Back in April, mcmama, otherwise known as Janet McMonagle the Community Manager, posted the thread “Leashed dog attacked by loose dog” over in the Pets Forum. The dogs involved were a terrier mix (the leashed one) and a German Shepherd (the loose one).
Janet wasn’t sure if the Shepherd was going after the dog or his owner, but the little dog didn’t fare too well. His neck got all torn up and he had to be rushed to the vet and get stitches. Thankfully he lived.
Having been in similar situations with both Budly and Murphy a time or two (from the leashed dog owner’s perspective), I know the panic that ensues when a loose dog attacks.
In the scenario Janet presented, the owners were right there. The dog did not heed their commands and bolted anyway. The owner had to physically come and peel his dog off the other one.
More than once I’ve dealt with a loose dog that had strayed from home. Not very far, usually not more than a house or two, but the owner’s were unaware –until they heard the commotion. (In Budly’s attack, though, the owner’s weren’t present at all.)
In fact, about a month before Janet made her post a neighbor’s dog attacked Murphy as we were coming home from a walk. The dog is nice to people, but extremely aggressive towards other dogs. I saw her out, walked to the other side of the street, but the dang dog came after us anyway.
Somehow Murph cut his foot, and she got one good chomp out of his side, but other than that he was okay. And the owner luckily had just stepped inside for a minute and dashed out the second he heard the snarls.
Still, he knows his dog is aggressive and he knows what a dog walking neighborhood we have. He never should have left her unattended for even a second.
And that’s really where the responsibility lies –with the people. If a loose dog attacks, the dog’s owner is to blame. Shame on them for letting them run loose at all.
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