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ARGH. Today, just for a moment, I was the person with the loose dog attacking someone else's leashed dog. I do not feel good about this.
We were in our usual park (a place where it is both legal and normal for dogs to be offleash, by the way). Spike was offleash playing ball, Squish was on his twenty-foot-long leash. Squish had just taken a dump and I was fiddling with a plastic bag. So I didn't actually have my eye on Spike, and he saw the people with the leashed German Shepherd before I did.
If it had been anything except a German Shepherd, there would have been no trouble at all. Spike isn't a big fan of other dogs, but as long as he's not leashed he ignores them. But Spike has a real big problem with German Shepherds. We got jumped by one unexpectedly when he was ten months old, and he's held an enormous grudge ever since. He thinks they should all be exterminated. He didn't even stop to growl. He just piled straight in.
It only lasted a few seconds. He does have near-perfect recall (the only exceptions are squirrels and visible running cats), and he broke off and came back when I bellowed at him. He wasn't at all happy about it - "I could have taken him, Ma!" with all his hackles up and sparks in his eyes like a miniature black dragon, and Squish helpfully barking his head off in support. The people with the Shepherd hurried away, but my nerves couldn't take any more. I leashed everyone up and came home fast so I could check him for damage (I didn't find any). Damn thing must have been three times his size.
He looks so pleased with himself. The bastard.
We were in our usual park (a place where it is both legal and normal for dogs to be offleash, by the way). Spike was offleash playing ball, Squish was on his twenty-foot-long leash. Squish had just taken a dump and I was fiddling with a plastic bag. So I didn't actually have my eye on Spike, and he saw the people with the leashed German Shepherd before I did.
If it had been anything except a German Shepherd, there would have been no trouble at all. Spike isn't a big fan of other dogs, but as long as he's not leashed he ignores them. But Spike has a real big problem with German Shepherds. We got jumped by one unexpectedly when he was ten months old, and he's held an enormous grudge ever since. He thinks they should all be exterminated. He didn't even stop to growl. He just piled straight in.
It only lasted a few seconds. He does have near-perfect recall (the only exceptions are squirrels and visible running cats), and he broke off and came back when I bellowed at him. He wasn't at all happy about it - "I could have taken him, Ma!" with all his hackles up and sparks in his eyes like a miniature black dragon, and Squish helpfully barking his head off in support. The people with the Shepherd hurried away, but my nerves couldn't take any more. I leashed everyone up and came home fast so I could check him for damage (I didn't find any). Damn thing must have been three times his size.
He looks so pleased with himself. The bastard.
Tags:
ARGH. Today, just for a moment, I was the person with the loose dog attacking someone else's leashed dog. I do not feel good about this.
We were in our usual park (a place where it is both legal and normal for dogs to be offleash, by the way). Spike was offleash playing ball, Squish was on his twenty-foot-long leash. Squish had just taken a dump and I was fiddling with a plastic bag. So I didn't actually have my eye on Spike, and he saw the people with the leashed German Shepherd before I did.
If it had been anything except a German Shepherd, there would have been no trouble at all. Spike isn't a big fan of other dogs, but as long as he's not leashed he ignores them. But Spike has a real big problem with German Shepherds. We got jumped by one unexpectedly when he was ten months old, and he's held an enormous grudge ever since. He thinks they should all be exterminated. He didn't even stop to growl. He just piled straight in.
It only lasted a few seconds. He does have near-perfect recall (the only exceptions are squirrels and visible running cats), and he broke off and came back when I bellowed at him. He wasn't at all happy about it - "I could have taken him, Ma!" with all his hackles up and sparks in his eyes like a miniature black dragon, and Squish helpfully barking his head off in support. The people with the Shepherd hurried away, but my nerves couldn't take any more. I leashed everyone up and came home fast so I could check him for damage (I didn't find any). Damn thing must have been three times his size.
He looks so pleased with himself. The bastard.
We were in our usual park (a place where it is both legal and normal for dogs to be offleash, by the way). Spike was offleash playing ball, Squish was on his twenty-foot-long leash. Squish had just taken a dump and I was fiddling with a plastic bag. So I didn't actually have my eye on Spike, and he saw the people with the leashed German Shepherd before I did.
If it had been anything except a German Shepherd, there would have been no trouble at all. Spike isn't a big fan of other dogs, but as long as he's not leashed he ignores them. But Spike has a real big problem with German Shepherds. We got jumped by one unexpectedly when he was ten months old, and he's held an enormous grudge ever since. He thinks they should all be exterminated. He didn't even stop to growl. He just piled straight in.
It only lasted a few seconds. He does have near-perfect recall (the only exceptions are squirrels and visible running cats), and he broke off and came back when I bellowed at him. He wasn't at all happy about it - "I could have taken him, Ma!" with all his hackles up and sparks in his eyes like a miniature black dragon, and Squish helpfully barking his head off in support. The people with the Shepherd hurried away, but my nerves couldn't take any more. I leashed everyone up and came home fast so I could check him for damage (I didn't find any). Damn thing must have been three times his size.
He looks so pleased with himself. The bastard.
Tags:
Gah. We're in the Woodland Walk, I'm throwing the ball for Spike, and I have Squish on a longish leash so he can poke through bushes and smell things and bounce around. Every few minutes I recall him for bits of sausage. He's getting better at this.
Spike goes to check out a scent that Squish finds interesting and drops his ball in the shrubbery somewhere. This happens pretty much every day, and what I do is ask him where it is and he retraces his steps till he finds it. It can take a while. Spike has a short attention span and isn't a finding-things dog by nature, but I got sick of buying him new balls (he can't have tennis balls, and his special soft rubber balls need a trip to Pets At Home, two bus rides away) so now I keep him at it till he damn well finds it.
Only this time Squish, on-leash, found it first. And he was so pleased with himself. Until the Wrath Of Spike came down on his poor lil' head like a Reaver on speed. AAAAARGH.
No one's bleeding, but the whole thing just kills me. Squish just wants to play ball too.
Also, the cats knocked over the water bowl while I was out, and my knee really fucking hurts.
Spike goes to check out a scent that Squish finds interesting and drops his ball in the shrubbery somewhere. This happens pretty much every day, and what I do is ask him where it is and he retraces his steps till he finds it. It can take a while. Spike has a short attention span and isn't a finding-things dog by nature, but I got sick of buying him new balls (he can't have tennis balls, and his special soft rubber balls need a trip to Pets At Home, two bus rides away) so now I keep him at it till he damn well finds it.
Only this time Squish, on-leash, found it first. And he was so pleased with himself. Until the Wrath Of Spike came down on his poor lil' head like a Reaver on speed. AAAAARGH.
No one's bleeding, but the whole thing just kills me. Squish just wants to play ball too.
Also, the cats knocked over the water bowl while I was out, and my knee really fucking hurts.
Gah. We're in the Woodland Walk, I'm throwing the ball for Spike, and I have Squish on a longish leash so he can poke through bushes and smell things and bounce around. Every few minutes I recall him for bits of sausage. He's getting better at this.
Spike goes to check out a scent that Squish finds interesting and drops his ball in the shrubbery somewhere. This happens pretty much every day, and what I do is ask him where it is and he retraces his steps till he finds it. It can take a while. Spike has a short attention span and isn't a finding-things dog by nature, but I got sick of buying him new balls (he can't have tennis balls, and his special soft rubber balls need a trip to Pets At Home, two bus rides away) so now I keep him at it till he damn well finds it.
Only this time Squish, on-leash, found it first. And he was so pleased with himself. Until the Wrath Of Spike came down on his poor lil' head like a Reaver on speed. AAAAARGH.
No one's bleeding, but the whole thing just kills me. Squish just wants to play ball too.
Also, the cats knocked over the water bowl while I was out, and my knee really fucking hurts.
Spike goes to check out a scent that Squish finds interesting and drops his ball in the shrubbery somewhere. This happens pretty much every day, and what I do is ask him where it is and he retraces his steps till he finds it. It can take a while. Spike has a short attention span and isn't a finding-things dog by nature, but I got sick of buying him new balls (he can't have tennis balls, and his special soft rubber balls need a trip to Pets At Home, two bus rides away) so now I keep him at it till he damn well finds it.
Only this time Squish, on-leash, found it first. And he was so pleased with himself. Until the Wrath Of Spike came down on his poor lil' head like a Reaver on speed. AAAAARGH.
No one's bleeding, but the whole thing just kills me. Squish just wants to play ball too.
Also, the cats knocked over the water bowl while I was out, and my knee really fucking hurts.
.
