While I was walking my dog today another dog got under his owner's fence paralleling the sidewalk and attacked my dog. The owner has already paid the vet bill for fortunately non-life-threatening injuries though one bite could have been fatal if it went deeper. My problem is that this is the second time that I know of that this dog has gotten lose and attacked another dog. I feel like I should file a complaint to prevent more attacks but at the same time I hate to risk a dog being put down. Contradictory, since I had my pocket knife out ready to kill him when the owner's son in law pulled him away. The owner has promised to upgrade the fence.
ethical dilema
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Comments
Two attacks is too many...
At a minimum, the fence upgrade.
Check with local authorities on attacking-dog laws, rules, policies. This will give you 'leverage' with owner (who is clearly >not< a Guardian ...).
Offer to help owner inspect fence when done. Remember, dogs are professional diggers.
Until fence done, their dog is out only on-leash in a harness. (Collars are too easy to 'slip'.)
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It is all too easy for a Guardian, protecting their Companion, to be very seriously injured in an attack.
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Remember, dogs are kin to wolves, who are very often Apex predators. They are built for fast hunt-kill and settling territory with as much violence as needed. Our human notions of territory don't line up with dogs' notions.
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Oh, and you need to find someplace else to go for walks. A real pain if it's for potty breaks ...
And we (as you should too) value your welfare, and the welfare of your Companion, above that of somebody else's dangerous pet.
Fence fix
My aunt did something similar for my brothers dog a quick trip to the hardware store for a bunch of metal fencing stuff that she tied to her gate to prevent digging
hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna
Your Choice Really
I've been bitten so take a dim view of an animal that bites. Does he smell your fear of him? Seek the advice of Animal Control. I think they will likely say to put him down.
Gwen
Immediate Fence fix
My aunt did something similar for my brothers dog a quick trip to the hardware store for a bunch of metal fencing stuff that she tied to her gate to prevent digging that would be a good start.
hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna
Who's next?
Who's next? The little kid walking down the path? The dog is clearly aggressive and while we should treasure the life of our pets the life of a person is at least in my mind more important. I would check with the local authorities and see what the options are as the owners clearly don't have a handle on their animal.
Report the dog and owner
One other attack that you KNOW of..there could be more than one..
While you worry about the aggressive dog (rightfully) if it kill another person's pet, I think that is worse.
Since you know it isn't a one time thing, I believe reporting it to animal control is the proper thing. Not to mention rabies and whatnot.
I'm going to 'bet' the aggressive dog ...
... is an intact male. Which would also point to an idiot owner (not Guardian).
"Fixing" that problem might take a month or more before the hormones fade ...
shelter dog
I think you were posting while I was typing earlier. I'm fairly certain this dog came from a shelter where they would have required neutering before placement. I know that he came from a bad situation, but it is possible he was rescued directly without a shelter involved. All three of his dogs were in an inner city fenced area where they were abused by passers-by. I have had several interactions with the one he trusts to leash walk and talked about the dogs. He really is trying to help these dogs. The problem is that the sidewalk was moved when they changed the road and now runs within a few feet of his existing fence which is now inadequate. I sympathize with his problem, but he needs to act more quickly.
Thank you
I have read your replies and also spoken with the owner of the other dog that was attacked. We are going to be watching for the new fence to be up quickly and insisting that the attacking dog wear a muzzle when he is running loose in the fence. If that doesn't happen, we will go together to the township. He is talking about a tall wooden fence so his dogs cannot see traffic on the trail. We are hoping that the $500 vet bill will motivate him to quick action.
Horrible
This owner might be in for a shock if there's a third bite. Many homeowner's policies have low sub-limits or exclude coverage for dogs who have had one bite or more prior to the occurrence. The average dog bite loss is $30 to $40k. Some companies exclude certain breeds and will check the DNA if the loss is large enough. His mutt might have DNA from a breed that is excluded.
I've personally been involved in one bite to an infant that will cost over $1,000,000.
When I was young we had a one chicken limit on our dogs. Everyone understood that once a dog kills they will do it again.
You probably have a duty to your community to report the first attack.
I have had about a dozen dogs and have had to put down one for an attack and gave another to an elderly couple with no exposure to adults.
A simple test for a dog is to give him his dinner bowl and then try to take it away. If he snaps at you, he must be put down.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
resource protection
A dog snapping at someone (not seriously attacking which is another matter) when their food is messed with is a problem that can be dealt with by training. Unfortunately, aggression toward other dogs is not. I have seen dogs that had to be muzzled when in public and that is effective.
Maybe
. . .and maybe not. The food test is what the local shelter uses to determine if a dog should be put down.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Update
One of my neighbors on learning why my dog is wearing the big plastic cone did some research on facebook and found a third attack; this one was fatal. She has already reported the owner. I'd feel better about that if she didn't relish it so much.