Leash your damn dogs!

iHEARTcardiacnurses
iHEARTcardiacnurses Posts: 437 Member
edited October 5 in Chit-Chat
I decided to take a different route for my daily walk for the first time since starting an exercise routine. As I was walking toward one particular little shanty house, I see this rather large Doberman sitting quietly on the front porch. Being attacked by a dog when I was little, I felt an instant surge of adrenaline. I crossed over to the side of the road, the Doberman perked up and started bark ferociously.

Next thing I know, this Doberman starts literally chasing me down the street, actually nipping at my heels until I was THREE houses down the road and heard his owner calling him. On the way back, I almost had a panic attack passing by the same house but I was relieved to see the Doberman's owner telling him to "back down" while they were sitting on their porch.

So please leash your vicious *kitten* dogs so fat chicks don't nearly blow a knee running from them!

Replies

  • skinnnyxoxo
    skinnnyxoxo Posts: 210 Member
    I know I get so freaking scared!
  • WATRD
    WATRD Posts: 25
    Oooh! You have touched on my pet peeve. This summer, I LOVED running on the local trail. Level gravel, 32 miles of country trail. But dozens of unleashed dogs, some more friendly than the other and tons of "land mines" *almost* makes me glad I have moved into the gym for the winter.

    This, from a dog lover for all my life.
  • jazzdspazz
    jazzdspazz Posts: 137 Member
    If you let him bite you, you would have a couple grand in your pocket.
  • Shawnalee0703
    Shawnalee0703 Posts: 1,093
    you should have reported him! In many places off leash dogs in areas that are not meant to be off leash is illegal and especially if the dog attempted attacking you, HE and the police should know about the behavior of the dog. Hope he will leash him from now on. Scary, I am sorry!!! Another reason I never walk without my dog. Sorry to hear about your evening.
    Many strange dogs make me nervous too. This gave me chills. Sorry hun.
  • CallieDerenthal
    CallieDerenthal Posts: 170 Member
    oh my goodness! so glad you're ok!!! having been attacked by a pit bull and then encountering an unleashed rottweiler while on a bike ride (with a 2 year old child in a trailer on the back of my bike) i can certainly relate to the adrenalin rush. thankfully i wasn't chased, i can only imagine how scary that must have been! have you contacted local police and/or animal control? the next person to encounter this dog may not be so lucky... :frown:

    also, i walk with pepper spray to protect myself and my dogs from strays while we're out on our walks. that may make you feel a bit safer.
  • mccrockl
    mccrockl Posts: 55 Member
    When I visit my parents, who live in the country (where there are no leash laws), I have had dogs follow me for miles. Usually, they aren't vicious, but there is always the stressful moment when you are about to find out.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
    Sounds like you got a free workout, with all that running.

    I'd be happy.
  • mallorybriann
    mallorybriann Posts: 1,380 Member
    Damn. I'd be running like Usain Bolt!
    My shih tzu like to nip at heels :)
    IMG_0148-3.jpg
  • CannibalisticVegetarian
    CannibalisticVegetarian Posts: 1,255 Member
    If you let him bite you, you would have a couple grand in your pocket.

    ^^^^ I tire of quoting you. Stop saying hi-larious stuff.
  • iHEARTcardiacnurses
    iHEARTcardiacnurses Posts: 437 Member
    I heard my neighbor talking about the same dog the other day and she walks on that road with a large stick! She said the dog's owner has been cited by Animal Control multiple times but he'll egg the dog on to "attack" teenagers that walk by his property.
  • chyloet
    chyloet Posts: 196 Member
    I am so sorry that happened to you. I am a stickler about this as a dog owner myself. I hate when my dogs are leashed and some wild dog comes running up to me and my dogs causing a ruckus. I actually had this happen once and with all of the mayhem I got tangled in my dogs leashes and pulled to the ground and not once did the owner ask if I was okay.
  • JediMaster_intraining
    JediMaster_intraining Posts: 903 Member
    yikes!

    my neighbor has a little puppy and though not vicious it runs after me when i'm walking down the apartment stairs and it's so little i get scared that i'm going to step on it! i wish they would just leash the dog when taking it outside for poop!
  • iHEARTcardiacnurses
    iHEARTcardiacnurses Posts: 437 Member
    I think I found a picture of the dog's owner:

    t43674_Grumpy-Old-Man-GET-OFF-MY-LAWN2.jpg
  • Shawnalee0703
    Shawnalee0703 Posts: 1,093
    and now that you mention he HAS been cited! Sounds like someone does need to get bit! I would never wish that upon anyone and it is horrifying to go through what you went through. But that *kitten* and his dog need to be taken care of. He is not a man who should even own a dog, or so it sounds! :(
  • Shawnalee0703
    Shawnalee0703 Posts: 1,093
    I think I found a picture of the dog's owner:

    t43674_Grumpy-Old-Man-GET-OFF-MY-LAWN2.jpg
    lol may as well be!
  • Coyla
    Coyla Posts: 444 Member
    I have mixed feelings about this. As a fellow runner (well, jogger), I hate when dogs aren't on leashes, especially mean dogs. There are routes I won't take anymore because I've been chased by dogs. I normally love dogs, but dogs seem to have an intrinsic dislike of runners.

    However, after visiting other countries, where dogs are free to roam around without a leash, I noticed how tame all those dogs were. They would never bark or chase anyone, because they were not constrained. I'm not sure if our habit of keeping all dogs confined is the problem or not, but it's an idea.

    Vicious dogs are usually the result of bad owners. If you have a dog who will bite or chase, they need to be on a leash.
  • CannibalisticVegetarian
    CannibalisticVegetarian Posts: 1,255 Member
    Yeah, people have to leash their dogs. Two or three days ago I was attacked, but not in THAT sense. I was busy walking my tubby little female dog when out of nowhere comes this.. I dunno.. miniature poodle or something like that. He starts sniffing at my dog, who is rather unfriendly with other dogs since she hasn't been introduced to many. Fearing a fight at my ankles, I picked up my dog and continued on. He was persistent though. He jumped up on my legs and hopped about trying to get to her. It wasn't as scary as much as annoying though. I calmly tried talking hm away, though what I really wanted to do was give the little pooch a right jab to the top of the head.

    Thankfully the next door neighbors of the dog's actual owners called him off. Apparently they weren't even at home. They'd just left him there to roam.
  • celewis2011
    celewis2011 Posts: 243 Member
    So please leash your vicious *kitten* dogs so fat chicks don't nearly blow a knee running from them!

    love it!!!!!!! Well at least you were able to run , I would have had a heart attach or wet myself one of the two , lol
  • javamonster
    javamonster Posts: 272 Member
    Okay, as someone who trained dogs professionally, forgive me for saying this, but if you're running and a dog starts chasing you, the worst thing you can do is keep running. It's something inherent in most dogs known as "prey drive" or "chase drive" (brilliant, I know). I completely agree dogs should be kept on lead and loose dogs are a pet peeve of mine as well, but knowing how to properly react in such a situation could literally save your butt. If this dog had truly been "vicious" you wouldn't be here telling us about this incident.

    For the record, most Dobies are big clowns. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand your fear if you've had a bad experience, but it helps to just assume people are irresponsible, and be prepared if you run/walk/bike outside. I'll just stick to the treadmill!
  • manjingirl
    manjingirl Posts: 188 Member
    I got knocked over and bitten on the ear by a corgi when I about 7 (I was a scrawny little kid). Took me decades to be able to handle dogs. Now I love them and have one of my own. But I still get very nervous when they are off the leash in the park, even the calm ones. I would be ringing the dog catcher.
  • Fatchickslim
    Fatchickslim Posts: 396 Member
    Pet peeve! lol nice pun! I tell you what gets me, when you're at the beach or on a public walk with your dogs and they are leashed and then someone else comes along on the track with there dog not leashed and no leash to put on them, I'm off the side of the track holding my little dogs who are going nuts and they're dog is getting excited and coming up to my dogs and they casually say "oh he's fine!" "Don't worry about him", WTF !!
    Yes your fat lab might be a big ***** cat but when it comes up to my dog and it has a go at it and then it fights back, then what?!
    Or the fact that your running on past yelling "Here Boy!!" and it's totally ignoring you and having a stand off with my dogs, if it doesn't like the reaction from my boy and something starts then what! Your dog is 3 times the size of mine!
    I totally know why people carry hiking sticks!
    I may not hit the dog, I may just wack the owner!
  • kayleeblue
    kayleeblue Posts: 273
    I live in the country and people do occasionally run/jog past our house. My dog has been known to follow/chase them. I also know who they are and have given them permission to wack my dog if she misbehaves. I have also come across dogs that are aggressive on my walk/jog. I refuse to run away...instead I turn and confront them! It backs a dog down real fast if you don't show fear. Yes there are the few and far between that will take it that extra step. Be prepared...take pepper spray or a stick. Know your route and your neighbors. If I know they are running, I put my dog away. I'm sure I will hear a few comments on this..But this is how it works in my neck of the woods..Good Luck!
  • iHEARTcardiacnurses
    iHEARTcardiacnurses Posts: 437 Member
    I mean this was a house where you could hear the echoes of dueling banjos....not sure I want to get to know Cleatus and his brood!
  • Fatchickslim
    Fatchickslim Posts: 396 Member
    I mean this was a house where you could hear the echoes of dueling banjos....not sure I want to get to know Cleatus and his brood!

    hahaha Classic!
  • jecka31
    jecka31 Posts: 284
    So I have an "aggressive" breed dog (American Pit Bull Terrier). I take her on walks (runs again once I get her weight back in check, she got fat with me!) but she is ALWAYS on leash. It helps with the whole "leader of the pack" mentality. She is trained to heel and stays by my left side with her shoulders even with my legs (took almost a whole year to teach her this!!). What I hate is when the neighbors let their little yip-yap dogs out in the front yard. This one in particular (a chihuahua) has nipped at my heels numerous times and even broke skin. My dog doesn't even look at her but they see that she's a pit and start screaming about my dog attacking theirs (never mind that my dog doesn't even look at the dog or the fact that their dog is hanging on to my pant leg by her teeth!!). The last time, when she actually broke skin on me, I had to call animal control because suddenly its not their dog. Thankfully, they had her up-to-date on shots so I didn't have to go through the rabies treatment.

    I think that no matter what the size of the dog, they should be restrained, aggressive or not. Not only for the safety of people running/walking/biking by, but for the dog's safety. What if it sees a cat and chases it into an oncoming car?? OK, enough ranting.
  • Fatchickslim
    Fatchickslim Posts: 396 Member
    So I have an "aggressive" breed dog (American Pit Bull Terrier). I take her on walks (runs again once I get her weight back in check, she got fat with me!) but she is ALWAYS on leash. It helps with the whole "leader of the pack" mentality. She is trained to heel and stays by my left side with her shoulders even with my legs (took almost a whole year to teach her this!!). What I hate is when the neighbors let their little yip-yap dogs out in the front yard. This one in particular (a chihuahua) has nipped at my heels numerous times and even broke skin. My dog doesn't even look at her but they see that she's a pit and start screaming about my dog attacking theirs (never mind that my dog doesn't even look at the dog or the fact that their dog is hanging on to my pant leg by her teeth!!). The last time, when she actually broke skin on me, I had to call animal control because suddenly its not their dog. Thankfully, they had her up-to-date on shots so I didn't have to go through the rabies treatment.

    I think that no matter what the size of the dog, they should be restrained, aggressive or not. Not only for the safety of people running/walking/biking by, but for the dog's safety. What if it sees a cat and chases it into an oncoming car?? OK, enough ranting.

    Totally agree, I'm afraid I don't take issue with the whole pit bull thing, it irresponsible owners that cause the problem and not the dog! Doesn't matter what the breed they all have the potential to inflict damage.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    I live in Philadelphia where apparently the average pet owner is extremely stupid. I call animal control on every dog I see roaming around without a leash.

    I do this for 2 reasons. Number one reason: the safety of my own dog. I have a boston terrier with a neurological disorder who also happens to be dog aggressive. The thing is, he's incapable of defending himself. He lunges and falls over. If one of these leashless dogs approaches us on a walk and my dog lunges, the other dog will get startled and attack. I love my dog. I don't want to lose him like that.

    Number two reason: I'm an emergency vet tech. Enough said? Hit by cars, eating trash, and dog fights are preventable. I don't enjoy stabilizing and treating preventable injuries. I also do not enjoy euthanizing them when surprise! the owner also has no money to treat.
  • jecka31
    jecka31 Posts: 284
    Totally agree, I'm afraid I don't take issue with the whole pit bull thing, it irresponsible owners that cause the problem and not the dog! Doesn't matter what the breed they all have the potential to inflict damage.

    I have had 4 over the years, all of them rescues. They are by far the best dogs I've ever had!! It is in their nature to be prey driven (unlike the common misconception that they were bred to fight, they actually were originally bred to rid farms of pests - anything from rats and raccoons to wolves and coyotes.) but they are not people aggressive by nature. I advocate the "Ban the deed not the breed" because, as you said, its irresponsible owners that have led the dogs to this state. APBT live to please their owners and will do what we want. My 5 yo niece LOVES to take her for walks "because she doesn't pull like my little dogs" (my sister had rat terriers and they were constantly knocking over my nieces!). Its all how you raise the dog, no matter the breed.

    And just because, the #1 reason a person is admitted to the hospital for an animal bite is from a CAT!!!
  • godroxmysox
    godroxmysox Posts: 1,491 Member
    I don't care if they're vicious or not...they need to be leashed. As someone who was also attacked by a dog, I am terrified of any that are unfamiliar. I shouldn't be afraid to walk around the block
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