not really sure what/if there is anything i can do...

so im walking hershey... as usual this morning at 6am and its still dark out so i really cant see much past the street

so we had only been walking like, 10 minutes and all of a suddon, hershey stops and starts growling at someone's front yard.... so i was like WTFF?? i keep walking and out RUNS this black dog growling at hershey!! so i freaked out b/c i couldnt even SEE the dog -- b/c he was black & it was dark

so i started screaming WHOS DOG IS THIS HELLOOO lol and the dog would not stop growling & kept coming towards us! so i turned around and ran back the other way b/c i was really scared

so i get home and i told DH what happened.. so we got in his car & started driving down the block to the house.... we stop in front of the house that i saw the dog come from and there was nothing there.... im not even totally sure if the dog lived at that house or what -- but now im really PISSSED b/c i dont feel like i should be AFRAID to walk my dog due to someone who either left their dog out in the front of their house NOT on a leash... or b/c someone didnt shut their gate and their dog got out

im just really frustrated... i dont know what i can do about this situation & i would love some feedback!

Message edited 10/8/2009 9:25:09 AM.

Re: not really sure what/if there is anything i can do...

I can completely relate - I went through something similar last night but the owner was there!!

I was walking Amber past a house with a long driveway that went downhill. I see a man talking to a dog I cannot yet see. Next thing I know it walks out, but it stops at the bottom of the driveway. Fine. Then it charges up the driveway and the owner halfheartedly tells him to stop. I yell, "Is he friendly?" and he says yes, so we stay put, rather than run away.

Well, this dog may not have been MEAN, but it was not friendly either. He was a huge (in size and overweight) what I am guessing was a Shepherd-Rottie mix. He came up growling though, and was very aggressive with his "play" biting to the point where I was afraid.

The owner stayed at the bottom of the driveway though. Finally I had to yell "Can you please come get him?" because he was all over Amber and I couldn't get him off. The owner finally comes up and says "I don't know which one of them was growling - he is very friendly" and I say "HE WAS" as the dog practically on cue starts growling and lunging at us again. The owner finally grabs him so we can walk away, but he is laughing it off, like "He doesn't have a mean bone in his body."

I was very upset by this. My dog is half the size and genuinely the most friendly dog ever, yet if she ran out after anything - dog, person, whatever - I would be right there after her. For me to have to ask the owner to come get his big, growling dog off of us really bothered me. And I am not one to be afraid of dogs and understand the play fighting, but I was seriously afraid because this dog was so big there was nothing I could do.

The fact that you encountered this in the dark, with no owner in sight, must have been terrible!! I don't know that there is anything you can do unless it happens again - then I would think you can complain about a loose, aggressive dog. But you are right -you shouldn't have to be worried about going for walks with your dog in the morning!

Re: not really sure what/if there is anything i can do...

i'm so sorry to hear about your experience. as someone who has been attacked by 2 pitbulls i do not take the issue of dogs being off leash lightly.

i had a similiar instance a year ago, about a month after i was attacked. i was walking my dog in the early morning (a very old boston terrier mix) when a neighbors child opened the front door & let the lab/pit mix they had just adopted from the shelter come charging towards me & my dog. i screamed for the boy to get his father. fotunately i was able to pick up my dog & i think my screams stunned the lab mix.

the parents came out & apologized but i did let them know that if you have 3 kids under 8 years old, (esp. little ones that like to open the front door) a giant lab/pit mix may not the best dog for your family!

after that i changed my wallking route to avoid it happening again.

Re: not really sure what/if there is anything i can do...

I'm sorry you had this experience. I would say in the future though NEVER to run. That could spark the predatory instinct in a dog which means you are the prey because you are running and you must be chased. Try to back away slowly, don't turn your back. Or go sideways not showing your back or your front. I know it sounds really hard to do but if the dog is really aggressive it might save you from serious injury.

Re: not really sure what/if there is anything i can do...

thank you for everyone's input!

i think i may take hershey for a walk when i get home from work today and try and see if that dog lives there... if need be, i'm going to have DH knock on their door and ask the people if they own a black dog... i dont even know what kind of dog it was b/c it was so dark out!!

Re: not really sure what/if there is anything i can do...

Re: not really sure what/if there is anything i can do...

I'm sorry you went through that, I would have been peeing my pants!! I think it's a good idea to go back there, look for signs of dog ownership... I'd definitely avoid that area if you can in the future. Also, look for a sign that says something about an invisible fence.

I say this because the people around the block from me have a beautiful Husky. I had seen the dog on their front porch or front lawn many times, and assumed it was leashed.

I found out, when walking Brinkley past the house one day, that they have an invisible fence. The dog charged, all the way from the porch at a dead run and then put on the brakes, just feet from the curb & us.

Scared the crap out of BOTH of us. I never walked down there again. Also on that block is a house that has 2 dogs that claw at the windows when you walk by, barking furiously. I never, ever want to meet those dogs!

Message edited 10/8/2009 4:05:21 PM.

Re: not really sure what/if there is anything i can do...