Alison03

Isn't it a shame that ignorant people can spoil a day for everyone else, it only takes one owner with an out of control dog to ruin everything, no matter how beautiful the surroundings. Its also a shame that responsible dog owners have to start a walk knowing they may be required to kill or maim another dog, in order to get home in one piece. Not all dog owners are prepared to fight to the death for their pet, lots of people just freeze or run, the police and animal control people informed me. I am of the fight to the death variety, you actually don't know that until you are put in the position, however normally it doesn't come as a surprise when you find out which one you are. I fortunately only had to beat the dogs that attacked us with an open umbrella, passersby then got control of the dogs.

I discovered the busy road safety zone, also large busy parks , although some diehard off leash folk persist in using the small local park on the weekends, they ignore the parents and on leash dog walkers comments or respond with rudeness. They bring their large dogs and throw tennis balls ballistically so their dogs can run at great speed around the park scaring everyone. Just another case of people being inconsiderate to others and feeling entitled to do it. I had one female say to me that the park ranger had told her she could use this park for her dogs, I said "Really well lets get the police here and see what they have to say". She then left the park with her wolves, shouting obscenities as she went. She was actively teaching her dogs it was ok to rush human beings by throwing the ball into the play area and over people's heads. Dogs chasing after balls are not rushing people or other dogs usually. They are chasing after the ball. I am always quite relaxed when I see a ball focused dog as they tend not to bother you at all. Well in my experience a dog chasing a ball is not only focussed but in hunting mode, however quite often they are more interested in returning the ball to the owner who will throw it again, so I take your point. However when there is more than one dog after the same ball they can get quite competitive, as in this case, these dogs in question were actually fighting over the ball, a couple of times in the kids play area, the parents then howled in protest. So the owner threw in another direction, where I was with walking with my small on leash, non reactive dog, when the larger of the two dogs ( a shepherd mix) spotted my dog he decided she was much more attractive than the tennis ball and charged us at speed, totally focused by my dog, my husband who I fortunately had with me, swung his stick at the dog which made it swerve away but then it came back, followed by its mate. The owner of the dogs then berated us for trying to hit her dog with a stick. Fortunately her husband who had a lot more sense than her, wrangled the dogs and said "Sorry" in a very low voice, obviously he knew they were breaking the law but his wife wears the pants. We were in a public park not a dog park, despite what some dog owners may think public parks are leash only and children's play areas are no dogs allowed even on a leash.

I discovered the busy road safety zone, also large busy parks , although some diehard off leash folk persist in using the small local park on the weekends, they ignore the parents and on leash dog walkers comments or respond with rudeness. They bring their large dogs and throw tennis balls ballistically so their dogs can run at great speed around the park scaring everyone. Just another case of people being inconsiderate to others and feeling entitled to do it. I had one female say to me that the park ranger had told her she could use this park for her dogs, I said "Really well lets get the police here and see what they have to say". She then left the park with her wolves, shouting obscenities as she went. She was actively teaching her dogs it was ok to rush human beings by throwing the ball into the play area and over people's heads.

I have a similar problem with my little dog, who walks at heel and on a short leash, I walk passed large dogs on leash only to have the dog lunge at us while I silently pray it's collar or lead doesn't snap, (now that's menacing) I've had the owners say "That made you jump didnt it", not funny at all. I give all large dogs a wide berth nowadays. I hate those extender leashes too. Bad manners isn't just confined to owners with small dogs. While some small dog owners may think it's funny to have their dog intimidate a large dog, it's equally true of large dog owners doing the same to small dogs. The mine is bigger than yours issue comes into it or as one person with a massive dog said to me "That's not a dog, its a sample, now this is a real dog". Why don't we all behave like considerate, polite, mature individuals, well I guess that's a question for the universe. I'd also like to know if a dog throwing itself at a fence is considered menacing or not.

Can recommend triple crown for sure! Dogs have amazing long yard to spend their days in, and indoor secure kennels at night. They also are only a small kennel, so you know your dog gets the attention it deserves!! Thanks for getting back to me. Are the dogs kept separate or do they run them together do you know?

I've started to walk my dog on main roads, there is less chance of off leash dogs there, also I'm better at crossing a busy road than a dog on its own is, if I see a wanderer I cross over the road, they tend not to follow, also there are more people around. I have had one determined dog try to follow us and nearly catch a bus in the worst possible way, the owner appeared from her house to rescue him off the road. Funny how she didn't seem to notice him baling up passersby who were shouting "Go home" at him, the squeal of brakes brought her out though.

I would hazard a guess that if you're wandering the streets with your dog and a cattle prod it's not a far stretch for the owner of the other dog to paint you a person looking for trouble who attacked their dog "who just wanted to say hi". I'm not saying it's right but in these cases it's usually your word against theirs. I've never seen a cattle prod in person despite the fact that my parents breed Angus but surely there are better alternatives that walking the streets with one. A walking stick I understand, even pepper spray, but if you're that convinced you're going to be attacked while walking your dog then take them somewhere else or get a treadmill. A walking stick is ok but a focused dog will dodge it, also if there is more than one dog its not effective (I know it happened to me) and pepper spray is illegal in NSW. There aren't many options for protecting yourself really, I'd like something that's legal and actually works. Everyone is entitled to walk their dogs and expect other dogs to be on leash also, however that is apparently too much to hope for. If an off leash dog comes to say "Hi" and stays for a bite, then it will be repelled by whatever means necessary, the owner of the off leash dog will be ultimately at fault.

I carry a citronella spray called Spray Shield, it puts off the medium aggressive, I also have a personal alarm with me that emits a terrible loud noise, not sure if that will scare the dog off but it will get attention from passersby. Carrying a stick or umbrella is a good idea but you tend to run out of hands and start feeling like you are going into battle, when all you want is a relaxing walk with your dog. : ) However whatever works for each individual. If I had a cattle prod you can bet your life I'd end up shocking the wrong dog or myself. Using pepper spray (illegal in NSW) has the problem of getting a dose of it yourself. If someone could come up with something that doesn't harm the dog or cause the walker to look like a pirate bristling with weapons, I'd be very interested. The closest I've found is Spray Shield. Alternatively it would be nice if all dog owners took responsibility and kept their dogs under control, observed the leash law and had dog secure yards. Seems simple doesn't it. You can buy an ultrasonic dog deterrent off ebay. Good if you are walking alone and a dog charges you. But if you are walking with your dogs it may put them off as well. I've got an ultrasonic device called a Dazer, I'm not sure that it works, it certainly doesn't work on my dog, she hears it but ignores it at the same time.

Its not the dogs fault its definitely the owner, although its hard to keep that in mind when you get rushed by a snarling dog, it pretty much feels like the dogs fault (and feeling sorry for them does not cross your mind) then and you are absolutely certain that if someone appeared and said "Shall I shoot this missile with teeth thats headed your way" , you would say "Yes" (speaking for myself of course.) However that being said it would make my day if someone came up with something that would stop a dog charging without harming it, and I don't mean a whip and a chair, I don't want to hurt any animal I just don't want to be harassed. :cool: Ok I'm going to take mine and Bonny's life in my hands and take her for a walk, I feel like I'm taking a stroll on the Serengeti.

You have absolutely done the right thing, everyone should report an incident like this, why should these people be allowed to control the road, this definitely meets the definition of menacing, so be sure to put that word in your report. One day there won't be anyone to drag the dog back inside and he may attack you or some other dog walker, like a child with a little dog for instance. If they shouted he's old and deaf at me I'd shout "Does he still have teeth". if they have gates they should try shutting them to keep the dog in, this kind of thing really gets up my nose, the way they make it sound, like its you thats overreacting and upsetting them. I try to walk my little dog everyday, because we both need the exercise, but I have to force myself to do it because I almost feel like I'm risking her life every time I take her out, most of the time its fine but now and then some son of bitch who shouldn't own a dog, has his pet running free in the park. Then my walk turns into a shouting match, even though I am clearly in the right because my little dog is leashed and his horse sized dog isn't. I rang animal control and the nice lady told me that if she had a little dog she wouldn't walk it at all, its far to dangerous to take small dogs outside. WTF is that what I pay my rates for. Anyway she wanted the guys name and address, which of course I don't have.

I'd be interested to know if you find out anything about low dose cattle prods, one of those phaser guns off Star Trek would have been perfect, set to stun :laugh: I suppose we'll have to wait till they invent one. If there was such a thing as a small light weight cattle prod it could work well. :) The shouting and menacing is good when it works, didn't work for me the one time I needed it too, I don't want to hurt anyone else's dog either but if its them or me, its not going to be me.

No you are not the only one who sees a huge problem in the making here, if this dog gets out and injures someone, even if its a kid being provoking, it will mean big trouble for the owner, all kinds of fines and possibly having to have an expensive dog enclosure built or fines and the dog destroyed. As dog owners the onus is on us to keep our dogs in a secure area, when it comes to providing a secure dog area there is no try there is only do. There is a calculated risk in keeping a dog, especially a large breed that could take a life if it decided too, they bring great joy that's the pay off to the risk we take, however it's extremely unfair and inconsiderate to expect our neighbors to share in that risk with us, no matter how noisy and annoying the neighbors are to the dog.

You want to use a cattle prod designed for 400kg or more cattle on a 10 to 30kg dog I'm pretty sure it's going to do more than slow the dog down and you're likely to end up with a lawsuit on your hands They aren't really deadly, but if your dog was being killed in front of you wouldn't you do anything to save it? Calf prodders are used on few day old calves at the sales and they are smaller than some dogs BTW. They are too heavy to carry around though and I know some idiot would report me so I'm not going to risk it. I wouldn't risk it either, I had a woman berate me once for carrying a stick, she told me I couldn't hit other people's dogs with a stick that wasn't right. I said "I wouldn't hit an on leash dog, just an off leash dog if it came after me and my child". She didn't think that was right either, even though I had a baby in a pram at the time. She then asked me how many times I'd hit a dog (big mistake) so I said "Until it runs off or stops moving". Obviously that woman had never had children. The facts are that some folk think dogs are superior to human beings, where I certainly believe that in certain instances, we humans should still be entitled to defend ourselves.

Actually it's probably not legal to carry a cattle prod in a public place unless you have a herd of cows with you :D , also shocking a dog with it could have fatal consequences for the dog, that's what bothers me, using a deterrent that could harm a dog that was just being "Mr Happy to see you" rather than "Mr Angry I'm going to get you and your little dog". It would be sad to make that mistake.

I think if your dog is leashed and under an adults control, growling or barking isn't menacing, but if the dog is off leash doing the growling, barking and chasing or baling up of any type, it's definitely menacing and terrifying for most people, there is no earthly use shouting "He won't bite" either, the dog will still be classed as menacing. It makes sense to me.

The dog should have been PTS immediately, next time it mysteriously escapes it could attack a child. Might is right as usual.

Yep. Different faces, different places, same shiet. yep, well said Reverend Jo and Rocketeer I was told the dogs that attacked me were "lovely dogs, very friendly, they've never done anything like this before (implying me or my dog provoked them), the owners have guinea pigs (comparing my Shihtzu to a guinea pig) and they've never hurt them" Yep same shite different day.

What scares me is that someone's dog can do this to another human being and the owner has not been arrested along with his dog.

I carry a citronella spray called Spray Shield, it puts off the medium aggressive, I also have a personal alarm with me that emits a terrible loud noise, not sure if that will scare the dog off but it will get attention from passersby. Carrying a stick or umbrella is a good idea but you tend to run out of hands and start feeling like you are going into battle, when all you want is a relaxing walk with your dog. : ) However whatever works for each individual. If I had a cattle prod you can bet your life I'd end up shocking the wrong dog or myself. Using pepper spray (illegal in NSW) has the problem of getting a dose of it yourself. If someone could come up with something that doesn't harm the dog or cause the walker to look like a pirate bristling with weapons, I'd be very interested. The closest I've found is Spray Shield. Alternatively it would be nice if all dog owners took responsibility and kept their dogs under control, observed the leash law and had dog secure yards. Seems simple doesn't it.

That was a very scary moment for you, my advice is that if you are attacked or menaced like this, please ring the local police (not 000 unless you are injured of course) tell them what happened, with the dog attacks that are going on these days they tend to show more interest than they did, especially if the human has been harmed in any way. When I reported my dog attack to the police the whole level of the conversation changed when I said I'd been knocked to the ground. Knowing where this dog lives is half the battle, you can actually give them an address. Even if the owners just get a warning it's a start in the right direction. You can also ring your local council, just getting it on record is a start. If someone else has reported the dog, the owners will get a visit.

That's very true, it's often the parents who have encouraged the kids to approach in the first place, it's as if they feel its there right to insist on their kids patting my dog. Some parents are very good though, they'll ask me first before involving their kids. This really gets my goat as I had similar issues with my horse when I was living in town still. I actually caught somebody popping their kid over the fence into the pasture so the kid could pat the pretty horsey. If the pretty horsey kicked that pretty head off the kid's shoulders there would be hell to pay.. for me! But even with the dog, I get people walking past and just kind of holding out their hand and wiping at Foxy's head on the way past.. She dodges them as she does not like the whole pat on top of the head thing but really, it is very annoying and she shouldn't have to. And this is adults, not children! Putting your child in a paddock with a horse is very silly, especially someone else's horse. What gets me going is that feeling of entitlement these people have, my dog backs away from all strangers, adults and kids, every now and then I come across an adult who knows how to approach her but not often. The parents who try to make me feel mean because I won't make my dog be nice for their kids really irritate me.

Has anyone used the Triple Crown Kennels at Londonderry NSW?

That's very true, it's often the parents who have encouraged the kids to approach in the first place, it's as if they feel its there right to insist on their kids patting my dog. Some parents are very good though, they'll ask me first before involving their kids.

I don't know how often the kid attack happens to people with big dogs but I know being a small dog owner it's a constant problem. My dog is wary of kids as she's been swarmed many times, the worst is when they come from behind you with no warning, that really scares her. I pick her up now and let them pat her one at a time, telling them the whole time they should ask the owner before they touch any dog and never creep up from behind. Some parents aren't happy when I say that kind of thing but that's too bad.

Around my area they could hardly become anymore complacent... I think the stuffed toy comment is pretty much spot on A cousin of mine had a Maltese Terrier who hated kids, he was fluffy and cute with very sharp teeth, but he'd do this exorcist hissing thing before he'd bite as a warning, it didn't stop parents saying "Pat the puppy" though. My cousin said kids would appear from no where, crawl under her table at the cafe, jump out of bushes in the park to get to her bitey dog. She stopped walking him as much because she was a nervous wreck, forever on kid alert. ???????????? Some of the general public are just unbelievably uneducated.