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I have a neighbor who has told me that one of her dogs has bitten at least 2 dogs in the past. She has rescued that dog and has owned her for several years and says that she was neglected as her past owners lived in a car so the dog was fed trash from a trashcan. She said this when I was asking if it was possible for her to help her dog not to bite.
Tonight we had pizza together at my place and I walked with her back to her place while I was walking my dogs. Her dogs came out of the door and ran at my dogs that were on the leash. The neglected dog came at my puppy and I knew she has a past history of biting other dogs so I stopped that one first. Then, the other dog came at my big dog and I saw her teeth coming at my dog's neck. My dog growled and put her mouth on the smaller dog's head. Then, I noticed my dog's collar on the ground so the smaller dog must have took off her collar. Even I can't remove my dog's collar without some time with my dog standing still.
I checked my dogs and they seem to have no injury but my dog's fur is so thick that it's hard to tell. Anyhow, this is the first time my dogs have been attacked by other dogs and I am pretty pissed even though they seem okay. What if my dog ran off and got hit by a car as her collar fell off? Also, my dog is 12! My 4 month old puppy is still afraid of dogs and she finally got her rabies shot today and I was excited to finally introduce her to dog parks. What if this incident makes a negative impression on her to be afraid of dogs for the rest of her life?
Anyhow, I am just very upset. The incident occurred about an hour ago and that neighbor still did not come by to apologize. Also, I am **** that she didn't mention that her other dog is aggressive too. She has also owned that one for several years too. I love my dogs so I don't know if I should even be friends with that neighbor as I am mad at her and her dogs too (I probably should not be mad at dogs but I am).
I don't even know if my dog did any damage but my dog has never bitten any dog in her 12 years and if she did today, she was protecting herself.
The incident didn't take that long but it was so stressful and I have a headache which I get like once in every 3 years. Right after we walked away, my dog did not fully recover her composure as she did not have enough time to get over it and my puppy went up to snuggle her. I thought my dog was going to confuse my neighbor's dog with my puppy and might hurt her but she knew it was the puppy and just ignored her. It kind of made me happy because one of trying to lean on the other and the other acknowledged that she was part of our pack.
How did the neighbor's dogs get out? Did she open the front door and they rushed out? Was the door not closed completely or someone left the door open?
One of my biggest pet peeves are pet owners not teaching their dogs not to dash out the door. No matter what is happening outside, the dogs should have been taught to stay unless otherwise instructed. Another is the lack of control the neighbor had of her dogs when they do get out.
If you confirmed there were no injuries, talk to your neighbor about training those dogs not to dash out the door. Sit, stay commands. Recall commands as well if they run out. Recall commands are difficult especially if the dog is super excited but when it works, it is a life saver.
If you see she makes no attempts to train her dogs, then warn her you will report their behavior to animal control.
Neglect and abuse can cause some form of aggression, mostly out of fear. I don't know if this attack was more territorial than being abused. However, no matter the dog's history, unless it is confirmed that it has TRUE aggression, most aggression is fear based and can MANAGED. Again, that is if the owner makes the effort to study the cause of its unwanted behavior and do something about it. First, she needs to teach her dogs not to dash out the door.
What a disaster. I always say you just cannot believe or TRUST other people with their dogs. Here you have this one who ADMITS her dog is dangerous and it GETS OUT??? Unreal. I'd be furious, too.
STAY AWAY from that person.
Report it to animal control - there are most likely LEASH LAWS where you live and an "at large" dog especially one who attacks another one is headed for a "dangerous dog" label which will require very specific things on the lady's part. IE NOT allowed outside without a muzzle.
Don't even entertain any conversations about "WHY" with her. Rescue, abused or whatever....doesn't matter. Tell her to go pay for a dog rehabilitator.
Also when something bad happens, try as hard as you can to NOT show any emotion and definitely do NOT "comfort" them. Because that reinforces that there's something to be worried about.
I carry pepper spray and I'm not afraid to use it. Haven't had to though.
They make one with a BLUE DYE so the person/dog who gets sprayed has the blue mark of shame on their head LOL.
While the experience was unpleasant, it was not the worst thing that could ever happen with dogs. Your neighbor should have definitely apologized. Make sure you check your dogs again. And don't walk anywhere near your neighbor's house again. Sometimes dogs can be territorial; it sounds like your neighbor's dogs came out in a protective formation against your dogs.
Hopefully your dogs were definitely not bitten. I would introduce the puppy to nice dogs outside of the familiar pack (your older dog) as soon as possible if you happen to know a few calm older dogs, then try the dog park in small, gradual doses.
I would not call animal control unless one of your dogs was definitely bitten.
Location: Subconscious Syncope, USA (Northeastern US)
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I've always had good dogs, but you never really know what's going on in their fuzzy little minds regardless. Whenever anyone asked if they bite, we always said, "Well, they haven't bitten anyone yet."
Being abused can make a dog aggressive.
Being un-socialized can make a dog aggressive, as a lack of interaction makes them fearful, and anyone can become aggressive when they are afraid.
A shelter dog that was starved at some point in its life, can be the sweetest thing god ever created, as long as no one attempts to come between him and his food.
A mother with pups can be aggressive when it comes to someone grabbing those pups from her - like any mother would.
Two males, and two females, can be aggressive with each other - its a domination thing we humans might not understand.
As has been suggested by the previous poster, territory.
Or a combination of any of the above. None of which means a dog is bad, or necessarily needs a muzzle. I don't think people, even owners, take enough time out of their busy lives to be aware of their animals limitations, or to be on the lookout for problems.
I was once in a hotel in Vegas, because they let us stay with our dog. I walked him on his leash in the morning along the road in front of our room so he could do his business. Another dog bolted from the room its owner was staying in and attacked my dog, and bit me in the process because I didn't want to let my dog go so it could kick the other dogs butt unfettered. Its a moral conundrum that puts you in danger - but I know I have a legal obligation to be in control of my dog at all times.
The owner didn't realize that since the hotel let him stay there with his dog, they might have someone else in the hotel with a dog too, and was in his room with the door open intentionally. My misfortune.
The dog was a male golden retriever. A really sweet dog that let my husband grab him and do anything with him, even though my husband was a stranger. My dog was also a really sweet German shepherd - the problem was they were both male and his dog, with nothing to control it, came after me and mine.
No animal control. No police. No law suits. The owner could prove the dog had its rabies shot.
Your neighbor needs to manage both her dogs to ensure both their and the public's safety. Why on earth would she leave a dog who has bitten 2x free to run out of the house?
The issue here isn't whether a dog's history of neglect is an excuse for aggression. The issue here is why your neighbor isn't managing her dogs and why she allows a dog who has a history of biting to run loose. This is entire situation is the owner's responsibility to control; it isn't on the dog.
Please adjust both your dog's collars so that they can't slip off- this is a recipe for disaster esp for your reactive little pup. Alternately get body harness or martingale collar.
The dogs don't seem aggressive towards people and I do not plan on reporting them as my neighbor has mentioned that she loves her dogs. It does not seem like my dogs were bitten. However, the dog did attack my dog's neck as I saw her teeth coming at her neck and the collar clasp was undone so the collar did not slip off.
The pepper spray thing is a good idea but I am so clumsy and I get panicked easily so I might end up spraying the wrong dog or myself. I did push the dogs away from my dogs. I don't know what the neighbor was doing. I think after I pushed the neglected dog, she held onto her and then I pushed the other one off my dog. So, these dogs did not stop themselves. I stopped them.
The dogs rushed out of the door when she went to go in and then I heard her yelling at her dogs and then we were surprised with this incident. I live in a townhouse style apartments so her dogs definitely should not be territorial as it is not their house or yard. It did seem like the dogs formed a formation as one dog went up to my pup and the other went up to my dog simultaneously. I am especially upset that she did not mention that both her dogs were aggressive. When I pushed the neglected dog away from my pup, I was relieved for a second only to turn around to see the other one jumping on my dog with her teeth towards my dog's neck.
It was during dinner that we talked about her dog's aggressive behavior and I was concerned so I asked about how she could help her dog not to be so aggressive. She said "oh she has issues because she was abused" and then told me about the dog's past. I had no idea that only minutes later that her dog's issues would become my problem.
I will have a talk with that neighbor and I don't know if I want to be friends with her.
If a baby gate won't work because of the layout or doorway, she can put one of these exercise pens up in front of the doorway to keep the dogs BACK since she's not able to come and go without them charging her.
Then she can enter, close the door behind her then step over or move the pen to pass by inside her house.
They come in all sizes, materials and can be shaped any way necessary.
OR BEFORE SHE GOES OUT SHE CAN SECURE THEM IN A ROOM.
Sec. 462.305. - Destruction of property and biting. (your dogs are legally considered property)
Except where an exemption under section 462.403 applies:
(a) No owner or person having temporary custody of an animal(s) shall permit the animal(s), either willfully or through failure to exercise due care or control (for purposes of this Section an animal on a leash or tether longer than eight feet shall be considered failure to exercise due physical control), to destroy or damage the property of another including, but not limited to, the unprovoked biting, attacking or wounding of another person's animal(s).
(b)
No owner or person having temporary custody of an animal(s) shall permit, either willfully or through failure to exercise due care or control, the animal(s) to bite, attack or wound a human.
(c)
An animal control officer may cite the owner or person having temporary custody for violation of this Section when either the animal control officer has received a sworn affidavit from an adult witness, attesting to the animal's having committed a violation of this subsection, or the citing animal control officer has witnessed the commission of such violation.
(d)
The provisions and penalties of this Section shall be separate from and in addition to the provisions of Part 4 regarding dangerous dogs.
(Ord. 2004-259-E, § 1; Ord. 2010-527-E, § 4)
Dangerous Dog law Chapter 462
Sec. 462.402. - Definitions.
As used in this Part, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
(a)
Dangerous dog means any dog whose actions, according to the records of the appropriate authority after investigation and provided such actions are attested to in a sworn statement by at least one person, meet at least one of the following:
(1)
On public or private property, including the owner's property, aggressively attacks, bites or endangers a human or inflicts severe injury on a human;
(2)
On public or private property, including the owner's property, attacks and bites another dog or other domesticated animal and causes severe injury or death to the dog or domesticated animal;
(3)
Is a dog trained for dog fighting or is being used or has been used for the purpose of dog fighting; or (4)
Chases or approaches a human upon the streets, sidewalks or any public or private property other than the owner's property in a menacing or threatening manner and in an apparent attitude of attack, when such human is conducting himself/herself peacefully and lawfully and is not provoking the dog.
(b)
Severe injury means any physical injury that results in one or more broken bones, multiple bites, or one or more lacerations requiring sutures, or an injury requiring reconstructive or plastic surgery.
Please be AWARE that sometimes you need more than ONE report for animal control to do anything.
Animal At Large:
Sec. 462.303. - Animals at-large prohibited.
(a) No owner or person having temporary custody of any animal(s) shall permit the animal(s) or fail to restrain the animal(s) from being at-large, except a dog shall be considered exempt from these provisions if:
(1)
The dog is engaged in the performance of duties while under the supervision and control of law enforcement officials performing law enforcement work.
(2)
The dog is engaged in any legal hunt or training procedure, including training or exhibiting in legal sports such as obedience trials, conformation shows, field trials, schutzhund, hunting/retrieving trials, and herding trials; however, such dogs at all other times and in all other respects shall be subject to this Chapter.
(3)
The dog is in a City-designated or legally established, with proper certificate of use, private "off-leash" dog park and is under the supervision of the owner or a responsible person.
(b)
A violation of this Section shall subject the violator to a civil fine of not less than the amount designated in Chapter 462, Part 18. Each separate occasion is considered a separate violation. The animal control officer may cite the owner of such animal(s) for violation of this Section when either the animal control officer has received, from at least two unrelated adult witnesses residing at different residences, a sworn affidavit attesting to the animal's having committed a nuisance pursuant to this Section, or the citing animal control officer has witnessed the commission of such a nuisance.
(Ord. 2004-259-E, § 1; Ord. 2010-527-E, § 4)
Sec. 462.304. - Habitual nuisance.
(a)
It shall be unlawful for the owner, or any person having temporary custody, of an animal or animals to permit the animal(s), either willfully or through failure to exercise due care or control, to commit a nuisance by running at-large habitually; by chasing or running after vehicles or persons habitually; by trespassing upon public or private school grounds habitually; by trespassing upon private property habitually and interfering with the reasonable use and enjoyment of the property; by barking habitually, or by making other objectionable animal noises habitually; or by doing any other thing habitually which is so offensive as to create a nuisance.
(b)
For the purpose of this Section, "habitually" means at least two separate occurrences within a time period of no more than one month; except that barking habitually, or making other objectionable animal noises habitually, means making the sound persistently or continuously for at least 30 minutes occurring at least three separate times within a period of no more than eight hours. For the purposes of this Section, "persistently" or "continuously" shall mean non-stop utterances for 30 consecutive minutes with interruption of less than 30 seconds at a time during the 30 minute utterances.
(c)
The animal control officer may cite the owner or any person having custody of such animal(s) for violation of this Section when either the citing animal control officer has witnessed the commission of such habitual nuisance or the animal control officer has received at least one sworn affidavit from each of at least two unrelated adult witnesses from different residences so that taken together, the affidavits attest to the committing of a nuisance pursuant to this Section.
(d)
Each violation of this Section shall be punishable by a fine of not less than the amount designated in Chapter 462, Part 18. A subsequent violation of this Section occurring ten or more business days after a previous citation for violation of this Section shall be considered a separate and distinct violation.
(Ord. 2004-259-E, § 1; Ord. 2010-527-E, § 4)
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Tell her to go pay for a dog rehabilitator.
