Stay Safe Out There

Last week, I had dinner with a friend who works in the medical field.  She had treated a patient who came it with a horrendous wound on her arm.  The woman was walking her dog when two large, off leash dogs, rushed her and attacked her dog.  Without thinking, she reached in to grab a collar and both of the unfamiliar dogs grabbed her arm, one at the elbow and the other at the wrist.  They tore through flesh and muscle, damaging her ulnar artery, the main source of oxygenated blood to the hand and fingers.  She will survive her wounds, but there will be skin grafts in her future and permanent damage to her arm resulting in limited mobility.  So, why am I telling you this horrific tale?  Because she isn't the first person I've heard of to reach into a dog fight and get hurt.  I realize that this is human nature, a knee jerk reaction, so to speak, to want to stop a dog fight and protect our canine companions.  Doing so, however, can be incredibly dangerous.  You need to know what your other options are to protect yourself and your dog.

While most consider the "wheelbarrow method" to be the safest, most effective way to break up a dog fight, it won't do you much good if you are walking by yourself when the dog fight occurs, or if there are more than two dogs involved. With this method, two people each grab the back legs of one of the dogs and pull them up and backwards.  This throws the dogs off balance and causes them to release their hold.  Watch the dog's head as they may try to swing around and grab you!  Continue to pull the dogs away until you have created enough distance to feel safe letting go, re-grabbing the leash, etc. So, what should you do if you are alone or if multiple dogs are involved?

The one thing you shouldn't do is scream.  This will just exhaust you and potentially escalate the aggression.  The only time to yell is if there is a chance to attract other humans to your cause to help you break up the fight using the wheelbarrow method outlined above. If there is a hose nearby, you can try blasting the dogs.  Some dogs will respond to water, others will just continue to fight. And if you are out on a trail or walk with your dog, there is unlikely to be a hose available, and this is why I prefer deterrent methods.

If you are a trail walker, carry a walking stick with you.  The stick can be waved at an approaching aggressive dog to back them off.  If need be, the stick can be thrust into the side of the aggressor's mouth thus forcing him to let go of your dog as he bites down on the stick.  Don't be tempted to hit the aggressor with the stick; this has the potential to increase their aggression and have it directed toward you, instead of your dog.  You can also carry an air horn with you at all times.  Small enough to fit in a fanny pack, an air horn, by design, is loud and intrusive.  Blast the air horn once to see if just the noise is enough to stop the fight. If not, hold the air horn as close as safely possible to the aggressor's head and blast.  You may damage their ear drum, but you will disorient them and stop the fight.  While I know some of my clients carry mace on their walks, keep in mind that mace can cause permanent damage.  While it is certainly true that you were carrying the mace to protect yourself and your dog, the other dog's owner can sue you for property damage if mace blinds their dog etc.  Air horns cause no permanent damage and are therefore my deterrent of choice.

And what if the fight occurs inside your house?  Do not assume that you won't get bit just because the two dogs are your own.  When dogs are fighting, they aren't thinking about you. Mistakes will be made and you could get bit just as badly as the woman described above.  While water might work, that could make for a lot of clean up later. You can try throwing a blanket over one of the dogs and once disoriented, grabbing for those back legs to pull one dog away.  Again, however, an air horn may be your best bet.  And in a pinch, grab an umbrella and open it up right at the dogs.  Most dogs are wary of umbrellas, so it's worth trying.

While you may feel compelled to try to pull your leashed dog out of a fight, you really shouldn't.  Drop the leash to give your dog a chance to fight back and/or escape.  In addition, pulling dogs by their leashes during a fight often results in more physical damage to the dogs.

Bottom line: dog fights are serious.  While you want to protect your dog, you need to protect yourself as well.  Prepare in advance so that you won't be caught off guard.  An air horn is roughly $5 and thus an easy, inexpensive way to potentially protect your dog and yourself.  As always, if you have any questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Close up of a dog fight depicted in a famous painting

 from Flemish Baroque painter, Peter Paul Rubens (c 1600)