What do you do to protect your furbaby from unleashed dogs?
 

Hi All,

I'm having a significant problem with large dogs off leash at our local park (Punkin's fav place). The owners always say - oh our dog(s) is friendly and well behaved as I scoop up Punkin to protect her from their large dog that comes bounding over and jumps all over us. Last week a dog was snapping its teeth as it was jumping, pretty scary.

What do you do when a large dogs intimidates you? How do you protect yourself and your furbaby?

Some of these dogs may very well be friendly, but better safe than sorry. People are also very offended when I try to explain it to them. I'm afraid we are getting a 'bad rap' at the park.

This is not an off leash park and I have called the city to see if they will consider better signage - maybe this will help.

I would love to hear if you have similar problems and how you deal with it.

Thanks!

I carry a walking cane, just in case. But if the park has rules about leashes, people should abide by them. If they don't I'd keep reporting it. It could just be a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

It was funny when I read your post because I was just talking about this very same thing with a friend yesterday. Almost everyday I see a large dog in our neighborhood roaming free with no leash or owner. Just yesterday there was a huge german shepard. Geeeez what if I was walking my 2 little ones. I would have been terrified, especially seeing how mine think they are so tough and would have been barking up a storm at him. It just really irritates me that people dont follow the rules! There IS a leash law! I just dont get how people can be so irresponsible and selfish. It is not fair to those of us who obey the rules, and have to be afraid to walk our little ones.

That is a very good idea, Im gonna carry some kind of big stick with me now too

In NYC it is illegal to have dogs off leash whenever in public but we do have the occassional offenders. I usually scoop Nikko up and try to cross the street with him. One time there was this huge lab walking on an extendable leash and the dog was like a block in front of his owner!!:mad: That to me is as good as being off leash because that owner had no control of his dog. He saw Nikko and ran straight for us. I was so scared I pulled Nikko up by the harness and bolted across the street. The owner looked amused when he finally caught up to his dog.:mad: This really ticks me off. Maybe I should carry a stick too.

Bear Pepper Spray

I never walk without pepper spray and have had to use it twice.

Ever since one of my neighbors was attacked and her puppy who was leashed was killed by an Akita, I never walk my babies without pepper spray.

Pepper spray sounds like a great idea. Always make sure you are using a good harness and pick your baby up the leash immediately. I'd rather be safe every time.

I live in the county, so I don't have to take Lucy to a park, however the people next door have 2 jack russells who constantly jump their fence and come in my yard. I usually take Lucy outside on a leash because my yard isn't fenced in. The people across the road have a huge mutt who constantly growls from the middle of the road at me AND Lucy. I'm going to have my backyard fenced in and I'm going to have the fence tall enough so that the dogs next door can't jump it. Then maybe I'll feel safer taking Lucy outside. (I never let her out without me)

This is a pet peeve of mine. I live out -- like in the sticks. My nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away. They keep BIG mean dogs that are free to roam. When I walk my kids, I get to within about 100 yards of their house and turn around..... :( Everytime I complain the current mean dog "dissapears" and is replaced by a Worser one!

Over the course of several years my son was bitten on the butt cheek -- it broke the skin and I called the police, I have had my miniature horses chased (while I was driving them) and my young QH colts have been chased. :thumbdown :thumbdown :thumbdown :thumbdown

if a big dog jumps up on your bend your knee out into their chest they will go down and tell them NO also pepper spray sounds really good to be .people are so casual about their "big" dogs no matter how nice they seem they should still lbe controled you never know what may happen.

There are leash laws in the county too, at least in our county in Indiana. Dogs are not allowed to roam free, but usually nothing is done. Our nearest neighbor is also about 1/4 mile or more and when my son was younger, I called the county sherrif and told them I was worried that my son would get bit by the neighbors dogs, they told me that if it came onto my yard, to shoot it! Can you believe that? Why don't they just do their job and enforce the laws.

I understand your feelings. Just this past weekend I was visiting my daughter,and took my guys out for a walk. We're just walking along when a young lab comes up to investigate. He seemed friendly enough, but it only takes one split second and a big dog could seriously injure a little dog. I had them in their harnesses, so I quickly just lifted them up with the harness, and into my arms. It was quicker to use the harnesses and get them both up at once then to bend down and grab them, while putting myself in a dangerous position.
I wrapped them in my arms while the other dog was still trying to jump up to sniff at them, and I just kept on walking, eventually he took off in another direction. The owner was no where to be seen.

I am always scarred that something bad could happen. We like to take the dogs to a nearby beach and all dogs run free, ours included. On one hand I worry, on the other hand I also want them to have some free running time and they enjoy it sooo much. When I do see another big dog approach though I will call them and put the leash on. I have to confess that I always get a little uneasy when I see pit bulls and rottweilers, even though I know they can be the most gentle dogs...but you just never know...
Simba is also so trusting, he will often run to another dog to play but when I call his name in a really sharp voice he seems to sense something and just remains still. It doesn't work all the time, though. I think I will get myself a pepper spray also but with my luck, should something happen, I will accidentally spray it in my face instead....lol (knock on wood, I am such a klutz)

i carry pepper spray.

They could post a sign as big as a barn door at that park but the offenders still wouldn't abide by it. Of course these people think their dogs are the greatest and wouldn't hurt anyone but you can't trust that. The walking stick is a great idea or you could order one of those collaspible batons. They are sold on the internet.

When I was working at the post office we saw a training film. Some breeds like rotts and pits have a higher tolerance to pain and the pepper spray will just make them angrier. A man I met on the dog beach with a yorkie carried a golf club. Good for burying poop and defense if needed.

This is what I did!
 

I have people who live around the corner with two big dogs... when you walk by you have to scoop your baby up because these two dogs not only charge you growling and barking but follow you half way home. Chewy was really afraid of going past and I was mad because I can't even walk my dog! Sometimes these people are not even home and they leave these two dogs out!
So i got MAD! And I happen to see the dog whisperer and he said don't ever back down on a dog that is threatening to bite or show his teeth... So one day I scooped Chewy up and as these two dogs came flying at us I charged them back... and yelled for them to go home and get out of here! They stopped dead in their tracks and then turned went to their yard and sat looking at me and Chewy... They were shocked! I even went to the edge of their yard and stared them down!... they have not bothered me since! They didn't even bark tonight when I went by!

Not the only one w/these problems?
 

Wow......after reading all of these replies/posts, I don't feel as bad/guilty, I thought I was just being paranoid! I thought I was the only one with this problem? Most of the time I manage to intimidate the other Larger Dogs with my voice, of course I try to commuinicate with the so called owner of the other Dog, but most of the time they are part of the problem too! They are usually in "Denial" about their Dog @ Fault! As if my Dogs are the problem, I know my Yorkie's are Terriers and will not back down, so I do keep an eye on them since most of the time the are mis-matched......I do not take any chances around the obvious Dangerous Breeds; Pitbulls, Akita, Dobermans, German Sheperds, Rottweiler, Great Danes, Greyhounds, even some Labrador Retrievers can be rough! Beleive it or not, usually after an attack the owner usually says their Dog has never done that before? Or they have a friend with a small dog and they always play with them fine?:confused:

I carry a small bat that my husband drilled
 

a hole in and attached a leather strap for me. I didn't think about taking my pepper spray but I'm going to start carrying that also. My first yorkie was killed by a black lab last January and now I am scared to death of big dogs attacking the little ones. With 3 dogs I am not able to pick them all up.

A chow recently came after us and I screamed no, really mean and extended the bat towards him. He stopped in his tracks and just circled us until his owner came out to get him. My babies were all screaming bloody murder and 4 other neighbors also came out to see what was happening. I would throw myself in front of a big dog now to save my babies.

I still feel so guilty for not protecting my Kramer. I tried to pick him up but the lab got him midair.

We have a similar problem in our neighborhood. a lady recently moved in with a french bulldog (about 30lbs) I guess where they used to live her's was the only dog & they let it out to go potty unleashed & it came right back. Well we live in a condo community where probably 1/4 of the people have some dogs & when she would let her dog out unleashed it would take off after other dogs & attach them. We never leave logan out unattended (some people tie their dogs out since their are no fenses), but we are always with him. I told my hubby if he sees her dog loose to pick up logan & then walk her dog home. It has attacked 2 of the dogs in the neighborhood numerous times & they've called the cops on her many times. She claims it slips out of the house when she opens the door. The last time it got out we saw it & I walked it home while carring Logan when we got close to her, her dog began jumping up on me & trying to bite Logan. She didn't even apologize she just tried to explain how it was abused as a puppy mill dog before she got it. It's creating a big problem because the condo board doesn't wanna tell her she can't have it since everyone else has dogs too.