Help! Something's Gonna Get Kilt!

[4Sibes]

My Sis has a Sibe...littermate to mine, every bit as sweet, outgoing, 5 yrs. old, spayed, happy, housepet.

She lives in a small townhouse and the only practical option for exercise is a lengthy community paved trail thru a park, which is where she walks Twinkle on lead daily. We have leash laws here. She teaches school...so she can't vary her routine by much during the week.

For the 4th time yesterday....Twinkle was savaged by an off lead dog...with the owners not far behind.
Sis collected Twink close to her as the dog (ShepX...this time) approached...in a slinky, stalking manner, from SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS away, all the while w/ Sis yelling, begging, pleading for the folks to get their dog and leash it.

Short story long...dog attacked Twink again and again, w/ Sis kicking the **** outa it...until owner, fists clenched got in SIS'S FACE (still no dog on lead, still attacking) screaming for her to stop kicking his dog...entire thing escalated...it was a mess.

She has contacted all the proper authorities, but w/ no ID on owner...not much they can do...except told her several, many times...it was perfectly ok to carry a big stick, and they would try to step up patrols and enforcement.

Sooooo...after all that "filler"...here's the question...she wants to know WHAT can she yell at the owners of these dogs as their dogs are hunting hers down...to have them take her seriously and reign in and leash their illegally off-lead dog.
She has no other place to exercise Twink...so that's just not a practical option at this time.

I had originally suggested yelling "My dog will kill your dog...."...but thought better of it, because I sure wouldn't want her dog being deemed dangerous as a result of those stupid words.....

Any ideas for wordage...something short, sweet and to the point, that she can remember in the heat of the moment?

This is getting ridiculous...poor Twinkle. Poor Sis. Somethings gonna get kilt.

[brownlikewoah]

That really sucks. I've had one similar dog attack, but the owners were really nice and understanding, the whole thing was scary enough, I can't imigine what it would be like to still having the owners act like you were the one in the wrong. She could try yelling "my dog isn't friendly!" but I don't know how much good that will do. Maybe if she sees a dog offleash she can call animal control? Even if the dog isn't attacking, maybe that is a dog she may see in the future as an attacker? Can she carry pepper spray?

[Poodleluv]

That is terrible. People are just plain goofy,when it comes to this stuff. I was going to suggest pepper spray,but it hardly seems fair to spray the dog,when it is the owner who is at fault. A "bear banger" makes a he#$ of a scary noise,but might traumatize her sibe as well. I will keep thinking. Maybe a really loud whistle,followed by a yelled warning. Then the pepper spray.How about a riding whip,a good long one. She could smack the butt of the attacker good and hard without real injury.

[Smart-n-Pretty]

She needs to carry her cell phone to take a picture of the off lead dog, a can of pepper spray to spray UP the dog's nose when it attacks and scream, "I WILL PRESS CHARGES". After she takes a photo of the off lead dog she needs to call 911 & tell operator she is being attacked by an off lead dog (not for the 1rst time) and fears for her safety and the safety of her dog. Let the operator know the MAN (stress that word) already confronted her with fists raised and menaced her. Don't be afraid to use pepper spray on the human attacker.

[Helly]

Forget the big stick or a club. Your sister needs to get a cattle prod. One that is strong enough to knock down a boar hog. Then she can yell "I'll taze your dog as soon as he gets close enough!"

[spooky]

My favorite trainer suggests something like, "my dog is still contagious."

As to preventive measures, I am thinking about desensitiziing my dogs to a popup umbrella, which I can then pop in the other dog's face. If it freaks out the other dog, mission accomplished. An air horn tends to shut everyone down, but if it protects Twinkle from harm, is probably worth it.

[groomingbymichelle]

I had a problem like that at a local dog park. A boxer had gone after my dog once and the owner seemed to think it was funny. Every time the dog was there I would do my best to avoid that dog. The boxer would start circling my dog, then pounce and attack, the second time holding my dogs head under water. The owner was up the hill and not even watching his dog. Myself and 8 other owners all tried to get the boxer off and I had to start kicking the boxer as it was biting me also. The owner finally noticed the yelling, came running down the hill, and punched me in the back, yelling to never go near his dog. All owners who witnessed the attack on my dog and myself were yelling at him that he should have grabbed his dog and controlled it instead of hitting me. 911 got 5 calls and he was arrested, and banned from the dog park. He got off lucky as my dog is a pit bull (she did not retaliate when the dog attacked her) and she could have killed his dog. Also if she saw him hitting me she would have killed the man. She was too busy trying to escape the dog. She now is nervous around boxers. he showed at the dog park a couple weeks ago and said he knew about being banned. Told him to leave or get arrested again, and that I have no problem at this point using the tennis raquet on his head instead of the tennis ball my dog loves so well. He has the same agressive nature as his dog so it might knock some meaness out of him or sense in to his head.

[edderland]

Carry wasp spray; it is perfectly legal and you can hit them in the face from 20 feet away.
Don't let them get anywhere near your dog, yell, then spray.
Deidre

[minpin63]

Can she get a friend to walk with her (short term)? Let the friend carry the camera & cell phone, then she has evidence,witness and phone contact with 911 all rolled into one...

personally I like the time tested fave of a Justin enema on a^*hole owners!

[Debbiedogs]

yep, cattle prod

I absolutely would get a cattle prod as per Helly. Also, sis needs to learn aggressive body language if she can. Maybe she's not up to it, but getting between her dog and the "stalker" can keep him at bay if she acts aggressive. Good-sized rocks in a pocket help, too. You should hear those nasty dogs yelp when you can actually "reach" them before they attack! (oops)

As far as saying anything, I guess she could say: "Don't make me use my gun. Get your dog away."

Maybe someone can go with her and video?? I don't know - she just does not sound as bossy as you would be, Bernie, so she may have to do walks on the street for a while. Your sis needs to learn how to take charge to help her dog. Maybe a trainer could help her? She seems not to have followed in your footsteps.

[odette]

Nothing you can say to this kind. Do what Helli said, camera, cattle prod on high setting, and pepper spray with mace in it. The one I carry has orange dye in it for id. National Tech systems inc, Cummings Georgia.

[fiveoclockdog]

I like the prod and the spray with dye idea. I always yell "Stop your dog or I'll stop it for you!' in a very agressive manner. I usually add a few expletive deleteds. Some times it's about demeanor. If you give the impression your capable of doing damage, people tend to believe you.

[SwissNChow]

If the owners were responsible, they would not have their dog off-lead in the first place. She needs to assume the owners are not going to do anything and set herself up to protect her dog. Odds are the owner could not call their dog to come if they did call. If they had control over their dog, it would not be attacking other dogs. Normally, owners that have their dogs off-lead are the very owners that can't walk their dog on-lead. The dog pulls too hard, so they just turn it loose.

She should indeed carry a cattle prod. Wave it, warn, and then use it if the dog comes in close enough. Pepper spray isn't a bad idea, but it's too easy to end up with the stuff in your own eyes, or your dog's eyes along with the intended victim.

[AMelena]

I foster pit bulls for a local pit bull rescue. I never take them to off-leash parks and I never let them off leash when they're outside of my house. That said, in order to exercise these high energy dogs I do a lot of jogging and bike riding on local trails. While we do have a leash law, I live in a relatively small, tight community just up a hill from the larger city. Most people let their dogs off leash in the community park areas as well as on the trails getting to them. I completely trust the dogs that I've spent time training but several have been rescued from fight rings and I would never put another person's pet in danger. So, I usually walk with a wooden cane. If a dog gets too close, I heel the dog I'm walking tight to my side and use the end of the cane to 'poke' the dog away from mine. If he won't back off, I'll tell the owner that my dog is a rescue and I'm still unsure of his temperment around other animals. If the dog still won't back off, I smack the cane on the ground to make a loud noise to scare it off. Still doesn't work, then the cane makes a good tool to beat the dog off and, in a worst case scenario the end is tapered so it can be used as a break stick. Like others stated here, I also carry bear spray or pepper spray. If a person is illegally letting their dogs off leash, then it's their own damn fault if their dog gets pepper spray up the nose. And if the owner gets aggressive, then they'll get the spray used on them.

[gonegrooming]

My friend used to walk her collies in the park and she carried a cattle prod. My suggestion is either mace or the cattle prod, whichever she's more comfortable using because she needs to use it, not just carry it. I would also let the owner know you've photographed their dog on the attack, and then call 911...so in the following order..............
1. photograph

2. mace or electrification

3. 911

This might let them know your serious. Also if they drive away I'd get their plate number and turn it in to the police.