Attacked by Pitbull - Not Trolling

[Edgar]

First off I'm not trolling, second of all this is the first time an Aggressive dog has attacked me/Blitz. Also as you'll see the pitbull owner was either very irresponsible or just a good actor.

I'm pretty choked, today I was at the park throwing the ball around when out of no where comes strutting a male pitbull. No owner in site and he's off leash.

I knew he was trouble right away and tried standing between him and Blitz yelling commands. The Pitbull was standing stiff, neck tense, posturing for a fight. The owner managed to call him away. I should have known better and left.

The pit came back a second time (no leash, not even a collar!!) and went for Blitz's ball. It was chaos after that. They went at it for a bit and Blitz actually managed to back the other dog away. I could tell the pittie didn't want to back down though and was getting more and more fired up. So I stood in between them as best I could trying to control Blitz while also trying to boot the other dog in the head.

This time the owner came and physically restrained his dog asking one his friends to hold his dog. We talked for a bit and he apologized. The thing is the whole time the Pittie is foaming at the mouthing growling barking, rampaging, so his friend got scared at let go AGAIN.

This time my adrenaline is pumped and I step in between the two dogs again yelling throwing kicks whenever the mutt got near. Sounds a little bit harsh eh? But theres no way I'm letting my one year old pup go at it with an angry pitbull. On top of this the clueless owner (some wannabe lil homeboy...) has no idea how to handle his dog. Even asks me to let go of Blitz (I was restraining him). I let him go, not because the pit owner asked but because I figured if worst comes to worst I'm gonna help my dog with this one rather than get bitten while holding him back.

Finally the other owner gets a hold of his little bag of hell and I notice that his dog tries to attack him while he's pulling him away!!!

He says sorry again, I continue throwing my ball like nothing happend. Blitz retrieves like nothing happend. Fortunately Blitz's confidence seems okay and nobody was hurt. It could have turned out very differently though. Irresponsible owners really really piss me off. One of my best friends has an aggressive dog the difference is that it is never off leash around other strange dogs.

Pitbull owners who take their dogs out really need to understand the leash concept. Of course I'm preaching to the choir here but none the less I need to rant a bit.

Do you guys think its a good idea to carry pepper spray? Its been reccomended to me a couple of times to deal with these types of situations.

[MajiesMom]

[quote name='Edgar']Do you guys think its a good idea to carry pepper spray? Its been reccomended to me a couple of times to deal with these types of situations.[/quote]
Yes, to spray in the irresponsible dog owners eyes. :evilbat:

That's too bad what happen. I'm really glad Blitz was cool with it, incidents like that can really screw up a dog for life.

[Taurus and Jada]

[quote]Pitbull owners who take their dogs out really need to understand the leash concept. Of course I'm preaching to the choir here but none the less I need to rant a bit. [/quote]

I think this goes for any breed of dog, not just pitbulls. Unless you are in a designated off leash park, your dog should be on a leash, period. I dont care if its Lassie... it should be on a leash. As far as aggressive dogs go, (pitbull or not), I agree... people really need to realize, if your dog is aggressive with other dogs (as some are from all groups) you should not let it off leash except for a fenced in area. I dont know why this is a hard concept for people to understand??

I am sorry that this happened to you. Im glad that your pup (or yourself) was not hurt ... and I hope this kid gets a clue and gets a handle on his dog before another situation happens which might end up much worse. We really should be able to call AC over issues like this... because if someone can't control their dog, then they shouldn't own one.

[Edgar]

[quote name='Taurus and Jada'][quote]Pitbull owners who take their dogs out really need to understand the leash concept. Of course I'm preaching to the choir here but none the less I need to rant a bit. [/quote]

I think this goes for any breed of dog, not just pitbulls. Unless you are in a designated off leash park, your dog should be on a leash, period. I dont care if its Lassie... it should be on a leash. As far as aggressive dogs go, (pitbull or not), I agree... people really need to realize, if your dog is aggressive with other dogs (as some are from all groups) you should not let it off leash except for a fenced in area. I dont know why this is a hard concept for people to understand??

I am sorry that this happened to you. Im glad that your pup (or yourself) was not hurt ... and I hope this kid gets a clue and gets a handle on his dog before another situation happens which might end up much worse. We really should be able to call AC over issues like this... because if someone can't control their dog, then they shouldn't own one.[/quote]

Technically it was an "off leash but under control" park. This guy wasn't even within site of his dog, he was to busy smoking a joint with his buddies to care. It also seemed like after he called his dog back to him he continued to try hype his dog up.

The thing that angered me the most was that the guy was completely clueless. He said stuff like "he just wants to play" lol a dog that is growling, barking and basically foaming at the mouth fixated on my pup just "wants to play!!" He also didn't punish his dog for lunging at him!!

This dog could have a poor future in store for it if it continues to attack other dogs or people. The worst part is that its avoidable.

[courtnek]

pepper spray will not hurt an attacking dog. it is NOT the same as mace, which can cause grievious injuries to a dogs eyes. too many people confuse the two. all of the letter carriers here carry pepper spray, and can use it if necessary to ward off a dangerous dog. they threatened to use it on Alex, because he would shove his head through the screen when the mail came. I fixed the issue by introducing the unwilling mail carrier to the "dangerous" dog. he found he loved Alex. There were no more incidents. once they;re not "strangers" everyone can get along.

Pepper spray is touted for spraying in eyes, but even that's not necessary.
if you spray it at the dogs head, not targeting the eyes, the smell and inhalation of pepper will often back him off. people dont have the dogs sense of smell. it is sprayed in a human attackers eyes because it will cause them to gasp, and be very uncomfortable. it doesnt hurt people either, it's just an overdose of pepper dust. I have put black pepper on the lawn to keep neighbors dogs from "depositing" their wares on my property.
one or two good sniffs, and they dont want to come back. it makes them sneeze uncontrollably. but doesnt hurt them.

[Edgar]

[quote name='courtnek']pepper spray will not hurt an attacking dog. it is NOT the same as mace, which can cause grievious injuries to a dogs eyes. too many people confuse the two..[/quote]

Thats perfect because i wouldn't actually want to hurt the dog, just scare it off or give me enough time to get away with Blitz. The dog's owner wouldn't understand though thats for sure.

[Seijun]

If a person brings a dog to a dog part that is aggressive towards other dogs, it should deffinately be kept on a leash. How stupid is this person? No way would I let my dog loose if I thought it was going to get even the least bit aggressive with another dog even if unprovoked!

~Seij

[Crested]

Thanks for that pepper spray idea. I've seen way too many agressive dogs and haven't had a clue on what to do if that dog would to attack me or my dogs but now... hehe... I'm going to buy a pepper spray and starts spraying whenever that kind of a situation happens. (plus it's a good help for scaring off creepy homo sapiens too.)

[Beautiful Border Collie]

I have used pepper spray because of a factorys German Shepherds. It didnt phaze them. I live next to this place. For some strange reason every dog wants to attack my dog. I guess they are jealous of his beauty. Now, my dog thinks that other dogs are out to attack him. He has been attacked by so many breeds.

[MajiesMom]

[quote name='Beautiful Border Collie']I have used pepper spray because of a factorys German Shepherds. It didnt phaze them. [/quote]
Oh my goodness gracious that sounds about right for a German Shepherd.
You could get a German Shepherd to protect your Border Collie. :wink: Poor pupper I hope those mean dogs haven't broken his spirit. :(

[pitbullEmily]

[quote name='Edgar']First off I'm not trolling, second of all this is the first time an Aggressive dog has attacked me/Blitz....
I knew he was trouble right away and tried standing between him and Blitz yelling commands. The Pitbull was standing stiff, neck tense, posturing for a fight. The owner managed to call him away. I should have known better and left.
...
He says sorry again, I continue throwing my ball like nothing happend. Blitz retrieves like nothing happend. Fortunately Blitz's confidence seems okay and nobody was hurt. It could have turned out very differently though. Irresponsible owners really really p*** me off. One of my best friends has an aggressive dog the difference is that it is never off leash around other strange dogs..[/quote]

scary experience! It sounds like you handled it very well, except *I* would have left the park after the incident, just to make sure both me and my dog were calm and the pit bull and his clueless owner were completel gone. Dog parks can be trouble, and most especially almost all pit bulls don't belong in them.

[courtnek]

pepper spray wont work in every incidence. some dogs are hell-bound and determined. even mace wont work in every situation. in a dog that wont back down to a regular spray, and if it is threatening you, unfortunately, yo have to go for the eyes. directly. I hate to say that, but some dogs will not back down to just the smell and discomfort. sounds like your factory dogs are "junk yard dogs"...and its often hard to drive them off. sometimes, with situations like that. foghorns work. the noise really startles them bad. you can get one at any boat store. their also good for breaking up dogfights.

[MajiesMom]

[quote name='courtnek'] foghorns work. the noise really startles them bad. you can get one at any boat store. their also good for breaking up dogfights.[/quote]

For some reason we have a foghorn at our cottage and I of course as soon as I set my eyes on it I had to test it out! Wow they’re loud! My dog almost knocked me down and took off my hand trying to get the annoying loud noise. My dog is truly psychotic :stupid: but are you sure they work or just make a dog more aggressive? I can see it redirecting aggression off of something else though.

[sarahmyjoy]

we had a mini fog horn that hubby picked up at wal mart and he got that urge to test it. Boy let me tell ya my girls didnt like it at all. They ran away from him and peeked around the corner to see if he had put it down before they would come back in the room. poor things....

[Ripley's Girl]

I carry pepper spray even when I go to walk on my street with Ripley. I've had to use it twice, because there are so many off-leash dogs there that try to jump all over my dog. I would never mace a dog that was on a leash or confined it its yard, but when a big dog comes running up to my dog, growling, I don't give them a chance to do anything else.

It might sound mean, but it's all I can do to defend myself and it's certainly kinder than kicking or hitting the other dog.

And if my neighbors don't like it, they can keep their dogs in their yard. What a novel idea that is.. :roll:

When I get a larger breed dog, I will probably stop carrying the mace.. But call me overprotective, NOTHING bad is going to happen to my dog during a walk as long as I'm around and holding the leash.

[Edgar]

[quote name='courtnek']pepper spray wont work in every incidence. some dogs are h***-bound and determined. even mace wont work in every situation. in a dog that wont back down to a regular spray, and if it is threatening you, unfortunately, yo have to go for the eyes. directly. I hate to say that, but some dogs will not back down to just the smell and discomfort. sounds like your factory dogs are "junk yard dogs"...and its often hard to drive them off. sometimes, with situations like that. foghorns work. the noise really startles them bad. you can get one at any boat store. their also good for breaking up dogfights.[/quote]

I was thinking about this myself, very good idea. I have a loud airhorn at home and I've used it around Blitz once or twice (never again) now I just have to pick the thing up and he wants nothing to do with it.

Friend of mine had a similiar incident recently and he tried doing the same thing I did except in his case the other dog owner attacked him for kicking his dog!!! Pepperspray also seems sort of vicious but an air horn is just a loud noise and psychologically won't have as negative effect on the dog owners.

Good idea!

[Edgar]

[quote=Ripley's Girl]When I get a larger breed dog, I will probably stop carrying the mace.. But call me overprotective, NOTHING bad is going to happen to my dog during a walk as long as I'm around and holding the leash.[/quote]

Even with large breeds, especially the younger ones its a big problem. I know with working dogs, Shepherds specifically, the owner has to do everything in his power to keep his young dogs outlook on life as positive and confident as possible. Early domination/attack by an older and stronger dog can shatter confidence and turn a dog into a fear biter or make it dog aggressive.

I guess its just best to only let one's dog play with familiar dogs who are not dominant. No more dog parks for me.