So, my wife and I were driving back to NC from NJ last week. And, we were traveling with one of our dogs. At one of the rest areas we stopped at, I took the dog for a walk. I am always very conscious of my surroundings and environment. In the area where the grass was, I noticed an older woman with a medium sized dog that she didn't have much control over. So, I waited for them to vacate the area to avoid any possible issues. I think you can guess where this is going... When the coast was clear, I walked over to the grassy area so the dog could alleviate himself. We weren't there for more than a minute when it happened. Now, I will say this. I have played this scenario in my mind thousands of times with various possible reactions I could have. I am so grateful I envisioned this and prepared for this moment. This is what happened.
Out of nowhere, this medium sized herding breed came charging at us growling on the way to us, leash attached - no person on the end of it. This dog was not just posturing, nor was the dog stopping the charge. I had no choice but to react in one of the ways I prepared thousands of times in my mind. One was to pick up my dog, which I had no time for as this dog appeared from behind a car only 20 feet from us and closing fast. But, I had to protect my dog - not only from getting hurt by this dog, although that was a concern. More concerning was my dog having to protect himself in which case he would have been very effective doing. So, the next option was what I have played in my mind thousands of times and a technique I have had to use during certain situations on a few occasions over the years to prevent myself from getting bit by an attacking dog. I had to kick the dog out of the way. No, I didn't tee off on the dog's face. There is actually an appropriate way to do this. I never want to hurt another animal. But, when it comes to protecting my own, my own dogs will always come first, And, i don't apologize for that. Anyway, here's how it unfolded in its entirety.
I walk to grassy area. Aggressor comes charging from a car only 20 feet from us. I immediately assess and prepare to react. I drag my dog behind me. I then time the aggressors approach and take aim. I push, not really kick, with the ball of my sneaker into the shoulder blade of the dog (see pic below to see what I mean). This does two things. First and most important, it uses the dogs oncoming force to propel it away from us and cause imbalance providing us more time for secondary measures. The other thing it does is reduces the chance of me injuring the dog; which I never want to do. The dog charged, I kicked/pushed perfectly (thank God) and the dog tumbled away from us. Luckily thew owner was right behind and was able to get her dog under control immediately. If the owner had not been present, and the aggressor chose to persist, I may have had no choice but to allow my dog to protect himself. But, we were lucky. I felt horrible. The woman came running and was like "oh she won't hurt you". A little late for that lady. Anyway, I'm not sure why I am sharing this, especially since I haven't written a blog post in a while. But, I felt like sharing it as I am sure other folks have been in this situation before... So, I kicked a dog last week. No one was harmed and hopefully a lesson was learned by a shaky handler. Disaster avoided. Well, stay tuned for more blog posts from me as consistent blogging is now on my goals list!!! Have a great day!!
Out of nowhere, this medium sized herding breed came charging at us growling on the way to us, leash attached - no person on the end of it. This dog was not just posturing, nor was the dog stopping the charge. I had no choice but to react in one of the ways I prepared thousands of times in my mind. One was to pick up my dog, which I had no time for as this dog appeared from behind a car only 20 feet from us and closing fast. But, I had to protect my dog - not only from getting hurt by this dog, although that was a concern. More concerning was my dog having to protect himself in which case he would have been very effective doing. So, the next option was what I have played in my mind thousands of times and a technique I have had to use during certain situations on a few occasions over the years to prevent myself from getting bit by an attacking dog. I had to kick the dog out of the way. No, I didn't tee off on the dog's face. There is actually an appropriate way to do this. I never want to hurt another animal. But, when it comes to protecting my own, my own dogs will always come first, And, i don't apologize for that. Anyway, here's how it unfolded in its entirety.
I walk to grassy area. Aggressor comes charging from a car only 20 feet from us. I immediately assess and prepare to react. I drag my dog behind me. I then time the aggressors approach and take aim. I push, not really kick, with the ball of my sneaker into the shoulder blade of the dog (see pic below to see what I mean). This does two things. First and most important, it uses the dogs oncoming force to propel it away from us and cause imbalance providing us more time for secondary measures. The other thing it does is reduces the chance of me injuring the dog; which I never want to do. The dog charged, I kicked/pushed perfectly (thank God) and the dog tumbled away from us. Luckily thew owner was right behind and was able to get her dog under control immediately. If the owner had not been present, and the aggressor chose to persist, I may have had no choice but to allow my dog to protect himself. But, we were lucky. I felt horrible. The woman came running and was like "oh she won't hurt you". A little late for that lady. Anyway, I'm not sure why I am sharing this, especially since I haven't written a blog post in a while. But, I felt like sharing it as I am sure other folks have been in this situation before... So, I kicked a dog last week. No one was harmed and hopefully a lesson was learned by a shaky handler. Disaster avoided. Well, stay tuned for more blog posts from me as consistent blogging is now on my goals list!!! Have a great day!!
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