I know you used to enjoy walking your dogs there, but it sounds too isolated to be safe. If there’s no one around except you and the other dog owner, it doesn’t sound like a good situation.
Instead of going off on the other dog owner, try a discussion first? That might be less threatening to both of you, and less likely to escalate to escalate the situation. Plus yelling at the owner might stress out his dog enough to cause a real attack.
Are you people insane? The OP’s afraid to even reach in because this dog is so physically intimidating. I’ve been there; it’s not somewhere I’d want to be again. If she has a gun permit and the training to use a gun, why shouldn’t she carry one on walks in this area? Because she might hurt an innocent dog whose behavior she’s misinterpreting? Why is it her responsibility to interpret this enormous attack breed’s behavior? Her responsibility is to her own dogs and herself. It would be unfortunate if the mastiff were to get shot; it would also be the fault of the mastiff’s owner. You acquire intimidating breeds and let them behave questionably off-leash with strangers, you’re creating a situation where someone might get hurt. And that both CC and OP’s dogs are offleash is not really equal - the OP’s dogs were presumably being old dogs trotting near her, while the CC insisted on confronting them.
If OP can legally and responsibly carry a gun, I would say this is a reasonable precaution to take when going into a remote area with elderly dogs when you know there’s a large, unfriendly predator around. I would have it as a last resort, after firm speech, pepper spray, etc.
OP, it’s your decison. Just be aware that the argument “If the (giant/fighting/attack breed dog) wanted to (hurt/kill) your (dog/child/grandma/self) your (dog/child/grandma/self) would be (hurt/killed)!” is really, really popular as an easy way to dismiss concerns over aggressive dogs. It’s a little creepy, implying as it does that the speaker is rather proud of this ability, but it’s often used to shut up people who are worried that a dog just charged them in a way that set their self-preservation instincts on nuclear. It’s a very misleading dismissal, however. Dogs don’t just go “Hot damn, I’m going to go tear that old dog’s throat out today.” They practice first. They glare. They stalk. They rush. They roll another dog. There’s no marks, there’s no bites, it’s all chalked up to play. Until they get enough practice to make it count. Never let someone talk you into “trusting” their “friendly” dog or shame you into not protecting your own dog. That Cane Corso and his daddy can take care of themselves. You take care of your dogs and yourself.
[QUOTE=chaserider;7141012]
I live near some state land where many of us walk our dogs off-leash. Several weeks ago I was just leaving as a guy came through the fence with a Cane Corso who immediately attacked my elderly german shepherd. The ower seemed fairly unconcerned. I was so dumbfounded I just put a leash on my dog and left.This morning I ran into the same guy and his dog comes out of nowhere and goes for my elderly black lab. Neither time was skin broken, but it freaked me out and I’m sure my dogs were freaked out as well. My question: what are my rights? I have a concealed carry license but don’t even own a gun. Should I start carrying just in case I have to shoot this dog before it harms one of mine? I was afraid to reach in and try to pull this Cane Corso off my dogs because I know what a wound it is capable of inflicting. I would appreciate any advice.[/QUOTE]
Thank you, vacation1. I, too, wonder how long it will be before this dog attacks a puppy being walked by a child and bad stuff follows.
I get it, people. No, I will not carry a gun. I think I said that quite a few posts ago. Heck, I won’t even go to the woods anymore. I’ll just let the asshat have it all to himself. He wins. Bullying wins.
The fact that I just bought a house half a block from these woods so I could walk my dogs offleash there is secondary, I guess. The fact that this guy drives from someplace else and parks down the street from my house so he can do the same is also not the issue, apparently.
His response as I checked my lab for bite marks was “Johnny, say you’re sorry” and as I walked my dogs away, crying, his parting remark was “sorry, hon” in a flippant manner.
I was angry when I wrote my original post and I’m sorry if I came across as a crazed nutjob. Now I’m just disappointed. In the owner, in his dog, in myself for putting my dogs in that position, in not handling this situation better, and in some of your responses.
I am embarrassed that I put this out to the public and opened myself up, expecting understanding and outrage on my dogs’ behalf.
Lesson learned.
Get angry at him and tell him he MUST control his dog and it’s unacceptable for his dog to charge other dogs like that. Bring a friend if you would feel more comfortable. Bring a burly man if you think he’s being flip because you’re a woman.
You’ll get your point delivered, and possibly the guy will want to avoid being chewed out again in the future. Heck, he may start to look for the crazy lady before deciding to walk there in the future 
Also take some solace in that we’re headed into the crappy weather months shortly. Most likely, the trails will be yours alone to enjoy soon enough.
If there are state rangers or other officiants of the park, notify them of the dog’s behavior. Call animal control. I don’t think anyone is saying not to do ANYTHING, or that you shouldn’t be upset. Personally I think your most effective course of action is to speak up to him, tell him his dog is inappropriate and not under control, and call animal control on his a**. Believe me, at least around here AC was called to the dog park quite frequently, and we never saw the ‘guilty’ parties come back after that.
You have every right to be mad and upset. The dumbass owner should not be letting this big dog loose. I’d call animal control to make a report, so when someone else does too, you will be on record.
I’m sorry this happened to you and your old guys.
I’m the one with the taser. The only people around here who let their dogs off-leash are idiots who got bully breeds for the perceived status that owning one confers. None of the dogs is out-and-out aggressive and looking for battle, but none of the owners have bothered to ever teach their dogs manners.
I’ve only actually used the taser the one time (and the dog was fine). There have been a handful of other times where I’ve been ready to use it, but merely turning the thing on made the unruly dog change its mind about coming any closer.
I hate that idiots put me in the position to hurt a dog. I love dogs. I’d much rather tase the dumbass owners. Repeatedly.
Lest anyone think I am picking on bully breeds - I’m not. I love a well-socialized pit bull or Rottie. The best-behaved dog in the neighborhood is a pit (ironically named Spike). He’s trained to the nth and is a welcome sight out strolling the neighborhood with his family.
[QUOTE=chaserider;7142172]
Thank you, vacation1. I, too, wonder how long it will be before this dog attacks a puppy being walked by a child and bad stuff follows.
I get it, people. No, I will not carry a gun. I think I said that quite a few posts ago. Heck, I won’t even go to the woods anymore. I’ll just let the asshat have it all to himself. He wins. Bullying wins.
The fact that I just bought a house half a block from these woods so I could walk my dogs offleash there is secondary, I guess. The fact that this guy drives from someplace else and parks down the street from my house so he can do the same is also not the issue, apparently.
His response as I checked my lab for bite marks was “Johnny, say you’re sorry” and as I walked my dogs away, crying, his parting remark was “sorry, hon” in a flippant manner.
I was angry when I wrote my original post and I’m sorry if I came across as a crazed nutjob. Now I’m just disappointed. In the owner, in his dog, in myself for putting my dogs in that position, in not handling this situation better, and in some of your responses.
I am embarrassed that I put this out to the public and opened myself up, expecting understanding and outrage on my dogs’ behalf.
Lesson learned.[/QUOTE]
And this is very different than what you initially said.
You said your dog was attacked, that you did nothing, the owner did nothing, and your dog wasn’t hurt. Then you asked about a gun.
Until now, you haven’t said that you’d spoken to the owner at all.
If you’d opened with “my dog was screaming and I was crying and the owner said XYZ, what now?”, you’d have had more sympathy.
But your initial explanation left a lot of doubts about what went on and left a lot of doubts that it was an attack. The two descriptions paint massively different scenarios and would likely bring massively different responses.
I totally know how you feel. I have a lovely wooded area nearby that I have been walking my two dogs unofficially offleash for years (two senior dogs, now two young dogs). Most of the people who I have seen back there have been friendly pet owners who have nice dogs, and we all enjoy the area. About a year ago, a woman started showing up who has 3 large dogs who would occasionally growl at my dogs when we would pass which makes me nervous (my young dogs won’t start a fight, but they likely won’t hesitate to respond to a challenge). The other people I know who walk there have commented that they don’t trust them either. Nothing has happened beyond the growling, but I sure look for her truck and avoid her and her dogs at all costs, and it irks me it has come to that.
[QUOTE=vacation1;7142088]
Dogs don’t just go “Hot damn, I’m going to go tear that old dog’s throat out today.” They practice first. They glare. They stalk. They rush. They roll another dog. There’s no marks, there’s no bites, it’s all chalked up to play. Until they get enough practice to make it count. Never let someone talk you into “trusting” their “friendly” dog or shame you into not protecting your own dog. That Cane Corso and his daddy can take care of themselves. You take care of your dogs and yourself.[/QUOTE]
I think you have a good point in that the other dog might be testing out a target. There are some idiot dogs with no skills at all that would just run up and start tearing up another dog, but that isn’t what this one did.
And as I stated earlier, it is not ok, for this dog to rush the OP’s elderly dog. It doesn’t have to be a puncture wound to cause injury…knocking an older dog over can tear ligaments/muscles/tendons and just as with people, it’s much harder to recover from injuries for senior dogs.
All that to say, I still would not carry a gun, but I would be armed with something and I’d plan on using it.
I don’t think I’d let him win. I’d go w/o the dogs at some point and speak to him though.
I was angry when I wrote my original post and I’m sorry if I came across as a crazed nutjob. Now I’m just disappointed. In the owner, in his dog, in myself for putting my dogs in that position, in not handling this situation better, and in some of your responses.
I am embarrassed that I put this out to the public and opened myself up, expecting understanding and outrage on my dogs’ behalf.
Lesson learned.
I DO understand and I can sympathize, I am sorry you experienced this.
I’m sorry if nobody seemed sorry for your dogs. I am. However living closer to the land doesn’t give you anymore or less rights to it. YOU need to stand up for your dogs, by being upset, by using your words first and your physical force as little as possible but as much as needed to protect yourself and your dogs.
I still stand by the statement that bringing a gun into this situation is ridiculously dangerous. Using your gun in a situation like this, even pulling it out to ‘warn’ will almost certainly cost you your CCL. You haven’t spoken to him, you’ve taken no real steps to avoid, and your life is not in danger. Do you really want to leave yourself unable to carry concealed in the future? It’s a very real possibility, unfortunately.
OP, stick wih a tazer or mace, and be a beyotch if you see that guy again. Make sure he realizes real fast you’re not his ‘Hun’. He sounds like a jerkoff and should be treated as such.
A stout walking stick will serve well to protect you and your dog from an aggressive dog. Use it like a spear to keep the attacker away from you. A sharpened end will be even better!
OP, I don’t blame you an ounce for being upset. I think you were rattled by what could have been. Cane Corsos are large, powerful dogs and not to be trifled with. My grandma would walk with a stick because her dog could be a jerk and she needed it for him, but I’m sure it could work both ways (on another dog). I also liked the mention of the spray bottle with a bit of ammonia in it. I think that would actually work better than a stick with a Cane Corso. Good luck, feel better and keep taking your dogs for walks.
Just want to suggest that the fact the OP’s dog is elderly is irrelevant. It’s not like a stranger dog can likely go “Oh, my, that is a delicate senior citizen!”, at least from the distance when it first makes eye contact/the decision to approach. Also, my dog may be young and athletic and recover faster from a fight, but it doesn’t mean my dog is any more “deserving” to be assaulted. No dog should be attacked by another dog, regardless of age or health status.
Please forgive me if this was addressed, but is this an approved location to walk off-leash? If you at least start using a leash you’ll have a better leg to stand on when you report this fellow. Are you handy with a camera phone? Snap a picture of the offending vehicle, owner and dog and take it to the authorities. Network with others who may use the park, too, and create some peer pressure for this fellow to start using a leash or find a new park.
And if they make them, a like, walking stick/tazer combo could be an effective deterrent (that is also long enough to use without risking your own arm, and could potentially be brandished but not necessarily used). Of course I don’t want your own dog to suffer, but what about something that make a noise that is noxious to dogs to make it less appealing for that dog to come near you?
I really feel for you. My dog can be fear aggressive with bigger dogs (she’s only 50 lbs, so there are enough of them out there); we let her sort it out with the in-law’s obnoxious Boxer because 1) they have to see each other often 2) it was “in-family” so if anything unfortunate happened, there was a relationship and a mutual understanding already in place, and 3) the Boxer’s owners really wanted him to learn some inter-dog manners (he really is obnoxious…). They’re good buddies now, but it’s not worth it for us to spend the time and risk trying to socialize her with other dogs. We don’t take her to dog parks or on walks in the woods anymore because of that, too. We’ve met too many apparently friendly dogs off-leash who seem to come out of nowhere and, in their eagerness, bum rush our dog who gets testy within a minute or so, faster than the owners can catch up to the dog who ran around the corner ahead of them.
Finally, I would definitely suggest making a paper trail. In the awful event you have to act to prevent this dog from hurting you or your dog, and that dog gets hurt/killed in the process, the he said/she said will be easier on you if the police already have logged your complaints and there has been reasonable other attempts to mitigate this.
I can’t even imagine being in that scenario but instead of “friendly” it’s an aggressive approach. Good luck!
[QUOTE=chaserider;7142172]
Thank you, vacation1. I, too, wonder how long it will be before this dog attacks a puppy being walked by a child and bad stuff follows.
I get it, people. No, I will not carry a gun. I think I said that quite a few posts ago. Heck, I won’t even go to the woods anymore. I’ll just let the asshat have it all to himself. He wins. Bullying wins.
The fact that I just bought a house half a block from these woods so I could walk my dogs offleash there is secondary, I guess. The fact that this guy drives from someplace else and parks down the street from my house so he can do the same is also not the issue, apparently.
His response as I checked my lab for bite marks was “Johnny, say you’re sorry” and as I walked my dogs away, crying, his parting remark was “sorry, hon” in a flippant manner.
I was angry when I wrote my original post and I’m sorry if I came across as a crazed nutjob. Now I’m just disappointed. In the owner, in his dog, in myself for putting my dogs in that position, in not handling this situation better, and in some of your responses.
I am embarrassed that I put this out to the public and opened myself up, expecting understanding and outrage on my dogs’ behalf.
Lesson learned.[/QUOTE]
Really? You were so upset you were crying? Yeah, the big dog’s owner is a clueless patronizing bum. His dog is ill-mannered. But the appropriate response is not to freeze and then burst into tears. That does not help your dog.
Why not call around to some dog clubs in your area and see what you can do to become more comfortable in these kinds of situations? Learn some strategies to protect your dogs when this kind of thing happens again? Maybe just a basic dog handling class would help you, since it would get you and your dogs out with other dogs.
[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;7142630]
Really? You were so upset you were crying? Yeah, the big dog’s owner is a clueless patronizing bum. His dog is ill-mannered. But the appropriate response is not to freeze and then burst into tears. That does not help your dog.
Why not call around to some dog clubs in your area and see what you can do to become more comfortable in these kinds of situations? Learn some strategies to protect your dogs when this kind of thing happens again? Maybe just a basic dog handling class would help you, since it would get you and your dogs out with other dogs.[/QUOTE]
So she was caught completely off-guard, was afraid her dog could’ve been hurt or killed, was shook up, and you think that she’s out of line for crying? I agree that it doesn’t help the situation, but it’s not really something you can help? I guess a dog handling class would never hurt, but I really don’t think any dog trainer is going to recommend placing herself in between the target (old pup) and a huge, attack-breed dog.
As a side note, OP, for goodness sake if you feel the need to carry a gun, then carry one! #1, just because you have it on you does not mean you will draw and fire upon the cane corso. If you’re afraid that you might be tempted, or if you don’t have the willpower to not shoot, then by all means do not carry. Ever. #2 You paid for your CCP, and you have every right to carry if you so choose. #3, you might not need a gun to protect yourself or your dog from the Cane Corso, but what if you were to run into a rabid coyote, or a strange man that was coming after you, or…?
Off my soapbox, now, I just don’t want you to leave your protection at home, just because some BB posters thought you shouldn’t carry it.
Ditto mace or taser though I don’t know anyone personally who carries the latter. The former I do. They say is works AND it incentives owners to get their dogs. NOW.
So sorry, OP.
So she was caught completely off-guard, was afraid her dog could’ve been hurt or killed, was shook up, and you think that she’s out of line for crying?
Yeah. I think so. My dog DID get torn into by a mastiff (she’s 60ish lbs…he was 125+). She required a trip to the emergency vet and had 10 staples in her shoulder to repair the damage done. But I kept my act together, stayed calm, used my words to discuss with the mastiff’s owners what we should do (granted, we were friends, and were trying to introduce our dogs so the lonely mastiff could have a buddy…obviously, he stayed lonely). I don’t even think I raised my voice when my dog was getting brutally attacked. I just did everything in my power to get her away. I bawled my eyes out that night, when I was alone with her at home and she was not handling the sedation or the pain well and I was guilt ridden for even letting her be put into such a situation. But I kept my s**t together in the heat of the moment.
Crying and screaming and gnashing of teeth is NEVER appropriate in a crisis. Especially when dealing with animals.
OP, I’m sorry. I still can’t tell if it is legal for any dog to be off leash in this area. I would arm yourself with a good stick and/or a can of mace. I also agree that you might be wise to stop and talk with this guy sans dogs once and see if an understanding can be met. I would also consider leashing your dogs, at least in and out of the entrance to the park (it DOES help get them away). I would also contact park rangers or whatever, possibly with this guy’s license plate number, so they can know the dog is a menace and have a paper trail if something worse does happen.
But no more tears. It doesn’t serve any purpose. Put your mean girl pants on if you have to, but no tears.
[QUOTE=talkofthetown;7142707]
So she was caught completely off-guard, was afraid her dog could’ve been hurt or killed, was shook up, and you think that she’s out of line for crying? I agree that it doesn’t help the situation, but it’s not really something you can help?
.[/QUOTE]
I wouldn’t say “out of line” but I’d say people need to be able to control their emotions around animals. Any horse person would, I think, agree, since one way to make a bad situation with a horse even worse is to let the horse know you’re worried.
And of course one can help crying! Or I should hope so, anyway.
