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The doghouse

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Original poster

What would you do in a vicious dog attack? [MNHQ warning: distressing content]

115 replies

MarcoPoloCX · 19/01/2015 16:01

If your dog was savagely attacked by another, at what point would you intervene and how much force would you use?
Would you wait for the owner to recall/pull his dog away or would you go straight in with all your might?
Would you just try and pull your dog away or would you hit and kick the other dog?
I am asking because this weekend I witnessed a little terrier being ripped apart by Mastiff.
The owner was of the terrier was screaming while the other guy was recalling and trying to pull it away.
It was over in seconds.
Was the worst thing I seen happened to someone’s pet.

OP posts:
ineedsomeinspiration · 19/01/2015 16:05

If it was my own Dog I really don't know, although I do know it would be very very dangerous to get involved in any sort of way in a situation like this. A Mastiff could do a huge amount of damage to a human.

Floralnomad · 19/01/2015 16:07

I would be stuck in and getting ripped to bits myself to save my dog - so I'd certainly be kicking / hitting and doing whatever was necessary . I know it is probably not the correct thing to do but I'd never be able to live with myself if I didn't try .

Bowlersarm · 19/01/2015 16:09

I intervened when my dog was fighting a similar sized dog. But he has had several fights and it goes so far then one of them backs off, in my experience. The time I intervened I got a bitten hand and had to have a quick hospital visit!

I'm unsure what I'd do if it was a strong aggressive breed of dog.

Was the terrier ok?

Older · 19/01/2015 16:11

I'd be in there but wary. A GSD once aggressively worried my terrier and I tried to extract him by lifting him out of the spin. The GSD's head was so suddenly so close to my face I had to stop in my tracks out of fear.

The owner was of course wittering it's alright...he's friendly ...followed by he's never done this before

CQ · 19/01/2015 16:12

I'd go in at the rear and pick up the nearest two back legs. They can't fight and balance. Still a chance one of them would whip round and bite me but I've found it enough to break the aggression when I've needed to so far.

Not sure it would work in this case, but worth a try, and I certainly wouldn't go in at the front end of a crazed Mastiff.

Poor little dog, and its poor traumatised owner Sad

Original poster
MarcoPoloCX · 19/01/2015 16:14

It was a French mastiff. The guy was hitting and kicking the dog for almost three minutes while it was shaking the terrier in its mouth. It eventually dropped the terrier. It was still alive but died a few minutes later.

OP posts:
Taz1212 · 19/01/2015 16:15

I have seen the end of one dog fight where a Golden Lab ended up severely injured. The owner of the other dog was just standing around watching while the Golden Lab owner tried to intervene to no avail. It was during the school run and one of the dads picked up medium sized stones and threw them at the attacking dog's head. I truly believe if he hadn't done that, the lab would have been killed. There was so much blood and the lab had to be carried away by several adults.

My puppy was recently attacked by an off lead lab. DH intervened. The owner refused to do anything, saying she was just playing. It wasn't until she saw the chunks of fur her dog had ripped from our puppy's ear that she apologised and then said her dog was a rescue with issues. Even when DH had our puppy in his arms, the lab was jumping up, trying to bite him.

HerRoyalNotness · 19/01/2015 16:20

I've heard you should never pick up the dog being attacked as you'd be in the firing line then. Not sure what I'd do tbh, it would depend on the dog attacking, size and type. I would hope I wouldn't put myself in harms way to save an animal, even a loved pet, but there is no way of knowing how I'd react.

SukieTuesday · 19/01/2015 16:24

If something attacked them I'd kick it until it stopped being a threat.

Original poster
MarcoPoloCX · 19/01/2015 16:30

I don't think the mastiff was ever well socialised. It has some siblings at home but not socialised outside that circle so they probably become too enclosed and protective of each other. And are wary of other dogs.

OP posts:
CherryLips1980 · 19/01/2015 16:30

Another who would kick/get a stick and beat, whether it's my dog attacking or being the attacker.

The poor terrier and owner :( Exactly the same thing happened to my next door neighbours poodle a few months ago on the local park. The owner in that case just walked off Sad

It frightens me sometimes just how clueless some people are about dog body language. The amount of times I've been told a rigid, staring dog /just wants to play' is unreal.

Tropicalchancer · 19/01/2015 16:35

My golden retriever was attacked once by a gsd. I was on my bike with my ds in the child seat so couldn't get off and get involved-I was screaming and my ds crying the other owner was useless as his dog was way infront of him off the lead-in the end I rammed my bike repeatedly into the side of the gsd and another chap came to help-my poor boy was so traumatised and injured-the other owner paid for all treatment thankfully. Was a horrific event.
Prior to that I was walking my first gr when I was about 12? And he was attacked by a similar sized dog-I got straight in there, straddled the other dog and held onto his collar tight pulling his feet off the floor, my boy ran indoors (was just outside our house) and my dad ran out and gave my neighbour hell.

Original poster
MarcoPoloCX · 19/01/2015 16:41

If you get injured in protecting your dogs. Can the other person just turn round in court and say you shouldn't have fought it off.

OP posts:
aliasjoey · 19/01/2015 16:43

I know what you're supposed to do is grab the back legs of the attacking dog and swing him round...

In truth, the one time my dog was attacked, I just stood there frozen unable to think straight.

SukieTuesday · 19/01/2015 16:44

I'd assume so. What would that matter though?

Bassetfeet · 19/01/2015 16:47

My primitive instinct was to get the assailant dog off my elderly collies neck
Then I grabbed his back legs and undercarriage . Totally unprovoked attack. She was pottering about with dim eyes and arthritis .
Felt so sorry for the dogs owners once I had assessed damage to my old lass

They were in tears . A wake up call . Dog fights are so distressing . She was old and pottering about as old dogs do. The whole scenario was so awful.
But my rage was so bad I would have hurt her assailant with anything I had to hand .
Did not hopefully make the owners feel worse than they did . But aware of their dogs capability to attack . Their reaction told me they would .

muttynutty · 19/01/2015 16:47

I know this sound crass but it is worth working really hard to prevent this (obviously Mutty!).

Look at approaching dogs body language

I never ever approach or pass dogs that are giving off stress signals.

I do not ever let my dogs interact with dogs or owners I do not know - I have a large circle of dog friends so this is no hardship.

I never ever walk in "popular" dog walking areas

If a dog charged up to my dogs I would immediately stop the approaching dogs with voice and my body language - however I have experience of doing this

If we were attacked by surprise by a dog I would be doing all I can to get them off my dogs.

Dont scream that will only excite the dog more.

A low loud gruff voice may help.

Depends where you are but a loud noise can interrupt so if near the car get someone to sound a car horn or bang metal - (Not that you have that on a walk or in the park)

If you have a water bottle you can empty that over the dog and they in the split second they pause separate but again really hard to do.

A barrier between the dogs may sidetrack the dog so a large branch if available.

You can lift the back legs but really hard to do and a terrier or bull breed will probably still have hold of the dog and you can just aggravate the injury.

Poor poor owners of the terrier how traumatic and horrific for them and you Marco to have to see.

I know I am talking to the converted but please train your dogs and keep them safe.

morethanpotatoprints · 19/01/2015 16:47

You don't get involved with fighting dogs and as much as people don't like this they are animals and not humans, lower down the food chain etc.
That said, I would never wish any animal any harm.
I can't understand how some people think an animals life is equal to that of a human when there is a crisis.
So many people die risking their own life to save that of an animal Confused

ender · 19/01/2015 16:50

I always thought I'd intervene and kick the attacking dog. Then my lab got attacked by a Rottweiller and I was so shocked I just stood there and couldn't move.
It was on a lead but dragged the owner along the ground and got free then ran straight up to my dog then started snarling and biting and trying to pin him down. Owner was lying on the ground injured so couldn't help.
Fortunately my other dog, a GSD X, came running and chased the Rottie away before any serious damage done.

muttynutty · 19/01/2015 16:52

morehtanpotatoprints not going into lower down food chain etc but selfishly I have put hours and hours into training my dogs some for search and rescue (they help find vunerable humans) some are trained as assistance dogs (Help humans function) so I am buggered if I am going to waste all that time and effort and just watch them be attacked.

On an emotional level I own them it is my responsibility to keep them safe (and I lurrrrrrves them they make me happy and give me loads of pleasure) they are worth it

Floralnomad · 19/01/2015 16:53

morethan , that's your opinion and you can act how you want ,I don't consider my dog 'lower down the food chain' and I would protect him ( or try to) with the same effort that I would protect any other member of my family .

SukieTuesday · 19/01/2015 16:53

I like my dogs a lot more than most humans. I like dogs generally more than most humans.

Tipsykisses · 19/01/2015 16:54

My Dp & his friend were in this situation a few summers ago , dp grabbed the dog who was attacking an old sheepdog by it's dangly bits to get it to let go .
The other poor old dog needed stitches but luckily recovered from his injuries .

It was awful but I dread to think how much worse it could've been .Confused

VickyJH · 19/01/2015 16:56

A neighbours Staffie got off its lead and attacked my Great Dane (on a lead) this Staffie was vicious. Anyway I tried to get the Staffies head out of my dogs mouth it then went savage and got my dogs ear at which point I grabbed a hold of the vile neighbours Staffie and got it out of my dogs space. The owner of the Staffie was afraid of its own dogHmm

TooMuchRain · 19/01/2015 17:01

That is awful. I don't think I know the right thing to do, the problem is that they move so fast. Once I was walking my dog on the lead and this JRT came running, straight at her and just started having a go - no owner in sight. I tried to kick between them to separate them but ended up getting bitten on my leg. Must have worked enough to stop them though.