Protect Yourself Durring Dog Attack

I was just reading a post discussing how to break up dogs (bully and non-bully) if there is an accidental fight. It made me think. Yeah i know most 'dog fanciers' know what a breaking stick is and how to use it. But what would you do if a dog came after you and tried to bite you, and you were alone?

Do you know the best way to handle that kind of situation? I was recently put in that exact situation. A dog escaped his kennel and made straight for me. I had no dog nearby and was out in the open alone. I knew from the look in his eye that i was going to get bit and it was going to hurt. I ended up on the ground, but by luck and by education, i knew what to do to minimize the damage done.

The few things that went through my mind during the attack:
Keep Calm, call for help, DON'T RUN, don't turn your back to the dog, try to stay standing up (which i failed at), immobilize the dog's head if you can. For me, it was better to have my hands bitten than my face. I ended up with a bite to the knee (3 tooth holes and 3 stitches) and that was it. When i fell down i was able to grab the dog by his throat and collar as the dog came around close enough to my face to scratch my shoulder with it's front paws. I was able to end the attack right there. I held the dog away from me with a stiff straight arm, and waited for the owner to grab the dog and take it away.

Before my experience, i had never spoken to anyone who had been attacked by a pit bull before. I hope that by reading what i thought about during the attach, someone might remember what i said if the situation ever happens to them, and be better able to control the situation. But i really hope that no one has to go through that. I've been around these dogs for over 15 years, and until that day i had never know what it was like to be afraid of a dog.

 

i dont mean to be an ass, but it sounds like you put yourself in that awful situation yourself. why were you in someones yard out in the open with out the owner around? thanks for the heads up though. im going to do my best to stay away from manbiters.

 

try to stay standing up (which i failed at)

Best part of this thread lok

 

Hardluck, she was at a dog show and I saw the entire thing. She did everything 100% correct! Looked like she tripped over her own feet when she took a step back which is why she was on the ground. I think the main thing is to try and stay on ur feet. Some people are bigger than others but like mentioned above you want to protect your face.

 

Dam sucks to b around man bitters that's why u cull ass soon as u see the first sign.

 

I had a dog jump its fence on me and my dog today, thank God I wasnt alone because there would have been a serious dog fight. I carry a knife on me just in case, I will not hesitate to stab a dog if it attacks me or starts a fight with my dog.

Sounds like OP got away pretty lucky, I havnt had a dog come up on me before that kept coming, most stop when you rush them or yell, but good to know most of what I would do is what you should do.

 

Yeah, i was at an ADBA sanctioned show event.

I want people to know that something like this can happen anywhere. I've been going to shows most of my life and we have had dogs get loose occasionally and 99.9% of the time there isn't a problem. But that 0.1% of the time the dog that gets loose is dangerous, people should be prepared. Arm yourself with knowledge, (and a break stick)!

Thankfully it was me, and not some little kid!

 

i hope that dog was put down??

what a fucking shame

 

I got a question, what was this dog? I hope it wasnt APBT and if it was what happened to it? I really dont think a dog like that, that would run up and attack a person should even be alive, thats just my belief on these dogs, hell if my mutt ever made a move to bite someone and he was lucky enough for me not to kill him right that second he would be taking a one way right to the Vet.

I am glad you got away pretty much unscathed!

 

Yes it was an APBT. It was actually a champion, almost Gr Ch. Which brings up another point. If you are at a dog show and someone tells you not to get too close to their dog, that is a WARNING SIGN. Please tell the club members that are putting on the show. The club members need to speak to the dog owner, and if they really do have a dog that might nip or bite someone if they pet the dog, they need to remove the dog IMMEDIATELY from the show, no refunds, and should never bring the dog back. We as a dog community need to take responsibility for all the dogs at a show ring. We all represent them and they represent all of us at a show. Every dog is an ambassador for the breed and it only takes one bad dog to prove the media right.

I don't know why the dog came at me. There were dogs barking near by and i think the dog just saw RED and i was the closest living body.

I left the decision to the dogs fate up to the owner. If it had been my dog, i would have preferred the decision be up to me.

 

any mutt with a bad confirmation is worth 100x more then a gr ch who attacks people with no reason

i guess you dont pressed charges because you dont want a bad news article in the papers, so let the owners do whats right and let him sleep.

but i honestly think most show folks think looks are more important then anything

 

there is aways warning sighns ,, i've always thaught if it happens to me with any kind of dog your best defence would be to get the dog in a head lock do like a wwe move and slam the dog down to try and break it's neck ,, sounds crull i'm sure it's just what i been thinking for many years if it ever happened to me

 

Things happen so fast, it is nearly impossible to do something that requires a lot of planning. I had a lot of people ask how come I didn't take off running or hit the dog with my fist. I wanted to show people that staying calm, standing your ground and protecting your self are smarter moves than running away. A dog will always out run you, and when you run you become prey in the eyes of a dog.

Calling for help was probably the smartest thing I did. If I was not able to immobilize the dogs head it would have continued to bite. I would have required the assistance of the people nearby to get the dog away.

A wwe move is fine for a big strong man, but what about a woman who does not watch wrestling (like me) or a child?

Stay calm, call for help, don't run!

 

Glad you are okay... Compared to how it could have been anyway. Hope the owner had the good sense to kill that dog. I dunno if it's possible but I would like to hear of its CH taken away

 

its good that you are ok too. i thought you were in someones yard because of the mentioning of a kennel, i guess you meant crate. none the less i dont feel the dog should have any points taken away. the owner although complacent with that dog did alot of traveling and work to get those points. if anything the dog should be not allowed to be shown again or suspended for a year if possible. that would be a better option to me because it was not the dogs fault but the owners. im a firm believer of a cover on the crate for those reasons. a thin covering like a bed liner or something is good to lessen the visual stimulation for the dog. what type of crate did it bust out of?

 

The crate was the hard plastic crates that are approved for airline use with the metal front. Some dogs are expert escape artists!

I don't know how I feel about having points taken away, because I know how hard a ch is to come by (my male got his CH points at the show while I was in the ER and I missed it). but dogs with a history like that don't belong at shows, in my opinion.

 

Personally, I think any APBT that attacks humans should be put down since that is probably the worse fault these dogs can have. I might feel differently if it were a protection or guardian breed bred for that purpose. And this was a dog on the way to a championship? No way that dog should ever be shown again or bred and if had attacked me, I'd so what I had to do to make sure it didn't happen to someone else.

Bad dog.....Bad owner.

 

This is good advice C&L Thanks.