The
events on July 30
th at Ellis Park (off of Short Sands) in York
Beach Maine set into motion by the actions or lack of action by
Piscataqua
Obedience Club have made me consider the other side of the coin. How do you keep yourself and your dog as
safe as is possible from a dog attack?
I am by no means an expert, but I have some ideas about this due to my
profession as the owner and trainer for
Mannerly Mutts Dog Training.
- Be
aware of your surroundings when out and about with dogs. Things can
happen unexpectedly and quickly.
If you are at a dog event, do not assume you are safe from the dogs
in the ring. You may want to
inquire about what their safety protocols are, and expect an answer that
does not sound like a brush off.
(i.e. first aid kits, volunteers and helpers on the look out, how
information would be collected).
- If
you see a dog eyeballing you or your dog or you feel at all uncomfortable,
remove yourself, your family, and your dogs out of the area. (Also see
point 4 if any leash laws are being broken)
- Do
not assume that dogs on leash are not a threat. The human at the other end of the leash may have no
control or negates their responsibility for control. If you see a large uncontrolled dog on
a flexi leash, leave the area. In
some areas, flexi leashes may be against the animal control ordinance.
- Do
use your animal control department.
If you see someone ignoring the leash law, the best thing you
can do for everyone is to report it (including their dog BTW). Law enforcement does not tend to get
serious about this until they have a few reports, so do not wait to report
an offence.
- Before
a dog is coming up at you:
- Do
not make eye contact. Look to
the side. Do not to be at all a
threat.
- Position
your body so you are not straight on.
- Do
not run. This will elicit a
chase.
- Do
not approach the dog, if you feel the dog is a danger to you. Even a dog that is simply frightened
will most likely bite you if cornered.
- Try
and locate a place you may be safe, and attempt to go there slowly.
- If
a dog is coming at you:
- You
can offer up a piece of clothing instead of your arm.
- If
they are already in chase mode, feel free to get quickly to an area of
safety if possible.
- I
step in front of my dog, and put my dog in a command if I think I can
stop the dog.
- Use
any furniture, gates, cars, et to get away from the dog and put something
in between you and the dog.
- If
you have a small dog, be aware that a larger dog may come up after the
small dog if you pick them up and hold them.
- In
some instances, you may want to drop the leash on your dog so they can
get away or defend themselves.
- There
are tools that you can bring with you on walks. These include canes, blow horns, sprays, an extra leash,
and extra clothing.
- Try
and remain standing, and protect vital body areas.
- If
you find yourself on the ground, ball up in the fetal position and cover
your face head and neck areas as best as possible.
- If
a dog fight or attack has occurred:
- Do
not put your hands in the middle of it especially near their heads. One or both of them are in panic and
defence mode.
- If
you can get the back legs of a dog (and someone else another) grab
these. However, pulling them
might do more damage to the other dog if they are gripped in a
mouth. As long as they are not
damaging the airways, wait until they release.
- Tail
grabs are also another option in these circumstances, if the dog has a
tail and you can’t get their back legs.
- Using
a piece of furniture or another implement to disengage the fighting
party(ies).
- How
you handle it after the attack has occurred:
- If
you are at a public event, immediately stop the event by whatever means
necessary. Be sure that everyone
there knows that you and/or your dog are hurt. (This is how I will be handling this sort of thing in the
future if I or someone else is hurt).
- See
if anyone at a public event has film of any part of what happened.
- If
you have a camera, make a video record of everyone there. If you were lucky enough to get the
actual attack on film, be sure you don’t erase that.
- If
you are severely hurt, dial 911 if possible or have someone there do it,
first and foremost.
- Get
the owner’s info, the dog’s info, and any info on any witnesses around
you. Be sure you get access to
rabies certificates and if possible any insurance the owner of the
attacking dog has. If you have
been severely injured, see if someone else on scene can stop the person
from leaving and get their info.
- Do
contact the police and report the incident. The owner of the attacking dog is most likely required to
report any incident involving their dog as well, depending on the animal
control laws where they live.
- Go
to your doctor or vet to have any and all injuries checked out.
- Be
sure that you hold the owner of the attacking dog liable for damages.
It is ALWAYS the responsibility of the dog owner to keep the
public safe from their dog. The
following are not excuses that the victim of a dog attack should accept:
- You
were jogging.
- Your
or your child was being loud and screaming.
- Your
dog was barking.
- You
went to pet the dog (Each dog owner should be managing the space for their
dog. Unless you attacked the dog
after being told not to approach, this is not acceptable)
- You
were riding your bike.
- You
were playing with your dog.
- You
were walking your dog by their house (while still being on the road).
- You
were eating something.
- You
were drinking something.
- Your
dog was eating or drinking something.
- You
wear perfume or cologne.
- Their
dog is a “working dog” and these things happen.
- You
are wearing a baseball cap, wearing a uniform, have a beard, are bald, and
on and on.
Unless you intentionally and maliciously provoked and/or
attacked the dog (and that includes not listening to the owner to leave their
dog alone), then YOU are not at fault if another dog has attacked YOU or YOUR
DOG. Not ever.
The good news is these are actually pretty rare when you
look at the population of dogs and dog owners. It is the few irresponsible dog owners that make most of these
situations happen. Occasionally it was
an undiagnosed medical or mental issue with the dog, that the owner did not see
coming. Often it involves a lack of
socialization, training, and proper management of someone’s dog and their
environment (meaning they manage who can and can not see their dog and what
situations they put their dog in).
Also most people and organizations are more than happy to
take responsibility for unfortunate events that may occur on their watch. It is regretful that I know now of at least
one obedience club that does not take their responsibilities for public safety
seriously.
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