Agressive Dogs

[Panic57]

I live in a place where most stores allow people to bring their dogs in even though it's unsanitary. I'm not talking about service dogs but pets. I would like to preface that I like dogs that I know are friendly, But the dogs were I live are spoiled and aggressive. I'm always afraid that I'm going to get attacked by some little dog while grocery shopping or bit on the leg when I grab a coffee from Starbucks. it makes me so anxious just thinking about how aggressive some of the dogs are. I was going into a Starbucks one day to meet a client and I passed by this table. Out from underneath, a dog came out like a bullet and lunged at me barking and biting at me. The chain they had tied the dog with rattled so hard that my heart jumped up my esophagus at the thought of it breaking. The owner didn't even apologize. It's not my first experience with aggressive dogs in public but it stresses me out so much. I just wish people would keep their dogs at home unless they are at Petco.

 

[Corzhens]

We are dog lovers but definitely we are also afraid of strange dogs particularly the stray dogs. One time we were in a dog festival held in an open air auditorium. There are speakers who would talk about dog behavior. Together with our housemaid, my husband and I were there with our 2 dogs. I was seated beside our housemaid, we are holding our dogs and restraining them because the dog at the back was incessantly barking like trying to pick a fight with other dogs. The program has not started yet so my husband left to buy some drinks. On his way back, there was this small dog, a chihuahua who suddenly bit my husband's leg. There was a wound. What got to my nerve was that biting dog was on a leash being held by the owner named Michelle. And worse, she knows that her dog bites, huh. It was not anxiety attack for me but a temper flare up because of the plain negligence of that stupid dog owner.

 

[gracer]

I'm sorry to hear about your bad experiences with dogs on public Panic57 and Corzhens. Luckily, I have never been a victim of such an incident. There have been instances though when I would be too afraid to pass by a street or a road which I know have too many dogs on the loose. I do think that owners of dogs should act responsibly in taking care of their dogs. If they know that their dogs could become aggressive around other people, they should restrain them and not bring them to public places.

 

[amy88]

I think people definitely need to be considerate - particularly if they know their dog has aggressive tendencies. I have no idea why people would think it was a good idea to take a dog that gets worked up into a public place. I would be anxious too if I had been subjected to dogs lunging, barking and attempting to bite me! I'm sorry that you've had to go through that, and that it's really been as a result of other people's poor judgement I'm a dog owner myself and can't imagine taking my dog somewhere if I knew he wouldn't behave!

 

[kgord]

I have always been a bit afraid of dogs ever since my grandfather's dog scratched me when I was little. He wasn't being aggressive, he was just enthusiastic and needed his nails trimmed. Anyway, I had a dog for a number of years, and that helped to cure me of some of my fear of dogs. I still don't like it when a dog barks at me when I am walking down the street, but it isn't something that keeps me from doing it. I would say my exposure to dogs from having one of my own makes me less afraid. At the same time, I really don't like dogs I don't know getting too close to me. I would rather keep a respectful distance, unless it is a dog I know that is super friendly.

 

[MissTea]

I love dogs too, as long as they are friendly. I panic sometimes when I'm out walking on the street and I see stray dogs coming toward me. I always think that I'm going to get attacked, and I heard that dogs can sense fear, which of course just serves to make me even more anxious and afraid. So far, I have never had an incident with any of the dogs in my neighborhood, but I have heard a couple of neighbors complaining about some of the dogs that live in our neighborhood which are terrorizing kids on the street, and I think that there should be a law that states that those owners should keep their dogs in check.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

I am a complete dog lover, but I agree with the idea of people keeping their dogs on their houses. Some of them don't really control themselves when they see other people or other dogs among them, and that can be really dangerous. In my country, people are used to have their dogs in the garage, which leads to the street, and some dogs bark like crazy when they see anybody that they don't like, and it's worst when they see other dogs, and I have been scared by some of them and it's not a nice experience at all. And also, let's think about people with heart/blood pressure related deseases, that can be really dangerous.

 

[kelden]

I sometimes get anxious when I stumble across a big stray dog around the street. Most dogs don't mind stranger presence, they are too busy with looking for foreign scents and claim territory or tearing apart bags of garbage for spoiled food. The small dog breeds are usually more prone to attack a stranger's heels xD.

 

[DDNatureLover]

I am glad this isn't permitted at the stores where I live, other than service animals. I have to deal with this situation on a daily basis, though, since I have rude neighbors who open their doors and let their dogs run wild. I've encountered several in my driveway, and the neighbors think nothing of their dogs running wild throughout the neighborhood. I was bitten when I was a child, and although I don't hate dogs, I do fear strange dogs, particularly ones that go into the driveway after the cats I feed there. It sounds as if you live in a very dog friendly society without many rules. I'm sorry you have to deal with that. I would personally prefer to live elsewhere if I could, where I wouldn't have to deal with loose dogs. The problem seems to be escalating here.

 

[NormaD]

I think they should put really strict rules for dog owners to follow when it comes to being out in public with their pets. A lot of people have anxiety when it comes to dogs, especially the aggressie ones, and they shouldn't have to walk around the neighbourhood scared that a dog might jump out around the next corner and bite them. We should all feel safe when we are out and about, and I think dog owners should be more responsible with their pets and avoid taking aggressive dogs to public places.

 

[Corzhens]

Let me just add this experience a few months ago. My husband and I regularly take a walk after dinner. We walk some blocks and return, just to aid the digestion of food. One night in there were 2 dogs in our usual route, more likely those dogs were able to get out of the gate when their master left it open. Gee, they were barking at us. And since my husband is not that easy to scare so we continued walking to the direction of the 2 barking dogs. As we neared the dogs, they were also coming near us. I was already shaking with my sweaty palms because I was anticipating the dogs would bite us. Without warning, my husband knelt as if picking a stone on the ground. In that instant, the dogs retreated a bit. When my husband made a gesture of throwing something to the dogs, that's the time the dogs really retreated completely. I heaved a sigh of relief. What if the dogs didn't retreat and attacked us? Oh my, I had difficulty sleeping that night, maybe there was trauma in my body.

 

[SirJoe]

Unfortunately I don't think that you can make the owners of the store change their policy in relation to allowing clients to bringing in their pets. The best thing that you could do is not to go shopping there any more. Dogs can be unpredictable so pet owners should always take this into consideration when taking their dogs to public spaces, at least that's what I do when I walk my dogs.

 

[KW2496]

I love dogs and I always have. A couple years ago though, I was attacked my a huge dog and was rushed to the emergency room. Since then I get anxiety around bigger dogs. There's a huge dog that lives near my house and whenever I walk past it jumps up to the window and starts barking. It is huge so it shakes the wall and has a really deep bark. It gives me anxiety going anywhere near that house when in the past, it wouldn't have even bothered me except maybe startling me a little bit.

 

[VanM]

I'm a dog lover. I own a chihuahua and a shih tzu, they love to bark but they are very playful. But when I was a kid I was attacked by a stray dog. Somehow the experience stayed with me to this day. I would cross the street if I see a dog on my side of the street. I get anxious when near dogs I'm not familiar with. I know dogs are aware when a person or another dog is unbalanced and they try to dominate them. Owners should keep their pets within their premises or their yard. Stray dogs can hurt and can get hurt.

 

[guyy]

i hate big dog's, after seeing my pet cat killed but two big very scary looking dog's i can't go near big big dogs...because i just start stressing out thinking to myself when is the dog gonna turn on me, does it like me? if i move quickly will it freak out and bite me sort of thing... but little dog's i can handle thought

 

[SirJoe]

I love dogs and I always have. A couple years ago though' date=' I was attacked my a huge dog and was rushed to the emergency room. Since then I get anxiety around bigger dogs. There's a huge dog that lives near my house and whenever I walk past it jumps up to the window and starts barking. It is huge so it shakes the wall and has a really deep bark. It gives me anxiety going anywhere near that house when in the past, it wouldn't have even bothered me except maybe startling me a little bit. [/quote']
I think it's natural that you would react that way. I was bitten by a neighbours dog when I was a kid but I was phased by it, I had a big dog at the time. I only became weary of big dogs when I become older and wasn't able to have a dog for several years. I liked dogs but felt detached from them and have only regained my confidence in them after getting a dog recently.

 

[misszerable]

I know that some dogs can be aggressive and I have neighbors who allow their pets to roam around the neighborhood. These dogs bark at people and would come near me when I'm walking on the street. I own a dog, too, and I've read that dogs are really territorial. They will waste no time attacking other animals and people who appear to encroach on what they perceive as their own space. I've read that you shouldn't look a dog in the eye and stay calm when faced with an aggressive dog. This has always been how I dealt with stray dogs and neighbors' dogs and I've never experienced being bitten. I know, however, that young dogs or pups are more dangerous than older ones because they will bite without thinking. So, yes, I am more anxious with pups. My son was once bitten by my sister's pup right smack in the center of his upper lip and the anti-rabies injection, I was told, was most painful in that area and he was fitted with a straight jacket and held by about 4 hospital staff before the injection was given. It was the first time for my family to encounter such aggressive behavior from pups. That was one lesson that will be hard to forget not just for my son but for me as well. I love dogs but they should have their own place in the house and should never be allowed to roam.

 

[janemariesayed]

I'm so sorry that you have had a bad experience with dogs Panic57. it seems that it is something that you are attracting without meaning to. The owner of the dog that frightened you should have had more control of their dogs and they also should have apologised. As a dog owner, I make sure I keep control over my dogs and not only warn people that they may jump up at them, but also do my best to keep them away from people. Not everyone likes dogs, and even some who are not afraid of dogs don't really like them. As for going into stores, I think it is unhygienic, and should be stopped except for guide dogs. Dogs in food stores are unhygienic as well as dogs hair may get onto clothes that someone may buy in a store and they have an allergy to.

 

[mauricioq]

I share the same fear. I really like dogs, and I'm familiar with a couple ones because some of my friends have them, but sometimes there's people walking their dogs and they're really aggressive. And they're usually free, so they'll attack me if they want to. People always say they won't bite me, but I can't trust that. I just think it's very irresponsible.

 

[janemariesayed]

These places that sell food really should not allow animals inside unless it is a guide dog. Fur can get into the food and it is generally unhygienic. If that had of happened to me with the dog jumping out at me, I would have written an email to the head office as well as told the manager what I was going to do.