Hello, thank you so much for sharing your warmth and experiences. I live in Turkey and found you while searching the internet for people who share similar memories. After watching you and reading the comments, I definitely feel less alone. A Rottweiler attacked me and my dog two weeks ago. My dog is a 7-kilogram, medium-sized kokoni . Both dogs were on leashes when we encountered each other on the street. The attacking dog saw us and started pulling, and its owner, a young and weak person, couldn't hold the leash and let go. Later, as I was carrying my dog to the garage where I had seen it, the Rottweiler grabbed its leg. At that moment, both my dog and I were screaming. It started shaking and pulling its leg. I thought it was the end for my dog and I got between the attacking dog and my body. We wrestled on the ground, and I tried to protect my dog's vital organs in a fetal position. The dog's owner was too afraid of their own dog to even approach us. My dog's hip was dislocated, it underwent FHO surgery, and the ligaments in its knee were torn. I'm very scared. We only go outside for short potty breaks, but the owners of the attacking dog deliberately walk their dog in front of our door, and my dog wants to go back inside when it smells the other dog. We are now going to move out of our house.
as a therapist, I'm appalled that your therapist would have called you irrational for ANY reason. your trauma is valid, and I'm so sorry you've gone through so many dog attacks (and attempted attacks)
I am SO sorry you had to go through this. Your therapist was extremely insensitive saying that to you. Trauma is trauma. And being attacked by a dog is traumatizing. Thank you for sharing
My thoughts pre-video: There seems to be a popular issue where many of the people who have their dogs off leash and which come up and scare the daylights or bother other dogs and their owners, these irresponsible owners somehow think that it's not their fault, that it's OUR fault and that their dog "just wants to play", or that other owners shouldn't be there with their dogs if they don't want to be approached by other dogs.
I agree with you. Society has turned on a dime since the days of my father giving our poodle a good wack with the newspaper for barking at 2a.m. OUTside in his kennel! Back then barking dogs were baited. My point being dogs were dogs and discipline was a life-saving measure. Dogs are fur babies today .. thats until they become fir monsters and owners have no clue what they did to create it. When ppl approach me and my dog asking if my dog is friendly, I say: yes, she is> BUT I am not! The worst are those who let their dog leave their side, weave across my path to 'say hello' to my dog. Those owners are told off good and proper.
Thank you for explaining there is no "over friendly dog". It is hard to explain it to the owners of "friendly" but brutal dogs, in fact if the dog doesn't respect the other dog's fear we can't say he acts "nice".
Same, it took me a long time to internalize this. The “he’s friendly!” is such a pervasive cultural norm here, but really, that dog is not friendly if he’s not respecting the other dog’s space and emotions, nor is that dog’s owner being friendly or respectful
My previous dog was brutally attacked by an off leash dog in our condo complex. It jumped a picket fence totally quiet from behind, no barking or growling. My dog was a mini-schnauzer and it was a large pit-mix. It went for her throat. My husband jerked our dog's leash so hard that it couldn't reach her throat. It got her side. It tore a large degloving wound in her side, broke and dislocated her leg. Recovery took 3 months of repeated surgeries and wound dressings. She was scarred physically for the rest of her life (about a year) but she did return to her sunny disposition thankfully. We now have a different dog that is dog reactive and we are also paranoid of off leash dogs. Our dog is the dog that runs straight at other dogs. We haven't been able to correct his behavior after 3 years of training, therefore he is not allowed off leash or to interact with other dogs except for my sister-in'-law's dog that we spent time introducing him to. We don't want to be responsible for an attack. Off leash dogs are a real problem. We can't walk him alone. We have to go as a pair to run interference.
I am so sorry about that. I am so happy she did finally return to her happy disposition. And I know the struggle of having a sensitive dog. Sometimes personalities and breed tendencies cause dogs to rush up. Its not a negative about the dog, it can just get them in trouble if they rush up on the wrong dog face. And yes they can scare other dogs
This video was really tough to watch. I had to take breaks because the pain is so evident in your voice. Dogs, no matter the breed or size, should not be underestimated as they are powerful animals. Similarly, we humans have the power to support and uplift each other. Thank you Emily for sharing your story.
Me too. I haven’t watched it all yet. But this is so important. The world of dogs and people in public areas-walking on leash, off leash in a dog run, illegally off leash in a park with people whose dogs ARE leashed - everyone needs to hear this and learn from it. And IDK but the situation at least in NYC seems to have worsened since the end of the pandemic lockdowns. It’s as if people have forgotten how to communicate with strangers. Forgotten consideration for others. Forgotten basic rules of civilized society. IDK. I only know it’s a huge problem
Thank you for your courage to speak up. It is impossible to imagine the pain for you and your dogs. It is not your fault, it is the fault of the irresponsible so-called trainers. Your decisions are correct! So sorry that you have to go through these traumatic incidences. Hope your panic attack will be healed soon. You are the best!
I lost my 5 month old Chihuahua puppy about a month ago. We were attacked by an aggressive pitbull mix. I managed to get the dog off of us, but as I rushed my little Chloe to the vet she passed away on my lap.. I couldn't sleep for days the nightmares were too much and my mental health quickly deteriorated. I couldn't handle my other dogs looking for Chloe checking her kennel. It took about three weeks to basically function again. I'm really trying to get back to "normal" but that day has caused something to break in me I won't ever be quite the same again.
The biggest problem is the people who don't treat or train their dogs properly. I have had a dog reactive dog for 12 years but she has never had or given any injuries to anyone dog or otherwise. Because I have done lots of work with her and even when she's off lead she is under control. But I am always aware of other dogs and their behaviour and I do warn people if their dog is getting close to her. I accepted a long time ago that she will never like other dogs. So I took steps to keep other dogs safe while giving her a good quality of life.
Thank you so much for this video! In my old apartment a dog lunged at my dog to attack in the elevator as soon as the door opened and really scared me. A week or so later that same dog attacked a puppy in the elevator. I was so scared and actually moved to a house so I wouldn’t have to deal with the maze of elevators and hallways. Here a family just a few months ago got a large 9 month GSD that appears entirely untrained. The family allows a teeny 10 year old girl to walk him. I have been so terrified because she cannot hold him back at all and he has dragged her fully across the street to my dog several times. I really wish people would be mindful of others and keep their pets from charging others in public. I am not at a dog park and my old girl does not want to be lunged at by your enormous dog and I don’t want to deal with the anxiety of waiting for the next bite.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I cannot tell you how validating this is for me. My dogs have been attacked on two separate occasions by two different pairs of power breeds that were unleashed. I’m literally not the same when I exercise my dogs, and I identify with the panic attacks.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I had an agility training class where I ended up in the ER with bite wounds after physically stopping a dog from attacking my dogs at the agility field. I was criticized by so many people (agility folks and even my own family included) saying you should just let dogs be dogs and sort things out for themselves. not step in and get yourself bit or injured. I cannot express in words how relieved I was to find that it was only me on the receiving side of those bites and both my dogs were fine and unaffected by the incident. I would do the exact same thing again of course. I just never shared this trauma with someone who understands how it affected me. Sorry these things happened to you and thanks again for sharing.
I've been told the same thing since I was a child. (Let the dogs fight it out they will some how magically get along after. Don't get yourself bit.) I always disagreed with that type of thinking. Last I checked getting beat up never made me get along with anyone. And I can't stand by while the most important beings in my life get harmed. Sorry not sorry. lol I'm glad you were able to protect your dogs. I always felt like being able to protect even at the cost of oneself is not something anyone has any business shaming you about. I hope you healed up quickly.
thank you for sharing this. It opened my eyes as to how trainers can be as clueless/negligent about their own dogs’ behaviour. Also, I had decided my job is to protect my little dog but will now no longer feel embarrassed that I am overprotective or whatever.
Thank you for sharing! I can relate so much! My 9-week old puppy was also attacked by a trainer's "friendly" dog, and it certainly affected his reactivity.
Sorry that you have had these experiences with dogs, trainers, and the therapist (who was clearly wrong to say your anxiety is irrational with the number of encounters you have had). I have had one serious encounter where a large dog latched onto my puppy with no warning bark, growl, or glare. The owner was there and could not get the dog to release. I lifted and twisted on the dogs collar and it passed out and released my puppy which was not severely injured thank goodness...the dog had bit it and held on but did not shake it. The owner of the other dog was extremely apologetic, shocked, concerned for me and my puppy, and followed me to the vet, went in with me, and paid for the visit and gave me contact info. Receiving this support immediately at the time of the event made it less traumatic. (The other dog woke after being choked out and was fine and not at all aggressive). Thank you for sharing your experiences...it may help others to be more aware.
It sounds like you have been through a lot. I'm sorry the therapist called you irrational, that's highly unprofessional. I've never been able to own a dog, but I have still had too many encounters with off leash dogs that I give them a wide berth. More often than not the owner still lets them run up to me while I'm obviously trying to avoid them and they'll shout "it's ok, they're friendly". It is incredibly frustrating. I have been chased, growled at, snapped at and bitten. It's never ok to just let your dog to run up to someone. One lady had her dogs on lead ahead of me until she got to her driveway, she let them off the lead and as I walked past the house on the opposite side of the road one of them came charging over and tried to bite my ankles. I love your videos, thank you so much for sharing your stories with us.
I’m so sorry 😢 I saw this lady struggling to put her dogs on leash in the distance and I passed carefully as her dogs barked at me then I saw her release the dogs again as I went over this hill. 3 mins later a man on a bicycle rode by and stoped to ask where the trail went and I said “you’re bleeding!!!” He said “yeah one of these loose dogs scratched me!” I said “go to the hospital for antibiotics and to clean the wound! It’s a bite!” He had a dogs teeth Marks in his leg….
Thank you so much for your authenticity and honesty. Over the years I have had several dogs attacked and yes, it is terrifying. My current dog Roland I adopted at 9 months. He was the sunniest, happiest, gentlest, easy go lucky guy, and for a couple of years we went to the dog park daily to play with his best friends. Then a large (Pyrenees mix) dog turned on him and attacked him. He wasn't harmed, just shaken. The next week, another dog attacked him at the park. (the owners had no control and were like, "he's just playing"). At that point, Roland's personality changed. He decided that he needed to be preemptively aggressive. If any dog acted a little bit cocky, Roland would put him on the ground. We had to stop going to the dog park. We had to stop letting him run off leash in the park. Even on leash, we have to avoid passing another dog on the street. His life got so constrained, and mine too (no hikes off leash). Several times I have been walking him and my other dog on leash, and another dog runs up ("it's ok, he's friendly!" they always say) and I have been in the center of a three-dog dog fight, which is really scary. Roland is 8 now and still dog aggressive and unreliable around dogs and it makes me so sad. I lost my little sunny guy. It's had such a huge impact, those few dogs that had no business being at a dog park. Sorry for going on and on.
My dog is the most loving dog I've ever met. Because of this a neighbor has decided that I needed to assist his dog with his fear of bigger dogs. My girl no longer gets happy to see the other dog because every time it lunges at her while growling and barking. This owner is now bringing his dog into the community dog park. I told him previously if he was going to do so that he needed to make sure to put a muzzle on his dog before interacting with any other dogs. He has failed to listen. I know it is just a matter of time before a dog or owner will be hurt by his dog. I can't say bit because this dog already has bit the owner's best friend and he didn't think anything of it. I'm sorry you have gone through so many events that have affected you and your pups in this way. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us.
@@kikopup he asked me to trained his dog 2 days ago. I told him to hire a real trainer. That as good as I am at working with my puppy, that I am definitely NOT capable of dealing with 7 years of his dog's fears!
Thanks for sharing. It's nice to hear trainers have these struggles too. My dog is very afraid of other dogs and I will specifically say "my dog is very fearful, we don't want to say hi" and people will walk their dog over because "their dog is friendly".....I'm learning to advocate for my dog more and it's gotten me into some awkward/heated situations. Off leash dogs are the worst but even people with dogs on leashes will still ignore what I say and it's sp frustrating
Thank you for sharing this and being honest. My 7 months old border collie was attacked few weeks ago. She wasn't bitten but it still affected her and she is very suspicious of each dog now. Initially she was very friendly with every dog and I can see she doesn't feel confident anymore. I let her play with few dogs (friendly ones) recently, so she gets little confidence back. Hope she won't become reactive.
Awe that sounds like a good plan- having play dates with the known friendly dogs. Yeah I d avoid strangers dogs. So sorry that happened. It just doesnt feel fair.
This is so sad! And is exactly why my four dogs do not leave my farm to many times owners are not responsible and can't or won't control them. My dogs are here to protect my property but are very well social to whoever we invite in.
Poor Splash and poor Tug! My puppy was bitten on the nose by the neighbor dog and she still tucks her tail whenever she sniffs an area where the neighbor dog has been digging (his owner lets him off-leash to tear up the landscaping around our apartment complex). She was already timid and that just made her even more fearful. I felt so terrible about it because I was the one who allowed us to be in an unsafe situation - I vowed to avoid situations I was not completely in control of after that. I’m glad I watched this video as it just reinforced my protective behaviors of my puppy. I don’t let strangers or their dogs get hardly within earshot, let alone within distance to reach us anymore. Also glad to know I’m not being overly paranoid.
I'm so sorry this has happened to you and your dogs. What I want to say is that you don't ever have to apologize for somebody else's bad behavior or negligence or make excuses for them or worry about how you speaking your truth will make them feel. You need to look after yourself and your dogs and you have every right to be traumatized and to be wary. I wish none of that had happened but I think you are very brave to share and to continue teaching in such a positive and gentle way. Your dogs are very lucky and so are all of us that learn so much from your videos.
A very good cautionary tale about always watching out for your dog, not trusting when others say their dogs are friendly, and being on alert in all situations. Thank you for sharing. Many, many owners, from those who do the attacking to those whose fur babies are attacked, NEED TO HEAR THIS!
I always feel like the "bad guy" of our neighborhood because I avoid dog interactions at parks at ALL costs. Other people meet up daily at our regular spots to play and talk but I avoid these situations because I am there to exercise my dogs before work and NOT social with other people/dogs. It makes me feel crazy watching all my neighbors just let their off leash dogs have a free-for-all as I walk the perimeters of every park and have no conversations. Always trying to avoid my dogs having negative interactions because I dont trust other owners while also keeping MY emotions under control. Thank for sharing and being vulnerable.
Im a blind guide dog handler, and my dog has been attacked three times in malls by fake service dogs. It’s terrifying as I can’t see enough to protect him very well. The same kind of horrible person who would pretend that their dog is a service animal also won’t train their dog properly. I need my dog to get around safely and he does a great job! But our problem is always people. So many people think my dog is safe for their dog to approach and dont care that their dog (often on an extendable leash) will wrap around my legs or my dogs legs and trip us. I can’t see their leash or their dog so I can step on their dog and then the owners are indignant. “But she just wanted to say hi!” Please please please, leave guide and service dogs alone! We train our dogs to ignore other dogs and people and just do their job and it’s not fair that other people want to pet them or introduce their dogs to them. I can’t see if your dog is on leash or an off leash stray and it’s frightening when you allow your “friendly” dog to run up and jump on us! Just give us space and leave us to work. I have to pay very close attention to where I am, how many corners, I’ve turned etc etc. Even a well meaning person asking to interact with my dog can be an issue. I’ve missed hearing my bus stop, got turned around etc. Often I’m just running late and don’t have the time to stop and take his harness off so someone can pet him, and he doesn’t enjoy strangers petting him anyway and I want to respect that. People have called me names, screamed at me etc. when I’ve tried to explain that I don’t have time right now. Also My guide dog must lay quietly beside me in a restaurant, bus etc and he has been jumped on by dogs allowed to approach him. people have thrown food to him and been insulted when he won’t eat it, (he is trained not to take food off the floor or from strangers because it could upset his stomach and the last thing you need in a class or on a plane, is to have a dog with diarrhea. I know this is a long rant but I don’t have the option of picking safe places to take my dog where there are no other dogs. I have to have him with me to be safe. If my dog becomes traumatized by an unfriendly encounter, he could become unable to work and I would loose my freedom and mobility and the amazing partnership with my dog.
I am so sorry this happens to you and so many with service dogs. I do use a service dog myself. I used to not have jingly equipment on my dogs to respect other dogs who worry about that, but I found the louder the tags jingle the further away the "fake" service dogs react from in stores, so they will hear your dog from far away start barking, rather than be surprised by your dog when they are close and can reach. So for me the jiggling tag has helped me feel safe. As its such a trigger for most dogs. Keeping people away I have no tips. I had someone roll their eyes at me even though I was extremely polite.
@@kikopup What a good idea! I have lots of “working don’t distract” decals on my harness to warn people but I never thought of trying to distract the approaching dog with jingling tags. I’ll try that. Thank you! I’m very sorry that you’ve had these kinds of problems as well!
My dog was attacked at a young age ( 5 months) and had his ear bitten through but thankfully no serious physical injuries. It caused him to be timid of everything, he is slowly getting better, but still has a long way to go. He’s a year old now and I am really hoping he can get his confidence back. Thank you for sharing your stories, I know exactly how you feel when is comes to the anxiety of having your dog getting attacked. This was helpful.
Thank you for this. My 3 year old huntaway was at the beach. It’s completely off leash. You wouldn’t go with a leashed dog. Connie loved the beach, loved the play with other dogs until she was attacked. We can no longer go to the beach. She is so fearful and has taken to attacking other dogs that come towards her. It is always soft teeth, she has never hurt another dog and always comes back to us quickly. She is always on guard. It’s sad that she can no longer run and play freely with other dogs. She sees all dogs the same size or bigger as a threat. So much joy for us both has gone. 😢
I am so sorry. I feel your pain. I just had a loose dog run up to mine 3 weeks ago, and I was so proud that I grabbed the dogs collar before he got to my dogs... And then the owner came over the hill SOOO ANGRY with me for touching his dog that he was going to start a fist fight with me. This scared my one border collie who is shy with men and he ran back to my car, and so now I have a different problem... I am having to rebuild my boys trust that not all men are aggressive assholes who dont give a shit about other humans or their dogs.
Owner comes over the hill so he wasn’t even with his dog. Being confronted like that would be frightening. I hope your guy can rebuild his confidence quickly, it’s so unfair for him and you. Big hugs from NZ.
Thank you for this video, I honestly didn’t expect for you as a professional to have experienced so many of these unfortunate events involving other professionals‘ dogs, this is crazy. I carry so much guilt for not protecting my dog better - you mentioned chasing and this is what made my dog strange dog reactive - when on 2 occasions he got chased by overly „friendly“ dogs. I feel more validated for avoiding all off leash dogs now and just picking up my dog and leaving whenever I see one.
Thanks for honestly sharing the effects of your experiences, I appreciate it. Yeah when you know, you know. I have a 3 year old rescue, who's always had fear issues that we've worked on. But last week he was mauled by a dog that ran 200m from his owner to get him while on leash with me, without defending only howling, and I unfairly feel I let him down. Long story short, it was savage and traumatic for us both! I'm struggling to find any resources on how to manage even home visitors which gets him heckled/growling/rushing/beyond his limit so will have a go with your online Reactivity program to rebuild. Thanks again, Matt :-)
Thank you so much for this Emily. It is incredibly helpful and very timely, since we have just moved to a new town with lots of dogs and my small dog has been attacked twice by off leash dogs. The last time was two days ago, when he was on his usual short lead. The first time the woman owner of the dog that ran at mine shouted 'Don't worry, he's friendly' as her very large dog stood over mine and bit his ear. The second time another small dog turned around on a trail and ran over and suddenly bit my dog's neck, I lifted my dog off the ground and the other dog hung on with its teeth and came off the ground with him, until his owner pulled him off. I was shouting 'Oh my god, oh my god' and dancing around with these two dogs dangling off the ground. As she walked away she said 'Oh we didn't hear you, my dog hates other male dogs', as if it was MY dog's fault! I think people never admit their dog is aggressive, it's always explained by a lie or an excuse ('He's never done it before, she was bitten once by a dog like yours' ) yet they still let them off leash around other dogs! That's if the owner even says or does anything at all, or smacks their dog and gets them even more riled up! I've found the only way to get the message across that my dog needs space is to tell people with off leash dogs who approach him is to yell 'My dog is not friendly, he could bite yours really badly and hurt them' - (he's never bitten any dog but growls now at strange male dogs). These people then grab their dogs and give us a wide berth but I don't care. All the yellow leashes, 'need space' leash labels I've tried are ignored, or even worse, seen as a challenge to other dog owners 'You should let them meet, they should sort it out themselves'!!! I'm just glad I have a dog small enough that I can lift up. If I had a large dog, I don't know how I could protect them, since the attacks happen so quickly and the dog's bite is so strong.
Thank you for sharing this. My schnauzer was attacked on leash, twice, when he was 12 weeks old by the same dog (he was loose in the garage and we walked by and he came out and attacked.) My schnauzer could never be walked after that and had seizures on walks. Then my new puppy was attacked on leash at 12 weeks old by my neighbors dogs (her son let all 3 of them out the front door). I picked him up as quickly as possible but he was screaming, then the dogs bit me trying to get to him. He's 9 months old now and whines and pants anytime he's on leash outside, even as I attempt to counter-condition him. I can see other things that have changed about him, too. He's on anxiety medication but still has a lot of problems. It makes me extremely angry that all I've wanted was a dog I could go on walks with, and now both of my dogs were ruined by other dogs. In each scenario, I was only about 30 feet away from my own driveway when they happened. I, too, panic when I see dogs loose or people who don't have control of their dogs. I pray that someday my puppy will learn that he doesn't have to be scared on walks, but when it happens during the critical socialization period, I worry that it will have very long-lasting effects. Thank you for sharing your stories and I am so incredibly sorry that you have experienced this, too.
Thanks so much for this video!! The message you gave about advocating for your dog and protecting them at all costs really resonated with me. You were totally a superhero in the petco parking lot, too!!
I have a dog that loves to play with other dogs, but he is dominant and I don't allow him to play with other peoples dogs. I've had some people tell me" it's fine they'll be okay". I work with him at home and he's better with my dogs, but I would never allow him to be that rough with someone else dog. It amazes me to see people that think it's fine to allow their dominant, bully or aggressive dogs into play areas with other dogs. I'm so sorry you've had to experience these situations.
Thank you for your video. I am a dog trainer in NYC. The sheer density of dogs in Manhattan is mind-blowing. And with the Pandemic the number of untrained dogs on the city streets who are unleashed or on extended leashes makes the streets very unsafe for dogs. It is a huge problem. In April my dog was attacked and it was traumatizing for us both. As a dog trainer this is not supposed to happen to me but it did. The dog literally jumped right up to my dog and grabbed her by the throat and would not let go. Someone stepped forward and separated them and it is a miracle that he and I did not get bitten. When in the street I am the dog avenger that creates a bubble of safety around myself and my dog. When working in the street with clients I give them a sense of my 360 degree vision. There are people who refuse to acknowledge their dogs aggressiveness. Most importantly dogs are faster than humans.. Your therapist is toxic and I am sorry that you were not given the compassion you deserve. So glad you do not take your dogs to training and events...Sending you love , healing and most importantly peace of mind..
@@kikopup Thank you for all that you do to elevate animal suffering. We are living at a very difficult time for humans and canines and these dog attacks are but a symptom of a deeper problem during this global reset. All the anger and fear that’s been hidden has been exposed during the Pandemic and all sentient beings have been affected. I am still processing what happened when my dog was attacked and both my dog and I are changed because of it. The big thing Emily is for people like us who are empaths not to shut down so that we can continue to do our work. Thank you again for your courageous video 🙏🏻
Hi Emily. I can't remember how long I've been subscribed to you for. It's been over 10 years now because I remember when you first got Tug. My first ever video I watched was you teaching Kiko how to growl. I wanted a dog my entire life and watched videos like yours all day even though I didn't even have a dog. I just wasn't in the right financial place. Then finally last June, my dream came true and I brought my puppy home, Kiyo, a little pomchi. Your videos helped me a lot to train her. At 12 weeks in the middle of her potty, when she was so vulnerable, she was almost attacked by a pitbull when they were coming out of their gate. I still remember her screaming and running around in circles. That resulted in her becoming reactive (just yappy, she has never growled or snapped at another dog ever) but your videos helped so much and she made so much progress. She loved meeting other dogs and was so playful with them. She was so quirky, special, and unlike any other dog I've ever met in my life. She had so much personality and her little antics always made me laugh even when she didn't listen. I love her so much. On Monday, she was attacked by a dogo argentino. We were just walking back home from our evening walk...we were right in front of our building. I was always hyper vigilant about bigger dogs because of the first incident so I noticed them from faraway. For some reason, the guy and his dog turned back around and stopped right across the street from us, both staring intently at us. My gut told me to pick her up and get out of there and I wish I listened. She was just sniffing a patch of grass when all of a sudden I hear a noise. I looked up and the dog got loose and was already charging on our half of the road/sidewalk. No warning - no barking, no snarling. The attack went on for what felt like forever. The dog wouldn't let go and the owner basically ripped my pup from his dog's mouth and she fell to the ground. Her whole side was ripped open, her head was lopsided to the right, she was yelping and running around in circles. I bent down and screamed her name, "it's ok, come here" and she ran right to me and cowered at my feet. My shoes are still bloodstained and I can't bring myself to clean them or even look at them. The whole experience was so traumatic for me, I couldn't stop screaming and crying. The other guy never said a word to me. I looked up for a moment and just saw him pulling his dog away to go back home while I was screaming hysterically. The whole ride to the emergency vet I held her and I could feel her side gurgling. She's usually very whiny, anxious and restless on car rides but on Monday she was so calm and didn't even make a peep. Her whole side was torn open and the vet told me her ribs were broken, lungs punctured, and lung tissue was hanging out and those were just what they could see from a quick exam. I had to say goodbye. She was supposed to turn 1 next week on the 18th. I can't believe it. I can't stop crying. All of her stuff is still laying around. Her water bowl that she was going to drink from when we came back from that walk... All her toys where she left them. Her beds. I hear her and I turn my head to look and realize she's actually not here. My whole life revolved around her - she followed me everywhere even to the bathroom and now it's so quiet and I feel so alone. I had to go back to the vet yesterday to pay the bill and drop off some treats and a toy that she could be cremated with and it was so hard. Other than that, I haven't been outside since the attack and I get panic attacks just thinking about it. I was having such a hard time, crying and laying in bed all day but being able to write this out, hearing you speak and reading all the comments on the video of people who've experienced something similar have been very healing for me. I miss my puppy so much.
I am so sorry for Kiyo and for you. Life can be so unfair and cruel it seems. All I can think about right now is her getting to share her life with you and be taken care of, and even in the last moment you were there for her to run to. I really hope that you take care of yourself and find people to help take care of you during this hard time. The grief comes in waves.
This is so fresh for you - I'm sorry you had to go through this! Please give yourself time to grieve and heal from this trauma. Your puppy was so loved! It hurts less over time, but it still hurts. Try to hold onto all the good memories when the pain comes. - don't let the end overpower the good.
Emily, thank you so, so, so much for sharing your experiences!!! Myself & Bella have had many loose dog threats and so much more and it is helpful to hear yours and how you manage. In fact I do many of the same methods you shared. Although it is terrifying we always find ways to protect our loving dogs who are so kind, funny, loyal, and protective of me too. I am thankful you shared so honestly as you have encouraged and inspired me!!! Also, I just came across your videos a few days ago and your teaching methods are helping me & Bella so much!!!!
Exact same thing for me. Attacked by loose dogs, dogs on leash, to the point I started to associate people with dogs to the point I had a major anxiety attack while walking my dog. I ended up so bad my dog started crying and had to stop right there on the side walk. I wrapped my arms around my dog and bawled my eyes out because I HURT HIM! I decided that moment to seek medical help which didn't help. What helped though was slowly getting back out there and I eventually started to come right. I still have my moments four years after my dog passed.
Hi Emily. Thank you for making this sad, yet so validating video. You certainly were generous and benevolent waiting 10 years so that those dog owners dont feel bad, esp the one who checked their dogs teeth after biting poor Tug. And I am sorry for what your therapist said, which was traumatizing in itself. In Bella's years with me, we have yet to live without the threat of one dangerous dog/irresponsible owner or another. Most of us adopted rescued dogs that already came with trauma and sadly, beyond our control, it doesn't always end there, even after coming to loving homes like ours.
Years ago, my young dog was attacked by a trainer’s dog (an AKC judge). My dog was on a leash. Hers was not. Her dog bit both my dog and me. As the woman approached me and saw blood on me, she said, “oh did your dog bite you?” Ugh. Some people. Her golden retriever had put his fang through my hand when I reached down to separate them. Your trauma is totally understandable. I’m so sorry for all these incidents.
Thank you so much for sharing. My heart goes out to you and anyone that has gone through this. Poor Tug, that must have been so hard for you to see him change like that, I’m sorry 😢 Seeing my own dog hurt and change after an incident absolutely broke my heart. It seems to me very unfair that so many incidents have happened to you and your dogs and some people are lucky and never have anything bad happen, and can easily overlook things and be careless as a result. This was one of my biggest fears with my family pets years ago. I don’t have a dog now and it breaks my heart thinking the anxiety I have about it might mean that it wouldn’t be the best choice for me to get a dog in the future, for me or the dog. It affected me so much. I was also so paranoid that it would be our dog that would attack another dog and how guilty I would feel. So thank you so much for sharing with us, it really means a lot. I look up to you so much as a dog trainer and owner and it’s hard sometimes because people downplay or don’t understand how intense these things can be. Thank you again and for everything you share and teach us ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you a lot for talking about this. I'm traumatized from dog attacks as well. One of my little dogs got almost killed by a bigger dog and another one of my dogs got injured several times. Really made his already existing reactivity worse and a lot of additional training was needed. I've been dog free for a few years now because I couldn't handle the intense fear and my chronic illness became so bad I wouldn't have been able to care for another being because I wasn't even able to care for myself the way I needed to. After gradually getting better and almost three years on a waiting list I'm getting my first service dog in a few months. I'm visiting him a lot where he's trained but every walk with him I'm terrified about him getting hurt by a "friendly" off leash dog. He's a 1,5 year old portuguese water dog and he loves to play rough with other dogs at the training center who loves to do so too. As soon as the other dog doesn't want to play anymore or isn't interested in interacting with him at all he's very respectful and deescalating. I couldn't lift him up but I think I will get him behind me and throw highly rewarding treats at other dogs if they aren't impressed by me firmly telling them to go away. Maybe I'll even take pepper spray with me but I don't think it's ethical to spray it in a dog's face before anything bad happened and that's a real problem. Because the damage and trauma is already done when he got bitten. I'm sending you lots of love from Europe ❤
You could get an air spray- they sadly sell them as "pet correctors" they make a loud hissing sound, but are harmless and you wouldnt feel bad using it before the dog gets to your dog. Also I dont walk in parks at the moment because i had a bad thing happen with a loose dog 3 weeks ago, so I walk around malls and the green areas around parking lots where there are never loose dogs, really when I do this me and my dogs feel so much better. Its just not worth it to have some inconsiderate person traumatize your dogs.
@@kikopup Thank you a lot for your answer ❤️ I'll look into the spray and will condition it as a positive sound (starting unter a blanket or something, I'll try it out without him) for my dog so that he doesn't get scared by the sound. It's way better in the city here which might be because you simply can't go there with an untrained or unleashed dog. It's a pity because I love to go for a walk in the forest but it's honestly not an option because of the kind of people and their dogs.
Hi Emily, thank you SO much for this video. Listening to and watching your emotion while you described your panic, anxiety, worries and trauma from those awful situations helped me process my own!! My Beagle is now dog aggressive/reactive from being assaulted by a dog as a young pup. This event impacted by his strong gentic-based anxiety has changed our lives. Your videos have helped me become a better trainer, owner and have given me such validation of my own fears. If you ever travel to Canada, let me know! ❤
I'm so glad people are now speaking out about this, the next step is to make these trainers and owners accountable for their dogs and when they lie about their behavior. I have had this issue for many years, I am tired of carrying pet corrector spray and mace just to go outside with my dogs. It is mentally draining to constantly be on the lookout for loose dogs, It really hurts me to have to hit/mace these dogs when they try to go after mine :( It feels like no matter how prepared I am people will just force their aggressive dogs into these dangerous situations.. In the last attack I had I was very prepared for anything but people are just so irresponsible and unpredictable that I feel as if it's a bit hopeless sometimes. It hurts so much when you see your dog looking out for these situations too after they get attacked
Thank you for making this video. No one in my family or extended family understands my cautiousness around unfamiliar dogs. They tease me for carrying pepper spray and air horns but they have never experienced a dog attack. My rescue dog was timid from the start and pretty anxious around dogs. Off leash dogs were a real issue in my old neighborhood and we were often harassed by them but not attacked. He started developing leash reactivity as this went on and I became more nervous with each encounter. Then one day, my worst nightmare happened - an off leash pitbull ran across the road and attacked him out of nowhere. I was alone with him and the owner just stood and watched from their porch. Seconds passed as they fought and I was too stunned to move. I felt like I was made of jello. Finally, I kicked their dog hard in the chest and it ran away but I had never felt so scared and angry. I screamed at the owner and they just stared at me like I was the crazy one! We eventually made it home but I was shaking so bad for hours after. And my dog’s reactivity got worse…it took 2 years of daily counter conditioning and desensitization to “fix” him. He’s no longer reactive and totally trusts me to protect him now. And he’s right. I learned my lesson and I won’t fail him again. My head is always on a swivel and I won’t hesitate to defend with everything I have him next time.
I'm recovering my border collie x koolie from an Akita attack where she wasn't physically harmed, but psychologically/emotionally she's been shut down. She sounds like your Tug - my dog only had a happy switch. Part of recovery has been finding that. I panic attack now if a dog glares at my dog in a certain way. The owners of the akita bullied us (close neighbours block sharing) and for 5 months they slammed doors repeatedly to harass me, but they've scarred my dog who is now sound sensitive. We moved house a year ago and it's been a long road - I get teary now thinking how far she's come but in many ways she's never going to trust in the world like she once did. Thankfully my dog hasn't become fear aggressive - she's fearful.of people, not dogs.. but I'm starting Dog Obedience in a few days and I very much appreciate you sharing your stories, as hard as that was. I'm trying to learn to not tell the story - but at the same time I need to in order for her (and me) to be understood. I go to more secluded ovals and off leash areas now. I'm so sorry you 're dealing with PTSD too! I've only jist found you - the 'stalking' video...my dog loved it too!
I'm so glad you made this video. I think it's a subject the dog community needs to talk about. My tiny dog was nearly attacked (aggressive barking and lunging) a couple of times by the same dog, and later and her toe was hurt by being jumped on by a large "overly friendly" young dog who was off the leash. She is very reactive now, but also might be genetics, but she didn't show reactivity as a puppy so maybe a little of both. I don't know what it is about the dog community where it's not okay to be honest about your dog's behaviour. I had a reactive collie who was capable of biting, but I was always honest and told people straight up "my dog's not friendly" or kept his muzzle on if there were a lot of dogs around. There's no shame in having a reactive dog, the shame is being dishonest and seeing other dogs hurt because of it.
Thank You for this video and I'm sad to hear what's happened to your dog's. I've also been in awful situation's with my dog's and it definitely does effect where and when you take your dog's out after these attack's.The ignorance of the owner's can be especially upsetting!!
I can contribute with some stories! One: I trained my dog to run next to me on a bike on leash. During one of our rides, a couple of dogs charged out of their open gate and started to chase and bark us. I immediately threw on the brakes and jumped off the bike that my dog was attached to and walked towards the oncoming dogs, making myself big and loud and telling them to go home. I didn't want to encourage them to keep chasing or for a dog fight to happen with my dog at a disadvantage. They stopped and ran away from me. Two: On a dog beach with a rule that the dogs need to be on leashes, a couple entered the beach with an off-leash shih tzu, who left them and walked up to my dog and our blanket, sniffing at my dog's water bowl. When my dog approached to say hello, the little dog snapped at her and she snapped back. I said HEY and pulled my dog away, shooing the shih tzu back towards their owners - who looked at ME like I was the one in the wrong. Three: My dog wasn't involved in this one, but I was assisting my landlord with an eviction of her daughter's ex-boyfriend, with multiple bully-mix dogs involved, mostly as an extra pair of hands to help control the dogs while she kicked this dude out. The owner of the dogs intentionally released his dog-aggressive dog from a kennel, so of course it jumped the friendlier dog I was holding (which belonged to his ex), starting a dog fight. The man grabbed his dog and smacked it until it released and he put it in the truck cage. And then blamed the fact that the other dog was on a leash for why his dog 'attacked'. So often dog fights (and attacks on humans!) happen because an owner does not take responsibility for or train their dogs properly, or does not meet the needs of an anxious or energetic dog properly. It's really sad!
I feel you and I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I used to take my setter to the dog park, and he was bitten a couple of times, always by "friendly and harmless" dogs... I can't stop thinking it's my fault...so thank you.
Thank you..I have also experienced the same with other people’s uncontrollable dogs. It does change the perception of our dogs in a negative way and also affects the owner. I have learned that avoidance is better than cure as you can not always cure a negative association. 🐶❤️🌻
I'm glad you have done this video. My first encounter with a dog attacking mine was when I was a teen and I will never ever get that out of my head. The most recent was when I was attending a dog event, all dogs were suppose to have signed a contract that their dogs were safe and had never had experience of attacking another dog. I walked past a golden retriever (surely a safe breed right??? NOT) and he tore into my border collie. I'm still working with her not being afraid 5 years later. People are the problem as far as I'm concerned. People are stupid. Lying about their dogs. It makes me afraid to leave home unless my dogs are in the car. I know it's not good for my dogs but with them being 12 now, I am not taking any chances.
Honestly, I find retrievers to be the worst breeds. When I worked at doggy daycare, we were one of the "rougher" places - and it wasn't for our large bully population, no. It was all the retrievers and the damn doodles... mostly from wealthy people who didn't bother with training. And with covid, all the under-socialised covid puppies are stirring up a lot of issues. It is WILD out here.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and reactions to the situations you and your dogs went through. It is good for anyone to be aware of dangers in any situation. And it may help others be kind to them selves when they feel they failed to protect their dog. That these things can happen not only on a walk or dog parks but in training situations. My dog Zoey had also dealt with situations that lead to a fight. The one that did the most damage to Zoey and I emotionally was actually an attack by a small terrier at an agility session. Now this dog was notorious for not listening to his owner and anytime he was off leash he would run around ignoring owner and trainer. Disrupting class. The other classmates and I asked the trainer to have this owner to please keep her dog on a long leash due to this and to always be ready to grab it. We asked the trainer to be near this owner when the dog needed to be off leash. We all agreed this was a good idea. The trainer did not enforce it as she was friends with the owner. The dog continued to get away from his handler. Luckily each time he was a good distance from the rest of the class. But we came to a point where we were doing agility off leash and closer together. The dog this time zeroed in on the Papillion in our class who was fearful of other dogs. The Papillion's mom managed to pick him up just in time. Since the terrier smaller maybe 25 lbs he could not reach the Papillion. When he realized he could not get his target, he looked to who was closest and sadly that was my Aussie mix Zoey. Now Zoey is about 46 lbs and I heard of larger dogs killing smaller ones. Zoey is dog aggressive to a point, but with a lot of training she was very good at putting up with other dogs as long as they don't start a fight or there isn't something for her to be possessive over. When the other dog started attacking her my only thought was to protect Zoey by protecting the other dog. I pulled Zoey too me to stop her from retaliating. I pushed him off several times, but as I struggled with Zoey I could not keep him off as he would just come back. The owner and trainer finally got him and pulled him off. Zoey and I were visibly shaken. I, like you as a young trainer, told the others Zoey was okay. Luckily I had my mom there with her border collie and the Papillion's owner there to say it wasn't. It was particularly frustrating that the trainer blamed the Papillion's owner. Saying that if she had not picked up her dog that the terrier would not have attacked at all. Thankfully the others in class completely defended the Papillion's mom. I realized immediately after my mistake of protecting the attacking dog. Zoey saw that not only would I not protect her, but I let her get attacked. After that of course Zoey felt it became her responsibility to protect herself. She never was reactive to a dog outside a fence before. Suddenly she was barking and crying at a French bull dog that walked by 6 feet away. She would become scared. I realized why and began letting her take the lead on when she was comfortable and when she wasn't. She has since improved immensely but too this day if I take her to a training facility or trainer with other dogs around she will look at other dogs with wide eyes, shake, and be unable to concentrate on class. That happened 8 years ago. I got my own agility equipment and she still loves agility. But it caused me to have to choose to continue any training with her away from groups. And I'm fine with that. I want her to be happy I only went to agility because I knew she loved it and I wanted to bond more closely to her. Trauma no matter how small or great can have a catastrophic effect. It's ridiculous that the therapist told you were being irrational to fear something especially when it's happened over and over. I was cautious of dog attacks before I ever had it personally happen. And now I have a deep seated fear of it. This has led to mistakes that could have done harm due to my panic and successes do my hyper vigilance seeing a threat before it got to us that have saved my dogs. One such situation of the later happened at a gas station. I had my younger dog, Searsha (another aussie mix) on a leash doing my best to encourage her to go potty as we had a long drive to go camping. I kept hearing a dog barking but when I looked around I did not see a dog so I assumed it must be a dog in a backyard behind the gas station. Thankfully Zoey was in the car with my dad at this point and I only had Searsha with me for 2 reasons. I would not be able to control 2 dogs and stop another dog especially knowing Zoey will attack the other dog and will not back down if I ask her in that situation. The other reason was after determining that the barking was not a threat, it was ZOEY's sudden frantic barking from our vehicle that made me look again. This time I saw the dog. A huge mastiff barking from a car on the other side of the lot. the window was completely open and the dog was not constrained. my first thought was get Searsha back to the car. Too late as that thought accrued I see the mastiff launch out of it's window running straight at Searsha. I pulled her behind me ready to grab the mastic by the collar or furr or whatever I could. Because I didn't think I could kick this dog away with out falling over. My hand was stretched out. I thankfully zeroed in on the choke chain the mastiff was wearing. I was able to grab the choke chain and keep the mastiff away from Searsha holding them on either side of me. I yelled for help. My dad did not hear me but thankfully an attendant did. The mastiff had no desire to hurt me she was happy to see me I almost loosened my grip because she was sweet to me and because it was getting hard to hold her back. I had to remind myself that I cannot take the chance that she is people friendly and not dog friendly. The attendant grabbed the mastiff and told me to get Searsha to the car. at this point I was so scared to let go that she had to repeat herself and my dad checked to see what the commotion was and ran to help the attendant while I picked Searsha up and ran to the car. once we were safe I started sobbing and hugging her tightly. I was so thankful she was not hurt, but so afraid that she could have been hurt or could have died. I would not let her go for a long time after that. Searsha was very aware of my feelings and put up with my sobbing and shaking attempting to comfort me. Once I was able to realize that she was indeed safe I was able to be proud of my hypervigilance that kept her safe. I am also fearful of a dog attacking my girls in any situation. Thankfully I have not had a panic attack from it, but I will get stiff, watchful and pull my dog away. Like every other dog is an enemy. While still adoring every dog. When that Mastiff launched out of the window I did not blame the mastiff. I blamed the carelessness of his parent. It's extremely frustrating how preventable these situations are and yet how common place they are. I apologize for the long reply. I wanted to thank you, validate your fear and share my experiences.
I am so sorry that happened. How terrible the Papillon owner was shamed for saving her dog. Yeah. I feel like the vigilance is reinforced because Ive saved my dogs multiple times. The stupid thing is is that I think something in my head.. and then it happens. I was in my car driving and I saw a GSD leaning out a window, and another dog walking up the side walk. And I think, "that dogs going to jump out the car"... and of course it did... And then the owner only noticed half a block away. One time I was walking 3 of my border collies and someone pulls up right next to me in a car to yell 'beautiful aussies!!!!" all smiley and then her aussie in the back seat started lunging and barking and hanging out the window and she had to drive off... before bother me more with chit chat... Its baffles me how clueless people are and how much common sense they lack, or do they just not care about other people and dogs?
@@kikopup I hate that. I think people tend to think this won't happen to them. So they are careless. People get affended easily and some can't accept they made a mistake. It's easier to just lash out on the other person even when they know they are in the wrong. My dad is an example of that won't happen lol he tells me I'm being paranoid when I remove or separate dogs when faced with a problem that lead to a fight in the past. For instance my dads dog is highly food agressive. No matter how many times allowing a dog near him while he eats leads to Panda attacking the other dog. He continues to think it won't happen and I'm dramatic lol I'm like no your reckless and careless. Don't set your dog up to fail. He also allows his BC to meet other dogs on leash. Lucas does NOT like dogs he is unfamiliar with and will no any dog that approches him. I can even be there and tell him pull Lucas closer. Don't let him reach that other dog on leash. He will tell me to stop worrying. Let's Lucas have full range of the leash. And Lucas low and behold nips the dog walking by. Luckily this dog did not retaliate. Dad got upset at Lucas and I straight up told him. Lucas wasn't in the wrong. He was. He knows how Lucas is and he allowed him to reach that dog anyway. I also had a situation where Ib was hiking with my friend. And my dog Zoey. I had Zoey in leash. A man walks up with his off leash Lab. The lab is no where near his dad and runs straight to Zoey. My friend and I manage to block him from her and tell for the owner to please put him in the leash orb so least call him back. I am telling him my dog is be l not friendly. And he refuses to get his dog and gives us a nasty look like we are causing the problem. Its not like we are asking for much. The level of irresponsibility is rediculous. On the other side of the coin. On the same trail different day. I am on my way back from the water falls and there is this group of people with thier puppy cocket spaniel of leash. I pull Zoey back and step back. Accidently tripping over a log behind me. Causing me to fail leading Zoey to think this puppy must be a bigger threat. Meanwhile the group was not worried. Since their dog was friendly. They yelled she is friendly. And in tell back my dog isn't. With that said the group ran over for thier dog and apologized. On one hand is a man who is irresponsible and when confronted he chooses to ignore that he did not accept any wrongdoing. On the other hand a young woman was naive of the threat. She really apologized and took her dog. But was blissfully unaware.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, it’s helpful to know I’m not alone. I agree, events like that are traumatic to both you and your dog, and oftentimes people who haven’t been through it don’t understand the lasting trauma it can leave on both the dog and human. ❤️
Thanks for posting this. I think it's also a good reminder to people to be responsible, good big dog owners. I have a very large dog and I always try to play close attention to her when off leash at the dog park that she's not overwhelming and scaring a smaller dog. Sometimes, we run into people with small dogs when out walking on leash who want to try to force their dog to greet her or are embarrased when their dog acts scared. I try to reassure them that their dog's fine, and that she can be very intimating because of her size alone. Also, being big doesn't always prevent you from being a victim as she's still had numerous encounters with aggressive dogs both as a puppy and a 115lb adult.
I completely understand the fear and panic that comes from being attacked by aggressive dogs. My dog and I both have scars from being attacked. Thank you so much for speaking on this!
I knew after watching that you would get hundreds of comments. This information is so important on so many levels, and I am really thankful you have the courage to speak out now. I do the same thing you do-- I know where exits are, where my vehicle is parked, and am vigilant all the time of who is around me, people or animals. The part of your video which really touched me was regarding the complete personality change in your dogs. My dog is still traumatized by other dogs, terrified of them. He was once carefree, flew through the air after frisbees, loved frolicing with other dogs. After his attack, he does not trust any dog and is reactive even if no real threat is present, because he has emotional scars that he lives with. I wish I could come to you and have you work with him and your dogs, you are about the only person I think might help him. Wishing you the best, Emily, your work is wonderful and we all learn from you consistently. Thank you thank you thank you for your honesty. Blessings, dear! And a wuff-woof-ruff to all your dogs!
Awe I’m so sorry. I think you have my email? Email me and I’ll see if I know anyone close to you with calm friendly non aggressive dogs that your dog could chill out with without having to meet, to show him that not all dogs are going to attack.. I do tell clients of reactive dogs, the sad thing is, is that their reactions are justified as the other dogs behind fences or on leashes often times even if they are not barking they are giving off signals that they do want to try and harm your dog
@@kikopup YES, your insight about dogs not barking wildly but STILL demonstrating threat signals to my dog is so right on! At your advice, I bought "Doggie Language" by Lili Chin and it is a wonderful resource for anyone, even if you've had dogs all your life. I can better assess a non-barking-but-agressive dog (who's owner says "It's just fine, he's just interested in your dog") because of her illustrations. So thank you again for that resource. And I will try to find your email!! Yes, I would soooo appreciate any networking contacts you can pass along, and I will definitely follow up with any names you provide if they meet with your approval. THANK YOU!! Have a wonderful weekend!! Heart heart heart, LOL
I can so empathise with you on this subject and suffer from the same kind of anxiety. I used to walk my dogs in the fields near where I live in the UK, but after so many instances of people refusing to put their dogs on leads when they approach my dogs, I no longer do this. Instead I rent an enclosed field where I can let my dogs off lead with no danger from other dogs. Like you if I go elsewhere I try to make sure it's somewhere where other dogs won't be around, or will be on lead. Recently a local women posted on Facebook that a man walking his dog on lead should have it muzzled because her off lead 'friendly' dogs ran up to it to play and it reacted in an unfriendly way. She didn't like that I pointed out to her that the man was being responsible having his dog on lead and she was the irresponsible one letting her out of control dogs approach it without permission. By the way I think you are a fantastic trainer.
I am sorry about your experience. I was attacked by two boston bull dogs when I was in kindergarten. It was horrible. I am an old lady and have had cats attacked by neighbors attacked by off leash dog in my own yard. I have MS and I am a behaviorist. and truth is you can't know any dog or person. You can only trust your own behavior and your dog under control. I have had people let their on leash small dog run up and jump on me and knock me down with my service dog (german shepherd) whom I train with daily. I think people who do not respect boundaries, do not use safety with pets in public, leashes, collars on, etc. Set up their pets for disaster. We cant anthropomorphize human emotions on dogs. Multiple dog walking becomes a pack. Pack psychology can not be predicted.
Thank you so much for this. I have had several dogs get charged and snapped at and also bitten by off leash dogs. Some were “overly friendly” dogs whose owners had no control over and some were truly aggressive. I also work at an animal shelter and often hear about terrifying dog attack cases that sometimes result in the death of the victim dog. As a result of these experiences, I also feel a lot of stress anytime I see loose dogs or dogs who look like they will get loose to aggress at or even just approach me and my dog. I recently lost my heart dog to two severe autoimmune diseases and I found that after he was diagnosed with them 3 years ago my paranoia got even worse because he was much weaker and unable to heal from injuries very well. I once told someone that loose dogs are the stuff of nightmares and she said that I was overreacting. Lucky her to have a large, healthy dog and to never have experienced an attack. It was upsetting hearing that because it made me think I was the problem. I think until someone has had to experience a traumatic encounter with a loose dog they often don’t see the issue. I’m hopeful that by people like you sharing your experiences more people will understand what responsible dog ownership looks like and do their best to make sure their dogs never negatively impact another animal or person. Thank you for sharing your experiences. No one should have to go through what you’ve been through with your dogs.
OMG I thought I was the only one who walked my dog's like that!! I can totally relate to the fear of off leash dog's. I walk vigilantly around the edges of public parks and rarely enter the 'gauntlet'. Whilst remaining calm for my dog's sake. I've never taken my dog's to a dog park. Like you, I go toward the road as that is when other dog owners get serious about recalling their dog's. The beach was always our happy place. Till my bc recieved a bite to her hind leg. My husband had to carry her off the beach. I could see the bone in 3 places. Our carefree walks were never the same. After surgery she became reactive to other dog's. Now I rarely invite my children or husband out on walks. Sometimes I take my dogs out one at a time and can only imagine the commitment, time and stress it takes to walk 7. I drive to locations and check the surroundings before releasing my youngest to throw frisbee. I incorporate obedience exercises with my on leash reactive dog in between retrieves. One day last year while taking my on leash dog's walking on a country road, which looked 'safe', I saw a border collie way in the distance (mine are border collies) running out in front of a father and son on bikes. As it began to charge I thought of all the places we could escape, there weren't any. That dog had intent for sure. It came in low and relentless as it started going at my on leash dog's leg's. I held my dog back with her 6' leash in the chaos and excitement. Then she redirected with a bite to my shin. I believe she was telling me to get back. It wasn't a bad bite but it broke the skin and bruised. Now when that happens if there are no other options, I allow her to scare off the other dog. No apology from the man on the bike as he rode past BTW. The law here is that authorities will take the side of the on leash dog. I take my dog's out daily for long walks regardless of my fears. I read through all the comments and see you have a caring experienced community of subscribers. Thanks for sharing some of the hard truths about responsible dog ownership, commitment and the difficulties of trying to be a good citizen:)
Awe I am so sorry. I have to say now that I have a much bigger dog Bliss, who is friendly and the type not easily traumatized, using him like a body guard for my other dogs has greatly decreased my worry of my two sensitive border collies from being traumatized. I m sending positive vibes that you and your dogs will not be another target.
Wow Emily, you have been through a LOT. I appreciate you sharing these stories and the impact these incidents had on both you and your dogs. I especially empathized with being a younger, less confident trainer and not knowing how to advocate for your dogs.
Wow, this really hurt. I feel so bad for you. I too have experienced this horror with my little 10 pound dog. Thank you for sharing this, Emily. Have followed and loved you and your dogs for years.
You are no alone. I can hear in your voice clear trauma memory. My wounds (spiritual and emotional and mental) are so fresh I’m not able to listen to all of your experience just yet. Apologies. I want to but I just cannot. I’m a dog “coach” walker sitter carer. In New York City where even on leash dogs are not responsibly walked (there’s a little 20 second video on my channel of just one thing I saw today). I know I’ve got PTSD from what happened to me and 3 little dogs (leashed and sitting by my side on our front steps in NYC). I know this because when I’m walking dogs now and someone isn’t paying attention to their dog (or child!) I immediately flash back to the attack. And I become so angry. I used to be able to say “please” and “thank you” for keeping your dog away. Now, I find myself shouting angrily at rude people with “friendly” dogs or toddlers running up to us. I’m still frightened. For me. For the dogs. For the other dog. For the children. I need people to learn that we don’t have to say hello to dogs we don’t know. Saying ‘oh he’s friendly, he won’t do anything” is simply irresponsible and wrong. The dogs with me are friendly and fun too. We don’t need to say hello and get involved with dogs we don’t know. In my case, the dog (large breed) was allowed to climb our steps, went nose to nose with one of the small dogs (a Coton) and proceeded to lock his jaw on her face and head dragging her and me with her down the concrete steps onto the sidewalk. I wasn’t even able to do the wheelbarrow. I had two other dogs clipped to my waist leashes in my other hand (two Maltese). Screaming. Help help… a passerby finally intervened and the owner and dog simply walked away leaving me and the dog bleeding on the sidewalk. Nothing good can come from encounters with dogs we do not know and especially are not under a person’s direct control and attention. My apologies. I’m ranting and should be expressing my sympathy and empathy. We are not the wrong ones for being assaulted. We did nothing to deserve this trauma. The injured dog suffered terribly, went through weeks of treatment. Six months of ongoing stress and trauma…. How can we make others understand just how serious a matter this is??????
I'm so sorry this has happened. It's truly terrifying and lasting. Many of us have been right where you are. Your therapist is an insensitive idiot, sadly.
I really think that there are some people who breeze through life and no violent crime or off leash dog incident ever happens to them, so it sounds like someone being scared of a plane crash... that they are more likely to be hit by lightning... I think that being a dog person and having dog friends is when you see how common it is... where if youre the only friend that has a dog and nothing happened to you, you feel like its something like lightening striking twice in the same place...
@@kikopup you’re so nice giving an explanation as to why your therapist may have said that! Emotions are physical responses, they don’t take place in the rational part of the brain. I feel like any therapist saying that a justified emotional, physical response is irrational, is at the very least an obvious statement, but to me very condescending, unprofessional and unhelpful regardless of their life experiences! You and everyone looking for support deserves so much better!
Thank you for talking about this. My dogs have also been attacked by loose or poorly managed dogs. It is indeed life changing.
2 года назад+10
Had a scare a couple of years ago when I was out walking just my miniature poodle in town. I saw a large dog with its owner a bit ahead of us and I could see that it was easily triggered by its surroundings, so we turned to the left. It was too late, it had spotted little Gaia and the owner dropped the leash when the dog lunged, so it came running towards us, looking and sounding anything but friendly. I just hoisted Gaia up in my arms (she wears a harness, but I wasn't really thinking about things like that in the moment) and stuffed her inside my jacket and turned my back to the other dog. It lunged and tried to get to her, ripping at my jacket. Thankfully a woman walked by just then and was resourceful enough to whip her shopping bag at the large dog, it threw him off somewhat. Then she stomped and screamed at him, which made him turn around and take off. Phew! I don't even think Gaia realised what happened, she just continued the walk unbothered, while my heart was racing. =P So glad my aussie Loke was not with us that time, because I couldn't have just put him away somewhere like with little Gaia...
Thank you for sharing such deeply personal stories on this important topic. I sometimes worry I’m ‘irrational’ with my over cautiousness around any dogs, or worry about the judgement of others (particularly fellow trainers). I used to allow that at times to overrule my gut feeling around some dogs and situations, which has led to some close shaves. I am always now extremely cautious particularly introducing my dogs to new dogs because I know so few people actually understand their dog’s body language or as you say are in denial. I now don’t care about the judgement. Thank you again - so so helpful and I hope you never have to experience these situations ever again with your beautiful dogs.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. It is beyond sad that you have so many stories to tell. Thankfully I have never had any of my dogs attacked but by youngest dog can be very reactive to other dogs and I am super aware that he could cause trauma to other dogs if I lose control of him. Luckily no incidents yet. I practice what I call 'defensive dog walking' keeping an eye on other dogs as much as on my own. Love all your videos. They have taught me so much.
I am also cautious with my dogs. I have learnt my lessons over the years, and it is always the same scenario. Other people think their big boisterous bitey dog is having fun, and they see no need to step in. When my sweet natured golden retriever goes from 'flight', to hate dripping from her teeth 'fight' mode, I have to step in, with maximum aggression. Twice, I have punched large dogs, German shepard size, with the unknown owner standing 10 feet away.
You are so brave for sharing. I can’t believe your therapist said that, I am shocked. You know exactly how your body feels and the emotions you’re going through in certain situations and what you are going through is real.
I am so sorry you and your dogs have had all these traumatic experiences, I think Tugs story hurt the most to hear we have a younger rescue who is social and exuberant and I pictured her losing those zoomies like him and it hurt. Dogs, unlike children, never grow out of needing you for survival, so I think it is natural that these experiences were traumatizing when you take the role of their caregiver as seriously as you do. Even in our own neighborhood we have had multiple incidents with neighbors who don’t have fences or whose dogs have broken electric fences in their heightened/excited state. Early after adopting older rescue he was pinned by a loose dog, thankfully no punctures but if he was reactive before he was even more reactive/defensive after that. We had felt so guilty about what happened but the reality was it was so unfair that this happened on our own street (we are on a dead end and have no other choice but to pass that house or drive to walk elsewhere public and equally if not more unsafe). Knowing his reactivity we were so careful socializing after that, but we soon realized he is truly the NICE dog, despite his reactivity he is respectful of other dogs space he in fact is the boundary setter, we eventually started to foster and he always COMMUNICATES with his body language and never escalates but corrects and trains other dogs who will allow it. He seems to know when other dogs are off balance and he like yours has certain types of people/dogs he seems to be more reactive to when on leash. We also manage where we take our dogs since that incident to reduce risk and it changed our behavior as owners. It hurts to think about the potential need to be defensive against another dog to protect your own but we have that mindset now. This was indeed healing and validating to hear even a professional with so much care and experience has gone through similar, and I am so glad the comments are also supportive and uplifting.
My first off leash dog came at my 2 dogs while walking them - one of mine is small and one is medium sized. The dog that came at us was a cane corso and my dogs were terrified (luckily no injuries), but I have gained confidence enough to be able to tell dogs off that come at us off leash (and also carry pepper spray and compressed air). Since then, my dogs are much more confident in my ability to deter off leash dogs from bothering them.
I feel so sad that plenty of people can't enjoy their walks anymore..... I hope that the consciousness will grow and the respect too ! Anyway thanks for sharing your stories. I think it is important to do so ☺️
I’m so sorry all these traumatic incidents have happened to you and your dogs. My dogs have been attacked multiple times and I’m relieved that they weren’t injured physically, but it’s still been emotionally traumatizing for us both. Thank you for sharing your stories. I wish you peace and healing.
I am glad you are talking about this. I am so sorry these happen to you, Emily, and your dogs! I can certainly relate: when my cattle dog Ruthie was about 4 months old, we were in a very large empty mowed field. Ruthie was laying down playing with a Pomeranian pup as the girl, about 11 years old, and I stood over them. Suddenly, from about 300 feet away, 2 boxers and a pit - all full-grown came charging at us off-leash at full speed! I thought they'd stop once they got close, and the two boxers did run right past us. The girl picked up the pom, but before I could get Ruthie, the pit bull latched onto Ruthie's head and face. I had on shorts and I don't recommend this, but as the pit bent his head to one side with Ruthie's head in its mouth, and was going to shake Ruthie in one violent shake and break her neck, I planted my bare leg into the dog fight and the pit"s head slammed into my bare leg, stopping the death-shake. Then the owner, a tall man, ran up and we both tried to pry open the pit's mouth, but the dog was locked onto Ruthie's head. So the man lifted the pit up in the air with the dog's back to his stomach and Ruthie was dangling from its mouth, screaming! The pit still didn't let go so we both pried the dog's mouth open and he was punching his dog. and finally freed Ruthie, who was bleeding from her mouth. I rushed her to the vet and she lost a tooth (fortunately a puppy tooth). I located the owner - his dog was again off-leash in the field and I insisted he pay the vet bill. He said it was my fault because his dog "only attacks puppies"!!!! I was super angry at him! After that, I knew some nice black labs and worked with them and their owner to gradually desensitize Ruthie to big dogs again but it took 6 months. She is fine around other dogs now but I keep her at a distance from them until I have studied the dog's manner. I carry pepper spray and I am a mama bear when it comes to protecting Ruthie! I have met other dogs off-leash and if I see any stiff legged walking or head lowered or hard stares or any body language I don't like, I stand my ground with Ruthie behind me and I yell "GO HOME!" And point away. The dogs always leave. I would not hesitate to use the pepper spray but fortunately I have not ever had to, and Ruthie is almost 12 years now. I am sad, Emily, about the panicked attacks you've had. I used to get them while driving until a great therapist told me to snap a rubber band on my wrist and start reciting a Psalm or a recipe! It works! But as far as strange off-leash dogs go, I step forward and yell and they retreat. I can't recommend this, because it takes reading the dog and the situation, knowing when to cautiously retreat backward and when to stand and order the other dog to GO! I find that aggressive dogs off-leash are so taken aback by my serious confidence that they trot away. I don't get scared, I get Angry! Yes, it is traumatic to be in the middle of a dogfight! But part of my job is, as you said, Emily to protect our dogs! God bless you and your family! Thanks for this important conversation, Emily! Hugs and blessings, JJ and Ruthie
Oh man. That is so terrifying when a dog latches on and doesn’t let go. I’m so sorry you had to experience that. I do breathing exercises when I get stressed.
Yes, breathing calmly helps me, too! My own triggers are propane tanks, which were exploding as I drove out of the Camp Fire! I guess I am more bold about protecting Ruthie because driving thru flames has given me the perspective that life is short! Recently we were in a dog park with a friend and his dog. A gal pulled up and let 2 large aggressive huskies out, as they pulled the leash out of her hand! Before they ever got to the gate I put up a stop-sign hand and asked nicely, "Could you please wait - we are just leaving... Could you please get your dogs away from the gate?" I got the usual dirty looks, but she complied and we exited without incident. All that to say, if we see trouble coming, I speak up! Sneers I can live with, vet bills and trauma, not so much! Keep up the excellent teachings Emily! You are a treasure! 😊🐺💕
Thank you for sharing and being so open and honest. I think the human side of these traumas is very much untalked of and underestimated-Yet equally important to be addressed. Thank you, hopefully videos like this will raise awareness! and i completely agree, the comment by your therapist was very unprofessional and inappropriate. I am sorry you had to go through these experiences!
I think this video and topic is really important. I have a large dog that I rescued and I don't think he was socialized for the first year of his life. He loves playing with other dogs but he's also terrible about reading other dog's body language and he can't easily regulate his emotions. When I take him to play with other dogs and the other dogs aren't interested in playing or want to stop when he doesn't, I will step in and give the other dog distance and work with my dog to calm down. I truly don't believe he would ever intentionally physically hurt a dog, but I also don't want to take the chance and I don't want to emotionally hurt other dogs by allowing them to be flooded. I have been trying to do as much research about dog body language as possible to understand OTHER dog body language. I get told ALL THE TIME that I shouldn't intervene and dogs will figure it out, but if the dog looks uncomfortable, I try to respect that because I know my dog doesn't notice those cues. Some owners also don't realize when their dogs are getting overwhelmed. He's not a bad dog, he just doesn't have good observational skills so we work as a team to navigate play. Over the years I've had him, he's become more in tune to when he thinks I'll recall him away from a dog so he checks in with me often before and during play and it works out!
I'm so glad the first time my dog was attacked the attacking dog was wearing a muzzle, and the second one he managed to outrun (and answered to recall so I could help him). Later turned out that the first did was in early stages of dementia at that time. But I always keep my d out stance and am very particular when choosing dogs to let him interact with. But my dog still has a lot of interest in other dogs and I don't quite know what to do about that...
Thank you for making this video. And I'm sorry you and your dogs had to though those awful experiences. I think this topic needs to be talked about openly even if the people who own the attacking dogs might get their feelings hurt by it, this is more important than that. Maybe talking about this will even encourage people to take safety more seriously with their dogs. Personally I have been attacked by a loose dog when I was a teenager and since then I've had a fear of seeing large dogs running off leash. You can never know how they will behave. Somehow I'm not afraid of being attacked myself anymore but more afraid for the safety of my own dog.
Bless you for addressing this sensitive issue. This unfortunately happened to my dog... she's never been the same since. I'm ashamed to admit that when this attack happened, I was frozen in shock and didn't know how to help my dog. One of the owner's friends intervened, but the whole incident was horrible. The owner tried to deny her responsibility and we ended up in court. That's when I learned the police should have been called at the time of the incident, so I would urge dog owners to become familiar with their local dog laws. Because this wasn't reported and the owner wasn't held fully responsible, the dog has since attacked two more dogs that I am aware of. Thank heaven they moved...sorry Arizona, they're your problem now.
I agree. Bit the tip of my dog’s ear off in the middle of a dog park (plus harmed his body in many other ways). The biggest issue/fear/guilt I have from that incident is: I am from small town, lots of land. Then moved to big city, hardly any space. And I knew an okay bit of training, but hardly anything about training in public situations w/ multiple dogs belonging to other people. I sold my dog short, did not respect what he was clearly saying to me. Since we were in a tiny dog park in my 1st tiny city, I thought we just needed to adjust and I needed to encourage him to come closer to the dog of the neighbor I was trying to meet. No. Dexter was clearly saying, “Back away! Let me back away! That dog is dangerous! He is telling me I need to keep my distance!” What my lovely Dexter learned thru that was that, “Hey bark and be dominant toward other dogs if you are on a leash w/ that woman who didn’t listen to you. But if you are off-leash in a dog-park, or meeting w/ a new dog at your home, you have control over your own space/body and can back away depending on what that dog is saying.” Guilt? Yes. Thank you for doing this video. It is not only nice to hear other people talk about people going through this… it is nice to hear that people who train, are good w/ dogs, are dog enthusiasts, etc. are dealing with same stuff.
Thank you for sharing, and I’m so sorry this happened to you. Sammy got attacked by to huge dogs once, we went to a cafe and when we walked to the tables outside, the dogs came running at her. Apparently the big dogs’ leashes were secured to the owners chair but that didn’t stop them. When we were home, we saw that the skin had broken and we stitched her up (my dad’s a human doctor lol). She of course took her stitches out so the next day we went to the vet for a check up. She still isn’t a fan of brachycephalic dogs, thankfully the trauma isn’t very deep. Also, thank you for saying that “overly friendly” dogs are basically just rude. She was bullied by this lab pup last year and the owner got mad at me for saying that his dog bullied Sammy. Another big dog started humping her a while back, which her knees couldn’t handle and the owners didn’t even apologise, while Sammy was whining and limping. People really need to take responsibility for their dogs.
Some of your videos were in the puppy information packet from the breeder I'm hopefully acquiring my service dog prospect from soon, and this one caught my eye. I don't even care to watch videos or listen to speech (much prefer reading), but watched the whole video. My late rescue dog was attacked multiple times by off-leash dogs over his lifetime, unfortunately by neighbors' dogs within the same building, complex, or street, in multiple different states. I still get nervous just seeing an off-leash dog with questionable behavior, or a leashed dog with questionable security. Thank you for your tips on how your handle walking your dogs now, and your comment to someone else about having a jingly tag as an early warning system. Having read so many horror stories about service dogs being attacked, I'm inclined to keep him away from anywhere pets are allowed, which should reduce the hypervigilance I'll likely feel, but as I was looking at silent tags, I'm so glad I saw that comment!
I have two dogs and they have both been attacked. My girl was bitten in the face by another dog and her canine tooth was broken by the other dog. The incident is one reason she is no longer my service dog. My other dog, a boy, was attacked by a group of three dogs as a puppy. He didn't seem too distraught, but I carried him to the car. He never seemed to interested or bothered by other dogs. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he attacked my neighbors dog. He had never shown any dog aggression prior to this. It was so unexpected. He actually went through a window in our apartment to get to the dog outside. My neighbors dog was severely injured, and I insisted she go to the vet. She had surgery to repair the damage, which I obviously paid for. I put together a care package for her recovery, but I still feel awful about the whole thing. Ever since that day, I can't trust him to be around other dogs and I do everything I can to prevent anything from happening. He is muzzle trained and walked when as few dogs may be out as possible. Most of our neighbors know that he is not friendly and avoid us as we do them, but I'm always fearful of turning corners and off-leash dogs. When I think back to his puppyhood, I now realize that his "lack of interest" was actually severe anxiety and fear. I feel so guilty that I didn't know how stressed he was. Through a lot of work, training, management, and medication, he is doing much better, learning to respond to stressors, and has learned to trust that his people will keep him safe. He has made me a much better and more intentional handler.
Please don't feel guilty. You did the best you could in a situation you had no control over. All dogs are different. Sometimes dogs are simply disinterested. Dogs also change as they grow up. So cut yourself some slack it sounds like you are one of the most caring dog owners out there!
Hello, thank you so much for sharing your warmth and experiences. I live in Turkey and found you while searching the internet for people who share similar memories. After watching you and reading the comments, I definitely feel less alone.
A Rottweiler attacked me and my dog two weeks ago. My dog is a 7-kilogram, medium-sized kokoni . Both dogs were on leashes when we encountered each other on the street. The attacking dog saw us and started pulling, and its owner, a young and weak person, couldn't hold the leash and let go. Later, as I was carrying my dog to the garage where I had seen it, the Rottweiler grabbed its leg. At that moment, both my dog and I were screaming. It started shaking and pulling its leg. I thought it was the end for my dog and I got between the attacking dog and my body. We wrestled on the ground, and I tried to protect my dog's vital organs in a fetal position. The dog's owner was too afraid of their own dog to even approach us. My dog's hip was dislocated, it underwent FHO surgery, and the ligaments in its knee were torn. I'm very scared. We only go outside for short potty breaks, but the owners of the attacking dog deliberately walk their dog in front of our door, and my dog wants to go back inside when it smells the other dog. We are now going to move out of our house.
I am so sorry you had to deal with that and I hope your dog makes a full recovery.
as a therapist, I'm appalled that your therapist would have called you irrational for ANY reason. your trauma is valid, and I'm so sorry you've gone through so many dog attacks (and attempted attacks)
I am SO sorry you had to go through this. Your therapist was extremely insensitive saying that to you. Trauma is trauma. And being attacked by a dog is traumatizing. Thank you for sharing
Yeah, I agree.
My thoughts pre-video: There seems to be a popular issue where many of the people who have their dogs off leash and which come up and scare the daylights or bother other dogs and their owners, these irresponsible owners somehow think that it's not their fault, that it's OUR fault and that their dog "just wants to play", or that other owners shouldn't be there with their dogs if they don't want to be approached by other dogs.
yeah. In sweden people were much more respectful of each other than here in the states and we did not have any loose dogs running over
I agree with you. Society has turned on a dime since the days of my father giving our poodle a good wack with the newspaper for barking at 2a.m. OUTside in his kennel! Back then barking dogs were baited. My point being dogs were dogs and discipline was a life-saving measure.
Dogs are fur babies today .. thats until they become fir monsters and owners have no clue what they did to create it. When ppl approach me and my dog asking if my dog is friendly, I say: yes, she is> BUT I am not!
The worst are those who let their dog leave their side, weave across my path to 'say hello' to my dog. Those owners are told off good and proper.
Thank you for explaining there is no "over friendly dog". It is hard to explain it to the owners of "friendly" but brutal dogs, in fact if the dog doesn't respect the other dog's fear we can't say he acts "nice".
I really appreciate you calling this out! My little dog has not been the same since he met the neighbours’ “over friendly” dog.
Same, it took me a long time to internalize this. The “he’s friendly!” is such a pervasive cultural norm here, but really, that dog is not friendly if he’s not respecting the other dog’s space and emotions, nor is that dog’s owner being friendly or respectful
My previous dog was brutally attacked by an off leash dog in our condo complex. It jumped a picket fence totally quiet from behind, no barking or growling. My dog was a mini-schnauzer and it was a large pit-mix. It went for her throat. My husband jerked our dog's leash so hard that it couldn't reach her throat. It got her side. It tore a large degloving wound in her side, broke and dislocated her leg. Recovery took 3 months of repeated surgeries and wound dressings.
She was scarred physically for the rest of her life (about a year) but she did return to her sunny disposition thankfully.
We now have a different dog that is dog reactive and we are also paranoid of off leash dogs.
Our dog is the dog that runs straight at other dogs. We haven't been able to correct his behavior after 3 years of training, therefore he is not allowed off leash or to interact with other dogs except for my sister-in'-law's dog that we spent time introducing him to. We don't want to be responsible for an attack. Off leash dogs are a real problem. We can't walk him alone. We have to go as a pair to run interference.
I am so sorry about that. I am so happy she did finally return to her happy disposition. And I know the struggle of having a sensitive dog. Sometimes personalities and breed tendencies cause dogs to rush up. Its not a negative about the dog, it can just get them in trouble if they rush up on the wrong dog face. And yes they can scare other dogs
This video was really tough to watch. I had to take breaks because the pain is so evident in your voice. Dogs, no matter the breed or size, should not be underestimated as they are powerful animals. Similarly, we humans have the power to support and uplift each other. Thank you Emily for sharing your story.
Me too. I haven’t watched it all yet. But this is so important. The world of dogs and people in public areas-walking on leash, off leash in a dog run, illegally off leash in a park with people whose dogs ARE leashed - everyone needs to hear this and learn from it. And IDK but the situation at least in NYC seems to have worsened since the end of the pandemic lockdowns. It’s as if people have forgotten how to communicate with strangers. Forgotten consideration for others. Forgotten basic rules of civilized society. IDK. I only know it’s a huge problem
Thank you for your courage to speak up. It is impossible to imagine the pain for you and your dogs. It is not your fault, it is the fault of the irresponsible so-called trainers. Your decisions are correct! So sorry that you have to go through these traumatic incidences. Hope your panic attack will be healed soon. You are the best!
Yeah, i think its good to start talking about it
I lost my 5 month old Chihuahua puppy about a month ago. We were attacked by an aggressive pitbull mix. I managed to get the dog off of us, but as I rushed my little Chloe to the vet she passed away on my lap.. I couldn't sleep for days the nightmares were too much and my mental health quickly deteriorated. I couldn't handle my other dogs looking for Chloe checking her kennel. It took about three weeks to basically function again. I'm really trying to get back to "normal" but that day has caused something to break in me I won't ever be quite the same again.
Oh I'm so sorry. 😞
Oh no I am so sorry. No one should have to experience that.
This is heartbreaking, I am so sorry it happened :(
The biggest problem is the people who don't treat or train their dogs properly.
I have had a dog reactive dog for 12 years but she has never had or given any injuries to anyone dog or otherwise.
Because I have done lots of work with her and even when she's off lead she is under control.
But I am always aware of other dogs and their behaviour and I do warn people if their dog is getting close to her.
I accepted a long time ago that she will never like other dogs.
So I took steps to keep other dogs safe while giving her a good quality of life.
Thank you so much for this video! In my old apartment a dog lunged at my dog to attack in the elevator as soon as the door opened and really scared me. A week or so later that same dog attacked a puppy in the elevator. I was so scared and actually moved to a house so I wouldn’t have to deal with the maze of elevators and hallways.
Here a family just a few months ago got a large 9 month GSD that appears entirely untrained. The family allows a teeny 10 year old girl to walk him. I have been so terrified because she cannot hold him back at all and he has dragged her fully across the street to my dog several times.
I really wish people would be mindful of others and keep their pets from charging others in public. I am not at a dog park and my old girl does not want to be lunged at by your enormous dog and I don’t want to deal with the anxiety of waiting for the next bite.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I cannot tell you how validating this is for me. My dogs have been attacked on two separate occasions by two different pairs of power breeds that were unleashed. I’m literally not the same when I exercise my dogs, and I identify with the panic attacks.
Yeah you are not alone
Thank you so much for sharing this. I had an agility training class where I ended up in the ER with bite wounds after physically stopping a dog from attacking my dogs at the agility field. I was criticized by so many people (agility folks and even my own family included) saying you should just let dogs be dogs and sort things out for themselves. not step in and get yourself bit or injured. I cannot express in words how relieved I was to find that it was only me on the receiving side of those bites and both my dogs were fine and unaffected by the incident. I would do the exact same thing again of course. I just never shared this trauma with someone who understands how it affected me.
Sorry these things happened to you and thanks again for sharing.
I’m so sorry that happened and to be blamed!!! Omg. Sending healing thoughts
I've been told the same thing since I was a child. (Let the dogs fight it out they will some how magically get along after. Don't get yourself bit.) I always disagreed with that type of thinking. Last I checked getting beat up never made me get along with anyone. And I can't stand by while the most important beings in my life get harmed. Sorry not sorry. lol
I'm glad you were able to protect your dogs. I always felt like being able to protect even at the cost of oneself is not something anyone has any business shaming you about. I hope you healed up quickly.
thank you for sharing this. It opened my eyes as to how trainers can be as clueless/negligent about their own dogs’ behaviour. Also, I had decided my job is to protect my little dog but will now no longer feel embarrassed that I am overprotective or whatever.
Yes we shouldnt feel silly or overprotective
Thank you for sharing! I can relate so much! My 9-week old puppy was also attacked by a trainer's "friendly" dog, and it certainly affected his reactivity.
Sorry that you have had these experiences with dogs, trainers, and the therapist (who was clearly wrong to say your anxiety is irrational with the number of encounters you have had). I have had one serious encounter where a large dog latched onto my puppy with no warning bark, growl, or glare. The owner was there and could not get the dog to release. I lifted and twisted on the dogs collar and it passed out and released my puppy which was not severely injured thank goodness...the dog had bit it and held on but did not shake it. The owner of the other dog was extremely apologetic, shocked, concerned for me and my puppy, and followed me to the vet, went in with me, and paid for the visit and gave me contact info. Receiving this support immediately at the time of the event made it less traumatic. (The other dog woke after being choked out and was fine and not at all aggressive). Thank you for sharing your experiences...it may help others to be more aware.
That is really wonderful they did that and helped you
It sounds like you have been through a lot. I'm sorry the therapist called you irrational, that's highly unprofessional. I've never been able to own a dog, but I have still had too many encounters with off leash dogs that I give them a wide berth. More often than not the owner still lets them run up to me while I'm obviously trying to avoid them and they'll shout "it's ok, they're friendly". It is incredibly frustrating. I have been chased, growled at, snapped at and bitten. It's never ok to just let your dog to run up to someone. One lady had her dogs on lead ahead of me until she got to her driveway, she let them off the lead and as I walked past the house on the opposite side of the road one of them came charging over and tried to bite my ankles. I love your videos, thank you so much for sharing your stories with us.
I’m so sorry 😢 I saw this lady struggling to put her dogs on leash in the distance and I passed carefully as her dogs barked at me then I saw her release the dogs again as I went over this hill. 3 mins later a man on a bicycle rode by and stoped to ask where the trail went and I said “you’re bleeding!!!” He said “yeah one of these loose dogs scratched me!” I said “go to the hospital for antibiotics and to clean the wound! It’s a bite!” He had a dogs teeth Marks in his leg….
@@kikopup It can be so stressful having to be so hyper aware all the time, when it should be as simple as enjoying a walk with your dog.
Thank you so much for your authenticity and honesty. Over the years I have had several dogs attacked and yes, it is terrifying. My current dog Roland I adopted at 9 months. He was the sunniest, happiest, gentlest, easy go lucky guy, and for a couple of years we went to the dog park daily to play with his best friends. Then a large (Pyrenees mix) dog turned on him and attacked him. He wasn't harmed, just shaken. The next week, another dog attacked him at the park. (the owners had no control and were like, "he's just playing"). At that point, Roland's personality changed. He decided that he needed to be preemptively aggressive. If any dog acted a little bit cocky, Roland would put him on the ground. We had to stop going to the dog park. We had to stop letting him run off leash in the park. Even on leash, we have to avoid passing another dog on the street. His life got so constrained, and mine too (no hikes off leash). Several times I have been walking him and my other dog on leash, and another dog runs up ("it's ok, he's friendly!" they always say) and I have been in the center of a three-dog dog fight, which is really scary. Roland is 8 now and still dog aggressive and unreliable around dogs and it makes me so sad. I lost my little sunny guy. It's had such a huge impact, those few dogs that had no business being at a dog park. Sorry for going on and on.
I’m so sorry that happened to you and Roland. ❤️
My dog is the most loving dog I've ever met. Because of this a neighbor has decided that I needed to assist his dog with his fear of bigger dogs. My girl no longer gets happy to see the other dog because every time it lunges at her while growling and barking. This owner is now bringing his dog into the community dog park. I told him previously if he was going to do so that he needed to make sure to put a muzzle on his dog before interacting with any other dogs. He has failed to listen. I know it is just a matter of time before a dog or owner will be hurt by his dog. I can't say bit because this dog already has bit the owner's best friend and he didn't think anything of it.
I'm sorry you have gone through so many events that have affected you and your pups in this way. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us.
Oh gosh that’s stressful for you to have to deal with that owner
@@kikopup he asked me to trained his dog 2 days ago. I told him to hire a real trainer. That as good as I am at working with my puppy, that I am definitely NOT capable of dealing with 7 years of his dog's fears!
Thanks for sharing. It's nice to hear trainers have these struggles too. My dog is very afraid of other dogs and I will specifically say "my dog is very fearful, we don't want to say hi" and people will walk their dog over because "their dog is friendly".....I'm learning to advocate for my dog more and it's gotten me into some awkward/heated situations. Off leash dogs are the worst but even people with dogs on leashes will still ignore what I say and it's sp frustrating
We have a red jacket that says "do not pet" and sometimes we put a muzzle on him (need to keep him use to it anyway). That usually does the trick.
yeah sometimes there is no stopping people
Thank you for sharing this and being honest.
My 7 months old border collie was attacked few weeks ago. She wasn't bitten but it still affected her and she is very suspicious of each dog now. Initially she was very friendly with every dog and I can see she doesn't feel confident anymore.
I let her play with few dogs (friendly ones) recently, so she gets little confidence back. Hope she won't become reactive.
Awe that sounds like a good plan- having play dates with the known friendly dogs. Yeah I d avoid strangers dogs. So sorry that happened. It just doesnt feel fair.
This is so sad! And is exactly why my four dogs do not leave my farm to many times owners are not responsible and can't or won't control them. My dogs are here to protect my property but are very well social to whoever we invite in.
Poor Splash and poor Tug! My puppy was bitten on the nose by the neighbor dog and she still tucks her tail whenever she sniffs an area where the neighbor dog has been digging (his owner lets him off-leash to tear up the landscaping around our apartment complex). She was already timid and that just made her even more fearful. I felt so terrible about it because I was the one who allowed us to be in an unsafe situation - I vowed to avoid situations I was not completely in control of after that.
I’m glad I watched this video as it just reinforced my protective behaviors of my puppy. I don’t let strangers or their dogs get hardly within earshot, let alone within distance to reach us anymore. Also glad to know I’m not being overly paranoid.
I’m so scared of this happening. There are SO many reports of local dogs causing issues and the local authorities are useless :(
I'm so sorry this has happened to you and your dogs. What I want to say is that you don't ever have to apologize for somebody else's bad behavior or negligence or make excuses for them or worry about how you speaking your truth will make them feel. You need to look after yourself and your dogs and you have every right to be traumatized and to be wary.
I wish none of that had happened but I think you are very brave to share and to continue teaching in such a positive and gentle way. Your dogs are very lucky and so are all of us that learn so much from your videos.
A very good cautionary tale about always watching out for your dog, not trusting when others say their dogs are friendly, and being on alert in all situations. Thank you for sharing. Many, many owners, from those who do the attacking to those whose fur babies are attacked, NEED TO HEAR THIS!
I always feel like the "bad guy" of our neighborhood because I avoid dog interactions at parks at ALL costs. Other people meet up daily at our regular spots to play and talk but I avoid these situations because I am there to exercise my dogs before work and NOT social with other people/dogs.
It makes me feel crazy watching all my neighbors just let their off leash dogs have a free-for-all as I walk the perimeters of every park and have no conversations. Always trying to avoid my dogs having negative interactions because I dont trust other owners while also keeping MY emotions under control.
Thank for sharing and being vulnerable.
Im a blind guide dog handler, and my dog has been attacked three times in malls by fake service dogs. It’s terrifying as I can’t see enough to protect him very well. The same kind of horrible person who would pretend that their dog is a service animal also won’t train their dog properly.
I need my dog to get around safely and he does a great job! But our problem is always people. So many people think my dog is safe for their dog to approach and dont care that their dog (often on an extendable leash) will wrap around my legs or my dogs legs and trip us. I can’t see their leash or their dog so I can step on their dog and then the owners are indignant. “But she just wanted to say hi!” Please please please, leave guide and service dogs alone! We train our dogs to ignore other dogs and people and just do their job and it’s not fair that other people want to pet them or introduce their dogs to them. I can’t see if your dog is on leash or an off leash stray and it’s frightening when you allow your “friendly” dog to run up and jump on us! Just give us space and leave us to work. I have to pay very close attention to where I am, how many corners, I’ve turned etc etc. Even a well meaning person asking to interact with my dog can be an issue. I’ve missed hearing my bus stop, got turned around etc. Often I’m just running late and don’t have the time to stop and take his harness off so someone can pet him, and he doesn’t enjoy strangers petting him anyway and I want to respect that. People have called me names, screamed at me etc. when I’ve tried to explain that I don’t have time right now.
Also My guide dog must lay quietly beside me in a restaurant, bus etc and he has been jumped on by dogs allowed to approach him. people have thrown food to him and been insulted when he won’t eat it, (he is trained not to take food off the floor or from strangers because it could upset his stomach and the last thing you need in a class or on a plane, is to have a dog with diarrhea.
I know this is a long rant but I don’t have the option of picking safe places to take my dog where there are no other dogs. I have to have him with me to be safe. If my dog becomes traumatized by an unfriendly encounter, he could become unable to work and I would loose my freedom and mobility and the amazing partnership with my dog.
That's terrible! People are so thoughtless.
I am so sorry this happens to you and so many with service dogs. I do use a service dog myself. I used to not have jingly equipment on my dogs to respect other dogs who worry about that, but I found the louder the tags jingle the further away the "fake" service dogs react from in stores, so they will hear your dog from far away start barking, rather than be surprised by your dog when they are close and can reach. So for me the jiggling tag has helped me feel safe. As its such a trigger for most dogs. Keeping people away I have no tips. I had someone roll their eyes at me even though I was extremely polite.
@@kikopup
What a good idea! I have lots of “working don’t distract” decals on my harness to warn people but I never thought of trying to distract the approaching dog with jingling tags. I’ll try that. Thank you!
I’m very sorry that you’ve had these kinds of problems as well!
I just want to give you a hug. From a distance.
My dog was attacked at a young age ( 5 months) and had his ear bitten through but thankfully no serious physical injuries. It caused him to be timid of everything, he is slowly getting better, but still has a long way to go. He’s a year old now and I am really hoping he can get his confidence back.
Thank you for sharing your stories, I know exactly how you feel when is comes to the anxiety of having your dog getting attacked. This was helpful.
Awe I am so sorry. I hope that your dog will bounce back. Its totally possible.
Thank you for this. My 3 year old huntaway was at the beach. It’s completely off leash. You wouldn’t go with a leashed dog. Connie loved the beach, loved the play with other dogs until she was attacked.
We can no longer go to the beach. She is so fearful and has taken to attacking other dogs that come towards her. It is always soft teeth, she has never hurt another dog and always comes back to us quickly. She is always on guard. It’s sad that she can no longer run and play freely with other dogs. She sees all dogs the same size or bigger as a threat. So much joy for us both has gone. 😢
I am so sorry. I feel your pain. I just had a loose dog run up to mine 3 weeks ago, and I was so proud that I grabbed the dogs collar before he got to my dogs... And then the owner came over the hill SOOO ANGRY with me for touching his dog that he was going to start a fist fight with me. This scared my one border collie who is shy with men and he ran back to my car, and so now I have a different problem... I am having to rebuild my boys trust that not all men are aggressive assholes who dont give a shit about other humans or their dogs.
Owner comes over the hill so he wasn’t even with his dog. Being confronted like that would be frightening. I hope your guy can rebuild his confidence quickly, it’s so unfair for him and you. Big hugs from NZ.
Thank you for this video, I honestly didn’t expect for you as a professional to have experienced so many of these unfortunate events involving other professionals‘ dogs, this is crazy.
I carry so much guilt for not protecting my dog better - you mentioned chasing and this is what made my dog strange dog reactive - when on 2 occasions he got chased by overly „friendly“ dogs. I feel more validated for avoiding all off leash dogs now and just picking up my dog and leaving whenever I see one.
Thank you for sharing your experiences...this video is so generous and courageous...sending you much care and gratitude...
Thanks for honestly sharing the effects of your experiences, I appreciate it. Yeah when you know, you know. I have a 3 year old rescue, who's always had fear issues that we've worked on. But last week he was mauled by a dog that ran 200m from his owner to get him while on leash with me, without defending only howling, and I unfairly feel I let him down. Long story short, it was savage and traumatic for us both! I'm struggling to find any resources on how to manage even home visitors which gets him heckled/growling/rushing/beyond his limit so will have a go with your online Reactivity program to rebuild. Thanks again, Matt :-)
Thank you so much for sharing this. it is a real thing but I think people are afraid to talk about it.
Thank you so much for this Emily. It is incredibly helpful and very timely, since we have just moved to a new town with lots of dogs and my small dog has been attacked twice by off leash dogs. The last time was two days ago, when he was on his usual short lead. The first time the woman owner of the dog that ran at mine shouted 'Don't worry, he's friendly' as her very large dog stood over mine and bit his ear. The second time another small dog turned around on a trail and ran over and suddenly bit my dog's neck, I lifted my dog off the ground and the other dog hung on with its teeth and came off the ground with him, until his owner pulled him off. I was shouting 'Oh my god, oh my god' and dancing around with these two dogs dangling off the ground. As she walked away she said 'Oh we didn't hear you, my dog hates other male dogs', as if it was MY dog's fault! I think people never admit their dog is aggressive, it's always explained by a lie or an excuse ('He's never done it before, she was bitten once by a dog like yours' ) yet they still let them off leash around other dogs! That's if the owner even says or does anything at all, or smacks their dog and gets them even more riled up! I've found the only way to get the message across that my dog needs space is to tell people with off leash dogs who approach him is to yell 'My dog is not friendly, he could bite yours really badly and hurt them' - (he's never bitten any dog but growls now at strange male dogs). These people then grab their dogs and give us a wide berth but I don't care. All the yellow leashes, 'need space' leash labels I've tried are ignored, or even worse, seen as a challenge to other dog owners 'You should let them meet, they should sort it out themselves'!!! I'm just glad I have a dog small enough that I can lift up. If I had a large dog, I don't know how I could protect them, since the attacks happen so quickly and the dog's bite is so strong.
Im so sorry that happened to you, it's so frustrating and scary
Thank you for sharing this. My schnauzer was attacked on leash, twice, when he was 12 weeks old by the same dog (he was loose in the garage and we walked by and he came out and attacked.) My schnauzer could never be walked after that and had seizures on walks. Then my new puppy was attacked on leash at 12 weeks old by my neighbors dogs (her son let all 3 of them out the front door). I picked him up as quickly as possible but he was screaming, then the dogs bit me trying to get to him. He's 9 months old now and whines and pants anytime he's on leash outside, even as I attempt to counter-condition him. I can see other things that have changed about him, too. He's on anxiety medication but still has a lot of problems. It makes me extremely angry that all I've wanted was a dog I could go on walks with, and now both of my dogs were ruined by other dogs. In each scenario, I was only about 30 feet away from my own driveway when they happened. I, too, panic when I see dogs loose or people who don't have control of their dogs. I pray that someday my puppy will learn that he doesn't have to be scared on walks, but when it happens during the critical socialization period, I worry that it will have very long-lasting effects. Thank you for sharing your stories and I am so incredibly sorry that you have experienced this, too.
Thanks so much for this video!! The message you gave about advocating for your dog and protecting them at all costs really resonated with me. You were totally a superhero in the petco parking lot, too!!
I have a dog that loves to play with other dogs, but he is dominant and I don't allow him to play with other peoples dogs. I've had some people tell me" it's fine they'll be okay". I work with him at home and he's better with my dogs, but I would never allow him to be that rough with someone else dog. It amazes me to see people that think it's fine to allow their dominant, bully or aggressive dogs into play areas with other dogs. I'm so sorry you've had to experience these situations.
Thank you for your video. I am a dog trainer in NYC. The sheer density of dogs in Manhattan is mind-blowing. And with the Pandemic the number of untrained dogs on the city streets who are unleashed or on extended leashes makes the streets very unsafe for dogs. It is a huge problem. In April my dog was attacked and it was traumatizing for us both. As a dog trainer this is not supposed to happen to me but it did. The dog literally jumped right up to my dog and grabbed her by the throat and would not let go. Someone stepped forward and separated them and it is a miracle that he and I did not get bitten.
When in the street I am the dog avenger that creates a bubble of safety around myself and my dog. When working in the street with clients I give them a sense of my 360 degree vision. There are people who refuse to acknowledge their dogs aggressiveness. Most importantly dogs are faster than humans..
Your therapist is toxic and I am sorry that you were not given the compassion you deserve. So glad you do not take your dogs to training and events...Sending you love , healing and most importantly peace of mind..
I’m so glad you and your dog ended up without anything serious
@@kikopup Thank you for all that you do to elevate animal suffering. We are living at a very difficult time for humans and canines and these dog attacks are but a symptom of a deeper problem during this global reset. All the anger and fear that’s been hidden has been exposed during the Pandemic and all sentient beings have been affected. I am still processing what happened when my dog was attacked and both my dog and I are changed because of it. The big thing Emily is for people like us who are empaths not to shut down so that we can continue to do our work. Thank you again for your courageous video 🙏🏻
Hi Emily. I can't remember how long I've been subscribed to you for. It's been over 10 years now because I remember when you first got Tug. My first ever video I watched was you teaching Kiko how to growl. I wanted a dog my entire life and watched videos like yours all day even though I didn't even have a dog. I just wasn't in the right financial place. Then finally last June, my dream came true and I brought my puppy home, Kiyo, a little pomchi. Your videos helped me a lot to train her. At 12 weeks in the middle of her potty, when she was so vulnerable, she was almost attacked by a pitbull when they were coming out of their gate. I still remember her screaming and running around in circles. That resulted in her becoming reactive (just yappy, she has never growled or snapped at another dog ever) but your videos helped so much and she made so much progress. She loved meeting other dogs and was so playful with them. She was so quirky, special, and unlike any other dog I've ever met in my life. She had so much personality and her little antics always made me laugh even when she didn't listen. I love her so much. On Monday, she was attacked by a dogo argentino. We were just walking back home from our evening walk...we were right in front of our building. I was always hyper vigilant about bigger dogs because of the first incident so I noticed them from faraway. For some reason, the guy and his dog turned back around and stopped right across the street from us, both staring intently at us. My gut told me to pick her up and get out of there and I wish I listened. She was just sniffing a patch of grass when all of a sudden I hear a noise. I looked up and the dog got loose and was already charging on our half of the road/sidewalk. No warning - no barking, no snarling. The attack went on for what felt like forever. The dog wouldn't let go and the owner basically ripped my pup from his dog's mouth and she fell to the ground. Her whole side was ripped open, her head was lopsided to the right, she was yelping and running around in circles. I bent down and screamed her name, "it's ok, come here" and she ran right to me and cowered at my feet. My shoes are still bloodstained and I can't bring myself to clean them or even look at them. The whole experience was so traumatic for me, I couldn't stop screaming and crying. The other guy never said a word to me. I looked up for a moment and just saw him pulling his dog away to go back home while I was screaming hysterically. The whole ride to the emergency vet I held her and I could feel her side gurgling. She's usually very whiny, anxious and restless on car rides but on Monday she was so calm and didn't even make a peep. Her whole side was torn open and the vet told me her ribs were broken, lungs punctured, and lung tissue was hanging out and those were just what they could see from a quick exam. I had to say goodbye. She was supposed to turn 1 next week on the 18th. I can't believe it. I can't stop crying. All of her stuff is still laying around. Her water bowl that she was going to drink from when we came back from that walk... All her toys where she left them. Her beds. I hear her and I turn my head to look and realize she's actually not here. My whole life revolved around her - she followed me everywhere even to the bathroom and now it's so quiet and I feel so alone. I had to go back to the vet yesterday to pay the bill and drop off some treats and a toy that she could be cremated with and it was so hard. Other than that, I haven't been outside since the attack and I get panic attacks just thinking about it. I was having such a hard time, crying and laying in bed all day but being able to write this out, hearing you speak and reading all the comments on the video of people who've experienced something similar have been very healing for me. I miss my puppy so much.
I am so sorry for Kiyo and for you. Life can be so unfair and cruel it seems. All I can think about right now is her getting to share her life with you and be taken care of, and even in the last moment you were there for her to run to. I really hope that you take care of yourself and find people to help take care of you during this hard time. The grief comes in waves.
This is so fresh for you - I'm sorry you had to go through this! Please give yourself time to grieve and heal from this trauma. Your puppy was so loved! It hurts less over time, but it still hurts. Try to hold onto all the good memories when the pain comes. - don't let the end overpower the good.
Oh, my heart is hurting! My little chihuahua shih tzu mix was attacked in a very similar way but did survive. May God comfort and heal you.
Emily, thank you so, so, so much for sharing your experiences!!! Myself & Bella have had many loose dog threats and so much more and it is helpful to hear yours and how you manage. In fact I do many of the same methods you shared. Although it is terrifying we always find ways to protect our loving dogs who are so kind, funny, loyal, and protective of me too. I am thankful you shared so honestly as you have encouraged and inspired me!!! Also, I just came across your videos a few days ago and your teaching methods are helping me & Bella so much!!!!
Exact same thing for me. Attacked by loose dogs, dogs on leash, to the point I started to associate people with dogs to the point I had a major anxiety attack while walking my dog. I ended up so bad my dog started crying and had to stop right there on the side walk. I wrapped my arms around my dog and bawled my eyes out because I HURT HIM! I decided that moment to seek medical help which didn't help. What helped though was slowly getting back out there and I eventually started to come right. I still have my moments four years after my dog passed.
Hi Emily. Thank you for making this sad, yet so validating video. You certainly were generous and benevolent waiting 10 years so that those dog owners dont feel bad, esp the one who checked their dogs teeth after biting poor Tug. And I am sorry for what your therapist said, which was traumatizing in itself.
In Bella's years with me, we have yet to live without the threat of one dangerous dog/irresponsible owner or another. Most of us adopted rescued dogs that already came with trauma and sadly, beyond our control, it doesn't always end there, even after coming to loving homes like ours.
Years ago, my young dog was attacked by a trainer’s dog (an AKC judge). My dog was on a leash. Hers was not. Her dog bit both my dog and me. As the woman approached me and saw blood on me, she said, “oh did your dog bite you?” Ugh. Some people. Her golden retriever had put his fang through my hand when I reached down to separate them. Your trauma is totally understandable. I’m so sorry for all these incidents.
Oh wow! That's terrible. What is wrong with some people?
Oh man! That's really horrific and so strange what the trainer said!
Thank you so much for sharing. My heart goes out to you and anyone that has gone through this. Poor Tug, that must have been so hard for you to see him change like that, I’m sorry 😢 Seeing my own dog hurt and change after an incident absolutely broke my heart. It seems to me very unfair that so many incidents have happened to you and your dogs and some people are lucky and never have anything bad happen, and can easily overlook things and be careless as a result.
This was one of my biggest fears with my family pets years ago. I don’t have a dog now and it breaks my heart thinking the anxiety I have about it might mean that it wouldn’t be the best choice for me to get a dog in the future, for me or the dog. It affected me so much. I was also so paranoid that it would be our dog that would attack another dog and how guilty I would feel. So thank you so much for sharing with us, it really means a lot. I look up to you so much as a dog trainer and owner and it’s hard sometimes because people downplay or don’t understand how intense these things can be. Thank you again and for everything you share and teach us ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you a lot for talking about this. I'm traumatized from dog attacks as well. One of my little dogs got almost killed by a bigger dog and another one of my dogs got injured several times. Really made his already existing reactivity worse and a lot of additional training was needed. I've been dog free for a few years now because I couldn't handle the intense fear and my chronic illness became so bad I wouldn't have been able to care for another being because I wasn't even able to care for myself the way I needed to. After gradually getting better and almost three years on a waiting list I'm getting my first service dog in a few months. I'm visiting him a lot where he's trained but every walk with him I'm terrified about him getting hurt by a "friendly" off leash dog. He's a 1,5 year old portuguese water dog and he loves to play rough with other dogs at the training center who loves to do so too. As soon as the other dog doesn't want to play anymore or isn't interested in interacting with him at all he's very respectful and deescalating. I couldn't lift him up but I think I will get him behind me and throw highly rewarding treats at other dogs if they aren't impressed by me firmly telling them to go away. Maybe I'll even take pepper spray with me but I don't think it's ethical to spray it in a dog's face before anything bad happened and that's a real problem. Because the damage and trauma is already done when he got bitten. I'm sending you lots of love from Europe ❤
You could get an air spray- they sadly sell them as "pet correctors" they make a loud hissing sound, but are harmless and you wouldnt feel bad using it before the dog gets to your dog. Also I dont walk in parks at the moment because i had a bad thing happen with a loose dog 3 weeks ago, so I walk around malls and the green areas around parking lots where there are never loose dogs, really when I do this me and my dogs feel so much better. Its just not worth it to have some inconsiderate person traumatize your dogs.
@@kikopup Thank you a lot for your answer ❤️ I'll look into the spray and will condition it as a positive sound (starting unter a blanket or something, I'll try it out without him) for my dog so that he doesn't get scared by the sound. It's way better in the city here which might be because you simply can't go there with an untrained or unleashed dog. It's a pity because I love to go for a walk in the forest but it's honestly not an option because of the kind of people and their dogs.
Hi Emily, thank you SO much for this video. Listening to and watching your emotion while you described your panic, anxiety, worries and trauma from those awful situations helped me process my own!!
My Beagle is now dog aggressive/reactive from being assaulted by a dog as a young pup. This event impacted by his strong gentic-based anxiety has changed our lives.
Your videos have helped me become a better trainer, owner and have given me such validation of my own fears. If you ever travel to Canada, let me know! ❤
I'm so glad people are now speaking out about this, the next step is to make these trainers and owners accountable for their dogs and when they lie about their behavior. I have had this issue for many years, I am tired of carrying pet corrector spray and mace just to go outside with my dogs. It is mentally draining to constantly be on the lookout for loose dogs, It really hurts me to have to hit/mace these dogs when they try to go after mine :(
It feels like no matter how prepared I am people will just force their aggressive dogs into these dangerous situations..
In the last attack I had I was very prepared for anything but people are just so irresponsible and unpredictable that I feel as if it's a bit hopeless sometimes. It hurts so much when you see your dog looking out for these situations too after they get attacked
Thank you for making this video. No one in my family or extended family understands my cautiousness around unfamiliar dogs. They tease me for carrying pepper spray and air horns but they have never experienced a dog attack. My rescue dog was timid from the start and pretty anxious around dogs. Off leash dogs were a real issue in my old neighborhood and we were often harassed by them but not attacked. He started developing leash reactivity as this went on and I became more nervous with each encounter. Then one day, my worst nightmare happened - an off leash pitbull ran across the road and attacked him out of nowhere. I was alone with him and the owner just stood and watched from their porch. Seconds passed as they fought and I was too stunned to move. I felt like I was made of jello. Finally, I kicked their dog hard in the chest and it ran away but I had never felt so scared and angry. I screamed at the owner and they just stared at me like I was the crazy one! We eventually made it home but I was shaking so bad for hours after. And my dog’s reactivity got worse…it took 2 years of daily counter conditioning and desensitization to “fix” him. He’s no longer reactive and totally trusts me to protect him now. And he’s right. I learned my lesson and I won’t fail him again. My head is always on a swivel and I won’t hesitate to defend with everything I have him next time.
Yeah, I have often been made to think that Im the one with the issue by other owners
I'm recovering my border collie x koolie from an Akita attack where she wasn't physically harmed, but psychologically/emotionally she's been shut down. She sounds like your Tug - my dog only had a happy switch. Part of recovery has been finding that. I panic attack now if a dog glares at my dog in a certain way. The owners of the akita bullied us (close neighbours block sharing) and for 5 months they slammed doors repeatedly to harass me, but they've scarred my dog who is now sound sensitive. We moved house a year ago and it's been a long road - I get teary now thinking how far she's come but in many ways she's never going to trust in the world like she once did. Thankfully my dog hasn't become fear aggressive - she's fearful.of people, not dogs.. but I'm starting Dog Obedience in a few days and I very much appreciate you sharing your stories, as hard as that was. I'm trying to learn to not tell the story - but at the same time I need to in order for her (and me) to be understood. I go to more secluded ovals and off leash areas now. I'm so sorry you 're dealing with PTSD too! I've only jist found you - the 'stalking' video...my dog loved it too!
Thanks for sharing this. It’s me feel better that I am so protective around my little 7 pound dog when other dogs off leash run towards her
Yeah totally! Be your dogs super hero
I'm so glad you made this video. I think it's a subject the dog community needs to talk about.
My tiny dog was nearly attacked (aggressive barking and lunging) a couple of times by the same dog, and later and her toe was hurt by being jumped on by a large "overly friendly" young dog who was off the leash. She is very reactive now, but also might be genetics, but she didn't show reactivity as a puppy so maybe a little of both.
I don't know what it is about the dog community where it's not okay to be honest about your dog's behaviour. I had a reactive collie who was capable of biting, but I was always honest and told people straight up "my dog's not friendly" or kept his muzzle on if there were a lot of dogs around. There's no shame in having a reactive dog, the shame is being dishonest and seeing other dogs hurt because of it.
This is so true
Thank You for this video and I'm sad to hear what's happened to your dog's. I've also been in awful situation's with my dog's and it definitely does effect where and when you take your dog's out after these attack's.The ignorance of the owner's can be especially upsetting!!
I can contribute with some stories!
One: I trained my dog to run next to me on a bike on leash. During one of our rides, a couple of dogs charged out of their open gate and started to chase and bark us. I immediately threw on the brakes and jumped off the bike that my dog was attached to and walked towards the oncoming dogs, making myself big and loud and telling them to go home. I didn't want to encourage them to keep chasing or for a dog fight to happen with my dog at a disadvantage. They stopped and ran away from me.
Two: On a dog beach with a rule that the dogs need to be on leashes, a couple entered the beach with an off-leash shih tzu, who left them and walked up to my dog and our blanket, sniffing at my dog's water bowl. When my dog approached to say hello, the little dog snapped at her and she snapped back. I said HEY and pulled my dog away, shooing the shih tzu back towards their owners - who looked at ME like I was the one in the wrong.
Three: My dog wasn't involved in this one, but I was assisting my landlord with an eviction of her daughter's ex-boyfriend, with multiple bully-mix dogs involved, mostly as an extra pair of hands to help control the dogs while she kicked this dude out. The owner of the dogs intentionally released his dog-aggressive dog from a kennel, so of course it jumped the friendlier dog I was holding (which belonged to his ex), starting a dog fight. The man grabbed his dog and smacked it until it released and he put it in the truck cage. And then blamed the fact that the other dog was on a leash for why his dog 'attacked'.
So often dog fights (and attacks on humans!) happen because an owner does not take responsibility for or train their dogs properly, or does not meet the needs of an anxious or energetic dog properly. It's really sad!
All the stories are really sad
Equally appalling are the owners who are proud of their dogs
I feel you and I'm so sorry this has happened to you. I used to take my setter to the dog park, and he was bitten a couple of times, always by "friendly and harmless" dogs...
I can't stop thinking it's my fault...so thank you.
Thank you..I have also experienced the same with other people’s uncontrollable dogs. It does change the perception of our dogs in a negative way and also affects the owner. I have learned that avoidance is better than cure as you can not always cure a negative association. 🐶❤️🌻
Thank you so so much for sharing!!! I love when you said, ‘you are not alone’ those are powerful worlds!!! 🐶
Thank You
I'm glad you have done this video. My first encounter with a dog attacking mine was when I was a teen and I will never ever get that out of my head. The most recent was when I was attending a dog event, all dogs were suppose to have signed a contract that their dogs were safe and had never had experience of attacking another dog. I walked past a golden retriever (surely a safe breed right??? NOT) and he tore into my border collie. I'm still working with her not being afraid 5 years later. People are the problem as far as I'm concerned. People are stupid. Lying about their dogs. It makes me afraid to leave home unless my dogs are in the car. I know it's not good for my dogs but with them being 12 now, I am not taking any chances.
Right there with you. Not even worth it anymore, we are all safe at home inside our fence .
Honestly, I find retrievers to be the worst breeds. When I worked at doggy daycare, we were one of the "rougher" places - and it wasn't for our large bully population, no. It was all the retrievers and the damn doodles... mostly from wealthy people who didn't bother with training. And with covid, all the under-socialised covid puppies are stirring up a lot of issues. It is WILD out here.
I am so sorry that happened to you. I agree it is people. I dont have any ill feelings toward dogs.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and reactions to the situations you and your dogs went through. It is good for anyone to be aware of dangers in any situation. And it may help others be kind to them selves when they feel they failed to protect their dog. That these things can happen not only on a walk or dog parks but in training situations. My dog Zoey had also dealt with situations that lead to a fight. The one that did the most damage to Zoey and I emotionally was actually an attack by a small terrier at an agility session. Now this dog was notorious for not listening to his owner and anytime he was off leash he would run around ignoring owner and trainer. Disrupting class. The other classmates and I asked the trainer to have this owner to please keep her dog on a long leash due to this and to always be ready to grab it. We asked the trainer to be near this owner when the dog needed to be off leash. We all agreed this was a good idea. The trainer did not enforce it as she was friends with the owner. The dog continued to get away from his handler. Luckily each time he was a good distance from the rest of the class. But we came to a point where we were doing agility off leash and closer together. The dog this time zeroed in on the Papillion in our class who was fearful of other dogs. The Papillion's mom managed to pick him up just in time. Since the terrier smaller maybe 25 lbs he could not reach the Papillion. When he realized he could not get his target, he looked to who was closest and sadly that was my Aussie mix Zoey. Now Zoey is about 46 lbs and I heard of larger dogs killing smaller ones. Zoey is dog aggressive to a point, but with a lot of training she was very good at putting up with other dogs as long as they don't start a fight or there isn't something for her to be possessive over. When the other dog started attacking her my only thought was to protect Zoey by protecting the other dog. I pulled Zoey too me to stop her from retaliating. I pushed him off several times, but as I struggled with Zoey I could not keep him off as he would just come back. The owner and trainer finally got him and pulled him off. Zoey and I were visibly shaken. I, like you as a young trainer, told the others Zoey was okay. Luckily I had my mom there with her border collie and the Papillion's owner there to say it wasn't. It was particularly frustrating that the trainer blamed the Papillion's owner. Saying that if she had not picked up her dog that the terrier would not have attacked at all. Thankfully the others in class completely defended the Papillion's mom. I realized immediately after my mistake of protecting the attacking dog. Zoey saw that not only would I not protect her, but I let her get attacked. After that of course Zoey felt it became her responsibility to protect herself. She never was reactive to a dog outside a fence before. Suddenly she was barking and crying at a French bull dog that walked by 6 feet away. She would become scared. I realized why and began letting her take the lead on when she was comfortable and when she wasn't. She has since improved immensely but too this day if I take her to a training facility or trainer with other dogs around she will look at other dogs with wide eyes, shake, and be unable to concentrate on class. That happened 8 years ago. I got my own agility equipment and she still loves agility. But it caused me to have to choose to continue any training with her away from groups. And I'm fine with that. I want her to be happy I only went to agility because I knew she loved it and I wanted to bond more closely to her. Trauma no matter how small or great can have a catastrophic effect. It's ridiculous that the therapist told you were being irrational to fear something especially when it's happened over and over. I was cautious of dog attacks before I ever had it personally happen. And now I have a deep seated fear of it. This has led to mistakes that could have done harm due to my panic and successes do my hyper vigilance seeing a threat before it got to us that have saved my dogs. One such situation of the later happened at a gas station. I had my younger dog, Searsha (another aussie mix) on a leash doing my best to encourage her to go potty as we had a long drive to go camping. I kept hearing a dog barking but when I looked around I did not see a dog so I assumed it must be a dog in a backyard behind the gas station. Thankfully Zoey was in the car with my dad at this point and I only had Searsha with me for 2 reasons. I would not be able to control 2 dogs and stop another dog especially knowing Zoey will attack the other dog and will not back down if I ask her in that situation. The other reason was after determining that the barking was not a threat, it was ZOEY's sudden frantic barking from our vehicle that made me look again. This time I saw the dog. A huge mastiff barking from a car on the other side of the lot. the window was completely open and the dog was not constrained. my first thought was get Searsha back to the car. Too late as that thought accrued I see the mastiff launch out of it's window running straight at Searsha. I pulled her behind me ready to grab the mastic by the collar or furr or whatever I could. Because I didn't think I could kick this dog away with out falling over. My hand was stretched out. I thankfully zeroed in on the choke chain the mastiff was wearing. I was able to grab the choke chain and keep the mastiff away from Searsha holding them on either side of me. I yelled for help. My dad did not hear me but thankfully an attendant did. The mastiff had no desire to hurt me she was happy to see me I almost loosened my grip because she was sweet to me and because it was getting hard to hold her back. I had to remind myself that I cannot take the chance that she is people friendly and not dog friendly. The attendant grabbed the mastiff and told me to get Searsha to the car. at this point I was so scared to let go that she had to repeat herself and my dad checked to see what the commotion was and ran to help the attendant while I picked Searsha up and ran to the car. once we were safe I started sobbing and hugging her tightly. I was so thankful she was not hurt, but so afraid that she could have been hurt or could have died. I would not let her go for a long time after that. Searsha was very aware of my feelings and put up with my sobbing and shaking attempting to comfort me. Once I was able to realize that she was indeed safe I was able to be proud of my hypervigilance that kept her safe. I am also fearful of a dog attacking my girls in any situation. Thankfully I have not had a panic attack from it, but I will get stiff, watchful and pull my dog away. Like every other dog is an enemy. While still adoring every dog. When that Mastiff launched out of the window I did not blame the mastiff. I blamed the carelessness of his parent. It's extremely frustrating how preventable these situations are and yet how common place they are. I apologize for the long reply. I wanted to thank you, validate your fear and share my experiences.
I am so sorry that happened. How terrible the Papillon owner was shamed for saving her dog. Yeah. I feel like the vigilance is reinforced because Ive saved my dogs multiple times. The stupid thing is is that I think something in my head.. and then it happens. I was in my car driving and I saw a GSD leaning out a window, and another dog walking up the side walk. And I think, "that dogs going to jump out the car"... and of course it did... And then the owner only noticed half a block away. One time I was walking 3 of my border collies and someone pulls up right next to me in a car to yell 'beautiful aussies!!!!" all smiley and then her aussie in the back seat started lunging and barking and hanging out the window and she had to drive off... before bother me more with chit chat... Its baffles me how clueless people are and how much common sense they lack, or do they just not care about other people and dogs?
@@kikopup I hate that. I think people tend to think this won't happen to them. So they are careless. People get affended easily and some can't accept they made a mistake. It's easier to just lash out on the other person even when they know they are in the wrong. My dad is an example of that won't happen lol he tells me I'm being paranoid when I remove or separate dogs when faced with a problem that lead to a fight in the past. For instance my dads dog is highly food agressive. No matter how many times allowing a dog near him while he eats leads to Panda attacking the other dog. He continues to think it won't happen and I'm dramatic lol I'm like no your reckless and careless. Don't set your dog up to fail. He also allows his BC to meet other dogs on leash. Lucas does NOT like dogs he is unfamiliar with and will no any dog that approches him. I can even be there and tell him pull Lucas closer. Don't let him reach that other dog on leash. He will tell me to stop worrying. Let's Lucas have full range of the leash. And Lucas low and behold nips the dog walking by. Luckily this dog did not retaliate. Dad got upset at Lucas and I straight up told him. Lucas wasn't in the wrong. He was. He knows how Lucas is and he allowed him to reach that dog anyway. I also had a situation where Ib was hiking with my friend. And my dog Zoey. I had Zoey in leash. A man walks up with his off leash Lab. The lab is no where near his dad and runs straight to Zoey. My friend and I manage to block him from her and tell for the owner to please put him in the leash orb so least call him back. I am telling him my dog is be l not friendly. And he refuses to get his dog and gives us a nasty look like we are causing the problem. Its not like we are asking for much. The level of irresponsibility is rediculous. On the other side of the coin. On the same trail different day. I am on my way back from the water falls and there is this group of people with thier puppy cocket spaniel of leash. I pull Zoey back and step back. Accidently tripping over a log behind me. Causing me to fail leading Zoey to think this puppy must be a bigger threat. Meanwhile the group was not worried. Since their dog was friendly. They yelled she is friendly. And in tell back my dog isn't. With that said the group ran over for thier dog and apologized. On one hand is a man who is irresponsible and when confronted he chooses to ignore that he did not accept any wrongdoing. On the other hand a young woman was naive of the threat. She really apologized and took her dog. But was blissfully unaware.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, it’s helpful to know I’m not alone. I agree, events like that are traumatic to both you and your dog, and oftentimes people who haven’t been through it don’t understand the lasting trauma it can leave on both the dog and human. ❤️
Yes it’s so common ❤️
Thanks for posting this. I think it's also a good reminder to people to be responsible, good big dog owners. I have a very large dog and I always try to play close attention to her when off leash at the dog park that she's not overwhelming and scaring a smaller dog. Sometimes, we run into people with small dogs when out walking on leash who want to try to force their dog to greet her or are embarrased when their dog acts scared. I try to reassure them that their dog's fine, and that she can be very intimating because of her size alone. Also, being big doesn't always prevent you from being a victim as she's still had numerous encounters with aggressive dogs both as a puppy and a 115lb adult.
Thanks for sharing this. So honest and open.
I completely understand the fear and panic that comes from being attacked by aggressive dogs. My dog and I both have scars from being attacked. Thank you so much for speaking on this!
I’m so sorry
Thank you for sharing. It means a lot for me and explain much.
I knew after watching that you would get hundreds of comments. This information is so important on so many levels, and I am really thankful you have the courage to speak out now. I do the same thing you do-- I know where exits are, where my vehicle is parked, and am vigilant all the time of who is around me, people or animals. The part of your video which really touched me was regarding the complete personality change in your dogs. My dog is still traumatized by other dogs, terrified of them. He was once carefree, flew through the air after frisbees, loved frolicing with other dogs. After his attack, he does not trust any dog and is reactive even if no real threat is present, because he has emotional scars that he lives with. I wish I could come to you and have you work with him and your dogs, you are about the only person I think might help him. Wishing you the best, Emily, your work is wonderful and we all learn from you consistently. Thank you thank you thank you for your honesty. Blessings, dear! And a wuff-woof-ruff to all your dogs!
Awe I’m so sorry. I think you have my email? Email me and I’ll see if I know anyone close to you with calm friendly non aggressive dogs that your dog could chill out with without having to meet, to show him that not all dogs are going to attack.. I do tell clients of reactive dogs, the sad thing is, is that their reactions are justified as the other dogs behind fences or on leashes often times even if they are not barking they are giving off signals that they do want to try and harm your dog
@@kikopup YES, your insight about dogs not barking wildly but STILL demonstrating threat signals to my dog is so right on! At your advice, I bought "Doggie Language" by Lili Chin and it is a wonderful resource for anyone, even if you've had dogs all your life. I can better assess a non-barking-but-agressive dog (who's owner says "It's just fine, he's just interested in your dog") because of her illustrations. So thank you again for that resource. And I will try to find your email!! Yes, I would soooo appreciate any networking contacts you can pass along, and I will definitely follow up with any names you provide if they meet with your approval. THANK YOU!! Have a wonderful weekend!! Heart heart heart, LOL
I can so empathise with you on this subject and suffer from the same kind of anxiety. I used to walk my dogs in the fields near where I live in the UK, but after so many instances of people refusing to put their dogs on leads when they approach my dogs, I no longer do this. Instead I rent an enclosed field where I can let my dogs off lead with no danger from other dogs. Like you if I go elsewhere I try to make sure it's somewhere where other dogs won't be around, or will be on lead. Recently a local women posted on Facebook that a man walking his dog on lead should have it muzzled because her off lead 'friendly' dogs ran up to it to play and it reacted in an unfriendly way. She didn't like that I pointed out to her that the man was being responsible having his dog on lead and she was the irresponsible one letting her out of control dogs approach it without permission. By the way I think you are a fantastic trainer.
I´m sorry you have gone through this. And thank you for opening up, it is helpfull
❤️ sorry you both had to go through that!
I am sorry about your experience. I was attacked by two boston bull dogs when I was in kindergarten. It was horrible. I am an old lady and have had cats attacked by neighbors attacked by off leash dog in my own yard. I have MS and I am a behaviorist. and truth is you can't know any dog or person. You can only trust your own behavior and your dog under control. I have had people let their on leash small dog run up and jump on me and knock me down with my service dog (german shepherd) whom I train with daily. I think people who do not respect boundaries, do not use safety with pets in public, leashes, collars on, etc. Set up their pets for disaster. We cant anthropomorphize human emotions on dogs. Multiple dog walking becomes a pack. Pack psychology can not be predicted.
I also have MS, it's tough enough, loose dogs are yet another thing to deal with.
Thank you so much for sharing. I'm sure you have saved many from this trauma.
Thank you so much for sharing this video.
I am so sorry to hear about all the scary experiences you have had with your dogs. Thank you for being brave enough to share your stories with us.
Thank you so much for this. I have had several dogs get charged and snapped at and also bitten by off leash dogs. Some were “overly friendly” dogs whose owners had no control over and some were truly aggressive. I also work at an animal shelter and often hear about terrifying dog attack cases that sometimes result in the death of the victim dog. As a result of these experiences, I also feel a lot of stress anytime I see loose dogs or dogs who look like they will get loose to aggress at or even just approach me and my dog. I recently lost my heart dog to two severe autoimmune diseases and I found that after he was diagnosed with them 3 years ago my paranoia got even worse because he was much weaker and unable to heal from injuries very well. I once told someone that loose dogs are the stuff of nightmares and she said that I was overreacting. Lucky her to have a large, healthy dog and to never have experienced an attack. It was upsetting hearing that because it made me think I was the problem. I think until someone has had to experience a traumatic encounter with a loose dog they often don’t see the issue. I’m hopeful that by people like you sharing your experiences more people will understand what responsible dog ownership looks like and do their best to make sure their dogs never negatively impact another animal or person. Thank you for sharing your experiences. No one should have to go through what you’ve been through with your dogs.
I’m so sorry for your loss and also the prior horrific events. Yeah it is the stuff of nightmares
OMG I thought I was the only one who walked my dog's like that!! I can totally relate to the fear of off leash dog's. I walk vigilantly around the edges of public parks and rarely enter the 'gauntlet'. Whilst remaining calm for my dog's sake. I've never taken my dog's to a dog park. Like you, I go toward the road as that is when other dog owners get serious about recalling their dog's. The beach was always our happy place. Till my bc recieved a bite to her hind leg. My husband had to carry her off the beach. I could see the bone in 3 places. Our carefree walks were never the same. After surgery she became reactive to other dog's. Now I rarely invite my children or husband out on walks. Sometimes I take my dogs out one at a time and can only imagine the commitment, time and stress it takes to walk 7. I drive to locations and check the surroundings before releasing my youngest to throw frisbee. I incorporate obedience exercises with my on leash reactive dog in between retrieves. One day last year while taking my on leash dog's walking on a country road, which looked 'safe', I saw a border collie way in the distance (mine are border collies) running out in front of a father and son on bikes. As it began to charge I thought of all the places we could escape, there weren't any. That dog had intent for sure. It came in low and relentless as it started going at my on leash dog's leg's. I held my dog back with her 6' leash in the chaos and excitement. Then she redirected with a bite to my shin. I believe she was telling me to get back. It wasn't a bad bite but it broke the skin and bruised. Now when that happens if there are no other options, I allow her to scare off the other dog. No apology from the man on the bike as he rode past BTW. The law here is that authorities will take the side of the on leash dog. I take my dog's out daily for long walks regardless of my fears. I read through all the comments and see you have a caring experienced community of subscribers. Thanks for sharing some of the hard truths about responsible dog ownership, commitment and the difficulties of trying to be a good citizen:)
Awe I am so sorry. I have to say now that I have a much bigger dog Bliss, who is friendly and the type not easily traumatized, using him like a body guard for my other dogs has greatly decreased my worry of my two sensitive border collies from being traumatized. I m sending positive vibes that you and your dogs will not be another target.
Wow Emily, you have been through a LOT. I appreciate you sharing these stories and the impact these incidents had on both you and your dogs. I especially empathized with being a younger, less confident trainer and not knowing how to advocate for your dogs.
Wow, this really hurt. I feel so bad for you. I too have experienced this horror with my little 10 pound dog. Thank you for sharing this, Emily. Have followed and loved you and your dogs for years.
Thanks for sharing. Every dog owner should watch this. So very sorry for the trauma you and your pups went through.
You are no alone. I can hear in your voice clear trauma memory. My wounds (spiritual and emotional and mental) are so fresh I’m not able to listen to all of your experience just yet. Apologies. I want to but I just cannot. I’m a dog “coach” walker sitter carer. In New York City where even on leash dogs are not responsibly walked (there’s a little 20 second video on my channel of just one thing I saw today). I know I’ve got PTSD from what happened to me and 3 little dogs (leashed and sitting by my side on our front steps in NYC). I know this because when I’m walking dogs now and someone isn’t paying attention to their dog (or child!) I immediately flash back to the attack. And I become so angry. I used to be able to say “please” and “thank you” for keeping your dog away. Now, I find myself shouting angrily at rude people with “friendly” dogs or toddlers running up to us. I’m still frightened. For me. For the dogs. For the other dog. For the children. I need people to learn that we don’t have to say hello to dogs we don’t know. Saying ‘oh he’s friendly, he won’t do anything” is simply irresponsible and wrong. The dogs with me are friendly and fun too. We don’t need to say hello and get involved with dogs we don’t know. In my case, the dog (large breed) was allowed to climb our steps, went nose to nose with one of the small dogs (a Coton) and proceeded to lock his jaw on her face and head dragging her and me with her down the concrete steps onto the sidewalk. I wasn’t even able to do the wheelbarrow. I had two other dogs clipped to my waist leashes in my other hand (two Maltese). Screaming. Help help… a passerby finally intervened and the owner and dog simply walked away leaving me and the dog bleeding on the sidewalk. Nothing good can come from encounters with dogs we do not know and especially are not under a person’s direct control and attention. My apologies. I’m ranting and should be expressing my sympathy and empathy. We are not the wrong ones for being assaulted. We did nothing to deserve this trauma. The injured dog suffered terribly, went through weeks of treatment. Six months of ongoing stress and trauma…. How can we make others understand just how serious a matter this is??????
I'm so sorry this has happened. It's truly terrifying and lasting. Many of us have been right where you are. Your therapist is an insensitive idiot, sadly.
I really think that there are some people who breeze through life and no violent crime or off leash dog incident ever happens to them, so it sounds like someone being scared of a plane crash... that they are more likely to be hit by lightning... I think that being a dog person and having dog friends is when you see how common it is... where if youre the only friend that has a dog and nothing happened to you, you feel like its something like lightening striking twice in the same place...
I know therapists like that... I'm not angry, just sad.
@@kikopup you’re so nice giving an explanation as to why your therapist may have said that!
Emotions are physical responses, they don’t take place in the rational part of the brain. I feel like any therapist saying that a justified emotional, physical response is irrational, is at the very least an obvious statement, but to me very condescending, unprofessional and unhelpful regardless of their life experiences! You and everyone looking for support deserves so much better!
@@kikopup I am with you on that. But as trainers we see this almost DAILY!
Thank you for talking about this. My dogs have also been attacked by loose or poorly managed dogs. It is indeed life changing.
Had a scare a couple of years ago when I was out walking just my miniature poodle in town. I saw a large dog with its owner a bit ahead of us and I could see that it was easily triggered by its surroundings, so we turned to the left. It was too late, it had spotted little Gaia and the owner dropped the leash when the dog lunged, so it came running towards us, looking and sounding anything but friendly. I just hoisted Gaia up in my arms (she wears a harness, but I wasn't really thinking about things like that in the moment) and stuffed her inside my jacket and turned my back to the other dog. It lunged and tried to get to her, ripping at my jacket. Thankfully a woman walked by just then and was resourceful enough to whip her shopping bag at the large dog, it threw him off somewhat. Then she stomped and screamed at him, which made him turn around and take off. Phew! I don't even think Gaia realised what happened, she just continued the walk unbothered, while my heart was racing. =P So glad my aussie Loke was not with us that time, because I couldn't have just put him away somewhere like with little Gaia...
Very resourceful by both you and your ally. I'm so glad you are all safe.
Thank goodness!!!
Thank you for sharing such deeply personal stories on this important topic. I sometimes worry I’m ‘irrational’ with my over cautiousness around any dogs, or worry about the judgement of others (particularly fellow trainers). I used to allow that at times to overrule my gut feeling around some dogs and situations, which has led to some close shaves. I am always now extremely cautious particularly introducing my dogs to new dogs because I know so few people actually understand their dog’s body language or as you say are in denial. I now don’t care about the judgement. Thank you again - so so helpful and I hope you never have to experience these situations ever again with your beautiful dogs.
Yeah it’s hard not to be pressured into things by other people.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. It is beyond sad that you have so many stories to tell. Thankfully I have never had any of my dogs attacked but by youngest dog can be very reactive to other dogs and I am super aware that he could cause trauma to other dogs if I lose control of him. Luckily no incidents yet. I practice what I call 'defensive dog walking' keeping an eye on other dogs as much as on my own. Love all your videos. They have taught me so much.
I am also cautious with my dogs. I have learnt my lessons over the years, and it is always the same scenario. Other people think their big boisterous bitey dog is having fun, and they see no need to step in. When my sweet natured golden retriever goes from 'flight', to hate dripping from her teeth 'fight' mode, I have to step in, with maximum aggression. Twice, I have punched large dogs, German shepard size, with the unknown owner standing 10 feet away.
You are so brave for sharing. I can’t believe your therapist said that, I am shocked. You know exactly how your body feels and the emotions you’re going through in certain situations and what you are going through is real.
I am so sorry you and your dogs have had all these traumatic experiences, I think Tugs story hurt the most to hear we have a younger rescue who is social and exuberant and I pictured her losing those zoomies like him and it hurt. Dogs, unlike children, never grow out of needing you for survival, so I think it is natural that these experiences were traumatizing when you take the role of their caregiver as seriously as you do.
Even in our own neighborhood we have had multiple incidents with neighbors who don’t have fences or whose dogs have broken electric fences in their heightened/excited state.
Early after adopting older rescue he was pinned by a loose dog, thankfully no punctures but if he was reactive before he was even more reactive/defensive after that. We had felt so guilty about what happened but the reality was it was so unfair that this happened on our own street (we are on a dead end and have no other choice but to pass that house or drive to walk elsewhere public and equally if not more unsafe). Knowing his reactivity we were so careful socializing after that, but we soon realized he is truly the NICE dog, despite his reactivity he is respectful of other dogs space he in fact is the boundary setter, we eventually started to foster and he always COMMUNICATES with his body language and never escalates but corrects and trains other dogs who will allow it. He seems to know when other dogs are off balance and he like yours has certain types of people/dogs he seems to be more reactive to when on leash. We also manage where we take our dogs since that incident to reduce risk and it changed our behavior as owners. It hurts to think about the potential need to be defensive against another dog to protect your own but we have that mindset now.
This was indeed healing and validating to hear even a professional with so much care and experience has gone through similar, and I am so glad the comments are also supportive and uplifting.
That’s so terrifying with the electric fences. Also people with dogs on shock collars as if that’s going to stop them…
My first off leash dog came at my 2 dogs while walking them - one of mine is small and one is medium sized. The dog that came at us was a cane corso and my dogs were terrified (luckily no injuries), but I have gained confidence enough to be able to tell dogs off that come at us off leash (and also carry pepper spray and compressed air). Since then, my dogs are much more confident in my ability to deter off leash dogs from bothering them.
I feel so sad that plenty of people can't enjoy their walks anymore..... I hope that the consciousness will grow and the respect too ! Anyway thanks for sharing your stories. I think it is important to do so ☺️
I’m so sorry all these traumatic incidents have happened to you and your dogs. My dogs have been attacked multiple times and I’m relieved that they weren’t injured physically, but it’s still been emotionally traumatizing for us both. Thank you for sharing your stories. I wish you peace and healing.
Thank you. Sharing did help :)
I am glad you are talking about this. I am so sorry these happen to you, Emily, and your dogs!
I can certainly relate: when my cattle dog Ruthie was about 4 months old, we were in a very large empty mowed field. Ruthie was laying down playing with a Pomeranian pup as the girl, about 11 years old, and I stood over them. Suddenly, from about 300 feet away, 2 boxers and a pit - all full-grown came charging at us off-leash at full speed! I thought they'd stop once they got close, and the two boxers did run right past us. The girl picked up the pom, but before I could get Ruthie, the pit bull latched onto Ruthie's head and face. I had on shorts and I don't recommend this, but as the pit bent his head to one side with Ruthie's head in its mouth, and was going to shake Ruthie in one violent shake and break her neck, I planted my bare leg into the dog fight and the pit"s head slammed into my bare leg, stopping the death-shake. Then the owner, a tall man, ran up and we both tried to pry open the pit's mouth, but the dog was locked onto Ruthie's head. So the man lifted the pit up in the air with the dog's back to his stomach and Ruthie was dangling from its mouth, screaming! The pit still didn't let go so we both pried the dog's mouth open and he was punching his dog. and finally freed Ruthie, who was bleeding from her mouth. I rushed her to the vet and she lost a tooth (fortunately a puppy tooth). I located the owner - his dog was again off-leash in the field and I insisted he pay the vet bill. He said it was my fault because his dog "only attacks puppies"!!!! I was super angry at him! After that, I knew some nice black labs and worked with them and their owner to gradually desensitize Ruthie to big dogs again but it took 6 months. She is fine around other dogs now but I keep her at a distance from them until I have studied the dog's manner. I carry pepper spray and I am a mama bear when it comes to protecting Ruthie! I have met other dogs off-leash and if I see any stiff legged walking or head lowered or hard stares or any body language I don't like, I stand my ground with Ruthie behind me and I yell "GO HOME!" And point away. The dogs always leave. I would not hesitate to use the pepper spray but fortunately I have not ever had to, and Ruthie is almost 12 years now.
I am sad, Emily, about the panicked attacks you've had. I used to get them while driving until a great therapist told me to snap a rubber band on my wrist and start reciting a Psalm or a recipe! It works!
But as far as strange off-leash dogs go, I step forward and yell and they retreat. I can't recommend this, because it takes reading the dog and the situation, knowing when to cautiously retreat backward and when to stand and order the other dog to GO! I find that aggressive dogs off-leash are so taken aback by my serious confidence that they trot away. I don't get scared, I get Angry! Yes, it is traumatic to be in the middle of a dogfight! But part of my job is, as you said, Emily to protect our dogs! God bless you and your family! Thanks for this important conversation, Emily! Hugs and blessings, JJ and Ruthie
Oh man. That is so terrifying when a dog latches on and doesn’t let go. I’m so sorry you had to experience that. I do breathing exercises when I get stressed.
Yes, breathing calmly helps me, too! My own triggers are propane tanks, which were exploding as I drove out of the Camp Fire! I guess I am more bold about protecting Ruthie because driving thru flames has given me the perspective that life is short! Recently we were in a dog park with a friend and his dog. A gal pulled up and let 2 large aggressive huskies out, as they pulled the leash out of her hand! Before they ever got to the gate I put up a stop-sign hand and asked nicely, "Could you please wait - we are just leaving... Could you please get your dogs away from the gate?" I got the usual dirty looks, but she complied and we exited without incident. All that to say, if we see trouble coming, I speak up! Sneers I can live with, vet bills and trauma, not so much! Keep up the excellent teachings Emily! You are a treasure! 😊🐺💕
Thank you for sharing and being so open and honest. I think the human side of these traumas is very much untalked of and underestimated-Yet equally important to be addressed. Thank you, hopefully videos like this will raise awareness! and i completely agree, the comment by your therapist was very unprofessional and inappropriate. I am sorry you had to go through these experiences!
I think this video and topic is really important. I have a large dog that I rescued and I don't think he was socialized for the first year of his life. He loves playing with other dogs but he's also terrible about reading other dog's body language and he can't easily regulate his emotions. When I take him to play with other dogs and the other dogs aren't interested in playing or want to stop when he doesn't, I will step in and give the other dog distance and work with my dog to calm down. I truly don't believe he would ever intentionally physically hurt a dog, but I also don't want to take the chance and I don't want to emotionally hurt other dogs by allowing them to be flooded. I have been trying to do as much research about dog body language as possible to understand OTHER dog body language. I get told ALL THE TIME that I shouldn't intervene and dogs will figure it out, but if the dog looks uncomfortable, I try to respect that because I know my dog doesn't notice those cues. Some owners also don't realize when their dogs are getting overwhelmed. He's not a bad dog, he just doesn't have good observational skills so we work as a team to navigate play. Over the years I've had him, he's become more in tune to when he thinks I'll recall him away from a dog so he checks in with me often before and during play and it works out!
Thats wonderful. Yes, My friends dog is like this so we break up the play frequently
Thank you for talking about these experiences
I'm so glad the first time my dog was attacked the attacking dog was wearing a muzzle, and the second one he managed to outrun (and answered to recall so I could help him). Later turned out that the first did was in early stages of dementia at that time. But I always keep my d out stance and am very particular when choosing dogs to let him interact with. But my dog still has a lot of interest in other dogs and I don't quite know what to do about that...
Thank you for making this video. And I'm sorry you and your dogs had to though those awful experiences. I think this topic needs to be talked about openly even if the people who own the attacking dogs might get their feelings hurt by it, this is more important than that. Maybe talking about this will even encourage people to take safety more seriously with their dogs.
Personally I have been attacked by a loose dog when I was a teenager and since then I've had a fear of seeing large dogs running off leash. You can never know how they will behave. Somehow I'm not afraid of being attacked myself anymore but more afraid for the safety of my own dog.
Bless you for addressing this sensitive issue. This unfortunately happened to my dog... she's never been the same since. I'm ashamed to admit that when this attack happened, I was frozen in shock and didn't know how to help my dog. One of the owner's friends intervened, but the whole incident was horrible. The owner tried to deny her responsibility and we ended up in court. That's when I learned the police should have been called at the time of the incident, so I would urge dog owners to become familiar with their local dog laws. Because this wasn't reported and the owner wasn't held fully responsible, the dog has since attacked two more dogs that I am aware of. Thank heaven they moved...sorry Arizona, they're your problem now.
Oh man that's terrible I am so sorry. Glad that you never have to deal with them again though!
I agree. Bit the tip of my dog’s ear off in the middle of a dog park (plus harmed his body in many other ways). The biggest issue/fear/guilt I have from that incident is: I am from small town, lots of land. Then moved to big city, hardly any space. And I knew an okay bit of training, but hardly anything about training in public situations w/ multiple dogs belonging to other people.
I sold my dog short, did not respect what he was clearly saying to me. Since we were in a tiny dog park in my 1st tiny city, I thought we just needed to adjust and I needed to encourage him to come closer to the dog of the neighbor I was trying to meet. No. Dexter was clearly saying, “Back away! Let me back away! That dog is dangerous! He is telling me I need to keep my distance!” What my lovely Dexter learned thru that was that, “Hey bark and be dominant toward other dogs if you are on a leash w/ that woman who didn’t listen to you. But if you are off-leash in a dog-park, or meeting w/ a new dog at your home, you have control over your own space/body and can back away depending on what that dog is saying.”
Guilt? Yes. Thank you for doing this video. It is not only nice to hear other people talk about people going through this… it is nice to hear that people who train, are good w/ dogs, are dog enthusiasts, etc. are dealing with same stuff.
You really should be kind to yourself. Some dogs are just reactive on leash no matter what because they are trapped, not because of prior experiences.
Thank you for sharing, and I’m so sorry this happened to you. Sammy got attacked by to huge dogs once, we went to a cafe and when we walked to the tables outside, the dogs came running at her. Apparently the big dogs’ leashes were secured to the owners chair but that didn’t stop them. When we were home, we saw that the skin had broken and we stitched her up (my dad’s a human doctor lol). She of course took her stitches out so the next day we went to the vet for a check up. She still isn’t a fan of brachycephalic dogs, thankfully the trauma isn’t very deep. Also, thank you for saying that “overly friendly” dogs are basically just rude. She was bullied by this lab pup last year and the owner got mad at me for saying that his dog bullied Sammy. Another big dog started humping her a while back, which her knees couldn’t handle and the owners didn’t even apologise, while Sammy was whining and limping. People really need to take responsibility for their dogs.
I’m so sorry that happened to you. Arg
Some of your videos were in the puppy information packet from the breeder I'm hopefully acquiring my service dog prospect from soon, and this one caught my eye. I don't even care to watch videos or listen to speech (much prefer reading), but watched the whole video. My late rescue dog was attacked multiple times by off-leash dogs over his lifetime, unfortunately by neighbors' dogs within the same building, complex, or street, in multiple different states. I still get nervous just seeing an off-leash dog with questionable behavior, or a leashed dog with questionable security. Thank you for your tips on how your handle walking your dogs now, and your comment to someone else about having a jingly tag as an early warning system. Having read so many horror stories about service dogs being attacked, I'm inclined to keep him away from anywhere pets are allowed, which should reduce the hypervigilance I'll likely feel, but as I was looking at silent tags, I'm so glad I saw that comment!
I can see it is so difficult to talk about , you are so brave
I have two dogs and they have both been attacked. My girl was bitten in the face by another dog and her canine tooth was broken by the other dog. The incident is one reason she is no longer my service dog.
My other dog, a boy, was attacked by a group of three dogs as a puppy. He didn't seem too distraught, but I carried him to the car. He never seemed to interested or bothered by other dogs. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he attacked my neighbors dog. He had never shown any dog aggression prior to this. It was so unexpected. He actually went through a window in our apartment to get to the dog outside. My neighbors dog was severely injured, and I insisted she go to the vet. She had surgery to repair the damage, which I obviously paid for. I put together a care package for her recovery, but I still feel awful about the whole thing. Ever since that day, I can't trust him to be around other dogs and I do everything I can to prevent anything from happening. He is muzzle trained and walked when as few dogs may be out as possible. Most of our neighbors know that he is not friendly and avoid us as we do them, but I'm always fearful of turning corners and off-leash dogs. When I think back to his puppyhood, I now realize that his "lack of interest" was actually severe anxiety and fear. I feel so guilty that I didn't know how stressed he was. Through a lot of work, training, management, and medication, he is doing much better, learning to respond to stressors, and has learned to trust that his people will keep him safe. He has made me a much better and more intentional handler.
Please don't feel guilty. You did the best you could in a situation you had no control over. All dogs are different. Sometimes dogs are simply disinterested. Dogs also change as they grow up. So cut yourself some slack it sounds like you are one of the most caring dog owners out there!