Forums >General Running>A question for owners of aggressive dogs
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jules2
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Ben
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Imminent Catastrophe
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Well, I don't own an aggressive dog, but I do own an 80lb. rottie / pit mix that scares the bejeesus out of many people. For this reason, he doesn't go off leash EVER. I think you had every right to defend yourself and I've done the same when defending me and my dog. He's been attacked by an aggressive yorkie, a shih tzu , and a pug. How's that for irony?
Two, these young dogs were running into the road when they went after me. Maybe I've prevented them from getting hit by a car. Their irresponsible owners certainly haven't done anything.
Did you let him defend himself against them? How'd it work out in those three cases?
I was enjoying my Saturday morning run today at the reservoir. Lots of people out in the beautiful sunshine and 50-degree weather. Suddenly, a dog came running at me, snarling and barking. I was in no mood to let it sink its sharp teeth into my calf muscle, so I gave it a good, swift kick to the middle, and it ran away. Meanwhile, the dog's owner went absolutely off his rocker. He charged toward me, screaming and no doubt intending to do me bodily harm. "I can't believe you just kicked my dog, you fucking asshole!" he yelled. I picked up my pace to stay a few steps away from his flailing arms as he tried to grab me. "I was just defending myself," I said, jogging along in front of him. "He's just a puppy," the man cried. He was practically sobbing in spite of his rage. "What kind of person would kick a 5-month-old puppy?" The dog, by the way, was reasonably large, did not look like a puppy at all, and certainly had sharp teeth. "Why don't you teach him not to run at people while growling and barking?" I asked. The man was still trying to chase me, but he was tiring quickly. It occurred to me that the dog's aggression mirrored its owner's. As the man fell further behind me, still cursing and screaming at me, I turned back for a last look and noticed that he was holding a dog leash. "Why don't you put your dog on a fucking leash?" I said. "He's certainly not under voice and sight control." The dog was now about 400 yards away from its owner. Dogs in this area, by the way, are allowed to be off-leash only if they have passed a special Voice and Sight Control training class, and are wearing a city-issued green tag to prove it. At this point, the man decided he was not going to be able to catch me, and optimistically made me a friendly offer: "Hey buddy, do you want to stop and talk about it?" Um, you just tried to chase me down and beat the shit out of me, and now you want me to come back and discuss it with you? No thanks. I ignored him and continued my run. So, my question for dog owners who may be reading this: what would you have done if you were the owner of the dog in this story, and why?