I didn’t think you necessarily had, which is why I mentioned it.
Prior history aside, the quotes from the owner make him sound like precisely the type of person who should not have any breed of dog ith agressive tendencies.
He’s using it to reinforce his macho self-image.
14 Likes
I’d be really hesitant to use something like this on a dog of this type/mentality. I swear they thrive on pain, and it turns them up even higher.
I’d rather get off and do what I can to restrain or get distance between myself and the animal.
1 Like
I hate that these dogs have gotten all kinds of cutesy names, too. Pittie. Pibble. American Bully. yadda yadda
It’s a terrier, known for reactiveness and tenacity. It’s the same mentality of that psycho Jack Russell or that stubborn Airedale - just with 70+ pounds of muscle attached, and idiots for owners/breeders.
AKC description of the Terrier group:
Feisty and energetic are two of the primary traits that come to mind for those who have experience with Terriers. In fact, many describe their distinct personalities as “eager for a spirited argument.” Bred to hunt, kill vermin and to guard their families home or barn.
9 Likes
Ah, I misunderstood what you were suggesting. I think a whip crack might deter some dogs, yes. If they’re already up on you, attacking though - I’m not sure what you could do with a whip.
In the absence of a whip, maybe a blank pistol? Unfortunately probably not legal everywhere.
1 Like
Even if legal, it would also require training the horse–though I suppose one could join a cowboy mounted shooting group.
2 Likes
I wonder if it would take the same/less/more than being able to crack a big whip off their side, with a dog running at them!
1 Like
Good question. I wonder if the visual element of the whip would make it more or less intimidating to the horse?
2 Likes
I didnt watch because I just cant…
Was the dog owner charged? Did the horse owner file a lawsuit? Even in “off leash” areas, the dog must be “under control” by the owner I thought…
3 Likes
I wonder if he could be charged for assault of a police officer?
11 Likes
Highly unlikely. Animals dont have intent. Unless the owner “sicced” the dog on the horse with intent to injure the officer.
1 Like
I can’t bring myself to watch the video.
Poor horse.
Dealing with an attacking dog while riding is the stuff of nightmares. I have fantastic ride out at my farm but I never ever use it bc of loose dogs. Even though I live in a leash law area, it’s not heavily enforced and I don’t trust any of these free range dogs to act right.
6 Likes
It was a pretty hard watch 
But horse was part of a Mounted Patrol, so rider was a LEO.
I’d hope London’s PD would prosecute the Asshat dogowner. 
11 Likes
The riders in this case are the Police, out doing their job, so they definitely weren’t at fault. Being a bystander in a case with a bully, I’m honestly not sure if I would have the balls to get involved, though I might have whacked the owner up side the head and told him to get his effin’ dog off the horse.
3 Likes
One of his comments was “if I got kicked by the horse and died, people would be sad” or something like that.
No, bud. Unlikely.
22 Likes
I have been hassled by dogs when driving my ponies. My Hackney pony, Crackers, was afraid of dogs and would try to bolt. There was a boxer in the neighborhood that would follow us around, and it made Crackers lose his mind. I started off using a squirt gun to deter that dog, which did nothing, then made my whip whistle through the air toward the dog. That didn’t work, either. I couldn’t bring myself to whip the dog as it wasn’t aggressive, it just followed behind the cart. I think Crackers finally got used to that particular dog, because he got to be less reactive over time.
My larger pony, Salt, strongly disliked dogs and was aggressive with them. When I started driving him, that boxer was no longer around, but there was a border collie at a neighboring property that was never leashed or confined. That dog would run out into the road and try to herd Salt. Salt would aim kicks at it, but never managed to connect. I told the dog owner that Salt was going to send their dog to the moon and I resented being put in that position, but they just didn’t get how unfair that was to my horse. That dog was hit by a car (because it tried to herd cars, too) and still never learned anything.
My next door neighbor got some kind of doodle dog and never confined it. It would come racing into my driveway and harass Salt when I was heading out or in with him, on my own property. I was good friends with the woman’s parents, the original owners of that property, but their daughter who ended up with that place was a real piece of work. The dog also harassed my elderly dog.
The first thing the next owner of my place did was fence the entire perimeter. He told another neighbor it was because of that dog.
I’m lucky that none of the dogs I’d encountered driving my ponies ever actually laid a tooth on them. But I sure resented having to worry about it.
Rebecca
13 Likes
Initially I didn’t look as I had no desire to see a horse being attacked by a dog. Then I realised from the discussion it was in the UK. I have little doubt that the dog will have been destroyed by now because it was “dangerously out of control in a public place” thereby contravening the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act. The owner’s opinion about his dog being “friendly” or “intimidated by the big horse” or “I was trying to stop him” won’t stand against the law - most especially as it was a police horse attacked, in a public park, with photographic evidence. The pity is that the self-image and ego of owners is so often tied into owning particular breeds.
Farmers in the UK have the right to shoot dead dogs caught harassing livestock. Sadly, it doesn’t happen often enough! Every lambing season there are distressing pictures of dead ewes and aborted lambs. “Oh he is playing” is what I was told when I warned some people, standing watching their dog pursuing a flock, that the farmer could kill it. They did call the dog off though.
14 Likes
I didn’t either.
I have seen a completely different video wherein a woman kept an aggressive dog at bay (at bay being a bit of a tricky phrase in this case since she had to wade right in) by grabbing its hind legs and lifting it off the ground in back. The dog was then forced to remain on its forelegs, and couldn’t quite curl around to bite her. It was quite a long video, and the woman got tired holding the dog in wheelbarrow mode, but she managed to keep the dog from biting, nor could it successfully attack anything else.
So, that’s one strategy. Whether it would have worked in this case, and who would have been the wheelbarrow holder is up in the air to me, as I didn’t watch the video.
for my riding horses: we used to charge the dogs, and they would assuredly back off. I don’t recall ever running into a PACK of dogs on the trail though. I don’t think the charging technique would work in a multi dog situation. When I walk my little (vocal) dog on a leash, I carry pepper spray. Just not going there with dogs.
1 Like
The video was incredibly distressing, to the point that it has bothered me all day. It definitely had the worst effect on me of any video I have watched in recent memory.
The absolute irony of it all is that the dog’s owner is a total asshat wanker tough guy wannabe dressed in ALL CAMO, head to toe, like he was some kind of paramilitary operative.
And he dances around and does NOTHING to help the situation. He won’t get close to his dog. He later states in the article that he was “afraid of being kicked by the horse.”
I hope the dog is destroyed and the owner is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. So glad the horse was largely ok.
13 Likes
I used to have a QH/Morgan cross who would go after dogs like a cutting horse. Wiped the smug grin off the face of more than one asshat dog owner.
17 Likes
My dog was attacked by two dogs while I was on a trail ride. I started carrying a hunt whip after that. Just make sure your horse is desensitized to the whip before you try anything!
2 Likes
