I have a beautiful 6mo old puppy I take with me whenever I can. She’s got long legs and needs a lot of exercise, so we walk a lot on my days off. I would love to run errands with her, but I know that she can be pretty excitable. She may decide to jump up on someone. She may try to steal some kid’s stuffed animal. So I don’t. I only run errands with her when I am with another person who is willing to stay outside and keep my pup from doing things she shouldn’t. I work hard at being a responsible dog-owner. My dog is well-socialized and loves both people and dogs. If a dog indicates in any way that it does not appreciate her presence (by snarling at her or barking or growling), she runs. She’s really good at taking the hint.
We were just walking by Healeo and there was a light red Siberian Husky (I think) tied up outside. As we passed, my dog and this dog touched noses and sniffed each other a tiny bit, then this dog lunged at my pup and bit her shoulder. (it wasn’t a play bite) My dog yelped and leaped back. No blood was drawn. No injury sustained. But that dog gave no warning growl, snarl, or bark, it went straight for biting. This is the kind of behavior you should be aware of from your dog. If you do know you dog will do this, it is your responsibility to protect passersby and their pets from that behavior. You could sit outside on the beautiful, sunny day so that you can keep a closer eye on your dog. You could tie your dog closer to the bike rack so that it has room to sit, stand, and lie down, but not lunge and bite.
If your dog, which is tied up outside a business while you are inside, bites my dog as we walk by, the *very least* you could do is apologize. Asking me how I know who was bitten and who did the biting is ridiculous. Telling me I need to calm down may be true (in this case was true), but it is not helpful. You are responsible for your dog’s behavior. If your dog bit my dog, the steps you have taken to control it are insufficient. Try harder.
I’m so tired of this crap being posted on this site. Who cares. Life goes on. Can we get some real news and reporting?
It appears that an improperly socialized human may have failed to properly socialize his/her canine companion. :( I think that the human in question should be thankful that their dog chose to bite another dog and not a child (dogs have thicker skin, both emotionally and physically) and should be wary of leaving their furry friend unattended. However, I would also caution you to protect your puppy from harm by keeping her away from strange animals… After all, that dog could have any number of crazy, horrible, communicable canine diseases.
i hate to break it to the author, but just becuase your ‘dog’ is ‘well-socialized’, doesnt mean it wont bite another dog, puppy, cat, or kiddie or mailman ever in its existence. Stop pretending that you are a dog whisper and know what dogs think. Maybe the husky picked up on your nervous behavior, not your puppy’s. It comes through on your article.
It’s a dog eat dog world.
Get it? Hahaha.
You freefall, allowed your dog to get close enough to get biten!!! In what world is the owner of the tied up dog, at fault???
I am often on both sides of this exact interaction…
My dog is often tied outside the Red Apple. What happens during my absence… I haven’t any idea! He’s tied at a fix radius, the radius is smaller than that of the sidewalk, and the leash is exposed. Approach at your own risk.
On the other side, a dog was recently tied at Subway as Duke and I crossed the Red Apple parking lot, on the way from Walgreen’s. The dogs were interested in each other so I allowed my dog to approach. They sidled up to each other and sniffed for a moment… tails up … then they both jumped and snarled – loud! I pulled my dog away – the other dog is on a leash after all – and that was it. THEN the dogs owner came out, kinda mad at me – as he should have been. I put my tail between my legs, ducked my ears and apologized. The same as I walk the neighborhood. If I let my dog stop at a dog in a yard… then the dog in the yard gets too excited, it’s my fault!
Stay away from dogs tied outside alone or please be responsible for the consequenses. Good Grief!
Matthew
Why on earth would you let your dog greet an unknown dog without their owner there? Even well-socialized, sweet dogs can get very nervous about being approached by a strange dog when they are alone and tied up. The tied up dog cannot escape if your dog makes them uncomfortable. You should always, always, always ask someone first before letting your dog meet and greet another dog. If the owner isn’t right on hand, then skip the meet and greet.
Not sure why some dog owners insist that their dog has to “meet” every dog. Stay away from dogs tied up – simple as that. We all go about our business without having to sniff everyone else’s butt – do the same with your dog. If a dog is tied up this is especially true, but also just walking. You need to get over your own puppy-ness about dogs and learn some discipline and smarts.
And lose the retractable leashes! More often than not this is a cause of disturbance. Don’t know how many times I’ve seen a dog apparently just standing loose on a street corner. Lo and behold the owner is somewhere ten feet back around the corner, totally not in control. Stupid.
i find it extremely helpful when someone tells me to calm down.
You mention your dog is 6 month old. In dogland, that’s an age when older dogs, particularly females, teach the kids some lessons in respect. Puppy indulgence is over, serious training is in. It’s not how we raise people any more, but it is how dogs are. If the husky had wanted to do damage, there would be injuries. Your role is to help your pup’s education by understanding what’s going on, and not counteracting the lesson your dog was taught.
could you just calm down?
This is a site for news and happenings in the community. Not for you to complain about someones dog…