Dog tried to attack me on run this morning, should I have reacted differently/done something next time?

Thanks for all the responses everyone.

Sounds like there are some mixed opinions here.. some say I should have reacted more aggressively and others say it was okay.

For some clarification, I am a 120 pound woman and the dog that jumped at me was fairly big, possibly could have weighed more than I have. I usually do not yell at people but the only time I have done it has been when someone is driving and doesn't look before they turn right to see me crossing at the cross-walk. I haven't gotten hit because I yelled early enough for the driver to stop but it's been close.

I've had dogs jump towards me or bark at me when running before but they don't usually make contact. In the future, should I be more aggressive and yell at the owner to tame their dog?

i cannot believe everyone doesn't kick these effing things as hard as they can like i always do. it works just fine.

Dude what you have to do if you are bitten by a dog is stop and tell the dog's owner that YOU have rabies and that the dog is probably going to die unless it immediately goes to the vet. If you get a crazy look in your eye and start sort of screaming they'll probably believe you.

trealt wrote:

For some clarification, I am a 120 pound woman and the dog that jumped at me was fairly big, possibly could have weighed more than I have.

A dog that size could easily kill you, or at the least could maim you quite terribly, and the next time it will be more aggressive.

You should have talked with the owner, AND reported the dog.

There are too many dangerous dogs, and irresponsible dog owners out there to take this lightly.

Why did you run close to the dog?

I usually veer around them.

Definitely should have reported it to the police. Idiot entitled dog owners get away with way too much, and that dog probably will bite someone else.

Actually the average from 2003-2015 was 2.833

From the CDC:

F the dogs wrote:

There are some good vids on reading dog behavior. (And not so good ones)

The us post office has good vid.

Personally I hate dogs...between the chasing the bites the barking and the dogsh it.

F@ them!

Ohai der off meds, depressed cat hoarding recluse, how is your day today?

El Stupido wrote:

Hot Air Balloon wrote:

The dog was on a leash it seems.

Do not run so close to a leashed dog that it can touch you.

Your fault.

A 6 or 20 foot leash does not keep a dog in control of the owner.

Any time a dog attacks someone, the attack is the fault of the owner.

A dog that's going to attack should not be out in public.

Your fault, period.

Hi dumb-dumb, you're almost correct. Idiots w/ a 20 foot leash have no chance of control but it's a completely different story with a 4-6ft leash; that you would equate the two only proves that you are in fact a dumb-dumb and thereby invalidates anything else you have to say on this matter.

As for the OP if the owner was one of the idiots w/ a 20 ft leash, then that's on the owner and she should have complained more to them for being unresponsible. If it was a 6ft leash, and the dog didn't do something like drag the owner across the street to get at her, my opinion would be that you as the runner may have some responsibility here and to chalk this up to a learning experience and veer wider in the future.

cappy wrote:

Why did you run close to the dog?

I usually veer around them.

So a car runs over you on the sidewalk,

and I say, why did you run close to the car; I usually run around them.

El Stupido wrote:

A 6 or 20 foot leash does not keep a dog in control of the owner.

Any time a dog attacks someone, the attack is the fault of the owner.

A dog that's going to attack should not be out in public.

Your fault, period.

spotterofdumbdumb wrote:

Hi dumb-dumb, you're almost correct. Idiots w/ a 20 foot leash have no chance of control but it's a completely different story with a 4-6ft leash; that you would equate the two only proves that you are in fact a dumb-dumb and thereby invalidates anything else you have to say on this matter.

Hey dumb-dumb,

I will try to make this simple for you.

Even if the leash is only 1 foot, that still is a problem, when the owner does not have control of the dog.

In that case the dog should not be away from the owners well fenced property, and if it's that dangerous that the owner can't control it, needs to be put down so it won't keep attacking more people, and possibly killing someone.

When a dog comes at me I take off full tilt for a 150 meter stride. When we get around the corner I make friends with it and encourage it to follow me for another 100 meters. Then I leave the confused dog and the owner learns a lesson as they end up looking for the lost dog, which eventually figures out a way to go back to them.

My brother got a chunk of his butt taken out by a dog while running, and I learned long ago, that the best way to deal with bad dogs is to make it clear to them that you are bigger and meaner than they are. If they want to come at you, they are going to pay. Its an attitude and it works amazingly well. If a dog looks menacingly at me I just think about how I'm going to kick it in the teeth if need be and it holds off.

I didn't have room to veer around, there was a bush on my left side. I did try to stay to the left.

hi again dumb-dumb - you just doubled down on how dumb you are and don't even realize that this is what you did which makes you a dumb-dumb-dummy.

I'm not going to try to explain it to you since you're a lost cause but for the rest of the thread readers - leash length does matter and there is a hugh difference between standard 4-6ft and 20ft.

Of course there is wrote:

dogtown wrote:

Id say you reacted appropriately. Theres really no need to hurt the dog for his/her owners mistake.

Don't be so stupid. A wild animal that is intent on hurting you badly, and which has the ability to rip you apart and kill you, needs to be put down immediately.

You're the pu/ssy, for not protecting people from attacks.

a toddler with some scissors has the "ability' to rip you apart and kill you lol. doesn't mean you gotta be aggressive to prevent it from happening. Also, dogs are domesticated not wild

i mean hey if you are scared of a little pup then like i said, do what you gotta do, no one can tell you not to defend yourself just like no one can tell you to stop using training wheels or drinking from a sippy cup

trealt wrote:

I usually do not yell at people but the only time I have done it has been when someone is driving and doesn't look before they turn right to see me crossing at the cross-walk. I haven't gotten hit because I yelled early enough for the driver to stop but it's been close.

You sound like someone who is just too dumb to be out on the streets and parks amongst the dangerous dogs and humans.

Clue for you: When a driver doesn't see you and begins turning into your running path don't yell at them and hope they stop before they kill you. Just STOP and let them go. You're welcome. Now GTFOOH.

I was in a similar situation as the OP. The dog bit me, so I returned the favor and bit the owner.

spotterofdumbdumb wrote:

hi again dumb-dumb - you just doubled down on how dumb you are and don't even realize that this is what you did which makes you a dumb-dumb-dummy.

I'm not going to try to explain it to you since you're a lost cause but for the rest of the thread readers - leash length does matter and there is a hugh difference between standard 4-6ft and 20ft.

Well again dumb-dumb triple dumb-dumb hugh dumb-dumb you missed the point entirely, which is not how long the leash is, but having control of your dog.