What Should I Have Said...Dog Attack

[Anonymous]

Ok - so I'm afraid of dogs...always have been, but very recently I was walking on the sidewalk, through my neighborhood carrying my newborn in an Ergo when 3 little, yappy dogs came running at me (to the sidewalk), full-speed to my ankles. They were barking so loudly and it seemed to me that they were going to take a chunk out of my leg. I froze in fear while they barked at my legs and their owner casually reprimanded them and gave me a roll of the eye, helpless shrug and said, "sorry". Once I snapped back into it, I continued walking but felt like I should have said something...but no words came to me...

There are a few dogs in my neighborhood that I know will run at full-force to the fence and then bark/attack me as I go by, oftentimes I know this and can prepare myself...but othertimes I wish I had a "go-to" comment to address this behavior if the owner is close by...anyone?

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Do you have leash laws?

[Anonymous]

yes - we are in dc.

[Anonymous]

Kick/sweep/kick/sweep...

[Anonymous]

Well, you can do the nice "Oh I'm really scared of dogs can you keep them away from me" in a nice tone with as much of a smile as you can manage, or you can do a curt "Keep your dogs off me-they should be on a leases anyway." I would probably chose the latter.

[Anonymous]

Did the dogs actually make contact with your body? From your story it's unclear whether these dogs were even off leash. Dogs yapping at you is not an "attack."

[Anonymous]

OP - here. Thanks for your helpful replies. Yes, dogs were off the leash and while they didn't actully bite me, they did make contact w/ my shoe. Regardless of the specific details, I'm just looking for something to say to the owners to show that I don't appreciate this behavior.

[Anonymous]

I'm no yappy dog fan, but your last couple sentences indicate you have an issue with dogs who come up to the fence and you want a snark to give to the owner -give me a break. They are in their yard. They may not be pleasant, but they are contained. If you start making comments to your neighbors about things contained (per the law) in your yard, you will get the reputation of the neighborhood biyatch.

One of my neighbors has a fence up to the sidewalk, and her dog is snarly and mean to passersby. But she has the dog contained. If the dog is out, I simply avoid her house by crossing the street. Heaven knows if you start complaining about your neighbors, they will start looking for all the things you are doing that they don't like.

If, though, you are dealing with unleashed dogs on unfenced property, just remind the owners, "We have leash laws for a reason." That is perfectly valid, and a pointed reminder is appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Dog off leash and out of their yard I can understand, but what do you expect people to do when dogs rush to the fence when people walk by?

[Anonymous]

15:57 - point taken entirely...not intending to be the "neighborhood biyatch". I guess I shouldn't have included the bit about the dogs behind the fences...I will leave my replies for the leash-less dogs that are on public property.

[Anonymous]

If some dog comes running at me, unleashed, and gets in my space in an aggressive manner it will get kicked (esp if I am holding a baby). Keep your dogs away from people! Why do we have to deal with them?

Is there possibly one dog owner in this city that isn't aware of the leash laws? No. So if they are already inconsiderate enough to allow their dogs to roam around, they are the ones putting everyone's safety (random people and dogs) in jeopardy. Reminding some asshat that "We have leash laws for a reason" is only going to get you attitude back from said asshat.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you are very sensitive, try to figure out your "rounds" of the neighborhood to avoid dogs. Because I can tell you your child is going to pick up on your fear. And it's going to be difficult for him/her because he is going scream/cry whenever a dog is close by. That's going to be a much bigger problem for you then having a good snarky comment.

The best thing you can do is adopt a non-chalant attitude so your child will be confident around them and not get hysterical.

[Anonymous]

16:05 - you're awesome!

[Anonymous]

You were carrying your newborn in an Ergo and three dogs rushed up and barked at you. You didn't know if they would bite you and you were carrying a baby! It was good that the owner said he was sorry but he should have been much more vocal and apologetic. It's absurd that he had three dogs out on the street without a leash, unless they were extremely well trained, which they weren't.

Something like this happened to me - I had toddler in a backpack and dog on a leash and this guy's loose dog ran up to my dog and wanted to play. It was difficult to balance my child on my back and keep hold of my dog. I think I said something like "You know, this is really making things difficult." He apologized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If some dog comes running at me, unleashed, and gets in my space in an aggressive manner it will get kicked (esp if I am holding a baby). Keep your dogs away from people! Why do we have to deal with them?

Is there possibly one dog owner in this city that isn't aware of the leash laws? No. So if they are already inconsiderate enough to allow their dogs to roam around, they are the ones putting everyone's safety (random people and dogs) in jeopardy. Reminding some asshat that "We have leash laws for a reason" is only going to get you attitude back from said asshat.

If you kick a dog and it bites you, you deserve to be bitten. And you have no recourse to complain about the dog "running at me."

Jesus. I hate you more than I hate people who let their dogs off leash. What is you problem?