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Absolutely. I agree completely. The example of a large dog coming out of its yard and barking "ferociously" and blocking the path of someone is definitely an issue I would take up with the dog owner.
In that case, I would say to the owner of the dog, "If your dog does this to me again, I will spray him. Please keep him out of my way." If it happened again, I would spray the dog and then I would contact animal control. Something like that is completely unacceptable.
However - most of the OP's posts appear to me to be about dogs who ARE staying on their own property and just barking normally at passersby. The OP seems to have a low tolerance for barking in general and what she thinks is "vicious" barking is probably just a normal "announcement" from the dogs. A dog jumping up to make the announcement that someone is walking by is not the same thing as a dog viciously and ferociously charging or attacking. The OP is having trouble distinguishing these things. (And understandably, since a non-dog-owner may not have the experience to tell the difference.)
The advice for dealing with normal dogs doing normal things is different, as the dogs/owners are behaving within acceptable limits and it's more an issue of her fear.
So it's important to make the distinction here with regard to the advice given.
Great post, Samantha - reps to you!
And I agree with you pretty much right down the line - truly aggressive dogs are a very real problem that should be dealt with by the owner and, if necessary, the law.
This, however, I think it the meat of the issue:
A dog jumping up to make the announcement that someone is walking by is not the same thing as a dog viciously and ferociously charging or attacking. The OP is having trouble distinguishing these things.
Based entirely on the OP's posts, both initial and later, there's been one experience with a most likely truly aggressive dog, with the rest staying in their yards and barking.
cpg35223, it's now clear where your attitude came from - and that was a truly frightening and horrendous experience, I agree, and you did exactly the right thing. THAT owner of THAT dog was in the wrong, and has clearly and understandably painted your perceptions of all dogs and all dog owners. (And one hopes that the law dealt with the situation appropriately.) However, just like all people of a certain skin color or nationality or gender are not identical, neither are all dogs and/or their owners identical.
No one was advocating that 5 year olds, or the OP, stay inside their own houses, by the way. What they were saying is that barking dogs that stay in their own yards (not attack someone on the street, not attack someone in the person's yard) are not a threat to anyone and the OP is perceiving them as such.
That's true. And I won't defend those people, nor make excuses for those dogs. But the OP seems to have a very low tolerance for dogs in general, so it's important to distinguish the advice between truly vicious dogs and normal dogs.
Yes. But once a dog of any significant size leaves the yard or his fence, then it's really hard to know what will happen next. 99% of dogs will just bark. It's the other 1% that one has to look out for.
Yes. But once a dog of any significant size leaves the yard or his fence, then it's really hard to know what will happen next. 99% of dogs will just bark. It's the other 1% that one has to look out for.
Agreed. That is definitely the distinction here. And even small dogs should not be allowed outside the control of their owners.
Yes. But once a dog of any significant size leaves the yard or his fence, then it's really hard to know what will happen next. 99% of dogs will just bark. It's the other 1% that one has to look out for.
The size of the dog doesn't matter. I got bit by a little "ankle biter" once. I was riding my bike. This is where you make lemon-aid out of lemons. I got a small settlement. $30,000.
Dogs should not be loose to run into the road or sidewalk. I love dogs, I have 4 Shih Tzu's but you won't see them loose running the neighborhood.
Dogs do bite and you don't know which will and which won't. My dad was badly bitten not long ago by my mom's dog on the thumb (they aren't together but he goes to bring in wood and such for her so they see each other often meaning the dog knows him well). I have also had a child bitten some years ago by a loose dog. I also knew of a neighbor who did let the dog run loose most of the time and it ended up biting their child and there was a rabies scare and shots had to be given.
Once I lived about a mile out of town and I was driving on an icy road and the neighbord dog ran out in front of me ( I tried to avoid it) and I lost control of my vehicle which ended up on it's side. I had to climb out of my little pickup and try to push the door open and get on the side and jump down. Then I had to find someone to come put it back upright. This was in FRONT of their house. They never ever said a single word to me and I have alway been angry over people letting the animals run free around other people since then.
You shouldn't have to be afraid to walk in your neighborhood, I'm sorry that is the case.
We had another neighbor who had three dogs. When he got home from work every night, he'd take them out for a walk. However, his idea of a walk was to just cut the dogs loose and follow behind. Well, the three of them cornered our cat on the front porch. I got out there in the nick of time before Molly was mauled and drop kicked one hound about eight feet. Again, the neighbor was ticked off that I kicked his dog, never thinking for a second that his dogs should have been on a leash.
She should carry pepper spray & dog treats with her.
PEOPLE... DON'T give dogs candy....please.........That's about the dumbest thing I've read on here.
Carrots are great for snacks if you don't want to give the dog , dog biscuits.
As of owning Rotts for over 25 years...whether it be living in a neighborhood (subdivision) or out in the country. People should be responsible for their dogs...but then they should be responsible for their kids, too, but they aren't. People can be so stupid/ignorant...as all of us know, by living life on a daily basis. None of us know what to expect.
I do know that a vet told me some dogs have issues with skin color, or different types of uniforms.
A vet told me one time that a dog who is owned by a white person, for the most part doesn't see many dark skinned people, just as a dark skinned persons dog doesn't see as many white people. I hope I'm wording this correctly.
I said to the vet, I thought dogs were color blind, he said they are.
If that's so...how come we had 7 industructable balls, (types of balls that polar bears & tigers play with) all the same large size, but all different colors. One of our Rotts would only play with the blue ball.
Hello.... I don't think they are color blind, myself.
This issue has been talked about quite in length.
I agree... your either going to have to use your tread mill...move or make peace with these dogs, that you say are so mean.
Good luck.
I'm absolutely dumbfounded by some of the responses here. Why is it MY responsibility to calm the dogs? Shouldn't the owners take responsibility for not allowing their dogs to terrorize innocent passers by?
Because ultimately the only person's behavior you can change is your own. Right or wrong, it is the simple truth. Everyone could agree with you that the owners are terrible people but what do you gain? You're still in the same position you are now, stuck on a treadmill when you'd rather be outdoors.
If you can take steps to alleviate your anxiety and get back to your walking, why wouldn't you want to do that? The advice you've been given about learning to project "alpha" is the best advice you could be given - it doesn't come naturally to everyone, but it can be learned. I know, I am a cat person who was scared of dogs until my husband taught me how to interact with them. Now most dogs I meet respond better to me than to their owners because I don't let them think they are the boss of me. They know when you fear them, and they naturally want to reinforce that to maintain the more powerful position.
Perhaps you could go to a dog park where you could interact with lots of different dogs and their owners, or go walking with someone who is comfortable with dogs that can teach you how to respond properly. Someone who can observe both the dog's reactions and your's and give you some tips to modify your mindset and behavior right then when it's happening.
Your chances of getting all your neighbors to comply with your demands hovers near zero. Your chance of learning to interact with dogs in a non-fearful way is much higher if you decide that's what you want to do, and the sooner you learn, the quicker you can get back out in the sunshine.
Dogs that stay within the confines of their yard are perfectly fine. They are by nature, territorial and they will defend "their" property. It sounds like all these dogs you are describing come to the edge of the yard by the sidewalk you are walking on and you simply don't like the barking. The dogs really have every right to bark at you. If they are not baring their teeth or have their ears pulled back in an aggressive manner then I really don't see the problem. And baring the teeth does not mean that you see them when they bark. And remember growling and barking can go hand-in-hand with protection.
Let me just add....I DETEST the idea of spraying or throwing anything at a dog while it is own the owners property! That is just rude and you have no right. Carrying something for if a dog comes off the property is fine (but I have a better suggestion if you keep reading). I mean...before my husband and I got married one of his neighbor's small dogs was killed by another neighbor's dog out in the country. THAT is unacceptable to me. We always had a plan for if it decided to attack our pom while we were outside with him (to protect our dog) but never had to. But again...I have only encountered 2 aggressive dogs before and that is one of them.
About the breeds...you really can't be that scared of a toy poodle. As a child I was bit by my best friends Chow and I admit that it was my fault. I went to pet her while she was eating, came behind her and scared her. My fault, not the dog's. While breed doesn't always mean a lot, it can mean something. Become familiar with the breeds that are typically more aggressive and take note of that on your walk. But remember, there are a lot of mixed breeds out there so you can't always go by what a dog looks like.
When my husband and I get a house instead of our apartment we plan on getting a larger dog. Our pom thinks he is a protector and he'll bark you ear off. But he wouldn't hurt anything and he has certainly never even nipped at anyone...definitely not the "heel biter" many poms get reps for. But...when we get a larger dog, I want it to be protective of the house. I don't want a stranger thinking it is ok to step foot on my property without my consent. When I was growing up we had a husky. My sister and I were young and when we had unfamiliar cars driving up our lane she would immediately become defensive. She would get right between us and the vehicle and stare it down and growl. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. That dog would have given her dying breath to protect our family and that is the kind of dog I hope to own again someday. (well aside from my pom...he would try but wouldn't succeed lol)
Don't judge the dogs or their owners. If the dogs are on their property they are most likely just defending and protecting it. It sounds as if you are simply poorly informed (which I'm not saying is your fault at all) like many people are. Just do some more reading on here about dogs, look online a bit more.
Suggestion: Go to your local animal shelter and adopt your own dog. You can take it on a walks with you and it will allow you to have a different form of protection that would have no reason to upset the owners of the other dogs, the dogs themselves (sorry, if anyone sprayed, or threw anything at my dog, while it was on my property especially...I would be LIVID to say the least!) and then you will be saving an animal's life and will be better informed and have the unconditional love of a dog. I think this would do the most good all around.
My parents neighbor's have dogs. Two of them, in a fenced in yard. And I am aware of this fact.
However, every time I pass by that house to get to my parents, their two dogs come tear-assing towards the fence. Of course I hear the ruckus before remembering these dogs are behind a fence and they scare the $hit out of me every time.
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There are so many things to respond to here...
