I want to share a story that brings together two things I am always discussing and that make my blood boil – being an irresponsible dog owner and retractable leashes. This incident is true and happened yesterday to someone I know. For privacy purposes, they shall remain anonymous.
A dear friend takes her 2 dogs for a walk. Out of the blue, a dog with aggression issues towards other dogs attacked one of her dogs. Her 2nd dog ran off in terror as his brother was being torn to shreds by the aggressive dog. That is not an exaggeration! Thank goodness, a neighbor caught my friend’s other dog and kept him out of harm’s way. The aggressive dog was on a retractable leash and pulled so hard to get at my friend’s dog, the owner could not hold on to it. Friend’s husband, who is by no means a small, weak man, runs out of the house and tries to break up the fight, but he couldn’t get the aggressive dog off of his dog. Husband was bit in the process.
The result: friend’s dog was so badly torn apart, there was no choice but to euthanize it. Friend’s husband has to go for a series of rabies shots, which are quite painful. Aggressive dog is now in quarantine, which is mandatory. Since this is not his first attack, he will more than likely have to be put down. Here is where irresponsible dog ownership comes into play. After the first attack, this dog should have been taken to a veterinary behaviorist for evaluation and a trainer specializing in aggression should have been hired to work with the dog. Knowing their dog is aggressive towards other dogs, it should never have been walked on a retractable leash and it should have been muzzled until its issues were addressed and his behavior modified, if at all possible.
One never knows when they may run into this type of situation. PetSafe makes a product called Spray Shield. It will help distract the attacking dog enough to get your dog away from it. When you walk your dog, I suggest you carry a can with you. You can order it from Chewy.com or Amazon. Also, NEVER try to get between two fighting dogs. Use an open umbrella or a board or any other object to try to separate the dogs. It’s hard to think of what one could use when you see your dog being killed by another dog. And let’s face it, who thinks to carry an umbrella on a sunshiny day? That’s why I recommend carrying a can of Spray Shield.
Be mindful of your surroundings. If you see someone with a dog on a retractable leash and you don’t know them or their dog, turn and swiftly walk in the opposite direction.