Any ideas on good local laws for dealing with aggressive dogs?

[undeterred]

Its getting to the point where I don't feel safe taking my dog anywhere anymore.

A month or two ago I was leash walking my dog in my own neighborhood and I passed a man leash walking his dog across the unpaved street. After we passed, his dog made a lunge for us. The man yelled at me to kick his dog, which I did. He ran toward us and landed on top of his dog, barely stopping the attack in time... his dog got a mouthful of my (longhaired) dog's fur. His dog appeared to be a pit bull mix, but was larger than most pits, and it was black.

The owner was nice about it. The dog had tags on, and he was on a leash. I couldn't think of any laws that were being broken. I told a neighbor of mine about it and he said the owner also had a female, and the dogs had mated and that the male had killed 3 of its own puppies. This is not the only incident where an unneutered, dog-aggressive animal has attacked a dog in my neighborhood- its just what happened to me. It could have been any breed.

My way of dealing with it has been to stop walking my own dog in my own neighborhood. I also started carrying pepper spray, which is legal in my state. My vet said it would stop dogs from fighting and would have no lasting bad effects. I drive my dog to the dog park where I pretty much know most of the other people and their dogs. But guess what- now some people with dog-aggressive dogs are bringing their pets there too.

Most of the people with dog-aggressive dogs, frankly, are not the most responsible pet owners. I expect that they aren't paying for a dog license or park tags, or maybe even getting their dogs vaccinated. But even if they are- the real concern is that when aggressive dogs are out in public, other dogs- and perhaps people- aren't safe.

There are no laws against walking dog-aggressive dogs out in public. Often the owner will tell other people to "kick my dog" or "get your dog away" as if the rest of the world is supposed to clear out. If you call the police, they will ask you if anyone has been bitten, and if not they will tell you to go home if you don't feel safe.

Is that all there is? I don't even know what kind of laws would help.

I'm not interested in breed bans. There are plenty of responsible pit bull owners in my city and plenty of people with aggressive dogs belonging to other breeds.

But its getting pretty ridiculous when you have to be afraid to walk your dog around the block on a leash for fear of being attacked.

[HopeHoops]

1. SuperSoaker filled with vinegar. Pretty good non-lethal defense weapon against damn near anything.

Quick shot to the eyes and you're golden.

No permanent damage.

[L0oniX]

2. I carry my gun when I go outside ...neighbor has 2 large pits.

I will shoot them if they come on my property and approach me....it's called "fear for my life".

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Check with your local police department for criminal laws for not

restraining an animal which could be deemed "dangerous".

Also the clerk of your local municipality would have ordinances for the same concern.

Unfortunately your only recourse is an argument concerning restraint. Unless there's an ordinance that explicitly bans a particular breed of dog, an owner has a right to keep any kind of dog or walk it on a leash on public sidewalks.

[michaz]

4. Actually, when I am leash walking my dogs and I see another person walking

their dog, I make it a point to cross the street and walk on the other side. It is never a good idea to continue walking on the same side and letting dogs come close to one another. Even the nicest of dogs can get spooked by another dog.

[undeterred]

6. I was already on the other side when the incident happened.

And we had already passed each other. Out of the blue his dog crossed the street to attack us.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. Call animal control every time it happens

[TBF]

7. I grew up in the country - forget the dogs but keep an eye out for bears

and anything else that might be running around ... :)

I am a dog owner with a large lab that I think could be seen as aggressive by folks who don't know him. He is much more leash reactive than others I've had. He does great at doggie daycare and off-leash in dog parks, but when he sees something new (a wagon with kids can set him off for example) he barks like a maniac. It drives me up the wall because he is the greatest dog at home with the kids ... he lets them do anything to him. We've had him at board and train, and also additional lessons. I've just learned that some days he's calmer than others so I tend to cross the street or put him in a sit if other dogs come by (he is great in a sit - he figures a treat is coming I suppose) and will let anything pass. I also walk him with a prong leash (as suggested by one of the trainers) so he is easier for me to control.

If there is a particular dog that is bothering you please try talking to the owner. I know that one of the older ladies on my street is nervous of big dogs so I always put my dog in a sit when she is anywhere near us and I know she appreciates that.

And I guess my best advice would be to carry pepper spray - that is what I did when I lived in a large city by myself and did a lot of running (that was years ago before I had pets of my own). You can also just cross the street, as you would if anything makes you uncomfortable. You shouldn't feel like you can't walk around the neighborhood.

ETA - one thing I just thought of that is comparable is sometimes when we are walking we come upon a stray dog. As you might imagine my large lab is not threatened by much, but I've found that just yelling at a dog to go away can work - or alternatively throwing out a few treats to him can distract him (and sometimes make you a new friend). I'd still carry the pepper spray for emergencies, but maybe those strategies could help.

[undeterred]

8. Any more suggestions?

[KurtNYC]

9. the other owner let go of his leash?

His dog crossed the street without him? In dog owner etiquit he is not allowed to let go of his leash, ever. And he needs to have whatever type of collar it takes for him to control his dog.

But only so much you can do to change the other guy's behavior and there are always others out there. Sounds like this was one of several close calls. I would prepare for worse and try to limit the worst possible case:

-- your dog's neck should be protected by a wide flat collar with prominent spikes.
-- familiarize yourself with what to do in a dog fight (graphic):
http://leerburg.com/dogfight.htm
-- reach out to law enforcement and animal control for advice and help
-- as friendly as possible, put the other animal owner's on notice that they are responsible for their animals' actions and welfare. If it seems appropriate offer to get them a different collar
-- if unlicensed or unvaccinated dogs are coming to a public dog park then band together with responsible owners to insist that the dogs be excluded until they are properly licensed and displaying rabies tags
-- photograph the dog and owner with your cell phone camera after an incident like you described
-- think about moving if you have the means and inclination

[undeterred]

11. Not on purpose.

But the dog became agitated and bolted from him. He couldn't control it. (This happened to me once- when my dog saw a police horse and freaked out- he got all excited, but not aggressive, and the horse could not have cared less.) From the guy telling me "Kick him" its apparently happened before.

Thanks for the link.

[Posteritatis]

10. I know I'm getting sick of that sort of thing myself

I pass by five or six houses where the dogs go absolutely berserk every day on my walk to the bus stop for work in the mornings. Most of them are of the barking rat variety and restrained by chains or fences, but they're all trying very hard to attack.

My immediate neighbors have had one dog taken away because they raised it aggressive (and neglected the hell out of it to boot; when it was off its leash it'd attack anyone it saw) and are about to lose their replacement for the same reason.

The fact that so many dog owners are complete fuckups like that is depressing.

[RebelOne]

12. I can only blame the dog owners.

I have owned pit bulls and Rottweilers and when taking them out on a leash, I have never had a problem with them trying to attack other dogs or people. But other dogs have tried to attack mine, but they did not attack back.

[undeterred]

13. I'm not blaming the breeds.

There are dog-aggressive dogs that probably shouldn't be walked around in public on a leash. At least I'd rather they weren't.