Walking my dog

[rebelrachel13]

My neighborhood has about probably a little over a dozen attention-deprived dogs. These are dogs that escape frequently, are never let out of the backyard/house, are never walked, and some don't even have collars or fences, allowing them to run free. None are very well-trained and most are overweight and/or fleabitten. Not to mention the barking contests they have every night.

I know this is not the dogs' fault. I am an animal lover and will always look to the owner when a dog has a behavior or health problem. But walking my (foster) dog has become annoying, as almost every time, at least one dog will approach and stalk us, making poor Nala either playful or very nervous. One dog even started humping her. I also have had owners come up to me and ask what breed she is (she's a APBT mix, but I don't tell them that - figure they'd try and have her taken away/destroyed. People around here aren't too bright).

I once had an owner tell me to keep her away from their dog because she might attack. This dog is quiet, well-behaved, trained, and weighs no more than 45 pounds. I'm 5 feet tall and 115 pounds, and I can pick her up and carry her feasibly. She has never bitten, knocked over, or attacked another dog or person in her life. I wanted to retort by saying "Well, maybe you should try a fence? I hear they're pretty good at keeping dogs in/out."

Anyone else have to deal with this when going on walks? How do you feel about unrestrained/unsocialized, free-running dogs in a suburban environment? Mostly, I just don't appreciate people telling me how to keep a dog when they refuse to properly care for theirs.

[sissysnakes]

We have had a few issues with owners letting their dogs run free in our neighborhood. In one instance my neighbors cattle dog (on a leash) was attacked by two notoriously aggressive dogs whose owner let run around willie-nillie at night. My neighbor now feels that he has to carry a heavy cane when he walks his dog around the block...

My biggest pet peeve though is when owners let their dogs walk off leash in a public park. Just because your dog is "friendly" doesnt mean mine is. She isnt. And she will and has bitten other dogs. I have her on a tight leash because I know she doesnt like big dogs and I decline any time people ask if their kids can pet her.

If your "friendly" dog bites mine in response to her aggressive behavior.. guess who gets put down. Obey leash laws.. they are there for a reason.

[Jazi]

X2 to both sentiments of frustration. One of the dogs I was is an exfighter... Another dog decides to start something with her qnd she will make sure she does not lose that fight. And of course when I try to explain that she's had a hard past all they hear is pit bull and fighting dog and start xausing a scene about how I shouldn't fight my dogs... Uuuh what, were you even listening???

When our chow mix was a pup and already dealing with a semi-aggressive temperament and bad nerves on top of that, we were actually making progress on managing both, there were these two huge labs that were never contained or socialized... Ran around the neighborhood jumping cats and dogs, finally jumped a kid. Nothing was done of course as the owner claimed they were contained in his house the whole time and no one saw it but the kid who was several blocks away from the house when he was attack. Needless to say I was almost glad when the owner told me they'd gotten hit by a car considering they threatened to jump me and my dogs on a regular basis. I learned that having a big stick handy and knowing how to prevent/break up fights was a must with those two.

[Mike41793]

If people give you a hard time and dont wanna listen, flip em the bird and keep walking.
Obviously talking to them doesnt get any info into their thick skulls...

EDIT: also if your worried about another dog attacking yours then carry some pepper spray with you on the walks. Just a tiny sprayer of it can easily fit in your pocket.

[bubblz]

Report it and or take a different route when walking your dog. I would even make a video of the loose dogs for back up purposes. You own a bully breed, mix or not we have to take extra precautions with this breed. If or when something happens they take the blame whether it's their fault or not. Having some evidence like the video I mentioned might help. But at the same time knowing the circumstances, what have you done if anything, to prevent something from happening?

Which from what you just posted, it's not if something will happen but when. I guarantee you when it does, it won't feel like you're holding back a 45 lb dog. She won't just sit there and let you pick her up or hold her once she's in the zone with another dog coming at her. I don't care how much training she's had. Some of the dogs off leash may be friendly enough and want to meet and play with her but not all will be. Which is why she may be nervous at times.

There's a common saying about bully breeds "They may not start the fight, but they'll definitely finish it".

As her guardian it's your responsibility to make sure that doesn't happen. Which means keeping her out of and or preventing situations where it can happen, don't set her up to fail.

Whether she has never "bitten, knocked over, or attacked another dog" doesn't matter because it can happen. She has the genetics and the potential to do some serious damage in a matter of seconds,.. it only takes one time.

[rebelrachel13]

I know she's not perfect and I know she would retaliate if threatened. I am being very careful about how and where I walk her, and try to avoid all dogs and people if possible. I shoo any dog that sniffs her for more than a few seconds or barks at her.

However, I will not simply keep her in my house/yard all the time and refuse to take her out like everyone else in my neighborhood, as that only perpetuates that kind of problem. If I don't take her out, she will get stir crazy which is not fun for either of us. I try to go places where there are little to no dogs at the time to avoid possible conflict. She has a strong harness and leash and I keep her heeled to me most of the time.

Unfortunately, I don't think "Help, dogs and their owners are subtly provoking my dog and I!" would be a reasonable police complaint. For now I will just keep taking precautions and being wary of her temperament and the temperament of neighborhood dogs.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

[bubblz]

It's not a police matter until someone gets hurt but there are leash, stray animals and other laws that animal control handles. Which is who you should report to if you choose to do so. I'm not saying keep your dog locked up but there are other ways and types of exercise besides walking the neighborhood.

It's obviously happened more than once and keeps happening, since no one has done anything to remedy the situation. The way things are going now it will only lead to one thing and it's not good. You could end up in court, lose your dog or have to have her registered as a vicious dog, which means even more restrictions for you. Have to pay some if not all of the vet bills for someone else's pet if it survives the situation.

When it comes down to it in court or not, even with a video as evidence on your behalf. It's not just a one sided situation since it's an on going issue. It's a situation that can and should be prevented so they will ask what preventive measures did you take to keep it from happening?

If it gets to that point I hope you have some good evidence to back it up because hear say doesn't hold up in court. It's your word against theirs and bully breeds don't to too well with the justice system.

I'm not trying to scare you or blow the situation out of proportion but it is what it is,.. and it happens all too often. Pit bull attacks this, that or what ever, whether they get the breed right or not. The owner says it's never done that before. Everyone blames the dog when it could have been prevented since the signs and situations were there all along.