| yorkietalkjilly | 11-26-2012 04:35 AM |
Here is the post I always post on threads like this for anyone who is interested:
I walk with a huge black umbrella that auto-opens when I push a button. It is a big thing and impressive as it opens! It gives me a large appearance to the approaching dog, having that big,wide structure spread all out before me. You can keep your dog behind the umbrella if you lay the bottom edge of the open brolly on or near the ground/pavement, rolling it with your free hand as the other dog moves to one side of the other to keep it between you and trouble.
The thing I found most helpful about the open umbrella is the distance it will keep a troublesome dog away from our immediate vicinity. I have yet to have one ever get even remotely close to me and my Yorkie with the trusty brolly fully employed. They either go the other way immediately(99% of the time), stand their ground if the owner is making them or give you a very very wide berth. They don't get close enough to or try to keep an aggressive attitude when they hear the umbrella whoosh open and see that imposing structure blossom open before their eyes. It is very disconcerting to any dog. It is a good diffuser of tense situations but should it not be, a sturdy or actual defensive umbrellas can serve as a real weapon should you actually run into a dog who is bent on attacking.
When my little 3lb. Yorkie, Jilly, was attacked by a 65 lb. Dalmatian on a neighborhood walk,my simple wooden walking stick(pre-umbrella) was how I saved her life and got her free of the big dog's jaws. It was after that attack that I decided to use a button-operated umbrella for future walks as a deterrent - even if I have no dog with me.
But the role an open umbrella best serves as a dissolver of bad attitudes. Most approaching dogs aren't really bad, they just are inquisitive, overly excited and out of control and this tool helps them to settle down rather quickly and become serious about how they can best stay well clear of you, your dog and your umbrella. And it gives you a wonderful sense of security and some control which a dog can read from quite far off.
Even if a dog is upon you and starting an attack before you realize it, if you can keep your wits about you, press the button and suddenly open that umbrella in that dog's face or against its body, theoretically I would say it could likely surprise and frighten the attacker enough to cause him to back off, maybe even run off, depending upon the situation and the reason for his attack. Even if he stays in the near perimeter and circling you, you can place the open brolly between you, your dog and the other dog, careful to stay behind it, using your cell to call for help or calling out to neighbors/passersby as you try to back toward a car, fence, house or some area to get your backside against something substantial the dog can't use to get around you and cut out the threatening circling they sometimes do to try to find another angle of attack. Having been in a dog attack, I do think if I'd had this type umbrella with me, the attacking dog would have backed off much quicker than just that swinging that plain stick as I was trying to help Jilly with the other hand as early on she was growling, fighting back. The handle of that walking stick was partially broken off and I couldn't get a good grip but if I'd had an umbrella to whoosh open into that dog's face or side, I think it would have shocked and scared him into seeing us as something other than victims. As it was, it took some time to get enough hold on that walking stick to actually strike hurtful blows and in the meantime Jilly was being badly hurt.
Train your dog to sit/stay when you auto-open the umbrella so that in an emergency situation, your dog will not be running around at your feet or shying away from the umbrella opening, thus adding to the stress of the moment.
You can Google and see the actual self-defense, button-open umbrellas that are heavy duty, unbreakable and made to help fend off attackers. Some come with all kinds of interesting add-ons. I don't know if these umbrellas do, but I wish they would come equipped with an electronic noisemaker/sonic device of some kind that could help scare the aggressive dog as they are deployed. These umbrellas are pricey without the add-ons. | 