[nagdu] loose dogs

[Tami Jarvis]

Rox,

I've been having more of those here, too, recently, and a couple where 
there was no human around at all. I wonder if maybe it's just the good 
weather after bad and dogs that have slipped in their obedience during 
the winter or some such? They're friendlies, which is nice, but like you 
I don't appreciate the wondering how bad it's going to be until I figure 
out it's a friendly. In my current stomping grounds, I don't worry as 
much because of the dog culture. In other venues, that would be different.

Pretty much, I do what you do and let Mitzi communicate doggy style 
based on her assessment of the other dog. I can settle into my balanced 
stance and mental zen and just wait until we can move on. If the owner 
is around, they'll call the dog or come get it if it's not coming. They 
seem to be aware that their dog shouldn't interfere and apologize 
nicely, so I don't need to lecture them on it, which is nice. If there's 
no human around, the dog will slope off on its own once Mitzi has let it 
be known she is busy now and can't play, so then we can just move on. 
Whew! If I'm not careful, I may carry on with the what-ifs and all, but 
I've kinda learned to redirect my thoughts to something else. That also 
is easier here where the odds are strong that the dog is friendly from 
the get-go. Small town life is boring, but that kinda boring is good, I 
guess. :)

When Loki and I encounter loose dogs, it's a bit different, and I 
suddenly appreciate Mitzi a whole lot. /lol/ At 14 months, he's starting 
to be more dog distracted anyway, so we have plenty of opportunities to 
work on that. But the loose dogs stop us cold, since he has neither the 
experience or maturity to just maintain and convince them it's not play 
time. It's not always easy for me to convince him it's not play time, so 
ensuring I can keep hold of him means I can't use my cane, so there we 
are. I worry that he might misjudge the other dog or that I won't read 
his signals right if it is an unfriendly, so that's no fun. He has to 
learn to deal with these things, but I do find myself wishing people 
were more perfect about keeping their dogs contained and knowing where 
they are and what they're doing. Sigh. There was a new one the other day 
in a yard where there normally is no dog, and it kept barking at us into 
the next yard, although it didn't come onto the sidewalk. Loki wanted to 
play, then he would get back on track, then want to play when it came 
towards us barking again, so I did this fun little pirouette until we 
got to the corner and left it behind. At least it didn't try to follow 
us, so we could go on. It was still there when we were coming back, so I 
don't know if this is a new neighborhood nuisance or what. I'm pondering 
what to do in case it's an ongoing problem, but we'll see. We get barked 
at by gzillions of dogs behind fences everywhere we go, but the unfenced 
barker puzzles me. Urgh!

Anyway, I think you're handling it the best you can, maintaining your 
own safety while letting Soleil use her dog smarts until the owner can 
get the dog. Letting out the leash enables her to use more natural body 
language in the process, which I think is important. If things do get 
tense, she will be in a better position to take care of herself that 
way, too. I don't know what to do about that fear of attack. I only get 
it from second hand knowledge of the horrible possibilities, and that's 
bad enough. I think it's super important to stay calm and fearless, 
especially if there's possible tension from the other dog, which can be 
a bit of a trick sometimes. I also resist the temptation to try to grab 
the other dog's collar or something to try to get a sense of control. 
Even if I'm reading the dog as totally friendly, I could be wrong, and 
making a move towards its head and neck could set it off. I may speak to 
my dog or the empty air in my low, controlled voice, to emphasize that I 
am calm and under control and in charge, and I stay friendly towards the 
owner, too, even if by then I'm sure the dog is totally friendly and 
moreso if I'm not sure of it. The knowledge that there's nothing much I 
can really do beyond that is something I just grumble about later. Sigh.

Take care.

Tami


On 06/14/2015 08:46 PM, The Pawpower Pack via nagdu wrote:
> I know we've talked about this before, but I'd like some ideas.
> Recently there have been several loose dogs in my neighborhood.  Normally this is not an issue, but for some reason— maybe because it's nice out, and people are out themselves, there have been several loose dog encounters while Soleil and I are out.  In all cases, the owner has been outside, doing things like gardening or whatever and had their dog with them.  The dog sees Soleil and is off like a shot.  The owner calls them and the dog is not going to listen and just keeps coming.
> I'm Deafblind, with some pretty severe balance and physical mobility issues.  I can see a little, and in a couple of the cases, I could see the dog coming, once it got close because it was a dark dog on the light colored sidewalk.
> There is no working passed these dogs because they are literally up in Soleil's face or circling in front of her.  Soleil is a great dog communicator and is very friendly.
> I have found that the best technique is to stop, let the leash out, and let her greet the other dog.  This allows me to plant my feet and get my balance so the other dog doesn't knock me over.  It allows the idiot owner time to get their dog who is now occupied with mine, and has stopped running away.
> Is there a better way I could handle this?  I can't get between Soleil and the other dog because literally we are on an open sidewalk, and also if the dog knocks me down we will be in trouble.   I'm open to any suggestions.
> I have had to retire a dog because of attacks before, and while things have been friendly up to now, in the back of my mind is the knowledge that the next one could be the bad one.  I have worked really hard with this dog and want to be her partner for the next 50 years, even if she is a weird lab with weird lab food issues!
> Thanks for any ideas!
>
>   Rox and the kitchen Bitches:
> Mill'E, Laveau, Soleil
> Pawpower4me at gmail.com
> Sent from my iPhone
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