A dog attacked my dog, hand hold

[coffeewithmilk]

Was out walking my dog (on the lead) minding my own business when a (what I think was either a pit bull or staffy) came bounding out the open door of a nearby house and came straight for my dog. My dog was yelping and the other dog was very aggressive, I was of course (heavily pregnant) hysterical and screaming and the owner managed to get his dog under control and apologised.

I don't know what else I could have done in this situation but I've been crying ever since. I got such a fright.

My dog thankfully has no cuts or open wounds but is shaken.

Don't know what I want to gain from this post but just wanted to vent.. I've been so emotional all day since it happened

In any case, it is NOT okay for a dog warden to take zero interest in a dog-on-dog incident.

They never do in my experience. Dog on dog attacks are just seen as "one of those things" and generally left to the owners to settle between them.

You know where the dog lives. Please report this to the dog warden so the authorities are aware. The dog may have form.

When my dog was similarly attacked it took me a while to find a puncture wound (which by then was infected).
Keep am eye out as our Ddog seemed fine immediately after, but then didn't like us touching her back and we discovered a wound.
Vet sorted out with antibiotics and all fine now.
Attacking dog owner paid the bill, but like you I found it very frightening.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor

I understand there's a difference but my family member was bitten because of canine aggression, she was holding the lead and the other dog attacked and the only way she could save her dog was to scoop him up and she got bitten in the process.

I'm not sure what your point is? That's clearly a case of a person being in the way

@icedcoffees

In any case, it is NOT okay for a dog warden to take zero interest in a dog-on-dog incident.

They never do in my experience. Dog on dog attacks are just seen as "one of those things" and generally left to the owners to settle between them.

But the dog when it attacks is per se not under control? Maybe we see it differently here in Ireland though.

I am in Scotland and I do know of a local dog dog aggression (dog survived) where the dog warden stipulated that the aggressive dog be on lead and muzzled from now on. So they must sometimes take action.

My dog was attacked and I reported it to the police, they did speak to the owner and she agreed to keep her dog muzzled in public. It's important to report these things, if it happens again they will have it on record that it isn't a one off incident. The dog that attacked mine had attacked 2 others previously, if they had reported those maybe something more serious would have been done.

But the dog when it attacks is per se not under control? Maybe we see it differently here in Ireland though.

I don't disagree with you. But the law is more centred around dog on human aggression, not dog on dog aggression.

It also very much depends on the situation. In OP's case, the other dog came up and attacked hers while it was on a lead, so OP should be able to argue that her dog was under control whereas the other dog was off-lead and therefore not under the owners' control.

But if two off-lead dogs meet in a park and a fight breaks out, the law could argue that as they were both off-lead, neither was under control and so no action is to be taken as no humans were hurt. If an owner got involved and got bitten, the outcome could be different again.

It's a really tough one and I think different councils seem to take different courses of action. It will probably also depend on whether the dog has been reported before and what the outcome of that was.

@moomin11

My dog was attacked and I reported it to the police, they did speak to the owner and she agreed to keep her dog muzzled in public. It's important to report these things, if it happens again they will have it on record that it isn't a one off incident. The dog that attacked mine had attacked 2 others previously, if they had reported those maybe something more serious would have been done.

Perfect.

I'm not sure what your point is
That's clearly a case of a person being in the way
I think the poster's point is that dog on dog aggression doesn't 'just' injure dogs. It's very easy for a person to be bitten or knocked over - a toddler in the way, an owner trying to get their puppy away. It is dangerous for people too, never mind its role in making attacked dogs reactive and aggressive in their turn.

Honestly, are you expecting people to stand mildly by while the local canine thug bites their dog? Because they don't and they won't. So they will get bitten by dogs that are, nominally, no threat to them.

Most dog fights are just handbags and just lots of noise and movement. It’s rare for a dog to attack another dog and cause real injury or death. Also, just because your dog isn’t showing any signs of being physically injured, a dog attack can change the disposition of the victim dog, although that depends on the circumstances.

Although in an ideal world you should be able to walk with or without a dog wherever you want, I would advise you to do your best to minimise the chances of any bad situations from happening again. Avoid walking the streets where lots of houses are situated. Avoid going to parks where lots of dogs are off their leads whilst their owners talk to each other and do not keep an eye on their dogs (this is where most dog attacks do happen). Avoid going out at busy times. Only allow your dog to interact with dogs that you know are friendly. Etc, etc.

Such an incident can truly be frightening for an owner, but you must act quickly to avoid any possible injuries. Although you no doubt love animals, you may have to physically hurt the attacking dog to save your dog. Years ago when I was in my late teens the family had a lovely Labrador and my father and I were walking him across an open field next to where we lived and this Staffy type of dog came over so aggressively and fast it went straight into the Labrador and went over on itself and my father actually had to choke the dog out to stop it from attacking our dog and him. The owner was laughing his head off and said that he didn’t care, so my father followed him to get his address and reported him and about a month or so later he was informed that the dog had been put down for attacking a child in a street.

Honestly, are you expecting people to stand mildly by while the local canine thug bites their dog? Because they don't and they won't. So they will get bitten by dogs that are, nominally, no threat to them.

TBH I do think all dog owners should read up on what to do if their dog gets attacked or into a fight. It's (sadly) not a rare occurrence. Of course, knowing what to do and actually putting it into practise are two very different things.

I got bitten last year in the process of breaking up a dog fight - luckily it wasn't a serious wound but it bloody hurt and shook me up for a good few days. I knew it was a stupid idea but my instinct was to protect the dog I was walking - I didn't even think about the fact that I would get hurt.

The best thing to do is to either pull the dogs apart (using their back legs), spray them with water or cover them with a blanket (not very practical) or use a loud noise as a distraction so you can grab your dog to safety. The worst thing to do is stick your hand in the middle of it, but unfortunately, 99% of the time, it's instinct to do just that.

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman

I'm not sure what your point is That's clearly a case of a person being in the way I think the poster's point is that dog on dog aggression doesn't 'just' injure dogs. It's very easy for a person to be bitten or knocked over - a toddler in the way, an owner trying to get their puppy away. It is dangerous for people too, never mind its role in making attacked dogs reactive and aggressive in their turn.

Honestly, are you expecting people to stand mildly by while the local canine thug bites their dog? Because they don't and they won't. So they will get bitten by dogs that are, nominally, no threat to them.

I can't see where anyone has said anything to the contrary Folk seem to be creating an argument out of nothing.

Still doesn't mean that attacking a person is the next step up from attacking a dog, which was the point that was made.

@Veterinari I'm not trying to make an argument. It's just that another point being made is that DA can easily, and often does, result in injuries to people, which makes the distinction a bit academic - important for how the aggressing dog is subsequently handled, but irrelevant when you're the one who gets bitten rescuing your own dog.

And some dogs display both.

For both these reasons I think dog wardens should take dog aggression seriously.