If a dog does attack you or your dog - what would you do?

There is a law which says a dog worrying livestock can be shot and owners are committing an offence by allowing their dogs to worry liverstock.
Livestock includes horses.

What other law would need to apply here?
 
Go back again and tell them to open their Police Operational Handbook and go to page 635 and read the offence

"subject to the provisions of this section, if a dog worries livestock on any agricultural land, the owner of the dog and if its in the charge of a person other than its owner, that person also shall be guilty of an offence under this act"
Dogs (protection of livestock) act 1953, s1(1)

and tell you why there is no offence in the above instance you mention.
 
My Lab Dylan was attacked by 3 'staffy types' a couple of months ago. The owner threw himself on top of the most aggressive one & tried to smother it. The other 2 were attached to Dylan's throat whilst Dylan was led motionless on the floor.

My initial reaction was to grab the 2 dogs by their collars & try to pull them off, but I immediately realised that approach wouldn't work as they didn't let go of Dylan, so I would end up tearing his throat. So I quickly let go & grabbed one of the dogs' back legs, lifted them off the ground & pushed him forwards, off Dylan. This worked a treat, but you must keep moving the dog forwards. As soon as I tried to stand still the dog kept swinging it's head round to try to grab my arms/hands.

With one dog being smothered by it's owner & another being wheelbarrowed by me, the third dog luckily let go of his own accord, just as well as we'd run out of hands by then & the man had dropped his leads some distance away.

Luckily for us I had read on a previous thread about the wheelbarrow move & I think instinct just took over. I remember thinking at the time that then next thing to try would be my finger up the dogs' bottom (wasn't looking forward to that!). I remained calm throughout, not uttering a word until the dogs were separated. However about half an hour later I was shaking like a leaf.

So a big thank you to whoever posted this some time ago - I think it was Abe's mum. You may well have saved Dylan's life.
 
davisn said:
My Lab Dylan was attacked by 3 'staffy types' a couple of months ago. The owner threw himself on top of the most aggressive one & tried to smother it. The other 2 were attached to Dylan's throat whilst Dylan was led motionless on the floor.

My initial reaction was to grab the 2 dogs by their collars & try to pull them off, but I immediately realised that approach wouldn't work as they didn't let go of Dylan, so I would end up tearing his throat. So I quickly let go & grabbed one of the dogs' back legs, lifted them off the ground & pushed him forwards, off Dylan. This worked a treat, but you must keep moving the dog forwards. As soon as I tried to stand still the dog kept swinging it's head round to try to grab my arms/hands.

With one dog being smothered by it's owner & another being wheelbarrowed by me, the third dog luckily let go of his own accord, just as well as we'd run out of hands by then & the man had dropped his leads some distance away.

Luckily for us I had read on a previous thread about the wheelbarrow move & I think instinct just took over. I remember thinking at the time that then next thing to try would be my finger up the dogs' bottom (wasn't looking forward to that!). I remained calm throughout, not uttering a word until the dogs were separated. However about half an hour later I was shaking like a leaf.

So a big thank you to whoever posted this some time ago - I think it was Abe's mum. You may well have saved Dylan's life.
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You was very brave, well done, hope I never need it, but it is good to remember. Any tips for is you are riding
 
Dobiegirl, funny, I sent a Dobie home with his tail between his legs with the threat of a stick and a very loud growl once (I mean, he pegged it over a barley field :o), horse thankfully didn't bat an eyelid :p

Some horrible experiences, agree Davisn, well done for remaining so calm.
 
Funny you should say that, when we were exercising hounds in the morning we were always met by a GSD who used to run down his drive and have a go at the hounds. The whipper in was incensed by this and as we approached the drive the whipper in hung back and caught the GSD good and proper. It screamed for England and we never had a problem again.
 
CaveCanem said:
Yeah, I have heard the old pull the legs apart thing, Miss L Toe, never actually heard of anyone having the time or wit to actually do it - have you ever have a dog come at you? And have you tried this tactic?

The reason I would never punch or kick an attacking dog is because I have seen a lot of dogs with my own eyes being 'agitated' in a very controlled environment with trained decoys (who know how to develop the prey or defence instinct of the dog, depending on the individual dog) - it just makes the dog hang on harder to whatever it wants to be hanging on to.

Also, you pull dogs apart, you risk tearing to the attacked dog.
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No, I have been attacked, but fortunately it only bit my stomach, if it were him or me, I would kill the beast.
 
Yep but I have heard so many 'big hard men' (which I know you are not :)) saying they would break a dogs legs/kill it in the manner you have described. I have 'caught' a couple of dogs wearing all the gear (I don't make a habit of it, I think the lads just wanted to see me getting knocked over :p) and there is no way, padded gear or not, I could have done that, even if I wanted to - I am sorry to hear you were bitten, but again, a stomach bite, I cannot see any way that you could have engaged the dog in this way before it made contact with you. Apart from anything else, there would be a lot of broken-legged or dead service dogs. There are not, there are just lots of crims with puncture wounds.
 
CaveCanem said:
....... Stand still and remain calm and do not make eye contact.
.......
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Quite right. There's a technique to looking past a dog, difficult to explain, looking skywards perhaps, but ignoring the attack. The problem with that is that you have seconds, or less, to decide whether the attack will be pressed home, or if it's mostly bravado. When it's the latter, the dogs front legs will be well forward, and acting as brakes. The dog which means it, will be coming at you, full tilt!!

I've heard of the spreading of a dogs legs to kill it, but yet to meet anyone who's managed it. By attempting this you would be moving your hands and arms behind the dog's mouth, and would be badly injured in the process. By reaching for the front legs, ones face would be in the line of fire. Not for me thank you!!

There are ways of killing or disabling a dog, but this isn't the place for such a discussion.

I listened for a while to the guy on Radio 2 and in part agreed with him. He spoke of attack work with dogs and told the listeners that once a dog attacked you, you were powerless. Complete and utter crap.

Most dogs DON'T want to attack humans who will stand, or crouch, in a submissive fashion... Most dogs would prefer to attack your four legged companion. So what do you do?.......

Alec.
 
Thought there just might be a staffiebashing fest looming somehow. To stop two dogs fighting: if alone one needs securing to a tree or firm object,the other,twist the collar ,you may need a stick as a tourniquet;it will then faint due to the main blood supply to it`s brain being constricted,this faint will be short lived,turn it immediately and tie it up securely.All bull terrier types are bred to return to the fray as soon as they can,in fact (history lesson) the phrase "coming up to scratch" comes from the dog fighting pit.It was perfectly possible for a dead dog to win a fight if the remaining dog would not cross the middle scratch line of the pit to "worry" the carcase.If there are two people this method can be used on both dogs,lifting up the hind legs is useful...NEVER pull them apart,in fact PUSH the dogs together,a bit of smothering helps things along.Bullies don`t bite/release/bite as other breeds,they settle on one bit,the throat and jugular vein mostly,and stay on,tightening the grip on the skin to strangle the other dog.
Their ONE thought is to continue to fight,and instant removal from each other is essential. As a norm other dogs are their "game" humans are usually not in danger at all,they were bred to be handled safely by humans even in the midst of a fight..so the usual stuff "it could be a child next" is mostly nonsense.
Having said that,all bullie types should be on lead in public places,if stuff like Saturday`s incident happen it is down entirely to another stupid owner. And PLEASE..if your "friendly little JRT" :mad::mad: is off lead ,and approaches a bullie on lead ..well you ,it`s numpty owner,caused that..no one else.
Personally ,having done dog grooming ,it is not these that are the problem..just all the ghastly little spoilt fluffies that some people seem to like.:mad:
If YOU are attacked,despite the usual standing tall,folded arms and looking upwards,just pray it has a collar on..it is then possible to choke it in the same way..what you do then is your choice, I gratefully flung it behind a door and shut it fast!!
 
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My boy has been attacked 3 times in 4 years. Each time I have smashed my thick plastic ball thrower over the offending dogs head and stuck the boot in a few times, this has proved effective BUT it wasn't a bullbreed that refused to let go. It is a truly horrible experience and now I am always on high alert for other dogs whenever we go out. If it came down to the wire and my dog was being severely injured or at risk of death, god I think I would do anything including trying to kill the other dog if I could, in any way possible. Are the corrector sprays any good? Any recommendations?
 
'Funny you should say that, when we were exercising hounds in the morning we were always met by a GSD who used to run down his drive and have a go at the hounds. The whipper in was incensed by this and as we approached the drive the whipper in hung back and caught the GSD good and proper. It screamed for England and we never had a problem again. '

You would think a dog handler would have more of an appreciation of dog behaviour. I don't suppose he thought to speak to the owner first? The GSD was protecting his property from a pack of hounds, how dare the whipper in think he was able to just wallop somebody elses dog? I'm thinking if the GSD was doing more than barking the whole pack would probably have joined in so he wouldn't have got off lightly anyway so I imagine he wasn't doing more than barking in the first place..
 
I'd boot it as hard as I could in the middle. I'd want it off mine. If I could secure the attacking dog I would, but if it was in serious danger of killing my two I'd stop at nothing to get it off.
 
Sue C said:
You was very brave, well done, hope I never need it, but it is good to remember. Any tips for is you are riding
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Thank you SueC, I don't feel very brave, more stupid that I allowed Dylan to be in that position & caused problems for him & the other dog walker & his dogs. Dylan will never be allowed to wander around a corner out of sight again whilst off lead. I know the other dogs should probably have been on lead &/or muzzled as they charged at Dylan & did the attacking, but I still take my share of the blame.

I still don't know exactly what I would do if a dog attacked me on foot or on horseback. I have worked with my horses & dogs so that they are well used to each other, but you can't do a lot of training for a serious dog attack. All I know is that I won't be expecting Dylan to protect me - he's not made for fighting & just lays down in submission & as soon as he can he runs for the hills fast as you like ;-)

EastKent, please believe me, I have nothing against staffies or bull breeds. I don't know that much about them, but have met many more nice ones than not. I don't hold this against the breed or the individual dogs who attacked mine. I think one was a true staffy (wide head, short, stocky, wide chest, brindle in colour), the other 2 could well have been cross breeds (longer legged, much more streamlined, narrower head & chest, chestnut in colour).
 
Dog attacks on guide dogs are increasing, this is a real problem for guide dog owners. Imajine being blind and out with your dog when another dog attcks it. How do you cope with that? Not to mention that the dog will quite possibly have to be retired as often they are so traumatised by the attack they can never work again.
I dont know the answer to the dog problem in this country, but its timme something was done to make people more responsible for dogs they own. Dont know if a licence etc may help?
 
EAST KENT said:
Their ONE thought is to continue to fight,and instant removal from each other is essential. As a norm other dogs are their "game" humans are usually not in danger at all,they were bred to be handled safely by humans even in the midst of a fight..so the usual stuff "it could be a child next" is mostly nonsense.

Just to add, the most aggressive of the dogs which attacked Dylan completely lost it. Once his owner had managed to release it from Dylan it bit the owner & then attacked one of his own dogs. You could just see it in his eyes, they were different somehow, the owner couldn't get through to him for quite some time.

I don't know what the answer is re dog attacks. They seem to be happening more frequently or do we just hear about them more now? There was an incident a week or so ago on the local beach, where a young cocker was set upon by 5 'rottie types'. The cocker had to be put down & it's owner taken to hospital for the bits inflicted on her. I don't know all the details, but I believe the cocker was on a lead at the time. Unless they were in the dunes I don't really see a reason for this to happen at all, the beach is long & flat sand, you can see for miles so should have plenty of time to get you dog under control or on a lead & more up the beach to avoid confrontation.
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SusieT this dog used to come out of his drive every morning and attack the hounds on the road, the hounds did not retailate and the whipper in was perfectly entitled to protect his pack. This dog was known to harrass people with dogs on the road. This dog never harassed the hounds again and we are talking about what to do if a dog attacks you or your dog so why you singled out this post is beyond me . Perhaps it was the mention of the word hunt and instead of reading the whole of my post you once again got the wrong end of the stick.
 
He spoke of attack work with dogs and told the listeners that once a dog attacked you, you were powerless. Complete and utter crap.
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I think here he was talking about large dogs. And would imagine he's pretty spot on, actually.
 
So noh e didnj't try speaking to the owner? It was the use of 'giving him a good one to teach him a lesson' -i.e someone losing their temper. Not very smart. Not very 'hard'. Physical punishment should only be used to separate and restrain, not just because you don't like a barking dog.
 
SusieT said:
So no he didn't try speaking to the owner? It was the use of 'giving him a good one to teach him a lesson' -i.e someone losing their temper. Not very smart. Not very 'hard'. Physical punishment should only be used to separate and restrain, not just because you don't like a barking dog.
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I would imagine the owner of this particular dog was very aware of what was going on - as they chose to give the dog free access to the garden, and had a drive with no gate.........

And it would appear that the dog 'attacked' the hounds, not merely barked at them.
 
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Amyway thank you, you are indeed correct this dog was a constant nuisance and actually attacked hounds on the road. The whipper in gave it one crack of the whip and the dog retreated back up the drive to its house, problem solved.
 
Dobiegirl said:
Amymay thank you, you are indeed correct this dog was a constant nuisance and actually attacked hounds on the road. The whipper in gave it one crack of the whip and the dog retreated back up the drive to its house, problem solved.
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You're welcome. Just read your post, which clearly explained the situation.
 
My dog is aggressive but only since when walking with the pram we were attacked by two staffies with no collars and whilst one went for the dog one went for the pram my dog hurt both as he is big and owners tried to blame him for the attack luckily other people were around and were coming over to help.now mine where's a muzzle at all times and is always under control. Unfortunately where we walk he is probably attacked at least once a month due to people not putting their dog on a lead or having them under control. I always have a hard horse whip tucked funder the pram if needs be. If people would at the very least. Keep their dog next to them whilst passing another dog I don't think there would be many problems and I would be able to walk mine without a muzzle.
 
Report every incident of either the dog or human being attacked to the police.

If livestock is involved...... and remember livestock only needs to be worried as in concerned/frightened on your own property, it's up to you, only need to shoot one or two and everyone in the locality will be much more vigilent, if you do shoot a dog remember it must be reported to the police though.

I don't suppose a dog on it's own property is classed as livestock is it? anyone know?
 
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