Preventing Dog Bites

Oh A Shaw don't be such a grump. Go on, get down on the dogs level sometimes---this is a wild world we live in----dogs, people, bombs, skunks-----never hurts to be prepared.......

Very good informative article. Often, my husband says"the more I know people, the more I love my dogs." Dogs, like people, have different personalities and temperaments and should be treated with respect--and caution if it is a strange or unknown dog. Common sense helps, too.

A Shaw sounds like he should be living in New York City!

Spaying and neutering prevent reproduction. These surgical procedures do not prevent dog bites.

Breeding only those dogs with excellent temperaments, then proper socialization, training, and good management are what prevent dog bites.

Please don't lie to the public about this issue and pretend that surgical desexing fixes bad temperaments, poor training, or lack of supervision, running away, misbehavior or male dogs raising their leg indoors.

Surgical desexing prevents reproduction. Period.

And if you make this choice, please be sure it's done at the appropriate age of at least 12 months.

I've heard that if two people are walking their dogs and one dog is on a leash and the other isn't there is much more likely to be a fight than if both dogs are off leashes.

I don't like to approach dogs on leashes (or especially if they are occupying a vehicle) since the territorial instincts will kick in and they will see me as a threat.

Yes: Proper training, socializing, and of course keeping them from invading the space of others, which means having a leash handy to keep them from wandering where they shouldn't.

I've seen plenty of dogs who are not spayed or neutered behave very socially.

Considering much of the anti-social behavior I see and read about maybe it's *people* who should consider having themselves spayed and neutered.

This is true, billclausen. When I lived in Santa Babylon, I used to take my dogs to the beach to run (and yes, I carried poop bags and if my dogs pooped, I picked it up.) and all the dogs seemed to go by some sort of unwritten doggy "beach rules" when engaging with one another there. All were loose, all engaged properly, and there was none of the insecurity/territorial imperative stuff that goes on with leashed dogs.

Not saying that all leashed dogs behave badly all the time, but it IS a fact that if one is leashed and another isn't, there is huge potential for trouble, and whether one or both are spayed/neutered or not has zero bearing on this behavior.

As an avid beach runner bitten twice and jumped up at too many times to count, I can say with certainty that far too many dog owners have virtually no respect for the safety and wellbeing of others. Of course, when you do request a dog owner leash their pet, you can expect one or more of the following reactions:

A) A cold, dirty look and no response, B) loud protestations that their dog is "not bothering anyone and is not dangerous", C) Rude remark indicating that they are insulted that you would question their ability to control their animal.

Expect the same caliber of manners if you dare ask a dog owner to pick up the poop their dog just left on the beach, park or sidewalk.

Only once in over 15 years (literally one time!) have I had a dog owner apoligize by saying, "I'm sorry that my dog bothered you." What a sad commentary on the state of interpersonal relations in this country. I'm curious what responsible dog owners think of their bretheran that give them all such a bad reputation?

Hard to believe that emptynewroom had such a bad experience and I wonder if he just doesn't like dogs. I'm on the beach nearly every day and I see lots of dogs. My experience is that the dogs are extremely friendly and the owners are very considerate. If you go to Hendry's or Ellwood beaches you'll be hard-pressed to find any doggie poop sitting out because people do pick it up and self-regulate.

Actually, Sunnyday, I WAS referring to Hendry's Beach. As someone who ran on this beach 3 to 4 times a week for around 8 years, I can assure you that the number of dogs off leash, especially on the weekend and holidays is significant. Many of the dog owners moved down to Henry's after Elings Park got tired of the expense of picking up dog poop and began charging an annual usage fee to dog owners, many of whom declined to pick up after their dogs OR pay this reasonable fee.

Of course, the more often one is on the beach the higher the probability of encountered a dog that wants to play or bite. But facts are facts: many, not all, dog owners are defensive of anyone asking them to take control over their animals.

You can wonder if I like dogs (the answer is "yes" and I've owned several) but that has NOTHING to do with the issue. Perhaps you don't like children? Would that fact change anything if a baby were screaming in a restaurant you were trying to enjoy a meal in? Its all about personal responsibility and that was the only point I was making. (And, yes, I've heard the "you must really hate dogs" nonsense before, so it must be a fairly typical way to counter the reality that dogs should be controlled when in public).

If you don't find my account reliable, I invite you to have a chat with a Park Ranger and get his or her opinion on the issue. Trust me, they see it all, good and bad.

emptynewsroom: What made me question to accuracy of your account is that you wrote, "Only once in over 15 years (literally one time!) have I had a dog owner apoligize by saying, "I'm sorry that my dog bothered you."

Seems unlikely that only ONE person in all of 15 years(!) was respectful to you! That has GOT to be an exaggeration.

Sad, but true Sunnyday. The best I've seen short of an actual communication expressing concern is the dog owner tending to their pet and stopping it from what it was doing. But no eye contact, no direct communication. I think a lot of Americas have become so self-centered that when it comes to a conflict of any kind they get angry, defensive or just shut down.

emptynewsroom: Sadly, something must be up with the way you interact with people, as well as dogs. The vast majority of people are very considerate, especially here in Santa Barbara, and every dog I've ever seen off leash here has been friendly. Perhaps you should take an interspecitve look at the messages (possibly non-verbal) you are sending out. Good luck.

Sunnyday: "EVERY dog you've ever seen off leash here has been friendly". What a ridiculous statement! Simply checking dog-related complaints that the SB Police and Sherrif handle would totally refute such a nutty comment.

As I suggested, go talk to the Park Ranger at Hendry's or ask the people at Eling's Park why they had to implement a dog permit policy. Obviously you think that anyone who stands up for their right to quiet enjoyment of public land is the problem, not the people letting their dogs run wild. I think most reasonable people, including responsible dog owners and the courts, would find you way off base with that position.

Last evening around 6PM I was attacked by a dog in the Ellwood beach bluffs area.

It was very scary. I had to use my bike as a shield. The worst thing is that the owners didn't do a thing to stop their dog until I commented that I didn't think fending off their attacking dog was a fun as they obviously did (they were smiling). I don't know what's scarier, the owners' attitude or the dog trying to bite me. I did not get bitten. But only because I could keep the dog away with my bike and keep him/her from getting around it.

This is not the first time I've been assaulted by a dog in the Ellwood bluffs area. It usually happens while running and the dog loses interest when I stop. This was the worst attack though, the dog was very persistent with no intervention from the owners.