[nagdu] what do you consider an attack?

[Tami Jarvis]

Julie,

Interesting questions! Hm... I would consider an attack to be genuine 
aggression that resulted in significant physical interference or injury. 
So far, we've only had that from a couple of min pins (motto: death to 
all poodles!) who were leashed and just obnoxious at the end of the 
leash. And a chihuahua or two. The result is that Mitzi will still react 
when startled to small, fluffy bouncy dogs in places where they may or 
may not be service dogs... Of course, once she vocalizes, then I need to 
deal with her so can't worry about whether the other dog is legit if not 
as strictly handled as the poodle monster would like. Sigh. I know it's 
just her schooling snark, but she can't be doing that in public, so she 
must settle down. In some cases, I do have opportunity to notice that 
just because the other dog is on a leash does not mean it is under 
control! Fortunately, we do not run across this often, and it's only 
when we've all been super stressed that Mitzi has her issues and talks 
about them.

I think because I like to hang around dogs and because we've spent a lot 
of time around other dogs, I generally can get a feel for an approaching 
dog, and I trust what Mitzi tells me. So minor greeting interference 
isn't terribly upsetting for either of us. I listen for the human, too, 
if a dog is vocalizing. You can get a better indicator of what a dog 
might do from its human sometimes. So I know a lot of the Portland crowd 
throw fits over all the dogs of the homeless on the streets, seeming to 
assume all to be vicious. However, the few times we have passed such 
when the dog was making scary noises, I could hear a human calming the 
dog and controlling it so had no fear. When the human reacts 
aggressively towards the dog or there is no human reacting to a possibly 
threatening dog, then I feel some worry! Even so, I just take a deep 
breath and encourage Mitzi to keep moving, so there we go. So far, so 
good. I think with dogs that have caused concern and cause Mitzi to 
dance a little extra, I just rely on my alpha B thing as I do with iffy 
humans. The Look is useful in many situations. And because I've spent so 
much time in dog parks around many types of dogs, Mitzi speaks the 
languages of many breeds and knows The Look herself. She's not the super 
dominant type of alpha B, but she does have a way of ruling without 
necessarily appearing to. /smile/

Anyway, don't know if that really answers. I think you're right that for 
a guide dog user who can't see the body language behind surface behavior 
and vocalizations, and knowing the possibility of dog attack and what it 
could mean for one's guide even if it's relatively minor... Well, it's 
extra scary! I would also think an individual's reaction would depend a 
lot on local dog culture... In my stomping grounds, it's a pretty good 
bet dogs are well-socialized and responsibly handled. The ones I need to 
worry about are the exceptions. So I can stay calmer, which is a good 
way to keep anything from escalating, because of statistics. In other 
areas, it is probably a better bet that a random dog deserves concern... 
I've been in a few of those areas and have to work harder at staying 
calm and transferring that to my dog. So if I lived where I regularly 
traveled those sorts of scary dog zones, I would probably be a basket case!

Tami



On 05/09/2013 09:14 AM, Julie J. wrote:
> We often talk about dog attacks on this list, but perhaps what I categorize as an attack is different from others definition.  So I’m asking, what do you consider an attack?
>
> Is it: a dog coming toward your dog
> a dog coming toward your dog growling/barking
> a dog coming close enough to sniff your dog
> a dog coming into physical contact with your dog, nose, tongue or feet
> a dog who bites, but does not break the skin with or without pain/bruising
> a dog who draws blood with a bite
> or something else?
>
> Does the intent of the other dog make a difference?  For example it is fairly common for dogs to jump on each other and slobber all over each other during rough play.  But jumping on another dog could definitely be aggression in different circumstances.  Granted it is often extremely difficult to gauge a loose dog’s intent without being able to watch their body language.
>
> Would you consider a situation to be an attack if the other dog approaches friendly, but your dog doesn’t appreciate it and reacts causing the situation to escalate?
>
> Curiously,
> Julie
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