Wrestled a pit bull today :O

[kjc]

Love the 'could have been avoided if'. Hehe. I will offer some advice though, having been in similar situations a few times. I also regularly visualize what I would do if we are ever attacked again, so hopefully my mind has a plan that will kick in if needed.

I'm always looking for places to hide. I look at peoples yards and I look at the gates and how they work, so if I need to dash in, I'm not caught fumbling trying to work the catch. The umbrella works, I have trouble carrying it while walking and holding the leashes.

I look at shrubery, as I used a large bush to hide my dogs behind one time, while I stood out to confront the oncoming dog. That turned out well, as out of sight, out of mind (even if it's only a second or two, it will buy you time. I hid my 3, the GSD, a maltese and a Yorkie before they even knew what was happening, so they remained calm throughout.

Is that deep snow soft enough to pop a hole into? One that you could hide Eddie and Jillie in? That would at least free up your hands to fend off an attacker. It also would get them out of sight, which places doubt in the attacker's mind, and disrupts their focus a bit, and could even stop the approach. They slow down and start to look around thinking their prey made an escape.

The pole idea is good, but many times, loose dogs will get together and travel/hunt in packs of 2 or more. I need to plan for this scenario.

If you see the dog coming, you are lucky. Dogs that are focused on an attack can move with stealth-like quiet and speed, and can be on you or your dog before you even realize a dog is there.

How to get a dog to stop an attack after contact has been made? (I've given this a lot of thought). I've read stories in the news of men beating a fully engaged PB with 2x4s and the dog still would not let go. It was attacking an ACO. Tazers are illegal here in Maryland, and it's close to impossible to get a gun permit. So I am evaluating the use of pocket chemicals, like trial size hair spray, pepper spray, bee spray(shoots 20 feet, but wind could be a problem), or an air-horn, and currently looking into carrying a knife. Poking at the eyes or cutting off the air supply should have the effect of making the dog let go, I haven't had the opportunity to test this yet, but it is part of my visualizations. The knife would be the last resort.

The important thing to do is to make a plan, and then 2-3 backup plans, and go over them in your mind often so it will become 2nd nature and you won't have to think when you're in that situation again. And practice hiding the dogs in the snow, so they know what to expect and don't get freaked out if you have to do it for real.

I hope some of these ideas will help... and I'll be looking for any that you come up with to add to my arsenal...

Oh and dropping the leash doesn't always work. On a walk with the neighbors, one has to have her Rottie off lead (duh, not well trained). Of course, the Rottie comes over to sniff at Tink, and me, remembering the on/off leash problem, I dropped Tink's leash, turned my back and stepped away, only to fly back to her when the growling and showing of mean teeth started.

[ilovejoel]

Wow, glad you guys are ok. I would have been freaked.
I just started walking the dogs separate because it's too hard, especialy with icy roads and Rosco sometimes pulling, even though Joel has a screaming fit when I leave him behind, hehe

[alaskayorkie]

Thanks, everybody. I especially appreciate the suggestions. One of the reasons I was so thorough in my explanation on the blog is I see this as a problem all of us face. As KJC says, we all really do need a plan because it could happen to any of us who walk our dogs in public. I was hoping for ideas and delighted I got some.

I'll definitely be giving it some more thought.

Thanks again for the kind words.

[navillusc]

Yikes!!! I am so happy it ended the way it did...due to your quick thinking and fast acting, I am sure! Stuff like that just makes ya paranoid...at least for a while. {{{hugs}}}

[Lovetodream88]

Yikes. I am glad you and all your doggies are ok.

[cslat1]

Someone was surely watching out for all of you. I have been trying to walk two dogs, and now I'm starting to think about not doing that. Thanks for your post.

[concretegurl]

Glad it all resolved without serious injury, but yes always a risk.

Personally I can't walk my three all together anyways and they only get walked together when it's me my kids and my daughter's friends (teenagers now) can help walk them.

Otherwise we take 3 walks a day one for each dog.

Our big incident was a psychotic neighbor cat jumping out of a bush onto Scoober's head, even with him and a cat it was very difficult to separate them...cat was a ball of fur and teeth and claws sunk in.

I have considered getting a covered stroller and having 2 dogs in it and one walking at a time, but with having a toddler that's also problematic-might be a solution, but yours are just so active, nevertheless 2 yorkies in an enclosure and a larger walking dog might work, but will it really solve the issue?

I wish we could solve the real problem of unleashed or just escapee loose dogs...


On another note, I can totally see you just diving on a dog to save yours...you're like that guy who jumped off his dock in FL onto a shark who had pulled his dog under!

Go Mike!!!

[concretegurl]

Pet Gear Roadster Dog Stroller Holds 100 lbs Pink Blue | eBay

This is the one I'm cobsidering for baby and 2 dogs at a time to sit in if needed.

Its only up tp 100lbs, I think there is another size up too.


Big jogging all terrain wheels...note the snow pic and its comes in blue for guys!

[Nancy1999]

Oh Mike, I"m so glad you were able to protect your babies and no one got hurt, you've very lucky and very brave. This scares me all the time, we've had unleashed dogs run up ot us, and I've always been able to pick them up before anything happened, but when you have two or more they are very vunerable.

[cindersellie]

Originally Posted by kay6688

Holy cow - I would have wet myself....so glad that everyone is fine!

I'm glad all turned out well!

[gracielove]

What an ordeal! It is a terrible thing to go through. You feel helpless when a big dog has it's mouth on your own little dog. Me and one of my previous dogs were attacked a few years back. I had never been afraid of any animal until that happened. Now I get really stressed whenever I take Gracie on her walks

I almost stopped taking her to the park to walk. We have a beautiful park that has woodland trails. She loves to go there but sometimes people let their dogs off lead and that terrified me. I started using Yorkietalkjilly's idea of a big automatic umbrella. Now I at least feel I have some defense if I am approached by an unattended dog. It does create a barrier between your dog and an approaching one that can give you the precious time you need to defend your dog.

The Yorkie seems to bring out the prey instinct in some dogs. Maybe it is the ears or the fur or the way they move. A big dog that is all excited after running loose and chasing squirrels can be really wound up as they approach a little dog. It is a good idea to have some kind of protection.

[alaskayorkie]

Thanks, everybody.

Kay6688, who's saying I didn't wet myself!

Shan, while I think a dog stroller is a viable solution, I think their use by a man in Alaska is punishable by death.

The more I think about it, I think the best practical solution for me is to go to one-dog walks. I hope I can find the time. On the positive side, I've always thought one-dog walks would be better suited to training.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Well, Gracielove, that old umbrella has even turned away all comers so far and when you are out in parks and such, you really don't feel you have a lot of control over the big loose dogs. But even the nastiest looking dog turns back or stops when they see that thing whoosh open. At least so far! And when those 2 little Spitz type dogs ran across the street at Tibbe not too long ago when it was raining and the umbrella already open and in use, it kept them at bay until their owners got them. It's saved the bacon a few times I think. And I think my little Jilly sensed I was confident having that umbrella hanging off my arm, so she didn't even stress on walks, even as she healed from her bite surgery!

[concretegurl]

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

Thanks, everybody.

Kay6688, who's saying I didn't wet myself!

Shan, while I think a dog stroller is a viable solution, I think their use by a man in Alaska is punishable by death.

The more I think about it, I think the best practical solution for me is to go to one-dog walks. I hope I can find the time. On the positive side, I've always thought one-dog walks would be better suited to training.

This might be best.
Everyone wants a little one on one, but I know mine get one walk now instead if two because of separate walks...

Despite being good walkers alone mine are awful when its just me walking all of them, tangling leasges, marking over where the other marked, if one barks at a dog they all have to and when we meet another dog as a pack they forget their manners and gang up on the newbie-no matter its size...even the neighbors Dogo is afraid of mine all together. Spoiled, wild free-loaders here!

C'mon Mikey you can start a plad stroller trend in the Tundra!!!

In all seriousness I hate that someone else's irrisposibility has to make you reconsider your responsible choices-totally unfair.

[Maximo]

Mike, I am so relieved that you, Eddie, Jillie, and Lucy escaped unharmed. I read your blog and I could picture how scary the situation must have been.

Intense fear of loose dogs is something I struggle with daily when I take the guys out. We have had a few scary encounters, but none as threatening as yours. One of our doggy friends here was mauled by a Corgi, so you never know when it is best just to try to stay cool and let the dogs sniff each other.

Your pinata comment in your blog also made me think of when I swung my guys in the air to avoid an angry, large dachshund. I agree with you that this probably made them look more appealing to the charging dog, but I was panicked.

It is time consuming to do one-dog walks, but I will never take both of my guys out together in the neighborhood again. Even one dog is frightening, and picking up the small dogs is no guarantee of safety, as you pointed out. I am a tall person, but many of the dogs in our neighborhood could easily take me down.

It's frustrating that so many dog owners are irresponsible letting their dogs run loose, not doing enough to secure them.