How do you deal with a stray dog when you’re with your child?

Loose dogs are everywhere.  Some areas have more than others and they vary in size.    Is it a stray/unwanted dog or simply a dog that got away from its home?  What you do about the stray dog depends on how involved you want to be in the situation. 

The Neighborhood Dog

I was walking with Toddler Mojo in the stroller while two children and a German Shepherd were outside playing.    The dog was off leash and came running towards us while barking.  I looked around us to see if there was a stick, rock or anything I could hit the dog with, there wasn’t.  I yelled, asking the children if the dog was friendly.  They said yes, but the dog kept running towards us and was barking louder now.  I then yelled louder and more forcefully to the children to get a leash and come get their dog.

The dog was now following us as we walked, still barking.   I turned around so I could face the dog, while walking backwards and continued to yell at him directly.  I was full on red-faced yelling curse words at this dog, that’s what you need to do.   As we got four houses away an adult figure came from the house yelling for “Bella”, but the dog was long gone.   At no time did Toddler Mojo or I stop walking.   Looking back at the animal would’ve only been an invitation for the dog to run after us again.

What to do with a stray dog that you know

If you know the dog and feel comfortable then try to secure them.  The owner would certainly appreciate you doing that and odds are that if you know the dog, they’re friendly.

What to do with a stray dog that you don’t know

If the dog is a stray and you don’t know them  call your local animal control office.  Animal control is the entity that’s regulated by your county and paid for by your taxes.

• Your local animal shelter or humane society can’t do anything about stray dogs.
• A humane society gets their dogs from owners who surrender them.
• On some occasions they’ll get them from animal control also.

Do not save a stray and then try to turn them in to a humane society.    The odds on a humane society having available space for a dog are almost zero.  If you save a stray and try to turn them into a humane society they will view that stray dog as your dog and your responsibility.

Conflict

If you get chased or bitten by a dog that is not yours file a report with animal control ASAP.  Ask animal control to come by your house or call you prior to the citation.   This is done just in case they have any more questions and to ensure that they have your contact information.

• If a citation is not issued then you will have no recourse with your medical bills.
• Follow up with animal control to be certain that they filed a report and ask for a copy of it.

You should also be prepared to fight the dog using whatever you have at your disposal.  A rock, stick, dirt in his eyes-anything that can help you defend yourself.  Failing any of those self dense measures is there a tree or something else that you can climb?

If the dog is attacking you and it’s obvious that they’re going to inflict some serious damage you should curl up in as tight a ball as you can.

A friend of ours was out for a walk when a dog chased her, causing her to fall which hurt her wrists.  Because she didn’t follow up with animal control and the report was not filed she may not have any recourse with her insurance company.  Unfortunately, the owner of the dog is not admitting to any fault, which is why the report from animal control is so important. We love dogs and have two great retrievers that are part of the family.  The citation that was issued to that family will hopefully convince the adults in the house that having their children play with the dog off-leash is a dangerous idea.

For 5 years I worked at a humane society managing their PR, fundraising and social media.  I’m not an animal trainer or behaviorist, but these are the things that I learned from the during my time there.