[nagdu] Blind Teacher's guide dog Attacked

[Julie J.]

Brenda,

I've seriously thought about pepper spray.  In the end I decided to not 
carry it.     I won't carry something that I don't intend on using.  It 
wouldn't have any real deterrent effect if I was only threatening to use 
it.  I'm not a very good actress, I think it would be obvious that I had 
no plans of actually spraying the stuff.  Also only people who know what 
it is or believe you saying what it is are going to possibly be 
threatened by it.  A loose dog isn't going to know what it is or care.

If I actually did spray it, I'd be very, very concerned of getting my 
own dog or myself.  It's quite windy here.  Then I'd have to have it in 
my hand and ready to go, which seems a bit like I'm looking for a 
problem, which tends to lead to problems.  Or I'd have to dig it out of 
a pocket or purse if the need arose.  The odds of me remembering where I 
put it, getting it out, uncapping, aiming and spraying all in a timely 
and safe manner are pretty slim.

And last I'm not sure if pepper spray is considered to be a weapon 
here.  I doubt it'd be illegal to spray a loose dog, but threatening or 
actually using it on a person is a whole other matter.

So those are the reason's I decided not to use it.

Now as how to handle dog encounters...each situation is a bit different 
and how I react will be different.  Fortunately I have never had an 
encounter where the dog was truly aggressive.  Those are the dogs that 
will come at you quick and quiet, like the article.  You don't have any 
warning.  Those are the really bad attacks.

All of my encounters are of the barking, growling, nuisance variety.  I 
did have one dog actually make contact, although Belle's skin wasn't 
punctured.  Dog's that bark and growl are giving warning.  They are 
usually protecting their yard, their person, food or another member of 
their pack.

If an owner is around, I will generally stop, put Monty into a sit, get 
in between the other dog and Monty and wait calmly for the owner to 
collect their beast.  If there is no owner around I try to put space 
between myself and the other dog by crossing the street or moving out of 
the area.  If a dog insists on following I will typically stand my 
ground and try to get the dog to go away.

I had a service dog trainer suggest using an umbrella of the push button 
pop open variety.  Usually it will scare the other dog away, while 
working as a shield for yourself and your dog.  I've not tried it, but I 
think it could work.

HTH
Julie