Today’s column is a plea to all owners of dogs, especially big dogs, not to let their dogs run loose—knowingly or unknowingly — especially in residential neighborhoods.
Longtime readers of this column may remember my writing about a big dog — in that case a Pitbull — that attacked and killed two small dogs while their owner stood by helplessly in the Cresthills residential area of Los Banos.
A similar event happened recently in my neighborhood, near the Los Banos water tower, when a neighbor and friend of mine, Kathy, was walking her small dog. A big dog — in this case a German Shepherd — out of the blue ran right up to her.
Kathy quickly picked up her small dog and held it closely to her chest. The big dog kept poking at her with its nose. She tried kicking the dog away, but to no avail. She yelled for help.
Fortunately, another neighbor, Joel, heard her and helped her move away from the big dog. A young man randomly driving by pulled over and helped Joel keep Kathy and the big dog apart.
“I was terrified,” Kathy told me. “I was peacefully walking my dog in my neighborhood, feeling good about life, when all of a sudden I feared for my little dog’s life and my own safety.
“As I kept trying to kick the dog away,” she continued, “I thought what if I lose my balance and fall? It would be horrible for me and my dog.”
Kathy is grateful that a neighbor she knew and a stranger passing by came to her rescue. “I don’t know what would have happened if they hadn’t helped me.”
After that incident, Kathy no longer feels safe and secure walking her little dog in her own neighborhood. She keeps looking around, wondering if another big dog on the loose would try to attack her.
The strange thing about the incident is that the German Shepherd was probably just curious. Kathy told me the big dog approached her and her little dog and just poked at her. Later Joel noticed that the dog had a collar and a tag.
Unlike the Pitbull in the Cresthills area (that killed the two little dogs) which had no collar and had reportedly been seen roaming the area for some time, the German Shepherd that approached Kathy probably belonged to someone in the neighborhood who may have forgotten to secure the gate to their backyard.
Nevertheless, that German Shepherd genuinely scared Kathy, since she didn’t know what that dog might do.
I doubt any of my readers who have big dogs would knowingly let their animals run loose. But they might unknowingly allow them to leave their yard and roam until they discovered their dog was out.
Owners of big dogs also need to remember that owners of small dogs are usually different. Owners of big dogs generally feel that their dogs protect them. Owners of small dogs generally feel they need to protect their dogs.
My wife Sandy and I have two small dogs. They do protect us, sort of, with their barking. No one approaches our house without Bella and Tessa letting us know, and the closer someone comes to our door, the louder and more frequently they bark.
However, when I walk my dogs around the neighborhood, I know they are no match for a big dog, especially one on the loose. In fact, my dogs are not a match for my neighbor’s cat, even though they don’t realize it. Bella and Tessa seem ready to take on all comers. If I didn’t hold on to their leashes tightly, they’d run directly at danger.
Sometimes I smile when I see a big dog on a leash being walked by his owner and my dogs start barking at it as if to say, “You don’t scare me.” I know that in an ensuing dog fight, they would lose, big time.
I also want to acknowledge that I’ve known many gentle big dogs — including Pitbulls, Great Danes, Labradors and German Shepherds. In almost all cases they wouldn’t harm a flea. I also recognize, however, that they have instincts, and in the wrong situation, they could attack. Very seldom, but a possibility.
I suggested to Kathy that she start carrying a small container of dog repellent pepper spray, like the one I bought at Petco after I heard about the pit bull attack. In reading up about protecting yourself from dog attacks, I also found other safeguards– including carrying a cane or stick, a spray water bottle or a loud whistle.
I also encouraged Kathy to report the incident to the Los Banos animal control officer. From my experience, local animal control officers have responded sympathetically and relatively quickly to my reports about dogs roaming loose.
I also encourage my readers to report loose dogs (especially big dogs) they see in their neighborhood to their local animal control officer, regardless of where they live on the Westside. Even if they’re friendly, they might easily scare the wits out of a person peacefully out for a walk, with or without a small dog.
And if you see a person in immediate danger of a big dog, I encourage you, as Joel and the random stranger did for Kathy, to immediately do what you can to help.
John Spevak’s email is john.spevak@gmail.com.
