We got through a stray dog incident today

I think I've written before about the problems in my neighborhood with strays. It became such a problem that I changed my walking route so we would not encounter them.

Today, we were coming towards the end of our walk when I noticed a chihuahua running up the sidewalk. As you know, Misha is not the best with strange dogs. I was torn. Should I chase the dog and risk a dog fight? Should I leave it and risk it getting hit by a car?

I started to walk away from it and it ran across the street. It started to head for a busy street with tons of traffic. I was pretty sure I had seen this dog before. If I was right, I might be able to chase it back home. So, Misha and I headed across the street. I didn't get too close so as not to get Misha worked up.

With my voice I was able to turn the dog around. Then, with us following, it crossed the street and headed towards where it started from. I kept after him yelling "Frosty, Go Home!" because I thought it might be the dog who ran after us one day that was named Frosty.

He eventually turned into a driveway of a house. I yelled for the people to come get their dog. A woman responded and opened the front door. Then, she shut it and didn't say another word! I was a little stunned that she didn't say thank you or ask me where I had found him or anything. Shoot! Her dog was almost in the next neighborhood and she wasn't even thankful that I brought him back home.

Anyway, the good news is that Misha never reacted! She allowed me to drag her up and down the streets following another dog. She didn't growl or bark. She pretty much stayed calm. I won't expect this reaction every time, but I think it was good for both of us to know we could get through a situation like this.

Do you encounter many strays on your walk? Does you dog handle it okay?

 

Yes, I do encounter all kinds of strays when I take my dogs for runs. In the deserted empty space near the railway tracks where I used to take Dark Lady for her exercise, there was a pack of strays. However I never had any problems with them. Neither did Dark Lady but then again Dark Lady is the type that can be told to stop even after she has started chasing after a cat.

 

We certainly do. And it makes our walks difficult because these dogs are sometimes the ones that charge at us and I wouldn't want my dogs attacked by a dog who thinks were coming into their turf, let alone a stray who might think the entire city is their turf.

Good that Misha isn't reacting much to other dogs. It seems the she's been desensitized and that's great. Hopefully she doesn't react badly at cats, too. I hear some pretty bad accidents involving stray cats.I know a chihuahua who came after a stray cat who accidentally slipped his T (something) vertebrae. He's currently on crate rest for 2 weeks.

 

I have a suggestion. It's not an original idea actually because I learned it from someone who had a lot of experience in walking his dogs.

Carry a walking stick with you. Most stray dogs would not come near anyone with a stick. It's easy for me because I always walk with a cane any way.

 

Haopee, Misha doesn't react to cats. She only knows one cat personally. It's my sister's cat and that cat is very mean. Misha has learned to keep a safe distance from cats. My Lab was worse with cats. Any cat that dared step into our yard had better run quick. She never caught one, but she certainly put on a good chase.

I do hope she is improving. I know her reactions reflect my own. Some of these dogs, like Frosty, are not a threat. I've seen them before and know how they react. There is one Chihuahua in the area that I would say displays predatory behavior. I've seen it chase people on bikes. We have been cornered by it. It doesn't approach sniffing. It runs up and acts aggressively. It runs out whenever the owner has the garage door open. I try to look before we turn that way just to avoid any fights.

Victor, I've been thinking of carrying a stick. I'm just not sure how I can do it. I have arthritis in my hands so holding the leash sometimes is difficult. I was thinking if I could find something that folded up that could be released easily or something with a strap so I didn't have to hold it until I needed it, then it might work.

 

If you have a problem carrying a stick, this might be useful for you.


It's a retractable steel baton. Just keep a firm grip on it and swing out. It can telescope out to at least two feet, depending on the model. The tip is heavy so it's hits pretty hard. Any way, just having it extended should deter most dogs.

 

Good thing that dog was safe and should not be allowed to be on the street alone.
There are lots of stray dogs here since there is no law or strict law for it. It is not even safe to walk dogs since it could cause dog fights.

 

You were more focused on the stray than your own dog messing up. You weren't so tense worrying about how he would react so much as you were worried about the stray getting hit. He probably felt that from you and since you weren't stressing on how he would react to the other dog as much as usual he didn't have a reason to react. Make sense?

 

The walking stick also makes you look much larger than you are which you want to do with a dog is hold up the walking stick and start yelling, same as a big cat out in the wild. You certainly never want to try running from a dog or a big cat because then you become prey.