Dog Attacks

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SammyWFD

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I was hacking at Farley Mount in Sharsholt Area Hampshire yesterday with a friend, We were just walking down the bridle path when a Jack Russell dog came out of nowhere and attacked my horse, the owner of the dog was shouting 'No' 'No' 'NO' which makes me think this dog has done it before. As a result of this attack my horse reared, leaped and bucked to get away, with me ending up coming off my horse stood on me while trying to get away, even after the first bite and the dog being knocked down after my horse tried to get away it still got up and came for more. My horse galloped off being narrowly missed by a lorry. Thankful my friend went after my horse and finally caught her. The owner of the dog did not try to restrain the dog at all and did not try in anyway to help me up or see if I was ok, I suffer with panic attack and as a result of this I was left in the middle of nowhere having a panic attack and barley being able to breath, if the owner of the dog know that her dog attacks horses why take it on a bridleway off a lead where there will be horses and riders. I am truly in shock. I think it should be made law that dogs should be kept on leads on bridleways to stop attacks like this happening. This could have been a child on a pony and not a adult, and could have ended up a lot worse. I went to A&E I have cracked ribs and now having to have time out of work. I had the vet out to give my horse a jab and to care for the wound as the dog broke the skin . I have heard so many story's of these dog attacks and never thought it would have happened to my horse and myself. It has really made me think about going out on bridleways again because I can not let my horse go through that horrible ordeal again.
 
OMG that is truely awful I do hope you are OK and that you heal fast and as for your poor horse what an awful ordeal to have to go through.

As for the dog and owner I am speakless as to why if you know your dog does not like horses why the hell was it off the lead on a bridle path. thats is just madness. As a dog owner and a horse owner I would be horrifed if my dog did this and would not leave the injured persons side until help had arrived.
 
SammyWFD said:
I think it should be made law that dogs should be kept on leads on bridleways to stop attacks like this happening.
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While I feel for you and wish both you and your horse a speedy recovery from your injuries, I only have a resounding NO to this comment.
The vast majority of dog owners are a sensible lot who own well behaved family pets.
They will know their animal and not let it off lead when it is not appropriate to,they will catch their dog to let a rider pass and generally have a basic level of consideration for other users of the countryside.

It is simply NOT fair to impose draconian legislation on people who already behave perfectly well that are just trying to enjoy their animals and their local area.
 
We will be ok and will heal quite quickly hopefully.
It was our first outing in a new place for a few years as my horse has a major op 3 years ago so haven't really been out. The hack was going so well on a lovely day on till this happen.

I was so shocked with the reaction of the owner. She just stood there and said sorry. I'm afraid sorry is not good enough. The dog is a danger to the public. She could have had it on a lead and muzzled. It seemed she know what the dog was going to do, this also shocked me as to why she would walk a dangerous dog on a bridle way if she know what it would do if it came across horses.

Even after the dog was knocked down it got up and went for my horse again, This behaviour of a dog is unacceptable.

When I managed to get myself up I feared for my horses life as I knew there was a main road ahead, I tried so hard to stay on but when I hit the trees above I came off, I tried to keep hold of the reins but after my horse stood on me I couldn't she was so strong and just fleed for her life. When I was finally reunited with my horse I could see the fear in her eyes she was so shaky. I am so thankful we have only come away with me with a few cracked ribs and she had a few bite wounds. It could have been so much worse she could have been hit by that lorry and I could have landed on the tree stump that I landed next to :(
 
We're sorry to hear about this incident and hope you recover soon.

If you haven't already, please do report it to the police. It's crucial that anyone who experiences a dog attack does this, and asks that they refer it to the Dog Legislation Officer who will be an expert in these matters. It's also worth noting the key aspect that while this doesn't always mean being on a lead in certain environments at all times, all dogs should be under control and supervision when in a public place, whether on the road or off. The fact that a dog may be wearing a muzzle is no deterrent – the chased animals do not know that the dog cannot bite them and will still run with fear.

Equally, please log a report on our dedicated safety website, www.horseaccidents.org.uk. The data collected via this site is invaluable in helping us lobby for safer conditions for equestrians - the simple fact is that if we get to hear about it, we can use it in the fight improve things for the future. We have received many distressing reports of horrendous injuries caused as a result of this type of attack. Please help us to help you!

The site also contains lots of helpful information on all sorts of safety issues and incidents, and in many cases the content has been developed in conjunction with other relevant bodies such as the Blue Cross and GEM Motoring Assist to help everyone understand things from both points of view.
 
I totally understand that dog owners have rights to. I am a dog owner myself. But this women didn't not have any control over her dog or even try to restrain it. It should have been on a lead and wearing a muzzle if it is known to attack, Just to stop any accidents.
 
As a large, high-energy dog owner I agree with the OP. It's really not a hardship to put a dog on the lead if it is trained to walk beside you calmly. Prevention is better than cure and even the most well behaved dog can have a brain fart.
The clue is in the name, bridle path. It's for horses, not for free-running dogs. Just my opinion.
 
Really sorry to hear of your awful experience. :(

I ALWAYS recall my dog and put her on a lead as soon as I see any horse riders.

Sadly, when I am riding, I frequently have loose dogs running up and launching at my horse, hang off his tail or nipping at his heels. Mostly the owners make no attempt to call their dog off, and on the rare occasion I actually get an apology its a pathetic "sorry" ...... too little too late! :rolleyes:

I could have a major rant ..... but will resist!
 
I totally agree. The dog was under no control what's so ever. They where way ahead of us and we didn't see them on till the dog came flying out of nowhere. My poor horse was so scared. I do not expect another animal to attack its unacceptable in my eyes. This could have been a child on a pony or just a human that it attacked. By the way it came flying at my horse I would say it had done it before even after it was flung about it kept coming after my horse. I had no help from the dog owner to get up. Only a sorry. Unfortunately a sorry isn't good enough. There are so many story's off dog attacks, dogs mulling people and other animals its horrible. I've had my dog 9 years and he has never hurt anyone not even a fly. Great around younger family member great around horses, cats, rabbits my 2 week old kittens.
 
We had other dogs wonder over on the same ride but only sniffed the horses they were very well behaved and the owners called them back and said sorry. But this jack Russell was under no control. she did not try and call it back do not try and get it way from my horse. the way it kept going at my horse was terrifying they weren't little nips it was growling while attacking my horse. When it ran at us it jumped at my horses neck luckily not getting her at this point but when it came back again and again it got her legs. She has a swallow leg now as its quite a deep puncher of the skin.
I have reported it to the police and to the BHS.
 
I think there is definitely a correlation between these incidents and the fact that we have been told that correcting or controlling your dog in any shape or form is evil and wrong. But that's another rant for another day!!
 
What a horrible experience for you glad no one was seriously hurt.

But playing devils advocate here, the women shouting NO, NO, NO, doesn't necessarily mean the dog has done it before, it could simply have been the shout of a women who panicked.

She may not have come over immediately to help because, given your horse would have been prancing about, as it very rightly would be, horses are big intimidating animals, she could have been scared of getting kicked. She has no idea if your horse will or won't kick or stand on her. Some people freeze in panic mode, all rational thoughts vanish and the brain is replaced with mush rather than common sense.

Hopefully said women will now keep her dog on a lead and will have learned her lesson.

I'm not excusing her not coming to check on you once the horse was out of the way, that's inexcusable.
 
CaveCanem said:
I think there is definitely a correlation between these incidents and the fact that we have been told that correcting or controlling your dog in any shape or form is evil and wrong. But that's another rant for another day!!
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Clicker training, that's what's needed. It never fails. ;)

Alec. :D
 
happened to me years ago,a little bull terrier,I knew the owner.As we passed it shot towards us..so I thought to lose it by cantering quickly away,it set off in hot pursuit,eventually I stopped,my mare squared up for an accurate kick and sent it over a five foot hedge.Later the owner actually thanked me as that dog never chased a horse again.:)
 
At the time my horse was trying to get away from is
evil dog the woman was just stood there saying nothing. Once I was on the floor my horse was gone into the distance. I struggled to get myself off the floor and she still stood there. once I was up she said sorry and was walking away, This is unacceptable. I do not recall seeing the dog at this point to see what state it was in after my horse flung it about and stood on it. I tried running as fast as I could as I was fearing for my horses life. trying to control a panic attack and the pain going through my body was horrible, but all I could think about was my horse. I didn't go to a&e on till I know my horse was ok and the vet had been, I was more worried for my horse then I was myself
 
CaveCanem said:
I think there is definitely a correlation between these incidents and the fact that we have been told that correcting or controlling your dog in any shape or form is evil and wrong. But that's another rant for another day!!
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Agree with that.
We have Great Danes, if they decide to be nasty they are capable of doing some real damage and one of them is a rescue with a less then ideal outlook thanks to her past treatment.
I won't walk her at "peak times" or let her off lead if we might come into contact with walkers with sticks (dressage whips are another trigger and I really wish people would stop using them out hacking!) but my other one is just a tit, she needs to be put in her place now and then with a firm voice and a smack if my voice is dared to be ignored.
Discipline is part of responsible ownership regardless of breed, at some point the "it's my baby" lot need to work that and understand that nasty behaviour is not cute in any breed...
 
Clicker training is excellent for foundation and shaping behaviour with low-level distractions, but a really prey-driven dog is going to want to hang off a large, fast-moving animal before it ever wants a biscuit.

Personally speaking I'd rather pop a dog on the lead (or have to pop it on the neck) than have it kicked in the head or injure a horse or rider.
 
There have been numerous incidents like this and I do agree that dogs should always be on leads on bridleways and around livestock. There are some bridleways I refuse to ride on now because of numpty dog walkers and there aren't many round here as it is. Laws regarding dogs and dog walkers definitely need tightening up.
 
FB, some of us carry schooling whips on hacks, as a defence to out of control dogs! We have a couple near us, that come hurtling out of the owners yard, onto the road (they had three, but sadly the inevitable happened and one ended up under a car :( ) They are a sheep dog and a spaniel, they do it when the horses pass, they do it when we walk our own dogs past, always they are growling and barking. Currently our Rotties are 14 weeks old and are being taught to ignore the ill mannered curs, I do wonder what the owner will do when our girls are fully grown......
 
In many ways, and largely due to being chased by a number of badly trained dogs, I am not pro dog. That said, I would never advocate a law being passed insisting dogs were kept on a lead.
Sadly it is not unusual for dog owners to not give a damn when there pet has caused a serious accident, a friend ended up having multiple operations and staying in hospital for quite a while following a dog attack, and again this was a jack russel. In her case the owner didn't even apologise, just picked the dog up off her (it had started attacking her after horse b*****d off) and left. I would like to see police taking things more seriously, and owners being held responsible.
If a horse owner can be considered responsible for their animal causing an accident when it has been maliciously let out of the field, surely a dog owner is liable if they stand and watch as their dog attacks someone in a public place?
 
sarahann1 said:
But playing devils advocate here, the women shouting NO, NO, NO, doesn't necessarily mean the dog has done it before, it could simply have been the shout of a women who panicked.

She may not have come over immediately to help because, given your horse would have been prancing about, as it very rightly would be, horses are big intimidating animals, she could have been scared of getting kicked. She has no idea if your horse will or won't kick or stand on her. Some people freeze in panic mode, all rational thoughts vanish and the brain is replaced with mush rather than common sense.

Hopefully said women will now keep her dog on a lead and will have learned her lesson.

I'm not excusing her not coming to check on you once the horse was out of the way, that's inexcusable.
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I agree, I was walking a friends dog (away from a bridlepath I might add) and a horse and rider came galloping round the corner and the dog re-acted by barking and jumping about, I did shout Stop of at the dog (it was a command that we had been learning to stop and sit when further away) so shouting No at the dog doesn't necessarily mean that it's done it in the past. The horse we met didn't re-act to the barking and I have horses so was able to make a judgement call and get close enough to grab the dog and put it on a leash, however if I thought that the horse was going to kick then no I wouldn't have got close enough to get caught in the cross-fire.
We did spend a fair bit of time after that with the dog at the yard with horses that didn't re-act (my friends dog looked for a reaction, no reaction=no fun and) and taught the dog that horse's were not for playing with.
Would I trust the dog if a horse came cantering past, No and if I seen a horse I would put it on a lead, but to be honest I would always avoid bridlepaths with dogs anyway and try to stick to the parts of the woods where the horses aren't allowed (like the part where we met the horse I might add), the woman on the horse did report me to the forestry commission where the incident had happened, but I had already alerted them to the fact that the dog had re-acted to a horse in an area where the horse shouldn't have been (hence why it was off lead).

I don't agree with what the woman done in walking away especially if you had came off the horse, but (hopefully) she had probably had as much a fright at what had happened and probably wasn't thinking straight either (I would really hate to think that someone would walk away intentionally), I did apologise to the woman that my dog barked at, she had stayed on and the horse wasn't upset by the encounter so there wasn't much else I could do other than apologise.

Dog's need to be trained, whilst it wasn't suitable at the time having come off your horse and the obviously worrying about the horse being on it's own, if you know the woman with the dog, or come across her again could you offer to help de-sensitise the dog to horses in a safer environment??

SammyWFD said:
At the time my horse was trying to get away from is
evil dog the woman was just stood there saying nothing. Once I was on the floor my horse was gone into the distance. I struggled to get myself off the floor and she still stood there. once I was up she said sorry and was walking away, This is unacceptable. I do not recall seeing the dog at this point to see what state it was in after my horse flung it about and stood on it. I tried running as fast as I could as I was fearing for my horses life. trying to control a panic attack and the pain going through my body was horrible, but all I could think about was my horse. I didn't go to a&e on till I know my horse was ok and the vet had been, I was more worried for my horse then I was myself
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I
don't agree with what the woman done in walking away especially if you had came off the horse, but (hopefully) she had probably had as much a fright at what had happened and probably wasn't thinking straight either (I would really hate to think that someone would walk away intentionally), I did apologise to the woman that my dog barked at, she had stayed on and the horse wasn't upset by the encounter so there wasn't much else I could do other than apologise.
 
On a previous horse, I got chased by a Jack Russell - appeared out of nowhere on forestry track and gave chase. My horse cantered off - not bolting, but not stopping. Kept looking over his shoulder at the dog as if to say 'what on earth are you doing - go away'. Eventually the dog gave up and I managed to pull up and all seemed well so thought nothing of it. As we carried on riding, my bandages came loose (had been a prat after unloading so still had hind fleece bandages over work bandages) - dog had bitten through 2 sets of bandages on one hind! Never so glad of him pratting around coming off the box in my life! Never saw a sign of the owner, and asked everyone we saw if they'd lost/seen a JR but no luck...

The number of times I've come across dog owners struggling to recall even if the dog just wants a look... They have so many other places round here they can let the dogs run off lead - why do it on the very few bridleways if they can't recall?

In the interests of dog education, whenever I'm by myself (or with obliging and suitable friend), if someone has an obviously interested dog, or had made an effort to recall, I'll stop and say thankyou - and offer to let the dog say hello. I know my lad is fine with dogs around his legs, so offer us up for dogs to have a sniff and realise what the massive thing is, and that the horse really isn't that interesting... :rolleyes: A few people have really appreciated it - they have no access to horses to desensitise their dog...
 
In the interests of dog education, whenever I'm by myself (or with obliging and suitable friend), if someone has an obviously interested dog, or had made an effort to recall, I'll stop and say thankyou - and offer to let the dog say hello. I know my lad is fine with dogs around his legs, so offer us up for dogs to have a sniff and realise what the massive thing is, and that the horse really isn't that interesting... A few people have really appreciated it - they have no access to horses to desensitise their dog...
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Yes, I've often done the same.
 
I would also report to local dog warden and try to identify the owner. I would then seek compensation from her, to cover vet bills, time off work, distress etc. She will probably have insurance so will be covered, but dog owners need to understand how serious these attacks are. I have 3 dogs myself and have taken the time to train them around horses, to desensitize them if you like, as I live in a rural area and often share tracks with riders.
 
Why can't dog owners use those long retractable leads? That would enable the dog to run but still be recallable? I bet if a loose horse kicked a dog the dog people would be up in arms about 'rogue horses'!!! I ride at the beach quite a bit and this is my one worry!! Thank goodness so far all dogs have been well behaved.....emergency plan would be to rush to the water and go in so the dog would have to swim!!
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
I carry a very effective hunting whip when out hacking........
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Yes, I never went anywhere without a 4ft dressage stick - used many times for bashing cars roofs and threatening their owners!

The first thing I'd say here to the O.P. - you take your horse out from relative safety - it's your first duty to bring it back in one piece. Falling off after an "attack" from a Jack Russell does not come into my zone of good excuses!

I expect my experiences as a biggish older bloke on an equally biggish horse are much different from you ( can't deduce how old you are ) ;however; when out together, me and supermare were genuinely attacked by large dogs on several occassions - the idea that I'd fall off and allow her to gallop off is as ridiculous now as it was at the time!

Most dogs will chase anything that moves if the mood takes them - that is in their nature IMHO so cannot be legislated against or criticised - but the attitude and behavior of the owners can and should be. They are just as responsible to look after their dog as a rider had of bringing their horse back complete and safe - so they should not be loosing their dog if it can't be recalled obediently in the face of exciting situations.

On the occassions where owners were present - I used to say -"call it off or I will ride the dog and you down" - that used to concentrate their minds quite well. Two Alsations came flying at us on one ride with the owners nowhere in sight - mare put one into a low earth orbit which rather dampened the other one's enthusiasm.
 
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