Quote:
Originally Posted by dpg
Leaving your dog off of the leash during this incident sounds crazy to me, I never would. Besides if your town has a leash law which probably everyone does now your "breaking the law" if you want to follow it to the letter of the law. Kick the other persons dog and if the owner is ignorant enough to yell at you tell them to F off also...  |
Likely you are looking at a citation at best (it's called a "leash law", but it carries the same fine as spinning your tires, a violation). The cost of that citation compared to your out of pocket expenses for an ER visit are likely not in the same ballpark. Your dog is going to be better off defending itself without a rope around its neck with a hysterical distraction holding on to the other end.
Understanding the difference between a territorial threat and a full attack would be a lesson well learned. There are countless Youtube videos that would show the difference, as they would be handled differently by you and your dog. Watch the animals faces very closely in the videos, there is a lot more going on there then you think, until you start paying attention. It is in the animals facial expressions that will tell you whether that animal just wants you to move away or if it is going to go "Honey Badger" on you.
Not being able to release my dog from his leash for any reason would be a failure on my part. Verbal command and control is dog ownership 101. If you can't control your animal verbally, from a distance, then you likely can't control it on a leash either.
I would say this is a case of to each their own. In the case of a full-on attack, if you can prevent yourself from getting really injured, that should be priority 1. I would not give much consideration to the welfare of the attacking animal or the feelings of its owner, so those do not rank on my priority list.