Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Sooooo... any suggestions about how to handle a situation like this, assuming that pepper spray cannot be sprayed? Also assume that I will not have a stick. Is there a better option that SCREAMING my guts out?[/quote]
Let your old man walk your dig down there next time and make sure he wears steel toed boots.
Actually, the Husky was nowhere near me. She went right for Artie -- he's irresistible, right? -- so there were six feet (the length of the leash) between us.
You're right. I'll follow my first hunch and have a chat with them about "chaperoning" their dog when the dog is outside. It's funny that you should mention the fence, though -- I *do* have a fence that Artie cannot get under or over -- and, even so, if he's out in the fenced-in backyard, so am I. If it were just a tie-out like the Husky has, I would be within reaching distance at all times. I guess that's the difference between "us" and "them," right?
I'm sorry to hear about Artie. I also have a husky (Alaskan) that I raised from a pup, socializing her with friends and other dogs (she really loved playing with one of my friends GSD. They were inseparable, until my friend had to put down his GSD).
Huskies are very high energy dogs, and do not behave well when tied up outside and left alone. My dogs have free access to my home via the garage, which has a doggy door in the back wall that leads to a kennel and my backyard. While Blizzard (my female husky) has never attacked another person's dog or person, but she has attacked my other dogs when I was not present. For almost 2 years I kept her on a muzzle whenever I left her alone. It was a dominance bite to the back of the neck (which sounds like what Artie may have experienced), not trying to do any serious damage, just trying to show who was in charge.
My other current dog is a male mastiff, named Buddy. When Buddy was only 9 weeks old Blizzard attacked him (which prompted me to start muzzling her). That was 3 years ago. Now Buddy is just over 3 years old, Blizzard is just over 7 years old, and she no longer attacks Buddy who now out masses her by almost 100 pounds. I stopped muzzling Blizzard just last year, and there hasn't been any repeat incidents. Thankfully.
Buddy has a great personality, and loves everyone. I can understand how a complete stranger might feel if Buddy were to run toward them, even if he is wagging his entire body as he runs. So I don't allow it.
As a rule, if someone is walking down my gravel road and my dogs are in my front-yard, I immediately gain direct control of them (holding them by their collars) until the person is well out of sight. If they have dogs with them, then both Buddy and Blizzard go into the house until they are gone.
I have one very friendly, but big, male, and one very anti-social bitc... um, female. So under no circumstances do I allow them outside in my front yard without my close supervision. Both are very well behaved on a leash (Blizzard is actually submissive on a leash). Both also are very good at responding to my verbal commands - but I certainly wouldn't want to put that to a test.
Which just goes to demonstrate that it isn't always the owner who is at fault for having an anti-social dog. Regardless of the social training and frequent encounters with other people. Nevertheless, whether the dog is anti-social or extremely friendly, it is always the owner's responsibility to be in control of their dogs at all times. No exceptions, no excuses.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,011,510 times
Reputation: 28903
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glitch
I'm sorry to hear about Artie. I also have a husky (Alaskan) that I raised from a pup, socializing her with friends and other dogs (she really loved playing with one of my friends GSD. They were inseparable, until my friend had to put down his GSD).
Huskies are very high energy dogs, and do not behave well when tied up outside and left alone. My dogs have free access to my home via the garage, which has a doggy door in the back wall that leads to a kennel and my backyard. While Blizzard (my female husky) has never attacked another person's dog or person, but she has attacked my other dogs when I was not present. For almost 2 years I kept her on a muzzle whenever I left her alone. It was a dominance bite to the back of the neck (which sounds like what Artie may have experienced), not trying to do any serious damage, just trying to show who was in charge.
My other current dog is a male mastiff, named Buddy. When Buddy was only 9 weeks old Blizzard attacked him (which prompted me to start muzzling her). That was 3 years ago. Now Buddy is just over 3 years old, Blizzard is just over 7 years old, and she no longer attacks Buddy who now out masses her by almost 100 pounds. I stopped muzzling Blizzard just last year, and there hasn't been any repeat incidents. Thankfully.
Buddy has a great personality, and loves everyone. I can understand how a complete stranger might feel if Buddy were to run toward them, even if he is wagging his entire body as he runs. So I don't allow it.
As a rule, if someone is walking down my gravel road and my dogs are in my front-yard, I immediately gain direct control of them (holding them by their collars) until the person is well out of sight. If they have dogs with them, then both Buddy and Blizzard go into the house until they are gone.
I have one very friendly, but big, male, and one very anti-social bitc... um, female. So under no circumstances do I allow them outside in my front yard without my close supervision. Both are very well behaved on a leash (Blizzard is actually submissive on a leash). Both also are very good at responding to my verbal commands - but I certainly wouldn't want to put that to a test.
Which just goes to demonstrate that it isn't always the owner who is at fault for having an anti-social dog. Regardless of the social training and frequent encounters with other people. Nevertheless, whether the dog is anti-social or extremely friendly, it is always the owner's responsibility to be in control of their dogs at all times. No exceptions, no excuses.
I know your Buddy and Blizzard very well.
This
Quote:
Huskies are very high energy dogs, and do not behave well when tied up outside and left alone.
makes PERFECT sense.
When we went to visit my in-laws this summer and brought Artie with us, I put him on a tie-out. He barked the entire time, which is totally unlike him when my father-in-law's around.
I know that you weren't saying that I did, but just to set the record straight: I was terrified, but I absolutely do NOT blame the owners, nor do I blame the dog. It was just a scary situation.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
-- so there were six feet (the length of the leash) between us.
