Dawson and I had an unexpected hiccup in our otherwise relaxing outing to a busy local park this morning. Dawson was sitting next to me while I had stopped to talk with someone when suddenly I saw three large dogs (one that probably weighed over 100 pounds) running directly toward us, dragging their handler who was running behind them, holding their leashes as best she could. The dogs were clearly so aroused that they were completely oblivious to the woman they were with. It is scary to think about what could have happened if they got loose, and that seemed like a possibility.
When Dawson saw them, he understandably got up and began barking at them.
There was no time for panic. I had seconds to react and prevent what I shudder to think could have been a very dangerous disaster.
These are three things that I DID NOT do.
I did not pick Dawson up. That could have made him an even more enticing prey object for those dogs to chase. It could have put both Dawson and me in grave danger.
I did not run away. Running could have cause the dogs to run even faster after us and that could have caused their handler to drop their leashes. Again, that could have had a disastrous ending.
I did not scream and flail my arms. Those behaviors also could have greatly heightened the dogs’ arousal.
This is what I DID do.
I calmly directed Dawson, “Let’s Go” and began walking away briskly but not running from the charging dogs toward the center of the grassy area. We were able to get distance fairly quickly and with distance the charging dogs stopped running toward us,. I gave Dawson treats when we were away from them and his body muscles returned to loose quickly too. We walked back to my car without incident.
It was a reminder though, that is a good idea to be prepared when you are out with your dog.
In an older post I wrote about being prepared if you are approached by a stray, off-leash dog. Please read it here.
