Feral Dog Attack Story

Just thought I'd share this story.

I currently live in a built-up urban area that, at nightfall especially has a serious dog problem.

The locals will not address the situation so you're on your own when the dogs run loose!

I was setting out this night into the heart of the city to meet an old friend who was flying out to Europe the following morning.

Anyway, at dusk on leaving the apartment, which is nearly a kilometer from the main road, up some quiet and deserted side-streets the dog pack are out and about.

The night previous I'd heard them tearing into a cat (I think the cat got away).
Anyway I'm turning the corner and there's about 5 of them.
Not massive, nor tiny. They are the feral dog size and the pack leader is a brown mutt that's mean and arrogant.

It's barking like crazy at a gateway which has another dog behind it, barking like mad at each other.

I see this and think 'I'll use that as a distraction' and increase my pace.
As I do so two of the top-dog's underlings (some white-greyish mutts) wander over towards me.
By now the pepper spray I bought at a local market is out of the EDC and in my hand with my thumb on the trigger.
I'm not out for spraying whilly nilly so let them pass by as they don't pose a threat.

So far so good.
Then, maybe out of scent, who knows, the top dog turns from it's bark-competition with the gate dog and heads over to me.
It's obviously trying to look good and fancy's a piece.
Instead of standing off and barking it closes the range down to about 4 feet and makes for an attack.
I'm ready and it get's a blast!

Now, even though this is the tropic's I'm in, the wind was breezy and took the bite out of the spray jet.
Meaning only the fringes of it caught the head area. Also the spray was weak only 4 feet if that. (partly why it didn't strike the creature full on too I'd say)

I'm walking on by as I do this btw.

It's barking dropped off dramatically, almost to whimpers.
I sprayed again, once out of range, worrying I'd bought a deficient canister This time it managed about 6-8 feet.
Meanwhile the top dog is sneezing and very much confused with what's just buzzed it's nose and face!

I continued up the side-street and make the main road without issue and go meet up with my buddy

A bit of the residue from the nozzle had dripped onto my right hand and despite my best efforts I got a bit on me, which was quite irritating, but nowhere near that which the dog's getting I'll wager.

After some drinks in the city centre I tell my tale to my friend, imagining that's the end of it.

Well, how wrong I was, on my return, several drinks later, the dog pack is waiting!
They'd managed to chase out one of the nice guard dogs and isolate it at my end of the side-street (main road side). It's tail is up but it's unfazed. Neither was I that much (thanks to the pepper spray).

This dog's ok and I pass it by, facing me is brown top-dog from before.

It's a bit wary now and I give it some shouts and harsh words.
As I move nearer I give it a little false rush and it scuttles away a bit then stops before doing the same.

I make my left turn towards the apartment and now all four of it's cohorts are there lined up on one side of the street.
It wasn't the brown-mutt that made the charge but one of the white dogs.
It obviously fancied it's chances of becoming the new leader.
The peppers-spray was out again by now of course I gave it a burst. Wisely it scuttled back before it could reach, these things learn fast folks

So that's my first time of using a pepper spray in anger. It probably won't be the last. I can hear the mangy mutt's barking around outside two floors below as I type.

Lesson's learned:
On buying pepper spray give it a shake and a test spray, just to get it 'primed'. For some reason mine wasn't at full 'performance' on initial firing.

Just after spraying be aware of the residue / drips that trickle down the canister.
It's not a big deal but might irritate you if you touch your skin with your spray hand.

Oh and I'm glad I was carrying something.
I've been bitten before by a dog out in Asia and ended up having to get Rabipure vaccination's over the course of a month.
Not very nice and the dog doesn't pay for the treatment.

reply to post by WatchRider


I suggest you get your own dog


or....

You could get your own dog

or....

You could also get your own dog, maybe?


good luck.

GOOD ADVICE:





____________________

reply to post by ILikeStars


I believe that third pic is an Irish Wolf Hound ?
I used to deliver palleted pet food to dog breeders and one of them had several of those beasties running loose. I refused to leave my cab unless they were locked away, they looked like they could eat me!!

OP. My daughter and grandson live in an area with feral dogs and it worries me a lot. Here in the uk those sprays are considered an offensive weapon and therefore unobtainable. Are they legal where you are ?

Originally posted by VoidHawk
reply to post by ILikeStars

 

I believe that third pic is an Irish Wolf Hound ?

You are correct. fyi- Irish Wolf Hounds are the reason wolves went extinct in Ireland.

The first picture was a Tibetan Mastiff, which cost about $4,000 - $7,000 in the USA.

The second picture was a Newfoundland, but also have another name: Black Clifford , a dog used to hunt elephants.

In reply to anyone suggesting the OP might need some tips on learning about dogs, you should know that all bets are off when it comes to a PACK of feral dogs....

Feral dog packs have killed humans on many occasions.. Pepper spray is being far too generous to them in my opinion, and I care about animals an awful lot, but that is from coming from a family of veterinarians..

Feral dog packs are almost as cunning with prey as coyote packs, but a lot less fearful of humans, and that is not a good trait for our benefit..

Those dogs get hungry enough, they would eat a small child, and even an adult...not good amigos..

glad to hear you didnt get bit..

hate the damn dog packs that run wild in some cities here.. wish they'd do like malaysia used to (not sure if they still do havent been there in 5 years) and hire someone to go around and shoot them.

Get one of the steel collapsable batons works nicely on dealing with them.

there was a certain bar in bangkok (not sure if the bar open these days not been in bangkok in awhile)where one can purchase other more effective means of dealing with them.. Just dont get caught with it (and dont ask alot of questions of the patrons in said establishment..)

usually its chinese area's that run into them most..

Some of us are out of work and would gladly go around and clean up the cities of dogs and cats and rats and anything. With all the high unemployment, I bet the cities could get the job done for less than a buck a head.

When I was young I got bit up by a couple of german shepherds. 20 stitches in arm and posterior. Not a huge deal.

But something changed after that.

I just wasn't afraid of dogs any more. Not even a little. And they all

The feral dogs should be rounded up and euthanized as humanely as possible.

The domesticated dog comes from wolves or foxes and man messed with them.

The domesticated dog is now, love it or not a vital part of our pack.

When it comes to dogs.............of all creatures, they are by far the most loyal, trusting and moral.

If and when they turn feral, they are in survival mode and humanity caused (in my opinion) the problems associated with our now feral dog "problem".

People (humans) take in a cute puppy and than get lazy and decide as the dog grows older that training and educating the dog to live within our society is too hard - they just turn them out.

Cruel, thoughtless, lazy.

Cats also have the same problem.

People take in an "animal a pet" (I hate that term because it denotes slavery) and than after the "fun/amusement" has worn off turn them out to fend for themselves.

Karma..............what you send out so shall you reap.

reply to post by SavannahCat


I chuckled a bit at this, not at you being injured, but because you no longer fear dogs... A mean rottweiler, I call them rottenweilers, growled and showed teeth to me one time and I was in really bad mood at the time, so I growled and ran towards that dog intending to fight it for real ( very stupid I know) , (at the time I was really mad at the dog for being mad at me)

but the dog turned and ran away doing the dog cry.. It is hard to even be afraid of any dogs now, but I still know enough to respect them immensely....

Someone in my family witnessed the event and said it was the craziest thing they ever saw.. one of the potentially dumbest things I have ever done also...

I would definitely be afraid to run into a pack of feral rottweilers though...

To be fair to rottweilers, they make extremely loyal guard dogs and pets for some..They also can have a funny childlike personality endearing to their owners...

I would shoot those feral dogs. They are a danger to children and adults. If you don't have a gun then trap them or throw them some meat laced with rat poison and kill them before the seriously injure someone or kill a kid or something. They will just get bolder and bolder if you don't do anything,

reply to post by alienreality


Yeah the secret is out.

Rottweilers are the biggest lovey dovey babies ever. Nothing to fear there cept maybe being licked into submission. A pack of feral rotties though? I know what it took to feed one... how do you feed a herd of the beasts?

I don't recommend the charge thing with dobermans though. Never run away from one either. They run like deer and wired so motion sets them off

Originally posted by alienreality
reply to post by SavannahCat

 

I chuckled a bit at this, not at you being injured, but because you no longer fear dogs... A mean rottweiler, I call them rottenweilers

, growled and showed teeth to me one time and I was in really bad mood at the time, so I growled and ran towards that dog intending to fight it for real ( very stupid I know) , (at the time I was really mad at the dog for being mad at me)

but the dog turned and ran away doing the dog cry..

It is hard to even be afraid of any dogs now, but I still know enough to respect them immensely....

Someone in my family witnessed the event and said it was the craziest thing they ever saw.. one of the potentially dumbest things I have ever done also...

I would definitely be afraid to run into a pack of feral rottweilers though...

To be fair to rottweilers, they make extremely loyal guard dogs and pets for some..They also can have a funny childlike personality endearing to their owners...

edit on 29-11-2011 by alienreality because: eta

When I was walking a new mongrel puppy out on a lead for the 1st time, as I rounded a corner, there was a big German Shepherd, which crouched as if about to attack, with a demented look in its eyes, and their focus on my pup. Where I'm normally scared of big things with sharp teeth, in that instance, I was all maternally fired up for my little charge, & did the same as you. I put my body in front of the puppy and snarled, "Git out of it", with as much fierceness as I could muster. To my relief and surprise, the German Shephard, turned tail with a comical squeak, and ran like the wind.

Another time, I was walking up the street with my son when he was just a toddler. There was a black lab living at a house there, and it often rushed snarling & barking at passers by, but it was suitably contained by a high fence. On this occasion, I spotted it in its garden, crouching by the fence in readiness to threaten us as we passed. It gave a ferocious bark just as we drew level at it, and my lad, for some reason, instead of having the bejesus startled out of him, grinned, and went, "Ooh look it's a nice dog", and stepped towards the fence for a better look. It was funny, because the dog sighed and looked completely disappointed and deflated by his response, and wandered off with its head & tail down.

I'd be afraid of a pack of feral dogs though, for sure. Good thing the OP was prepared.

reply to post by ILikeStars


OOOH!!
Star to ya!
What pretty little puppies!
WTH was that werewolf in the first pic??
Anyway I'll just stick to my Pits and Sharpei's, I can afford to feed them.

OP I think the prob you had was like you said, shaking the can.
OC tear gas can lump up and even the older CN/CS they advised us to shake and or even carry upside down on our belts in order to keep the delivery straw clear of clumps.
Or you could have just got some of that UC Davis quality stuff. too soon?

Originally posted by hawkiye
I would shoot those feral dogs. They are a danger to children and adults. If you don't have a gun then trap them or throw them some meat laced with rat poison and kill them before the seriously injure someone or kill a kid or something. They will just get bolder and bolder if you don't do anything,

unless you have an extremely exhorbitant amount of cash to throw around..and can prove a VALID NEED for one firearms ownership is nearly impossible throughout asia. And in the cases of those allowed to have them storage, transport, carry and use is strictly regulated and monitored..

there are blackmarket ones.. you definetly do not want to get caught with an illegal firearm anywhere in asia.

Thats why in most cases local governments hire people to control the feral dog problem.. and people find other ways of dealing with them.

Antifreeze works every time.

Originally posted by ILikeStars
reply to post by WatchRider

 

I suggest you get your own dog


or....

You could get your own dog

or....

You could also get your own dog, maybe?


good luck.

Errrr, I'm not living in a location conducive to dog ownership buddy.
I'm in a one-room apartment in a capital city where I only stay for a few months at time.

I suggest you stop

being

so

narrow

minded

reply to post by WatchRider


Can you get a gun?

Honestly, you handled yourself very well, but what about an old lady or a child? If the dogs will attack a full grown man, it is only a matter of time before they kill a child. A small .22 pistol doesn't make much noise, it is easy to point and shoot, and you can just shoot them and keep walking. I doubt anyone is going to notice, or complain.

Out where we are, you have to deal with feral dogs and packs of wild dogs from time to time.

To avoid problems with them and even coyotes and bob cats, we bring the goats up to the barn at dusk... everybody comes to the barn around dusk now. All the while, in the distance you can hear the yelps and howls of coyotes and wild dogs... much like a Dracula movie... and yes, we know the difference between coyotes and wild dogs.

Here, we shoot on site... I have killed a few of each... and have no remorse in doing so. There is nothing so unsettling as coming home to see a couple of your prize goats sleeping in the middle of the day... only to realize as you approach, they are not asleep but the entire back end has been torn up and out to get to the soft abdominal muscle and membranes...

A Ruger Mini-14 does a good job on feral dogs and coyotes.. and with a scope, can be a definate attitude adjuster to any pack that has a notion of eating on your farm.