Advice re dog being attacked

[CollieDug]

I’m currently really, really pissed off but want to get advice from cool heads.

I took my gentle, gorgeous extremely friendly Border Collie for a walk today and he was attacked by a large male golden retriever. I know this dog - he is an entire male (as is mine) and every occasion the same thing happens; the dog starts to approach mine, mine stays next to me, the owners of the retriever try to call him back, he just stares at my (completely passive) dog, ignoring his owners. Though on one occasion he ran about 300m to get to my dog, today we were closer. Then he just launches himself ferociously at my dog who tries to run away.

As he attacked my dog (who must be about half his size) I did shout at the owners to get their dog off. I did swear but my dog was yelping as he was terrified. Eventually they pulled him off.

I told them that this was the fifth time their dog had attacked him, that they were irresponsible owners for walking him off-lead as they had no control over him. They just told me to calm down.

I know from other people who walk locally that this dog has attacked other dogs but no-one seems to challenge them on it. I’m tempted to put a post on the village FB page but that seems a bit lame. Should I be reporting this dog?

Ps I’m sensitive to the fact that if anyone heard of an altercation between a BC and a GR they’d assume it was the BC, but I absolutely promise that my wonderful boy is not the instigator at all - he is visibly terrified when he sees this dog.

I’d be reporting to the police. When my dog got attacked by a dog I did exactly that but they needed the owners info so make sure you have that

I would contact your local dog warden and report this, yet bother dog being failed by stupid owner.

What exactly happened during the attack? Did the dog bark at him? Hump him? Bite him? Pin him down?

My dog was attacked (had a big chunk bitten out of her and almost died but was patched together again with skin grafts and 30 stitches) and the dog warden got involved (by me) but ultimately nothing happened really. They had a chat with the owner

Those saying: police... what for? Even if a dog is almost killed (like mine) it is not a police matter. Just saying.

But dog warden yes.

Did your dog have to go to the vet? Is your insurance involved?

If it was "just" a dog altercation (I say "just" even though it can be very upsetting) with no dogs getting hurt, I am not sure you can invoke any authorities ... it's just dogs being dogs.

My dog was completely pinned down as the golden retriever was biting him but I was able to part pull him off before he had done too much damage i think.

I have not taken my dog to vet as no blood, but he is subdued so may take him tomorrow.

I will contact dog warden.

I'd have kicked the other dog up the arse tbh.

The owners sound like dicks and there is nothing you can really do if they're not bothered.

You'll have to start walking in different locations before it happens again and your dog turns fear aggressive as a result.

Whenever another off lead dog approaches my dogs I always grab the other dog instead of my dog as I know I have control over mine (unless a fight was to break out then it's unpredictable as their fight/flight instinct would kick in) - usually I shout at the owners to recall their dog before if I notice a dog looks as though it wouldn't be friendly as both my dogs would be reactive in a fight (unneutered males, both large/giant protective breeds).
Mine are both trained to walk to heel of lead in public and will stay in a down until released however most owners take my dogs off lead as a free invitation to allow their un trained dogs to come over in an intimidating manner. I feel your pain I really do😩.

It’s the advice given, here from my local area:

www.cheltenham.gov.uk/info/69/animal_issues_and_advice/299/report_dog_related_problems/2

I’d report. I guess it varies council to council but as a general rule in my area it’s taken quite seriously? We are rural with a lot of sheep so perhaps it’s seen as preferable as the farmers shooting them…

So both dogs were off lead and both are entire males?

Neuter and keep them leashed. If there were a third party involved, say dog-less, family with children you would both be in the wrong, since neither dog should be off lead in a public area.

Never kick a dog up the arse- that’s bloody awful advice as you won’t last long on one leg if the dog chows down. It’ll just drag you down and then your buggered. Unless you only plan to kick little dogs.

Not sure why the fact they're unneutered means they should be kept on a leash? Ive grown up with dogs all my life and we've never neutered ours.
My dogs are less dog reactive off leash than on leash - the only reason the dog in this situation should be on lead is because the owner has 0 recall.
I know for 100% that I have full recall and listening from my dogs no matter where I am regardless of whether I'm walking through town, my local shops or a park.
The fact her dog is unneutered doesn't change a thing🤣

@Suzi888 your post makes no sense.

I put my dog on a lead when necessary but he needs off-lead exercise and has excellent recall. And I do not need to neuter him.

I want to preface this by saying I don't necessarily agree with it, but the law around dog-on-dog attacks basically says that if both dogs are off the lead, then both are equally at fault.

Both you and the other owner have chosen to keep your dogs off the lead in public - which is fine - but unfortunately one of the risks is that they won't get along with every dog they meet and that means fights and scraps can break out. Technically by law, neither of you had your dogs fully under control as neither were on a lead and neither of you could call your dogs away by voice or whistle.

I always, always put my dog on a lead around other dogs, unless it's one we know well. I know he's not aggressive but I just don't trust other owners to be honest about their dog.

If it's a dog I know to be aggressive, he goes on the lead and we either turn and walk away, or we go off the past and I shout at them to please call their dog as mine can be reactive (a lie but normally spurs them into action).

The combination of two unknown, unneutered males is also not a good one as sadly, they often fight. I'm not saying to get your dog neutered by any means but it does mean you do need to be a bit more careful around other dogs.

Personally I would just avoid this dog and owner going forward. The fight was unpleasant but it's what sometimes happens when unknown dogs are allowed to greet each other like that. If you see then, put your dog on a lead and walk firmly in the opposite direction.

Oh jeeeez...

Male dogs do not need to be neutered to prevent fights. I know a lot of entire male dogs and almost never see aggression between them. Aggression towards intact males more often seems to come from neutered males.

The presumption in the UK is that dogs ARE allowed to be off-lead in public areas. Yes, if the dogs were going for people that would be a different issue.

OP, I'd post on the village FB page. I'd also carry a slip lead so that next time, I can get it round the GR's neck and choke him off my own dog quickly (get the lead up right under the jaw). If the owners don't like it, fucking tough. Hurting an attacking dog is preferable to your own dog being damaged.

If your dog is next to you I’d slip their lead on when the GR approaches, as others have said - 2 off lead dogs are deemed to be equally at fault - which is why the other owners are probably pretty relaxed, they know this complaint is unlikely to go anywhere.

id then get a couple of cans of this pet corrector spray. Keep one in your coat pocket and use the other to desensitise your dog to. It is just compressed air so won’t do any harm. Quick puff away from your dog and treat, and then repeat time and time again until your dog is looking for the can and happy with it. Next time the GR approaches say No in a stern voice and use a big puff of the spray at it. It won’t do any harm, so the owners can’t get upset it’s just air (I have told other owners I am using it on my own dog and theirs got in the way if I think they’re going to get too arsey)

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09K4JCZND?maas=maas_adg_7F152E4C321B43DB1EA7908DC988468E_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas&gclid=Cj0KCQiApb2bBhDYARIsAChHC9sJ-Ne9eFy2pckTwaUekNCqHE-XJtHDEpyI9hhjJjFgeYiO6uG3FuYaAg-lEALw_wcB

would help if I posted the link.

please don’t try and choke someone else dog off your dog- you’re likely to get physically assaulted by the owners in retaliation. I think most of us would honestly say even if our dog was at fault if a stranger used a slip lead to choke our dog we would likely grab the person doing it- I certainly would and I am milder mannered than most!

My dog is a small collie cross and very nervous and my solution has been to pick her up and hold her in my arms so the attacking dog cannot get to her. Depends on size of dog though.

I also had to pin down a marauding German Shepherd by lying across her.

I think my dog’s anxiety sets off other dogs unfortunately (she is always on a lead but if they come up to you, you have no choice in the matter).

Also, avoidance! I just try and avoid other dogs, especially known troublesome ones.

OP, I'd post on the village FB page. I'd also carry a slip lead so that next time, I can get it round the GR's neck and choke him off my own dog quickly (get the lead up right under the jaw). If the owners don't like it, fucking tough. Hurting an attacking dog is preferable to your own dog being damaged.

Unless you know what you're doing, please do not do this.

Fighting dogs move very quickly and sticking a lead (and potentially your hands) close to two biting dogs is a recipe for disaster in most cases.

I think it's worth a report to the dog warden if you know the owner's details. My dog was bitten (needed vet treatment) when on the lead by an off lead dog. The dog had shown escalating aggressive behaviour with mine and other people had issues with it but hadn't reported. The dog warden told me to spread the word and encourage others to report.

The pet corrector spray suggested by @SarahSissions is excellent at shocking dogs and stopping undesired behaviour.

If there’s no blood then I don’t think you can say this dog bit yours. It sounds rude and over exuberant rather than aggressive. Either way it’s not under control and if your dog dislikes it I would avoid it in future.

The key difference here is your dog was on the lead, so therefore "under control" by law.

In OP's scenario, both dogs were off the lead, so it's not the same.

I had this with my dog, OP. The 1st time, the owner just shrugged it off and I let it go (he was walking back from local pub ... ). The 2nd dog, my dog was actually hurt - pouring with blood around the mouth, and ended up with a nasty tummy for a few days. He needed antibiotics and pain relief. We don't have a local dog warden (funnily enough we're in Gloucestershire too like a PP) so I reported it to the Police who dispatched a PCSO to talk to the owners. The 3rd time, it nearly killed my dog - took 3 people to pull it off, and my dog was left badly traumatised and with a massive blood clot on his chest. I nearly killed the owner with my bare hands - the only blessing was that I got bit separating the dogs and was able to properly report it. After a very serious amount of pushing (by me) and another villager coming forwards to report their dog being attacked too, the CPS charged the owner under the Dangerous Dog Act. He was ordered to keep the dog on a lead and muzzled at all times in public.

He doesn't. And it has attacked more dogs. So mine is now always on a lead if we're walking locally. Keep reporting it, each and every time because you're creating a trail - dog warden ideally but Police if you don't have one. And do get your dog checked, the bruising can be really painful for them. Hope your dog is OK (and you).

Which part are you struggling with? @CollieDug The bit where you have a god given right to have your dog off leash I imagine.
“Aggression towards intact males more often seems to come from neutered males.” Bollocks

SarahSissions- agree with everything and much better than my salty post! 🫣It’s been a bad day!

@Suzi888 actually I would second the aggression towards neutered dogs coming from unneutered dogs - ofcourse two unneutered males find for dominance however my shepherd has been attacked three times by neutered dogs who possibly felt threatened by what they lacked I don't know. But it is a well known fact many neutered dogs do not like unneutered dogs which is why they often recommend either keeping both unneutered or neutered not one and the other.

Any responsible owner here would understand dogs should be kept on a lead unless they have re call however I think from the comments people are having issues with people who have dogs with NO recall. Not their own dogs who can go off lead with good recall.