part of which I was trying to reign in Jilly who had suddenly stepped out protectively ahead of me to growl at the fearsome attitude of the oncoming dog. After beating him off Jilly with the stick, he STILL followed us to the end of the block as I was trying to get her away from him, as she had been bitten 6 times, was bloody all over her tiny flanks and belly, seizing/foaming and choking, and I had run/walk blocks home and get her to the emergency vet.
But for that old walking stick, we probably couldn't have gotten away and Jilly have still lived as I couldn't put her down while she was seizing and choking and fight that dog. She needed me to hold her and soothe her right then so I held her with one arm and kept brandishing the stick with the dog still stalking us with the other arm. He stopped at the corner of his block, we finally made it to the car, she had surgery that evening, healed up, had home PT and was fine afterward and never showed any fear of big dogs after that, thank goodness.
Maybe that's because she knew I had the big umbrella with me and I would open it if things got drastic and she'd be okay. haha. I doubt it but I was so glad she didn't die right after the attack when she had seizures before I got her back home and to my car and the vet! Ever since then, I've been so alert to dogs whose irresponsible dog owners allow to escape their yard or house or just run on ahead, totally off leash when on walks and so aware that some type of protection is absolutely essential! But with my umbrella, I walk Tibbe with way more confidence than w/out it.