It's all my fault for keeping my dog on a lead, is it?

[MotherOfChickens]

Since we can only affect our own behaviour, and not others, instead of those saying that this is how I reacted, and in a similar situation, I would do the same again, why not even consider if there is something you might be able to do differently, which could benefit you in a similar situation?

there isn't always time FL-if I hadn't gone for that dog when I did the attacking dog would have ripped out his penis-there were teeth marks all around it. He could have very well bled out in the street.

as for the victim blaming going on and people 'never having all these problems' well good for you. I've had one dog attacked in 30 years personally but having been a vet's partner for a decade have seen quite a few dogs in after being attacked and have seen what it did to their owners too.

 

[{97702}]

It isn't as though the person who broke the dogs jaw did it with intent, she was trying to get a greyhound that was trying to kill her small dog to let go, so she kicked it. She in doing so she broke it's jaw, tough really and I hope it cost the grey's owners plenty of money.

She used unnecessary force which almost certainly wasn't merited for the situation - she said herself, she lost her temper. I thought human beings were meant to have evolved from reacting like animals?

 

[TheresaW]

Quite a few years ago now, I had to take my friends little terrier type to the vet at 6 in the morning after he had been attacked by 4 off lead greyhounds. He had been on a lead when it happened, his owner was bitten several times trying to get the dogs off him. He died 4 days later. I would do whatever I could to protect my dogs.

 

[ester]

what is unnecessary force when trying to stop one eating your own? Is it possible to manage to kick it just enough that it lets go but you don't do any damage?

 

[JFTDWS]

Human beings are indeed supposed to have evolved. That's why it's the owner of the loose dog which is responsible for having their animal under control.

If a dog attacks you, or your dog, you have a choice - risk injuring the aggressive dog or allow that dog to injure your dog. There is no perfect answer - a dog gets hurt either way... Well, except the owner of the dog having had it under control in the first place

 

[DabDab]

there isn't always time FL-if I hadn't gone for that dog when I did the attacking dog would have ripped out his penis-there were teeth marks all around it. He could have very well bled out in the street.

as for the victim blaming going on and people 'never having all these problems' well good for you. I've had one dog attacked in 30 years personally but having been a vet's partner for a decade have seen quite a few dogs in after being attacked and have seen what it did to their owners too.

Yes absolutely, in my case it was dark, the labs had already come up and said hello then moved off (so I thought), then they came back out of nowhere and by the time I realised what was happening the one had hold of my dog next to me, shaking him like a stuffed toy. I grabbed the dog's jaw, dug my nails into its gums, it didn't release so I punched it in the head with everything I'd got and knocked out. Reasonable force? I don't know. I know that in that moment I didn't care if I killed the damn thing.
Unfortunately while I was getting that one off the other dived in, grabbed my dog's leg and skinned it like a banana, so by the time I'd got him in a mad panic to the vet's house and then back to the surgery (it was Christmas eve), the leg couldn't be saved.

 

[Rowreach]

She used unnecessary force which almost certainly wasn't merited for the situation - she said herself, she lost her temper. I thought human beings were meant to have evolved from reacting like animals?

How can you possibly know that?

 

[Rowreach]

For those of you who would not defend your dogs in the event another dog had it in its jaws, what would you do?

Stand there and watch your dog get ripped apart?

Run and hide behind a tree?

 

[JFTDWS]

How can you possibly know that?

Magic!

See also:

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I'm sorry DabDab, that must have been awful. It really is the most sickening thing -the attack on my old dog happened years ago and I still get incredibly angry at the entitlement of that dog's owner.


I hope Lev isn't off the forum. I know she loves dogs, especially her own-while she might not condone violence towards dogs I find it hard to believe she'd not defend her own if it came to it!

 

[DabDab]

Yeah I know what you mean, it was 10 years ago, but it does still haunt a bit. The worst thing was that it was my parents' dog who I was looking after while they were away for Christmas - that was not a nice Christmas morning phone call to make

I hope Lev hasn't gone too - I think it may have been the fact that it was a greyhound in the jaw break situation that touched a nerve, dunno.

 

[splashgirl45]

i am a very even tempered person in my old age and when a labrador (off lead) bit my collie cross(on lead) i kicked it as hard as i could to get it off mine. mine was bitten quite badly but i dread to think how bad it would have been if i just stood there....i didnt consider doing it gently so as not to hurt the other dog i just wanted to stop it....i am sorry, i am a dog lover but if its a choice of my dog being badly hurt or the attacker, there is no choiceIMO.......

 

[Rowreach]

She hasn't gone anywhere, she has just renamed herself.

 

[ester]

she has 'out to pasture' previously meant not here. Wonder if you can do that yourself now then?

 

[cbmcts]

I took on an Akita to save my terriers. She was notorious in the area and had killed a few dogs previously. Her owner was a dickwad who had encouraged her to kill everything in sight and despite having being prosecuted and the dog put under a control order which meant that she was to be securely confined to their property and muzzled and on lead when off property.

He used to let her roam as he feuded with everyone including the landowner adjoining his house - he didn't like anyone using the field or the public footpath across it but the dog used to roam for miles. She got my terrier and just stood over her deliberately sinking her teeth in, lifting her head and then going back for another bite. I remember thinking that this was just sadistic as I ran over shouting but she didn't move, just squared up to me. It wasn't a frenzied attack it was just murderous (I can't think of any other way to describe it) and I grabbed her scruff (no collar of course) and tried to drag her off. No chance, she was nearly as heavy as me. I booted her, walloped her around the head and she still stood over my dog. I did do what is probably the stupidest thing I've ever done and leaned under and grabbed my dog and it was only then that the Akita even acknowledged me as she went for my hand and bit my wrist. It was winter and I was wearing heavy layers and an old fashioned waxed coat so while the bite didn't break the skin it did crush the face of my watch to bits.

She then went for my other terrier who was staying out of the way and while carrying my badly injured dog I managed to get between them which gave that dog a chance to run, quite literally for her life and get under my car. The owner was standing watching this the whole time I realised at this point and he was laughing...turd.

My dog ended up at the vets for 5 days, deep bites over her back, cracked ribs where she was rolled and in deep shock. I'll be honest, if I'd had a gun I would have shot that dog without a second thought, not just in the heat of the moment but at any opportunity when she was loose afterwards. I've been in the middle of too many dog fights - 99% of them noise and bluster with the participants almost relieved when it's broken up and few where it was getting nasty. I will always choose to keep my hands out as much as possible and use body, legs and noise to break it up but I have never seen anything as cold and single minded as that akita. In her defence, it really was her owner that made her like it and she could have done serious damage to me if she'd wanted too. She 'disappeared' about a year later after she did kill another dog exactly like she tried to kill mine. Unfortunately that dogs owner was a member of an even harder, nastier family than dickwad and it all kicked off big time. There were all sorts of rumours about what happened to her. Her owner ended up leaving the area and I have to say he wasn't missed.

 

[DabDab]

she has 'out to pasture' previously meant not here. Wonder if you can do that yourself now then?

Oh that is odd...New forum disappearing mechanisms....intriguing.

That Akita sounds truly haunting C

 

[skinnydipper]

deleted

 

[SadKen]

The use of force up to and including lethal, in any scenario where my dog is being attacked by another?

I'm good with it.

It would be an entirely natural reaction because the alternative would be to watch my own much loved, innocent dog die in front of me and be left with the guilt of failing to act to stop it. If it's a choice between seriously injuring or killing someone else's poorly managed aggressive dog, or watching mine be killed, I'm very comfortable with my choice to intervene.

I always enjoy Lev's posts and I'm a bit surprised at her reaction here, although it's been a stimulating debate as a result.

 

[Pinkvboots]

I wouldn't want to hurt any dog but if one was trying to attack mine I would do everything in my power to stop it, and if that meant having to use brute force I would do what I feel necessary.

It amazes me how many people let dogs off a lead and then let them out of there sight, I have had 3 dogs jump on and scare the life out of my dog the owner didn't know what the dogs were doing because she couldn't see them, I have seen a muntjac dear chased and attacked by 4 dogs again no owner in sight, if people had the sense to keep there dog a bit closer to them a lot of attacks can be avoided.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

You can’t always be right on forums as everyone has different ideas of right and how they would handle things. I did what I needed to do to ensure my dog wasn’t killed and I wasn’t bitten, I did have my collie to go and look after who was seeing off the other two. She had a couple of nasty bites as well. Sight hounds will chase and kill if they are racing trained, it’s their nature/training/instinct after all.

As for their ‘level’ comment well that just made me laugh, I think just because he/she is a greyhound addict means that they took what I did personally, no need to it wasn’t their dogs that were intent on killing mine.

He/She has maybe been given a timeout?? I didn’t report her/him, I have no need to as I don’t oarticularly value anything she said nor took offence it was a discussion after all. However if they have timed themself out then I don’t see why they had to, nobody is right all of the time and nobody is going to agree all of the time

 

[conniegirl]

My beagle is a very well socialised and friendly dog. He is mostly walked off lead when we are not near a road, he is friendly with other dogs off lead and seems to nicely approach those on lead and those who give him go away signals he stops approaching and heads off in another direction, he also has good recall so even when he has his nose to the ground (he is a scent hound after all) we can get him back.

He is very capable of defending himself and will happily do so however If any other dog attacked him with the intent of killing him I would have no problem using any force I deemed nessecary to save my dog, even if that meant the death of the other dog.

I have previously been chased by a loose dog whilst out hacking, it was notorious for jumping it’s garden gate and chasing horses, it was biting at my ponys heels and hanging off his tail (it did draw blood on a hind fetlock), thankfully I was riding a pony who could kick the eye out of a fly and was not inclined to put up with it, he landed one solid kick to the dogs abdomen and the dog scarpered and no one ever reported having a problem with it chasing horses after that.

 

[bonny]

This thread has become a boastful my dog/myself is more aggressive than the next dog/person. Some of you I suspect have problems out walking because your dog/s are the aggressors. Whatever happened to just having a pet dog as a companion and walking partner instead of all this macho oneupmanship ?

 

[JFTDWS]

And there's the prize for the most bonkers post on the thread. And that did take some impressive one-up-man-ship

 

[bonny]

And there's the prize for the most bonkers post on the thread. And that did take some impressive one-up-man-ship

And it’s not bonkers for person after person coming on to say how they would defend their dog by killing another. It’s all got a bit out of hand !

 

[Cinnamontoast]

But I would hurt a dog that was attacking mine, wouldn't think twice about landing a huge kick straight in its face. I know I'd panic and probably launch at it. Reasonable force is a stupid thing to say because I'm sure most people wouldn't restrain themselves when it comes to protecting their dogs and in the case of the Akita attacking, the only restraint would be me worrying about the damage it might do to me!

 

[DabDab]

And it’s not bonkers for person after person coming on to say how they would defend their dog by killing another. It’s all got a bit out of hand !

Because they are expressing their opinion on the matter being discussed.

What's your opinion? It seems to be that people who have a dog attacked are asking for it....?

 

[DabDab]

He/She has maybe been given a timeout?? I didn’t report her/him, I have no need to as I don’t oarticularly value anything she said nor took offence it was a discussion after all. However if they have timed themself out then I don’t see why they had to, nobody is right all of the time and nobody is going to agree all of the time

She's deleted her account. Not sure if she'll come back at some point. I hope so - like you say, people don't always agree, and sometimes, particularly online, they are actually disagreeing on two different things/different interpretations of details rather than the substance of an issue. Such is life eh 😑

 

[Tiddlypom]

Lev was already thinking of standing down from HHO, no idea why, but she'd said she was thinking of doing so on another thread. Going out to pasture is not unexpected.

Her insistance that her dog was causing no harm to anyone/anything when awol did seem to be out of character.

 

[Rowreach]

She's deleted her account. Not sure if she'll come back at some point. I hope so - like you say, people don't always agree, and sometimes, particularly online, they are actually disagreeing on two different things/different interpretations of details rather than the substance of an issue. Such is life eh 😑

She's had loads of different accounts on here over the years, it's not the first time she's left so I imagine she'll return at some point.

 

[skinnydipper]

This thread has become a boastful my dog/myself is more aggressive than the next dog/person. Some of you I suspect have problems out walking because your dog/s are the aggressors. Whatever happened to just having a pet dog as a companion and walking partner instead of all this macho oneupmanship ?

This is a hasty reply as I need to go out.

Bonny, I despair at your post.

You really need to be in the position where a dog or dogs are trying to kill your much loved family member to know how you would react.

I, for one, do not stand wringing my hands or weeping hysterically - my survival instinct kicks in and I do whatever is necessary to protect me and mine. Nobody is saying they would deliberately kill someone else's pet but believe me, if that is what it took to save my dog then I would do it.

The attack on my lurcher was so savage that the vets insisted I inform the Police. I could give them no details other than a description of dog and man so there was little hope of finding them. I did say to the Police that it was not my wish that someone else's pet be PTS, only that it be prevented from being able to do the same thing again - walked leashed and muzzled would have been a good start.

The owner of the dog was at the opposite side of the field and the dog came across and attacked my dog. The owner tried to make off, still with the dog off lead. I managed to catch up with him and the way I felt I could have killed him with my bare hands (the owner). The owner was completely cool and unconcerned (it had obviously happened before) and told me that it was "just between dogs". I could have knocked his head off. My dog was minding her own business at the time of the attack. I couldn't take the matter further as I needed to rush her to the vets.

Your reply showed your complete ignorance and lack of understanding of the situations we are referring to.