What to Do about an unleashed dog attacking us?

[moondog]

Originally posted by catress
NO OFFENCE MEANT BUT - I feel that we are responsible for our dogs and our safety first and foremost...

This is exactly my point! Part of being responsible for the safety of our dogs is taking into account their inclinations and their weaknesses when making decisions about the environments we expose them to. It's a safe bet that if we walk our dogs in a neighborhood, sooner or later we are going to come across a loose dog or 50. :D If we know that our dog is aggressive towards other dogs and is likely to strike if approached, even by a friendly dog, then isn't part of protecting them making sure that doesn't happen (a muzzle, another choice of location, less stress until they have demonstrated they can handle it, etc.), even though we may be "right" in the eyes of the leash laws? On the other hand, if our dogs are not inclined to strike unless truly attacked, some of that burden is lifted and the line where safety lies tends to shift a bit. So much depends on the nature of the dog and our knowledge of them.

The line between right and wrong may be pretty black and white in the eyes of the law. But, if everyone thought safety first we might find that where the line falls will put a greater burden on us depending on our knowledge of our own dogs and the characteristics of a given situation. We are then in a much better position to avoid many of these conflicts altogether. We don't have to be victims, which is how it seems that kimshiely sees the outcome of the situation she found herself in. It behooves all of us to take into consideration how we can better prepare for eventualities that can be anticipated and work with that. That's all I was getting at. :)

[kimshiely]

This incident has never happened before. And I was being as responsible as I knew how. I wasn't expecting an unleashed dog and I wasn't expecting my dog to pick up the little dog in her mouth. I was merely walking my leashed animal like I do twice a day each day.

We presented our case with tons of evidence and copies of the law. The judge was a fill in that morning and didn't look at any of our evidence when we offered and thought since that dog was hurt and ours was fine, that we should pay for the vet bill. She was also asking for $4500 fo pain and suffering....he said no to that so I'm sure it was a compromise.

It wasn't the money and it wasn't about us not taking responsibility...for I would take responsibility if we had broken the law or been wrong. We just felt that in order to feel comfortable walking our dog, we should fight for the law to be upheld. The other owner was emotional (understandably) and wanted someone to blame. Dangerous things are on the street...if we were a car that hit her dog, she probably would have taken responsibility for the awful accident. Oh well.

[moondog]

Can't you appeal the decision? I think you missed my whole point. :)

[pfoley]

I would always carry a stick walking near that house and swing it around as the dog approaches, or swing the end of your leash as it approaches. Sometimes I pick up a stone and pretend I am going to throw it. If there are no stones, I pretend I just picked one up and am getting ready to throw it. One time I was walking my previous Rott, Susie, who really didn't care for other dogs challenging her, and a dog off leash came running toward us. The dog's owner was behind the dog. We have a leash law in our city. I picked up a huge branch like I was getting prepared for war; the owner didn't like that I did that, nor did the dog, and always had that dog on the leash when I was around. I would report that dog if it bothers you much longer; you should be able to have a pleasant walk with your dog, without worrying about dog attacks.