Category: Animal House
I'm hoping to hear from dog owners, guide dog handlers and others experienced in this who can give advice that doesn't require sight.
It's become much more common now in the city for people to have dogs tied up on the sidewalk and I'll admit, I'm pretty uneasy around this. I have no idea how to tell if a dog is being aggressive or, as people say, is just playful. Everyone talks about a dog's body language, which if it's your own dog you could tell I guess, a dog guide or something. But I refuse to approach one of these on the streets and find out.
I want to know your advice for how a blind person can best avoid being the target of dog aggression. I have read being in uniform is a negative, as also having a cane. I always pull my cane up vertical so it won't think it's a stick designed to beat it with.
Anyway I'm really hoping for some suggestions. I did find this article and I'm curious if you guys find it accurate or misleading.
Most times, though, people just say things like there are no bad dogs, just bad owners, or you can tell by its fur or its tail or expression. All of that is useless to a blind guy who isn't a dog owner but may run into one or several tied up at places while walking by.
Just the other day I nearly stepped on one that was tied to a Starbucks, and surprisingly was making very little noise. It didn't try to jump or bite. It only stood knee high to me. I guess I did something wrong based on the article: I patted the top of its head before quickly moving on, mainly I was hoping to show it I was no threat.
Anyway as the dog culture is more and more prevalent now, it's something that concerns me. Right or wrong, if the dog's owner is with it, I have no concerns since they have its leash and are in control of it.
If the article is right, I'm glad I used to get after the daughter for looking into a dog's eyes, something I had always heard you weren't supposed to do.
Anyway thanks for any responses here. I know people like to have posts where they love on their animals. But I'm really hoping for some practical. Especially with this body language stuff you're supposed to be able to detect. Dog language appears to be all visual.
Tied up on sidewalks? That's a new one on me.
Portland has become a very dog-centric culture. I don't mind people bringing dogs into bars and such, they are with the animals. but not all places allow dogs and so people have them tied up outside.
I believe Cody must be right about this, it's always seeming dangerous to me. Some crack addict could steal the dog and sell it for a few bucks to a homeless person.
Yes, the homeless have dogs for their protection. Theirs are more aloof it seems, and don't confront someone on the sidewalk. I might get surprised someday.
Wondering about a super soaker filled with a mixture of ammonia and water for the just in case. Or less painfully, a dog whistle.
You can't avoid dog aggression, not even if you can see.
Some dogs don't show any until you pass, or they think they can get away.
Some just lay there and jump up.
It is really up to the owners to make sure there dog is under control when out in the street.
Walk where you would and don't be afraid to use that cane as a weapon.
These small dogs seem to be the worst. Lol. Pint size poodles will be hell on your shoes. Lol
See, this is why sighted person are afraid of guide dogs. They can see them, but have no idea if they get close how the dog will act, so they just walk far enough around to avoid them.
This is all my opinion, but has served me well. The truly dangerous dogs, and I mean the ones that have been trained to hurt you, normally the oners have them in hand out on the street.
I like your soaker idea, though I don't think the whistle will do anything but anoy the dog.
Can't you get mase dispensers to ward off would-be robbers or rapists? I imagine that would work with an aggressive dog too.
Bob
Pepper spray.
it's my opinion that, you can not tell if a dog will be aggressive often times before something happens. many times, it's the silent ones that are the meanest. with that said, if a dog is growling, I stay clear. if, he is yipping and jumping around on the end of a leash he is most likely just hyper. don't stop using your cane to avoid any dog. that is only putting your personal safety at risk. it's the dog handler's job to keep that animal out of foot traffic. and, just because that dog is on a leash, that means nothing. a dog can bite you even on a leash. or, escape the handler easily.
here, I have the same issues with dogs everywhere. on the sidewalks, in stores and restaurants. everybody thinks they should bring their doggie with them as if it were a child. then, I am working mine.
the thing about any type of spray is that, you have to get it right in the dog's face for it to do the job. this could take some doing and, you could be out of range or use your cane as a weapon much easier I think.
I never touch any dog. it's just not my thing. why would I want to pet a strange dog anyhow? yuck. that's like folks who want to touch other people's children. what's the point? but, if you feel you must then, by all means, ask first.
my very simple approach is, never trust any dog, ignore them and go about your business.
Thanks for the tips guys.
That one time where I patted its head, I don't know why I did that. I never pet dogs with the rare exception of someone asking if I would pet theirs.
You're right about pepper spray. Also that is a mist, and if the wind goes the wrong direction you get a face full of it instead of the dog.
Honestly, I usually just walk around the block and take a different route if a dog is barking loudly and yanking its chain tied to a parking meter or something.
Leo, this is a great topic. Look, I have a dog whom I'll have to give up because she recently attacked another dog two days ago. Sometimes the Bad owners doesn't apply, because we didn't know she's snap. Well maybe, she's a pit bull. But my point is that sometimes you just will never know if and when they'll attack. She loves other dogs, and this dog she attacked and was ready to crush was one with whom she had played before. So we never thought that she'd attack. And how do I know it was an attack? Her body language, she growled and barked and was biting her. She didnt behave the way she usually did when she saw this dog on play dates. 't was scary, I admit. Now this is dangerous, because if she attacked this dog, she can snap at me or at the person with whom I'm living with. I would be a bad owner if I kept her and took her out on walks where she sees dogs and is likely to attack one of them, so we'll have to put her down. I have no choice, as much as it breaks my heart. But these kinds of dogs, or any dog shouldn't be unattended or off leash out in the street. So the dogs tied to a side walk is a new one for me too. I've heard of stray dogs off leash, though. And there have been guide dog attacks as well by these kinds of dogs. I like the idea of pepper spray, and I think that weather the dog barks or growls, you can never be so sure with a strange dog.
The pepper spray was a tease, but can be effective. You'd not be spraying it in high wind?
Next, I've only been attacked twice. Once my dog, a pet, not guide, was attacked in the yard by a big stray we had running around. I was able to see, so used a broom stick on that one.
Second time, was a small dog. I've always been told not to run, but to stand my ground, and if need be fight with whatever I've got to hand. A folded cane is great.
I guess most dogs that are not attacking you due to training, are just as scared as you are, so just saying firmly "No" seems to help. Dogs have owners, if they aren't wild, so have been told this before, or "stop"
I still don't think this can be avoided, so your best course is to fight with what you've got.
Only twice? Wow ok... you're right on the fact that it can't be avoided.
Yes, only twice. Once I went to visit this girl and her roommates dog was barking and acting crazy, because he had never seen me. She just got the roommate.
The ask me if I was afraid, I said no, and me and the dog had a few minutes of getting to know one another.
It growl, and I'd say, shut up. Come here. Soon I was petting him and he was my best buddy. I took off my jacket and allowed him to attack the sleev. hahaha.
Come to think about it, it was a rolled up towel she had on the couch, not my sleeve. I was wearing a thick jean jacket, so might have. The dog is medium sized, and the jacket is really thick, so no fear. But it was a towel.
I had a long-standing incident that hopefully resolved itself recently. Lots of mornings and evenings when I went to or came home from work, there was this one, and then another, pit bull this couple had, and one was crazier than the other. Both would lunge at me, growling, barking and snapping, and were tied up on the porch near the front door of the house. At one point, their owner had a refrigerator for sale that one of our neighbors went to look at. The guy knocked on the door, and one of the dogs was loose inside the home. It attacked the guy, chewing up his arm pretty badly. Nothing could be done about it according to the police because the dog was on his own property. Same story when I complained about one of the dogs rushing at me from the porch. If it were loose, I know it would’ve gotten me. One of my cousins would walk in the road, which I took to doing for a while, because the dog went crazy when she came by. Same thing with little kids, and this road is not a quiet one. Then, this guy’s nextdoor neighbor was out in his yard, and one of the dogs got loose from its chain and rushed at the guy, who drove it off. Just so happened it was seen by a police patrol that happened to be going by, and the dogs were seized for something like 30 days. When they were given back, one of the dogs rushed at me again, so I went nextdoor and talked to the people who lived there. When I got to work, I called the police, and someone must’ve stopped by the house because neither one of the dogs is tied up there anymore. I think these people were tired of getting constant complaints, but I was seriously considering getting a soaker myself, or a bat with sand in it just in case. I do think it depends on the personality of the dog, but the owner is responsible to some degree. I heard this guy used to beat his dogs, and I think that’s the sort of thing that makes them meaner. I say the personality of the dog has something to do with it because the vast majority of the time, dogs are not afraid of my cane. When I lived in Manhattan, there was this great big pit that someone had on the elevator, and he was very friendly. Then too, dogs can be naturally protective, especially German shepherds. I had a fling with a friend of mine who has a shepherd guide dog a couple years ago, and she didn’t like how he and I were getting so close to one another. We had some um, negotiating to do with the dog for a bit, but then she just lay on the floor and probably watched the whole thing. Kinda funny when I think about it.
As much as I agree with the whole there is no bad dog, only bad owners thing, it is best to be careful. As you say, it is hard to tell if a dog is aggressive or not without looking at the dog, particularly if the dog is not making noise. There are several things you can do to calm an aggressive dog, however. Yawning is one thing you can do. Yawning indicates that you are neither submissive, nor dominant, but also tells a dog that you mean no threat. I shall try to find the article I first read on this, but it is something wolves do to calm one another and dogs, as the sub-species of wolves that they are understand the same body language.
Another thing you can do is avoid looking towards the dog and accidentally making eye contact, eye contact may be interpreted as a threat. I think holding the cane verdically is a very good idea also. I hope this helps in some way.
I have some new neighbors who just moved in recently. One day I was coming back in from taking my dog out before work. I met the lady for the first time as she was bringing her dog out to go. I asked her about her dog and so on. Then she tried to get her dog to come to mine, My dog likes to be social when she is allowed and wanted to visit the dog. But anyways, this ladiesdog did not want to have anything to do with mine and before I could continue on or stop the situation, the lady shoved her dog toard mine. Her dog was scared and bit my dogs ear. Mydog jumped back closer to me and yelped. My dog started to rub her face all over my pants. I felt of her face trying to see if she was hurt.I wasn't sure who had yelp and what had caused it and if my dog was ok. The ladysaid nothing to me about what had happened. She just kept asking her dog what was the matter with it. By this time her husband came out and was standing there too. I took my dog back inside to see what was going on with her. As I walked away, I over heard her quietly telling the guy something about her ear. Again, nothing was said to me. So once I got inside I felt of my dogs ear and it was bleeding pritty bad. I took her to my room mate and she said it was deffently blood and not just slobber. I cleaned her up with ACV and kept an eye on it. I soon went back outside to wait on my ride and she came out to say sorry but she never told me that my dogs ear had been bitten.
Story number two
My room mate was taking her dog out,which is just a pet. She was coming in and met the guy and their other dog at the same spot. She told me that the other dog kept growling at her dog.
stuff that happen number three
When i take my dog out, sometimes their dogs will lunge at us through their window. They live on the second floor by the way. I also haven't seen those dogs in a while so not sure what has happened.
She probably assumes you know your dog was attacked. It didn't require her to explain. Your dog was acting hurt, so she probably didn't think about it.
I kind of disagree with the eye contact thing. As a person that could see, I think eye contact is exactly what you'd need,. You need to not show fear.
The yawning thing is interesting too. I've read when a dog yawns it is about to attack, because it is releasing stress so it can not the other way around.
Come to think about it, the big pit on the elevator and most other dogs on elevators have seen me holding my cane vertically because when I'm in buildings I know, I generally am not as active with the cane as I would be outside. But when I'm on the streets, I won't hold my cane vertically unless I'm near my home territory since you don't know what you're necessarily gunna run into on the sidewalks. Plus, I've had to go in the road when I've gone past their house, and there's a lot of traffic on it, and I want the cane to be a sort of identifier.
I say walk as you need to. Dogs can see? There not going to sit there and get wacked by your cane. Seems to me if a dog is mean, it is mean, so no matter what you are doing, it will act up. If the dog isn't mean, your cane isn't going to make it mean, it will just simply move?
Actually, many many of the dogs I've encountered did exactly that: sat there and let themselves get whacked by the cane. None were mean, though.
And yesterday there was a very tiny one tied to a post, which I very nearly stepped on. Had it not made some small noise, and things been quiet enough, I would have likely stepped on it. Obviously that seems it would be serious injury to such a tiny thing.
I don't blame the women who carry those in their purses instead, to keep them from being injured.
I do guess some dogs will allow you to wack them, but if you were swinging they'd move, trust me. You probably didn't scare them enough, nor swing threateningly enough.
If you think about it, in the regular use of a cane, how hard are you really swinging? Lol
I personally don't swing my cane to kill, takes to much effort. Arm would get tired. Smile.
Something that happened a couple of days ago reminded me of this topic: I was headed to the mall for a shopping trip with Crazy Kate. When I got there and approached her casually to say hello, her guide dog started barking in the loudest, meanest, scariest way I've seen a dog bark in years. I grew up with dogs (german shepherd crosses, so not the cuddliest dogs) and have seldom, if ever, been frightened by a dog. But while I know Kate's dog to be a perfectly behaved girl 99% of the time, and not aggressive in the slightest, I was frightened enough to take several steps back. She was just pleased to see me, but it was still very frightening and I can see why some people might find that extremely intimidating. If her dog really had been planning to do more than bark, I'm not even sure how I'd have dealt with it.
You couldn't see the smile and the wagging tail. Lol.
what a good discussion has been had here and your right it is not always easy to distinguish between an aggressive dog or a playful one but you can by the way there behaviour is and the way of how there bark or growl sounds and i never not pass one with my cane cause i do as it kind of scares them