My dog got attacked yesterday

[Yakoo752]

I could see this potentially being a huge liability for you in court. If you knew your dog was aggressive enough (even if it's not, that's how it would be portrayed in court) to warrant wearing the red leash and it ended up biting someone even after the sit, lie, sit protocol, I think the right lawyer would take you to the cleaners. I hope you never find out.

CA law doesn't give a shit. The owner of the dog is strictly liable. FWIW in states that have 1 bite laws, a lawyer will complete a canine investigation. Interviewing neighbors, vets, postal workers, etc to determine if the dog had a propensity to bite and that determines the dog and owners culpability.

I adopted this while living in Hawaii under the advice of a lawyer (I had a 185# Rottweiler at the time) He bought one of the pups and became a friend.

 

[Raz_Diesel]

Yikes. What about just a blood choke? Wouldn't a RNC work on a dog? Especially if that dog is too busy holding another dog, I'd figure my chances of being able to RNC the dog unharmed would be pretty good.

Also, I guarantee that will not go down well with the other owner, not matter how much of an asshole the other dog is being.

I'm not sure if the carotids on on a pit are close enough the surface of the dog's neck for an effective choke, but if that would work more power to you.

 

[fawndog]

No. I don't really know how it happened. He warned us about the lab and as we walked by we were obviously keepng our distance. Next thing I know his other dog was attacking. I think he may have been holding the lab and the other dog had a leash on but he wasn't holding it. When I looked up he was yanking on the leash.

I'm glad your puppers is OK. Nobody should walk more dogs than they can fully control in a park. In response to the knifing a dog, I'd hate to gut someones dog when it's really the owner's fault. My solution is just to stay clear.

All too often, this is a moot point when it comes down to it.

All it takes is one little aggressive asshole purse-yapper dog running up to your leashed dog...if your dog hurts it defending you or itself, YOUR dog is the one considered vicious. Nevermind that it was provoked or that the yapper was off-leash. All the bureaucracy sees is that your monster killed fluffy. I've seen it firsthand a couple of times. If you remember, we even had a barfer who went through this a few years ago, and his dog was taken from him and killed despite lots of support and court appeals. It was heartbreaking.

That's why I boot errant dogs, I'm protecting mine. People seem to respect your space when you make it clear their dog invaded it.

 

[asthmodeus]

Lets do dog on dog first....

There is no "best way". Usually after all the snarling n commotion, one or both dogs will "lock" onto eachother somewhere. To most dogs, especially pitbulls, its viewed as a challenge to them. So the dog with the most drive n dedication to the "challenge" is gonna win, or in this situation, do the most damage. Because pitts were bred for centuries to withstand quitting from pain, usually pitts will simply hold on tighter and longer. To them, giving up, even if theyre in extreme pain, just isnt an option. Its just their drive n determination.

So, what you wanna do is keep them as still as possible. Its the "shaking" once locked on that does the most damage. If theyre kept pretty still, all theyre doin is clenching flesh. Ill take simple puncture holes over a torn open throat anyday. So keep em as still as possible. Next, theres a few ways....

Pepper spray- works great. Theyll release almost immediately.

Finger up the butt- as gross as it seems, it works great.

Breaking stick- no not break it over a dogs head. Its a very strong stick, that comes to a wedge at one end, similar to a flathead screwdriver. Get it wedged between the REAR teeth if possible, and pry em open.

Water- if youre carryin a water bottle, or any liquid for that matter, soda, juice, etc.... pour it in/down the dogs throat AND snout. They think theyre under water/drowning, and survival instinct takes over. Theyll release to get air.

Cover the snout/nose- sometimes, not all, if you can seal up the nasal airway it has a similar effect as pouring water down their throat.

Lighter- if youre a smoker, take your lighter and put the flame straight to their nose. Theyll release.

Use anything violence related as a last resort honestly. A lot of breeds, not just a pitbull, go into superman mode in those situations. Your punches and kicks will only make the situation worse, not better.

Ok, now, dog on human....

If you cant outrun the fucker or get to higher ground quick enough, try this....

Most dogs jump to attack a human, especially adults obviously. Right as they jump, try to time it to where you can grip the neck/scruff right behind the lower jaw bones. Hold on tight and do not let go. Its almost like grippin a poisonous snake right behind the head to keep safe from strikes. DO NOT ATTEMPT A HEADLOCK. Its too easy for a strong dog to get loose, and usually your head/face is in very close proximity.

Another defense is pretend youre playing flag football. Everytime those jaws get close and are about to chomp down, spin like youre protecting your flags or like your a ballerina. Not multiple spins, just one very quick spin while stepping away from the dog. It makes it very hard for them to grip down. And if your hands are quick enough, push them away at the same time.

Stay moving, but DO NOT BACK PEDAL. If you start back pedalling and the dog jumps for an attack, youre almost gauranteed to fall, and once you fall, its over with.

Hold the dog. Lets say the dog lunges and locks onto your arm. As long as your arm is in his mouth, his teeth are tied up n cant bite anywhere else. If your forearm is in his mouth, try n get him in a reverse choke hold, with your arm still in his mouth, and squeeze/bear hug that motherfucker to keep him as still as possible so its not "shaking". Its not a great solution, but again, ill take punctures over tears any day.

And last..... fight for your life. Punch, kick, grab a rock or something else handy, somethin. Might not do much, but its better than giving up.


Thats my advice in those situations. I understand some might say to just stand as still as possible and hopefully the dog will lose interest, however, ive never seen it work out for the individual. So, thats your choice.

Hope this helps at all.

i agree with about all of this, but to kill a dog that is attacking you, all you really need is a 2.5-3" sharp and sturdy pocket knife. you are going to get bit.

give the dog your left arm if you are righty, wrap it with your coat first if possible, then slash the throat. most dogs will see you going around for a kidney or liver shot and will probably avoid it...if you got the throat good enough, you won't have to worry about it. you can go for those if it's still on you.

the big part of the liver is on the left, behind 6/7/8 ribs. stomach and spleen is just behind it with better shot from the right side and kidneys are less protected near the end of the ribcage at about 10 and 2 o'clock.

 

[Brokenlink]

i agree with about all of this, but to kill a dog that is attacking you, all you really need is a 2.5-3" sharp and sturdy pocket knife. you are going to get bit.

give the dog your left arm if you are righty, wrap it with your coat first if possible, then slash the throat. most dogs will see you going around for a kidney or liver shot and will probably avoid it...if you got the throat good enough, you won't have to worry about it. you can go for those if it's still on you.

the big part of the liver is on the left, behind 6/7/8 ribs. stomach and spleen is just behind it with better shot from the right side and kidneys are less protected near the end of the ribcage at about 10 and 2 o'clock.

Ok guys, enough about the goddam graphic killing of dogs. It didn't come to that and I don't really want to discuss this. I mean come on. How about this: What would you do if a person attacked you?

First I would take a 3.167 inch knife and slide it right between their shoulder blades, the blood gushing out like a fountain. Then I would smear feces on myself while chanting goonie goo goo........

Do we really need to go there?

 

[nbean16]

i agree with about all of this, but to kill a dog that is attacking you, all you really need is a 2.5-3" sharp and sturdy pocket knife. you are going to get bit.

give the dog your left arm if you are righty, wrap it with your coat first if possible, then slash the throat. most dogs will see you going around for a kidney or liver shot and will probably avoid it...if you got the throat good enough, you won't have to worry about it. you can go for those if it's still on you.

the big part of the liver is on the left, behind 6/7/8 ribs. stomach and spleen is just behind it with better shot from the right side and kidneys are less protected near the end of the ribcage at about 10 and 2 o'clock.

So after the dog challenges you to a duel, you will have him wait while you prepare your arm?
These stab the dog to death scenarious are amusing, but im guessing not a single person here has killed an attacking dog.

 

[corndog67]

I could see this potentially being a huge liability for you in court. If you knew your dog was aggressive enough (even if it's not, that's how it would be portrayed in court) to warrant wearing the red leash and it ended up biting someone even after the sit, lie, sit protocol, I think the right lawyer would take you to the cleaners. I hope you never find out.

Our HOA suggested that I get rid of the Beware of Dog signs on my fence, it means that I was aware of my dogs aggressiveness, and potentially opening myself up to liability, at least more than if "I didn't know" they were aggressive. They said I should put up "Dog on Premises" signs.

Yikes. What about just a blood choke? Wouldn't a RNC work on a dog? Especially if that dog is too busy holding another dog, I'd figure my chances of being able to RNC the dog unharmed would be pretty good.

Also, I guarantee thatthat will not go down well with the other owner, not matter how much of an asshole the other dog is being.

Just like on Big Time Wrestling, put the sleeper on him.

Lets do dog on dog first....

There is no "best way". Usually after all the snarling n commotion, one or both dogs will "lock" onto eachother somewhere. To most dogs, especially pitbulls, its viewed as a challenge to them. So the dog with the most drive n dedication to the "challenge" is gonna win, or in this situation, do the most damage. Because pitts were bred for centuries to withstand quitting from pain, usually pitts will simply hold on tighter and longer. To them, giving up, even if theyre in extreme pain, just isnt an option. Its just their drive n determination.

So, what you wanna do is keep them as still as possible. Its the "shaking" once locked on that does the most damage. If theyre kept pretty still, all theyre doin is clenching flesh. Ill take simple puncture holes over a torn open throat anyday. So keep em as still as possible. Next, theres a few ways....

Pepper spray- works great. Theyll release almost immediately.

Finger up the butt- as gross as it seems, it works great.

Breaking stick- no not break it over a dogs head. Its a very strong stick, that comes to a wedge at one end, similar to a flathead screwdriver. Get it wedged between the REAR teeth if possible, and pry em open.

Water- if youre carryin a water bottle, or any liquid for that matter, soda, juice, etc.... pour it in/down the dogs throat AND snout. They think theyre under water/drowning, and survival instinct takes over. Theyll release to get air.

Cover the snout/nose- sometimes, not all, if you can seal up the nasal airway it has a similar effect as pouring water down their throat.

Lighter- if youre a smoker, take your lighter and put the flame straight to their nose. Theyll release.

Use anything violence related as a last resort honestly. A lot of breeds, not just a pitbull, go into superman mode in those situations. Your punches and kicks will only make the situation worse, not better.

Ok, now, dog on human....

If you cant outrun the fucker or get to higher ground quick enough, try this....

Most dogs jump to attack a human, especially adults obviously. Right as they jump, try to time it to where you can grip the neck/scruff right behind the lower jaw bones. Hold on tight and do not let go. Its almost like grippin a poisonous snake right behind the head to keep safe from strikes. DO NOT ATTEMPT A HEADLOCK. Its too easy for a strong dog to get loose, and usually your head/face is in very close proximity.

Another defense is pretend youre playing flag football. Everytime those jaws get close and are about to chomp down, spin like youre protecting your flags or like your a ballerina. Not multiple spins, just one very quick spin while stepping away from the dog. It makes it very hard for them to grip down. And if your hands are quick enough, push them away at the same time.

Stay moving, but DO NOT BACK PEDAL. If you start back pedalling and the dog jumps for an attack, youre almost gauranteed to fall, and once you fall, its over with.

Hold the dog. Lets say the dog lunges and locks onto your arm. As long as your arm is in his mouth, his teeth are tied up n cant bite anywhere else. If your forearm is in his mouth, try n get him in a reverse choke hold, with your arm still in his mouth, and squeeze/bear hug that motherfucker to keep him as still as possible so its not "shaking". Its not a great solution, but again, ill take punctures over tears any day.

And last..... fight for your life. Punch, kick, grab a rock or something else handy, somethin. Might not do much, but its better than giving up.


Thats my advice in those situations. I understand some might say to just stand as still as possible and hopefully the dog will lose interest, however, ive never seen it work out for the individual. So, thats your choice.

Hope this helps at all.

When the dog went off on my wife, I got to him in 2-3 seconds, he did a lot of damage real quick. He was still in attack mode, I pulled him back by the collar and grabbed both sides of his head, he got me once on the arm when he went at her again. My 11 year old German Shepherd tried to get between the dog and her, but the young guy was much stronger.

Good point about not giving up. My wife gave up, and didn't fight back. I told her, you have to fight back, that dog could have killed you, and it seems like he was trying to. The trainer for the rescue place asked me how many German Shepherds I've owned, 5. He said it was about time that I got one like this. And like mentioned above, they think he attached to me and was protecting me.

Very common with pure bred german shepards. You gotta remember, they breed dogs to enhance certain traits n qualities. Its not like humans. With dog breeders, the only scenario they dont really like to do is, brother-sister breeding. But mother-son, father-daughter, and any other incesty type situation is completely normal. So... it can sometimes lead to a dog thats a little... "off".

I might be wrong, but were you the first person in your household to "bond" with the german sheppard? Meaning.... were you around it, picked it up from the shelter, etc... before your wife?? If so... it saw you as his sole master. She was just tolerated. German sheppards are VERY one owner type dogs. At least the very purebred/inbred ones.

Still my favorite dogs though. My wife is getting pretty attached to the new puppy, 7 months old now and 67 lbs.

 

[250mL]

Sorry this encounter happened, no win, its just surviving it. Get any battle scars of your own ?

Evolved separating dog fights started with jumping into the middle of the fight. Now its grabbing the hind legs to stop a Dog fight. It worked on an aggressive Siberian Husky. Released a bite hold and lost interest in continuing the fight.

Grabbing the hind legs worked for my dog fight situation. Pit bull mix vs black lab.

 

[Gixxergirl1000]

Lets do dog on dog first....


Hope this helps at all.

OK, that was actually all really good info.
I have a question, though. In my situation, 2 really big dogs came after me while I was on my mountain bike, and clipped in to the pedals.
Assuming one of them got me in the leg before I could pedal the hell out of there, when I hit the deck tangled up in dog and bike, what the hell do I do??

Hahaha.... my apologies, gixxergirl and I got a lil side tracked. She doesnt think im creepy!!

 

[Yakoo752]

Our HOA suggested that I get rid of the Beware of Dog signs on my fence, it means that I was aware of my dogs aggressiveness, and potentially opening myself up to liability, at least more than if "I didn't know" they were aggressive. They said I should put up "Dog on Premises" signs.

California offers zero protections for posting a sign regardless of what the sign says. FWIW - other states do offer protections, Florida and Colorado, being 2 and they REQUIRE the sign EXPLICITLY say "Beware of Dog" for protection under their statue. (this would likely be your legal defense if someone was sueing you using this - but then the bite would have to be gross negligent as well to take it to this level)

Civil Code section 3342:

The owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner's knowledge of such viciousness.

The only exception to this law is trespass hence the "lawfully in a private place".

IANAL and FWIW - Check with your insurance company and see if they have any requirements. My homeowners requires me to secure my property such that someone would have to willfully trespass to gain entry without my permission. I am not required to post signs.

 

[corndog67]

I've been told that some insurance companies won't insure homes with certain breeds, including GSDs, Rottweilers, pits, Akitas etc., not sure of the specifics.

 

[Yakoo752]

absolutely!

and this is why some landlords won't allow some breeds. It's not always the landlord being the dick. Note, if you rent, your landlord can be held just as liable as you for a dog bite if it occurs on premise.

there is a statute for dog v dog bites corndog - i can dig it out if you want.

 

[asthmodeus]

OK, that was actually all really good info.
I have a question, though. In my situation, 2 really big dogs came after me while I was on my mountain bike, and clipped in to the pedals.
Assuming one of them got me in the leg before I could pedal the hell out of there, when I hit the deck tangled up in dog and bike, what the hell do I do??
)

keep your pocket knife easily accessible to either hand and hope for the best.

that said, you should really either tape or rubber band it shut if you are riding, lest you fall off and wind up with your knife stuck in you..

 

[asthmodeus]

So after the dog challenges you to a duel, you will have him wait while you prepare your arm?
These stab the dog to death scenarious are amusing, but im guessing not a single person here has killed an attacking dog.

if you offer an attacking dog your arm, it's going to grab it. that's the best thing about dogs- they are predictable and kinda retarded.

trust me, a knife is an excellent weapon against a dog.

 

[ALANRIDER7]

It's a shame that there are some irresponsible dog owners out there.

 

[nakedape]

My pit menaced a postal carrier. No biting, no damage, but the guy schooled me on a few things. One, he said he could discontinue service for the WHOLE STREET beyond our house, no questions asked. Fuck!

The other was PO aggressive/attacking dog training. He said they are taught to give it an arm, stay on their feet, and yell for help. Hopefully able to use the pepper spray with free hand.

After I grabbed the dog and rolled him down the stairs he was pursuing the carrier up, we were talking (through his hyperventilation) and the dog sheepishly crept up and nuzzled him up and under his issued poncho. Neither of us really noticed. I said "aww, he's apologizing", and the carrier said "he seems ok now."

Dogs are dangerous, some mor than others. I wouldn't own another pit after all I went through. Too much liability but really big love in that breed. Funny thing was his 8 month a year jacket (like a horse blanket) killed the fear strangers had for him. Night and day. Most didn't even think he was a pit bull. Weird.

 

[Yakoo752]

My pit menaced a postal carrier. No biting, no damage, but the guy schooled me on a few things. One, he said he could discontinue service for the WHOLE STREET beyond our house, no questions asked. Fuck!

I don't know about the whole block but I used to get mail that my Postal Carrier has written on. Stuff like

Dogs on Premise w/ open door
Screen Door not sufficient barrier to deliver
and then the date.

So I spoke with him and we've resolved any issues I don't blame the carrier one bit!

Did you know that the only other exception to the California bite law is profession? A Vet or groomer "cannot" hold you liable if your dog bites them because it's a potential danger of the job. I would not be totally shocked if that were to be true of a postal carrier BUT a vet/groomer/postal carrier can refuse service.

 

[corndog67]

I don't know about the whole block but I used to get mail that my Postal Carrier has written on. Stuff like

Dogs on Premise w/ open door
Screen Door not sufficient barrier to deliver
and then the date.

So I spoke with him and we've resolved any issues I don't blame the carrier one bit!

Did you know that the only other exception to the California bite law is profession? A Vet or groomer "cannot" hold you liable if your dog bites them because it's a potential danger of the job. I would not be totally shocked if that were to be true of a postal carrier BUT a vet/groomer/postal carrier can refuse service.

My vet told me she is scared of German Shepherds, said one grabbed onto her face one time.

The dog the attacked my wife, attacked our trainer the week before, but the guy blamed himself for walking up too fast to the dog. I guess ole Rufus was a little edgy..

 

[Yakoo752]

the big one gets muzzled when we go to the vet

per vet's instructions or she won't see us - she does this with ALL dogs over 50#

 

[corndog67]

the big one gets muzzled when we go to the vet

per vet's instructions or she won't see us - she does this with ALL dogs over 50#

She gave me a bottle of Ace (?), said to give him 3 before we came back in to see her.