Dog attacked by old lady. Dog bites back.

[freethinker44]

So my dog ran up to a neighbor of mine as she was walking past our house. He is kind of a big breed but he isn't threatening at all, he is used to having lots of new people come around our property. Anyways, he trots up to her and she completely freaks out. I mean, she started flailing her arms in the air and yelling and then she actually charged towards him. I guess she was trying to scare him off. Well, it didn't work and he bit her. Luckily she is a friend of my wifes parents and he didn't break the skin or anything so she is not pressing charges against us. But what bothers me is, after everything calmed down, she told us he was dangerous and we were crazy to let him around our kids. She is the crazy person screaming in the middle of the road and yet my dog is the one who is dangerous. My question is, should we have the old lady put down?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Wow... That's a crazy lady... why would you let her around kids>

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

So my dog ran up to a neighbor of mine as she was walking past our house. He is kind of a big breed but he isn't threatening at all, he is used to having lots of new people come around our property. Anyways, he trots up to her and she completely freaks out. I mean, she started flailing her arms in the air and yelling and then she actually charged towards him. I guess she was trying to scare him off. Well, it didn't work and he bit her. Luckily she is a friend of my wifes parents and he didn't break the skin or anything so she is not pressing charges against us. But what bothers me is, after everything calmed down, she told us he was dangerous and we were crazy to let him around our kids. She is the crazy person screaming in the middle of the road and yet my dog is the one who is dangerous. My question is, should we have the old lady put down?

Bet she won't do that again. The sad fact is dogs need to live with in confines of humans rules or humans kill the dogs. I don't know what your area is like, but I were I live, if your dog is not leashed and your dog has a problem it is your fault.

Once my dog ran up to two dobermans they were pulling there owner down the street (sign of poorly trained dogs). They attacked my dog. I knew it was my fault my dog was off leash. Not fair but it is just the way it is.

 

[jazzymom]

Sorry but a big dog that trotted up to a woman who was walking can be problematic. She may have just been afraid of dogs. I know I love dogs but I don't want to be approached by a dog I don't know. When my dog was alive I did not let her approach people unless they wanted to be approached. I was bitten as a child by a dog and I was minding my own business. It was traumatic.

 

[freethinker44]

Sorry but a big dog that trotted up to a woman who was walking can be problematic. She may have just been afraid of dogs.

If she didn't go berserk on him nothing would have happened. We would have called him back, waved to her, and apologized but assured her that he was just trying to see who she was. No big deal. She even admitted she probably shouldn't have acted that way. It just annoys me because, we live on a farm with 3 other properties on our mile long road. We have 100 acres of front yard and he has to be on a 20 foot chain now. It wasn't even his fault. It's a double standard, if she did that to a human, he would be totally justified in defending himself. But since it was an animal, the animal is automatically considered the dangerous one. From his perspective he was walking around his front yard when some old lady randomly attacked him. I mean, it ended well because she was a family friend, but if it was anyone else it would have been a death sentence for my dog.

 

[jazzymom]

If she didn't go berserk on him nothing would have happened. We would have called him back, waved to her, and apologized but assured her that he was just trying to see who she was. No big deal. She even admitted she probably shouldn't have acted that way. It just annoys me because, we live on a farm with 3 other properties on our mile long road. We have 100 acres of front yard and he has to be on a 20 foot chain now. It wasn't even his fault. It's a double standard, if she did that to a human, he would be totally justified in defending himself. But since it was an animal, the animal is automatically considered the dangerous one. From his perspective he was walking around his front yard when some old lady randomly attacked him. I mean, it ended well because she was a family friend, but if it was anyone else it would have been a death sentence for my dog.

I understand you know your dog and what he would or would not do. My point is that she did not know your dog. I live in a neighborhood with dogs and when I walk I would be afraid if a dog ran up to me. Especially if I did not know them.

Did he leave your yard? Did she run into your yard?

The law says a dog needs to be leashed if they are not in a yard. If a dog bites someone the owner will be held responsible.

I don't want to argue, I am just seeing it from the perspective of a person who has been bitten by a dog when I was minding my own business. Having a dog run up to you can be traumatic if you don't know the dog.

Sometimes people are just really afraid.

 

[Draka]

I thought common sense dictated that if you are going to go for a walk there is always the chance of encountering various animals. Pets, strays, and wild. If you don't know how to comport yourself in a safe manner when encountering such then perhaps you shouldn't bother to brave the outdoors. Seriously, I walk frequently and often enough dogs will come up to me. Depending on their approach I either raise my arms a bit and just continue on or I simply stop and stand still and perhaps speak to them in a calm and soft voice. I've never had one issue.

 

[jazzymom]

I thought common sense dictated that if you are going to go for a walk there is always the chance of encountering various animals. Pets, strays, and wild. If you don't know how to comport yourself in a safe manner when encountering such then perhaps you shouldn't bother to brave the outdoors. Seriously, I walk frequently and often enough dogs will come up to me. Depending on their approach I either raise my arms a bit and just continue on or I simply stop and stand still and perhaps speak to them in a calm and soft voice. I've never had one issue.

The law says that dogs can't run loose and people do have a right to be able to walk without dogs running up to them.

Most localities have leash laws.

 

[Koldo]

So my dog ran up to a neighbor of mine as she was walking past our house. He is kind of a big breed but he isn't threatening at all, he is used to having lots of new people come around our property. Anyways, he trots up to her and she completely freaks out. I mean, she started flailing her arms in the air and yelling and then she actually charged towards him. I guess she was trying to scare him off. Well, it didn't work and he bit her. Luckily she is a friend of my wifes parents and he didn't break the skin or anything so she is not pressing charges against us. But what bothers me is, after everything calmed down, she told us he was dangerous and we were crazy to let him around our kids. She is the crazy person screaming in the middle of the road and yet my dog is the one who is dangerous. My question is, should we have the old lady put down?

It sounds like your property isn't properly enclosed. Which is/was the source of the problem.

 

[Draka]

The law says that dogs can't run loose and people do have a right to be able to walk without dogs running up to them.

Most localities have leash laws.

Yes, but the law and common sense don't often go hand in hand now do they? Stray dogs and cats exists. Animals get off their leashes or slip out of their front or back doors before the owners can grab them. Stuff happens. Wild animals exist as well. One can come across a raccoon or a possum or the like. Stuff happens. Just because a law exists it doesn't mean that one shouldn't know how to comport themselves around animals and instead act like a raving buffoon flailing about screaming and yelling. That's a sure-fire way to get oneself attacked...by just about any kind of animal.

 

[freethinker44]

It sounds like your property isn't properly enclosed. Which is/was the source of the problem.

Pretty sure the source of the problem was when she acted like she was going to rip my dogs face off. Right, I am legally liable for anything my dog does, including this event, I get it. But come on, I don't mean she took a defensive stance and yelled at him sternly to back off, I mean she freaked the hell out and rushed him. It was almost cartoonish.

To put it in a little better perspective, we live on a farm. Everyone around us lives on farms. Every one of those farms has dogs walking the property freely. And everytime anyone walks by they come to see who it is. It's nothing new or out of the ordinary. She had absolutely no reason to think it wasn't just another farm dog checking her out. I wish I had video or pictures to show how completely over the top she acted. The best way I can explain it is: like one of those blow-up, waving things outside of car dealerships, screaming like banshee, running at you. That is what she looked like. That is not how you act when a strange dog walks up to you unless you want to be attacked. If she would have just stopped and let him smell her, like every other property she walks by, all would have been fine.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Could she have just been playing with the dog? Often, when I walk by my neighbor's dog each day when I'm doing something, I run over and play with it; stomping forward, pushing it around (softly) while it tries to get my hand, etc. That dog understands that I'm playing with it, it knows I wont hurt it, otherwise I wouldn't play like that with the dog.

Is it possible that she was just playing with the dog, you know the scare-tactics kind of play, and the dog didn't know?


I mean, I get your frustration man, I would go nuts if I was in your case and it was for sure purpose, but I can't say too much right now, as you said it'd be easier to understand if you had a video.

 

[Koldo]

Pretty sure the source of the problem was when she acted like she was going to rip my dogs face off. Right, I am legally liable for anything my dog does, including this event, I get it. But come on, I don't mean she took a defensive stance and yelled at him sternly to back off, I mean she freaked the hell out and rushed him. It was almost cartoonish.

To put it in a little better perspective, we live on a farm. Everyone around us lives on farms. Every one of those farms has dogs walking the property freely. And everytime anyone walks by they come to see who it is. It's nothing new or out of the ordinary. She had absolutely no reason to think it wasn't just another farm dog checking her out. I wish I had video or pictures to show how completely over the top she acted. The best way I can explain it is: like one of those blow-up, waving things outside of car dealerships, screaming like banshee, running at you. That is what she looked like. That is not how you act when a strange dog walks up to you unless you want to be attacked. If she would have just stopped and let him smell her, like every other property she walks by, all would have been fine.

I pretty much understand what you are talking about.
What i mean is that if you don't keep your dog away from passers-by, you are bound to the possibility of this sort of thing happening. Considering you said your dog is quite big, some people are going to get scared and a few are going to overreact like this woman.