Fear...
 

Every since Bella got attacked by 2 staffys a while back (bella did start it tho shes a little rascal) ive built up this really big fear of walking her alone :(
i used to really enjoy walking though the park on a morning now im scared to death of it.

People round my area have a new craze for staffordshire bull terrier's and my area is not a nice place so they make these dogs arrgessive to look hard and mean with them.

I am petrified of them and in the park they are always off the lead and come running straight for bella!
the thing is not all of these dogs are aggressive! i immediatly pick bella upo and she goes mental at them! their owners always say to me oh he wont harm hes gentle....thats what the owner of the 2 staffys said when she was attacked...they where just defending them selves against bella 9she is snappy towards other dogs, we dont know why)

find it sad i cant enjoy myself walking anymore, soon as i get through the park gates i get all panicy and have to go home :(

bella does get walked everyday but i have to wait till by fiance gets in, just miss the nice walks me and bella used to have alone :(

it is understood why you are so worried and fearful to walk her alone. no one knows how another dog will react no matter their usual personality or size. maybe someday you can enjoy your alone time walks with bella!! i will pray in time you find the confidence to do it again. if only they had doggie safe mace.

thank you :) think the area we live for the moment dosent help too. i will get there hopefully soon :)

I understand that would scare me. Maybe you can set some playdates with other small dogs to get her used to other dogs. Or if you have a dog park WIth an area for small dogs.

I would be scared to and I am so sorry your baby was attacked. Big dogs are scary to little ones so I understand why she would be defensive. Is there anything you can carry with you to make you feel safer like pepper spray or something so you feel prepared to defend your self and your baby if you need to.

Carry mace.

hmmk never thought of that, but id be scared i harm bella too if anything happened :S

I agree, Pepper Spray is not all that discriminating, and, if the other Dog's eyes were injured by it, problems could arise.

I know this may take some time, but...
I'd get a puppy, something larger/meaner/unaltered/male, and let Bella raise it like it were hers. Just fight fire with fire.

Actually I've never had that problem. My Male Sneakers is much larger than Becca or Ichabod, and absolutely ferocious when other Dogs approach us. But I'm polite about it...

I just step aside in toward a House on their sidewalk, reel Becca and Ickey in a couple feet, and let Sneakers have the perimeter. But I smile, and say good morning, as I see the other Dogs tails tuck and hurry by. ;)

One of the YT members carries an umbrella that she can quickly open toward the aggressive dogs that might come their way.

Is there no rule that says everyone has to keep their dogs on a leash?

I really like the umbrella idea. That is really smart... never thought of that.

Those are good points...

One of those Auto-Release Umbrellas could be rather intimidating.

Were the Staffy's on a leash, is there a Leash Law ?

A few years back I had a little Shih Tzu that I walked at least twice a day. We were attacked by a dog and it was awful. I had never been afraid of dogs or any animal at anytime in my life until that happened. Now I am always on the watch for dogs, kids or anything that might come near Gracie.

One of the members here that has also had an attack carries a large umbrella that has one of those push button openers. She has used it on different occasions to stop large dogs that have charged her and her little guy. I started to carry one also, especially when we walk at a nearby park that has some nice trails that go out into a wooded area. Sometimes people let their dogs off lead and you never know when one will come running up to you.

If you can carry mace that is a good idea but if the wind is blowing you cannot count on it to protect you. It could actually blow back into your face. It is another option to have with you though. The umbrella opening surprises the dog and it also creates a barrier between your dog and the one coming at it. Since it cannot see your dog anymore it is confusing to the approaching animal.

My Gracie loves her walks and I won't deprive her of it so I figure I should have as many things I can carry to protect her!

there is no leash law in the uk...well at the beach your not allowed dogs at a certasin time of year because of the reason its summer and all that...in the park its designated 'dog exercise' areas and the areas are mostly away from the ducks and geese but people dont really follow this rule mainly because theres noone to stop it :(

kind sad really but the dogs that attacked bella wjhere not on a lead but at the time they are allwed on the beach so i cant really say anything...bella was on her lead, i rarely let her off it, im just scared anything happenes to her.

me and my fiance have a plan, he pics bella up so the dog cant get to her and i fight the dog off....even tho that sounds stupid haha i feel like i have to protect my bella and hes taller than me so the dog cant reach bella....stupid but it makes me feel better about walking her lol

My mace came with a littke bottle of eye cleaner emergency rinse- for people like ne who are more likely to spray themselves than an attacker...

While an umbrella sounds a good detourant, I'm not sure how effective it would be against geniune aggression in an attack.

My mace came with a littke bottle of eye cleaner emergency rinse- for people like ne who are more likely to spray themselves than an attacker...

While an umbrella sounds a good detourant, I'm not sure how effective it would be against geniune aggression in an attack.