Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[UKMARCH]

Today when walking back through the woods from school drop off with friends and their dogs my youngest dog was picked out by a large standard poodle who chased her and she set off at top speed in fear. She is a greyhound and in a blind panic ran out of the woods down a side road and into the main road where we live opposite. Luckily a friend driving past stopped her car as did another lady and they managed to catch her. I left my other dog and friends in the wood and ran after. She was shocked and her poor feet and legs are scuffed and cut up.

 

It could have been a lot worse. Netty has been chased and floored several times by an alsation who funnily enough lives in the same road out of the woods as this poodle so is more nervous of unpredicatable dogs so will not hang around if one is likely to touch her. I feel really upset as it is the usual walk we do most days and have to pass the lady with the dogs house to get home, it is an aggressive type and always growls at other dogs so I feel she should either keep the dog on the lead or have a good recall. She didn't even hang around to find out if I managed to get her back and justified it to the other ladies by saying her dog had been in season so hadn't been out for 3 weeks.

 

I feel better for that rant just needed to get it out of my system!

[Patricia W]

You poor thing! So pleased your dog is OK. I agree - people should keep dogs they can't recall on the lead

[mollyripkim]

Oh you poor thing, trouble is yours will be even more wary now, thank goodness they stopped the traffic. It does make me mad that irresponsible owners fine us good ones a bad name.

[snowberry]

This woman needs to take responsibility for her hound. If it had ended nastily I hope she's got public liability insurance. Probably not though...

[Henchanted]

Hi UKMARCH

 

I do sympathize, I would be shaken and livid.

 

I hope you don't mind but I think its worth mentioning something I learnt from a similar thread on this forum, not so long ago, that in law it is any dog that is off the lead that is held responsible. Therefore if your lovely doggie was off the lead and ran out into the road and caused someone to crash their car, unfortunately it would be you held responsible (uncomfortable I know, but there it is) regardless of what set your dog off.

 

The other thread was about a forum members dog being growled at by a vicious looking dog on a lead who's owners told her to hurry up and go past as they wanted to release their dog, or they would do it anyway. Turns out that in law because an owner must be in control of their dog at all times (on or off the lead), if a nice off the lead dog is attacked when saying hello to a grumpy dog that is on a lead, the nice dogs owner is held responsible because he/she did not have full control over their dog

 

Most dog owners I know (including myself) fly by the seat of their pants when it comes to taking risks with their lack of control over their dogs. If your dog does not freeze when you say stop or come back when you call him when, for example, he/she has spotted something more interesting like a picnic then you do not have full control over your dog unless you have them on a lead.

 

Lets face it, some dog-owners can't even manage that, allowing their furry darlings to run freely along the pavement to the park until one day their beloved spots something that makes it run into the road and makes a car swerve onto the pavement with consequences. Hmphf

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if we all take responsibility for control over own dogs this is less likely to happen. I would like dog training classes to be a compulsory requirement for all dog owners so they learn about their responsibilities and the law.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

How awful . I'm so glad your dog is (relatively) unharmed but I imagine you'll be worried every time you walk her now .

 

The law does seem very unfair to law abiding dog owners who have "nice" dogs .

[UKMARCH]

Thanks everyone I feel a bit calmer now having got over the shock, I'm lucky it could have been a lot worse if it was rush hour and imagine if it was my friend who could have run into her

Henchanted it is funny about the laws about being in control of your dog I did know about the responsibility of car accidents having unfortunately been in an accident with a dog myself a few years back but I couldn't bring myself to try to claim anything! Also sometimes people don't seem to have their dog under control even on a lead the dog in question I have come across only a couple of times before on a retractable lead. How can someone control a dog when it is on the end of a long line like this they could still dart into the road if they are a long way from the owner! Also I imagine the rope could cause a nasty burn.

I never take risks with my dogs as I know they can reach 30mph in 40secs so if anything I usually err on the side of caution but this walk was in our local woods familiar to us I would have put her on the lead if I knew the dog was in the vicinity but it appeared with no warning.

I normally put my dogs back on the lead before the end of the woods where there is a dirt road and then the side road many other people don't put theirs on until they are on the road. Its such a shame my dog was happily walking with two other dogs and then was happily meeting two cocker poos and having a little play when the other dog appeared from nowhere like a bat out of hell if it had gone back to the owner when she called the whole thing could have been avoided.

I feel I may have to now keep one of mine on the lead for fear of it happening again as I will never know if it is going to sneak up on us if it is allowed to run free. Such as shame as its on our route back from doing the school run. I may try to have a word if I see her but don't know if that would be a good idea.

Alternatively I could go and do a much longer walk to avoid the area may also be good for my waistline.

I haven't tested out her recall when presented with a picnic yet but can imagine that would hard for a lot of dogs

[Lavenders_Blue]

Sorry to hear about your frightening experience, that would definitely shake me up too.

 

I haven't tested out her recall when presented with a picnic yet but can imagine that would hard for a lot of dogs

 

I can agree with this - when I've been walking my parents' terrier he has stolen sandwiches from fishermen, sandwiches from market stall owners and biscuits from children (well if they will wave them at dog level...!). It's really embarrassing

[The Dogmother]

How worrying, I'd report the dogs to the local dog warden; if they can't be kept under control then they are a danger to other dogs/small animals/children.

 

My Ruby was attacked by a Staffie when she was a pup; I told the owners in no uncertain terms (this dog has a reputation for attacking other dogs) that if I saw it out again either off-lead or unmuzzled then I'd call the DW. Ruby is now scared witless of most bull breeds

[UKMARCH]

Thanks dogmother I do feel I should have a word with her although I'm sure she will say that as her dog actually didn't have any physical contact with mine hers was not being aggressive! Mine was definitely not hanging around to find out and was off in a blind panic. I hope she can get over this as this is the third time now and its always been in the same area so I think she must associate that part of the woods with bad things so I will need to keep her on the lead through that area from now on. Here she is feeling very sorry for herself with her poor cut up legs.

Edited July 22, 2011 by Guest

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Aww, poor girl .

[The Dogmother]

Poor thing, what a lovely hound.

 

Try to walk her in some less stressful and calmer areas, make sure that you have fun and/or walk with friends who have fun, friendly dogs so that she doesn't associate going out with being attacked.

 

Ruby and Cyrus send her loving licks.

 

Here they are enjoying a walk

[UKMARCH]

Thanks dogmother luckily she has a best friend a cocker who is the same lovely colour as Cyrus who is only 4 weeks older than her and they have known each other since the day we got her so they have a lovely time together and he is the only one she will let have physical contact with her so I will walk with him and try to give her lots of positive walks and avoid the woods for a while. I have a soft spot for hounds and we applied to SLR for a dog who looked a lot like Ruby but he got snapped up very quickly and when Netty came from Ireland at 5 months we just couldn't resist! I did wonder during the first couple of weeks what have we done here, you forget just how much hard work puppies are. Now though she is so good we have been very lucky with both of them. For the last two years we went to Dorset and stayed in a lovely farm cottage in Martinstown and the local pub have 3 lurchers and insist you take your dogs in with you and give them treats and a bed to lay on if you're ever in the area you must visit!

[The Dogmother]

Thanks for the tip, I'll bear that in mind.

 

I hope that she's not too put off by the incident.