Small dogs, bad manners...group attack (rant)

[dogcatharmony]

First of all let me begin by saying that I don't mean "ALL" small dogs, some little dogs have responsible owners that teach them manners and disclipine. But it seems to be that most small dogs have awful behaviors that owner's simply overlook for only who knows what reasons, and how come when they bite that they are not held accountable???

I just came back from an extremely awful walk where my dog was attacked by 4 chiauhuas and 1 pomaranian. Three of the littlewhere biting her front legs and chest, and the Pom and last Chi where biting her rear end and back legs.

I didn't even see the pack of them, I was walking down my street (these dogs are not from around here, apparently the owner's were visiting) and the next thing I know my dog is being attacked by 5 dogs while the idiot owner (wife) stood in the doorway while her husband and I tried to contain her moronic dogs. My girl crawled under a vehicle to get away, scratching her belly pretty bad. The husband even yelled "don't try to grab them, they are nasty little , and they bite"

Apparently the wife found it amusing that her 5 dogs beat up my dog, who she claimed was a big enough dog to defend itself, while babying 2 of them in her arms after her husband literally shot them at the doorway, she then slammed the door leaving the husband to face my anger. The husband was apologizing profusely, he didn't have one nice thing to say about his wife or her dogs. He helped me get my dog out from under their vehicle and gave her some belly rubs. We both were amazed that Zoe didn't bite one of those rotten little dogs. I told him that this is now the fourth time my dog has been attacked (three times before by a Golden Retriever).

He was so upset, and started telling me how much his wife lets the dogs do whatever they want. He said that he gets bit on a nightly basis, and how the Pom is the "ring leader". He totally understood how angry I was, and just kept apologizing. Unfortunetly the HS is closed now and I had to leave a message on their answering machine reporting the dog "group" attack. I am totally disgusted at how many irresponsible dog owners I have come upon in the three years I have had my dog. The HS didn't do anything about the other attacks, I imagine that having 5 small dogs attack a 60lb dog would be a joke to some.

I am so so very angry right now, and I feel so bad for my dog. Why don't people discipline small dogs??? How can you find any dog attack funny? We have this disgusting breed banning thing going on.....while other dogs that attack go under the radar. When are the actual problems (THE OWNER'S) be held accountable??

All I can do now is hope that my dog is not further traumatized by this recent attack. What else can I do?? I have their information, the husband passed it on.....I think he is hoping something happens with his wife's out of control dogs.

[LavenderRott]

As a pom owner - I am sooo sorry.

Rusty came to me with some pretty serious issues and his being vocal (about EVERYTHING!!!) is one of them. But while he will run up to another dog barking his fool head off, he has never attacked another dog. But then, he is never, ever, ever outside without a leash in an unfenced area.

It is sad that, given the size of the attacking dogs and the size of the dog being attacked, the authorities may not take your report seriously. I certainly hope they do. It would be nice if the husband would grow a pair and tell his wife to get rid of the nasty little rodents.

[gomez]

I'm sorry your dog got attacked, but please don't generalise about small dogs - it really comes down to the dog and the owner, not the size of the dog.

It's almost like saying all blonde women get away with whatever they want...

Just last week a little Westie was ganged up on by 3 Golden retrievers across the street - the owner took his time coming out of his house to get his dogs, while the little one had to be rushed to hospital for emergency surgery, she's still in hospital now...

[dogcatharmony]

ummm Gomez....did you read my first sentence saying not all small dogs and my last sentence about owners being held responsible??? I am not happy about this, and I am trying to mind "my" manners.

And that is exactly one of my worries Lavenderrott, that I won't be taken seriously.

I just got a call from Animal Assistance asking if my dog needed immediate vet care, that they would assit me into getting in to see one if needed. My call has been passed on, seeing the pack is not running at large, I may not hear from someone until business hours tomorrow.

[Frenchy]

Originally Posted by dogcatharmony

that owner's simply overlook for only who knows what reasons,

Because they are small dogs and irresponsable owners think they can't do too much damages. I too , am not saying this about all the small dogs owners. BUT , lots of them don't take obedience courses , they just don't train their dogs All of mine are 80 lbs and + , I'm 100 lbs. They HAVE to listen to me , or else , I would look pretty stupid trying to control them

When I only had Daisy and Bailey , I lived in a small residential area , on our walks in the morning , 3-4 people would open their front door and let their small dogs out ... why ? They did have backyards !!! And they would just let the dogs walk in the streets alone , without supervision ! While I , was trying to walk in the other direction .... but after a couple of mornings , I thought , it won't be MY fault if one of those dogs comes up to mine and gets bitten. I wasn't looking for it ,but my dogs were on leash and I had the right to walk them !!!

I hope they do take your complain seriously , and I'm sorry your dog had to hide under a car and scratched her belly :sad:

[Tommysmom]

Owners like that SUCK.

We were attacked by 3 chihuahuas one day at my old place... Tommy almost got hurt badly, I had to actually snatch him up and sort of kick one of them away (I would NEVER kick a dog, but he was trying to tear my dog's throat). We had actually spoken to the owner before about letting his dogs run loose, since they could easily get hit by a car on that road too. I actually wasn't sure about reporting it because it sounded pretty silly - attacked by chihuahuas! But hey, if it was a large dog nobody would hesitate to report it, right? So I did, and they took it very seriously and visited and followed up with me on what was done. To me, it seemed like they took it every bit as seriously as they would have if it had been any other breed.

Tonight when we were walking there were both large and small breeds all coming at us... and every single owner kept saying 'it's ok, he/she is really friendly' - and they were friendly... but why doesn't anybody ever stop to think that MY dog may NOT be ? Yanno, sometimes people just really have no clue.

[ancientgirl]

Unfortunately what that woman did is pretty much what many small and large breed owners do. They think their "babies" can't do any harm and are angels.

I'm sorry about what happened to you and your dog. Sadly it's people like that, who don't do anything to teach their dogs manners that unfortunately give some breeds big and small a bad name. I bet if the same thing happened to her dogs she'd be having a fit!

Just a side note, that woman's husband needs to grow some you know what! He should tell his wife to get those dogs some training.

[want4rain]

geez....and pitties get bad names....

-ash

[Shaykeija]

perhaps these are the new hybrid mini pitties...just joking. As a owner of 3 small dogs, I find this disturbing. The owner needs a kick in the @ss for not having her dogs contained or leashed. Bad owners....

[dogcatharmony]

I totally agree about the hubby needing to grow some.

I was talking with a friend of mine and she brought up a good point that kinda made me go hmmmm, she said "Thank God that Zoe didn't bite and seriously hurt one of those little dogs.....I bet the owner would have been screaming bloody murder then" and then possibly have my dog on the line. I know I would have the by-law on my side, my dog was tethered on a 6 foot leash, while the other 5 dogs were loose, in a pack running "at large". I looked into my city's by-laws and found some interesting information so that if I am not taken seriously I do have some valid questions to ask.

Zoe seems okay now, I put some polysporin on her gravel burn, I checked her feet and pads, the one chi had a grip on her toes......no cuts or punctures. She let me look them over with no flinches or problems. I worry about the biting on the rear end though, that is where she had major injuries from her other attacks and we have been working on getting her use to stimuli near her rear end again. She is very sensitive about her bottom. I did notice she was running around with her "stress" ducky, it is the toy I was using when working with her backend earlier this year. Touch her bum, give her the ducky and tell her good girl.......a very long process that I hope has not been undone in this stupid event.

I still can't get over how hard it was to round up 5 dogs......total chaos and lots of panic. They seemed to be everywhere all at once.......I am still a little freaked over it all.

[gomez]

Originally Posted by dogcatharmony

But it seems to be that most small dogs have awful behaviors that owner's simply overlook for only who knows what reasons, and how come when they bite that they are not held accountable???

dogcatharmony, I did read your post carefully, as a matter of fact, I re-read it several times, and I kept coming back to this sentece... the one that says "most small dogs" and later you say "Why don't people discipline small dogs???"

all dogs, large, small, medium, mongrels, pedigrees - ALL dogs have the potential to misbehave and attack or be anti-social, just as ALL owners of any size dog have the potential to be idiots and have no control over their dogs.

it's really not fair to single out a whole size of dog just because you had a bad experience with one lot.

I hope your Zoe is feeling better and there is no lasting damage

[bj601]

Dogcatharmony, as an owner of 2 semi-small dogs (my freaky 16 and half pound shih tzy grew a little bigger than she was supposed too), I apologize for the small dog owners who give us a bad name. I wonder if the wife would have been laughing if that was a child that had been attacked? Or still laughing when someone insists her "precious" little beasts are euthanized for biting someone one too many times. My aunt has 2 mini american eskimos that are the nastiest dogs on the face of the earth. They are her babies but she KNOWS they are nasty and goes to great lenghts to protect both her dogs and anyone who comes over to her house. The dogs are put away before anyone comes into the house. Case was like that mainly due to alot of health problems, medications and the female went a little nuts, got worse after Case went to the bridge.

We have a neighbor who has a peeka-poma-poo. She opens the door in the morning, noon, night and just lets the dog go wherever to do its business. On the rare occassions she puts it in the backyard, it escapes every single time. Most of the time she has no clue where the dog is or that it escaped from her yard. I have brought it home I don't know how many times and warned her that there are a couple of aggressive dogs in the neighborhood, one of which was mine. Max was 14, going deaf and becoming very ornery in his old age (he wwent to the bridge last November). If that dog got in my yard, Max would probably eat it (well not really) but I thought that might drill into her head to keep the dog away from my house, I am getting tired of finding nuggets in my yard from it.

[Love4himies]

I hope Zoe is feeling better today.

Bet the wife wouldn't have been laughing if Zoe protected herself! What a good dog you have, things could have turned out so much messier if you were also an irresponsible dog owner and allowed your dog to be undisciplined.

[danaekitty]

Have you heard from the humane society yet today? I wouldn't think that they would do much if it were just one small dog whose owners were standing right there - maybe a fine or something for not having it on a leash? But FIVE dogs, none on leashes, attacking one defenseless passerby while their owner just stands there? I really hope that the HS sees this for what it is, and hopefully the husband's testimony will help the wife get her poo together and train these little hellions. I have a feeling there is a lot of resentment in that marriage...

[jealma]

As the owner of a small dog I am so sorry that your dog was attacked. I do understand what you mean though. It can be very easy to ignore bad behaviour from a small dog because being jumped on by a small dog doesn't have the same effect as say a lab or a rotty. It's still just as wrong and annoying though. My pup is 4 1/2 months and I am trying very hard to teach her manners that I would expect of her if she was 40lbs. I hope your dog doesn't develope a fear of small dogs,, and how awful that an owner would allow her dogs to pack up on another.

[happycats]

Awww I completely understand your frustration!!
I have had Buddy a little over a week, and so far, one huge lab got free of it's leash and charged us, and 2 large mixes down the street were running free and charged us last night 3 freakin times while the idiot owner said nothing!!!! Thank god I'm not afraid of dog's and stood in front of Buddy and scared these dogs off, with yelling and waving my hands!!

Buddy is such a sweet amazing dog and I know an attack would probably change him forever, so I'll be damned if I allow another dog to get him!!
I am thinking of getting pepper spray or a large stick to defend myself and my dog!!!WTF is wrong with stupid irresponsible dog owners these days!! I should beat them with a stick!!

Sorry for thread jacking but I completely understand, maybe you need pepper spray, or citronella spray or a big freakin stick too!!

[14+kitties]

I feel your pain with your dog being attacked. I have a small dog but there is no way she would be able to act that way and get away with it. She puts the run on our labx but if she ever caught her it would be her running away in fright. She just likes to sound brave. She is also almost 14 and has been taught since day one that she doesn't do that. These ones that went after yours sound like they need a huge lesson in manners!
One the other hand, I have seen a big dog - Shepard - pick up a small dog and shake it to death. I could not get to them fast enough to stop it. Then I had the pleasure of having to go to the owner's door and tell them. If they would have kept a closer eye on the little one it would not have happened. Some people just never learn.
Good luck. I hope you get somewhere in your quest.

[dogcatharmony]

I am waiting for a phone call, I called at 8 this morning and was told that someone would call me back.

:sad:Last night Zoe snapped at one of my cats for coming near her in her bed, usually those two sleep together. Her not trusting Phoebe made me really upset.

I don't know if I should call my one friend to bring her little poodle over and get those two playing and having fun right away and show Zoe that some little dogs are still fun and ok. This is just making me upset and so so angry. I really don't know what to do right now.

[Frenchy]

Poor Zoe ! :sad: I think I would wait a couple of days , until she gets better and then try a playdate with your friend's dog.

[Chris21711]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

Poor Zoe ! :sad: I think I would wait a couple of days , until she gets better and then try a playdate with your friend's dog.

I agree, I would give her a few days to get over the trauma of it all. I think that snapping at the cat, is just her way of saying "leave me alone, I'm upset right now".

[happycats]

I think the opposite, the sooner she is exposed to friendly little dogs the better. I think it's like getting in a car crash, you have to get right back and drive, or you may fear it forever

[mastifflover]

Originally Posted by want4rain

geez....and pitties get bad names....

-ash

Oh how true. I know when I used to walk Bud he would get attacked by small dogs and it really pissed me off when the owners thought it was funny. They are lucky that Bud was so good natured and would not attack them or even try and defend himself. If he would have reciprocated those dogs would never have lived. It is not all small dog owners because I meet lots of them who are trained and in control. Could you imagine if I would have had a dog weighing 185 pounds acting like these out of control dogs they would have called AC on me. It is all about responsible ownership no matter what size or breed your dog is.

[Ford Girl]

I have to agree from personal experience. Speaking from the little dogs I know, and their owners.

It makes me mad too, being a big dog owner and seeing little dogs behave with little to no manners. To me jumping on you is jumping on you! My friends expect Dazy to stay off them, but then look at me like I'm crazy cuz I ask their ****zu's to stay off me and say to me..."oh, he's just little". This is why they develop such complexes about humans and other dogs, cuz they get away with things they shouldn't, and are so ill socialized becuase small dog owners think they can be carried around in your purse or hand bag - they are dogs and should be treated like dogs, they still need leadership, they still need dicipline, they still need to be a dog. They become mentally unstable if you treat them like an accessory or baby.

We go to the dog park and see these small dog owners freaking out cuz big dogs approach their dogs - who flip by charging forward and then hide under their owners, who then pick them up and coddled them and hand out dirty looks to big dog owners.

Did anyone see the dog park episode of Cesaer Millan? It was very eye opening about these kind of dynamics, it showed these little dogs bringing it on themselves, charging forward snapping and barking - which appear as fear to their owners, but it's really a challanging behavior towards the other dogs - and why do they behave this way? Cuz they get away with it, and are not expected to follow their human leader. Why train them, they are only 8lbs. (we see alot of small dogs in shelters who crumble under the pressure of being a dog for the first time in their life - very sad)

Heck, if I was carried around all day in a prada purse and always got my way - I'd be cocky too.

Don't get me wrong, I love little dogs , and would consider owning one at some point, but as a large dog owner, this is what I see all the time, a complete double standard on whats expected behaviour wise.

[DoubleRR]

So far, touch wood, I have not had any trouble walking my two RR in town here. There are well enforced leash laws.
However, in the town I lived in with them a few years ago, I started carrying 50% vinegar water in a powerful small squirt gun, and aiming for the faces of the attacking dogs, while shouting and advancing on them.
It works, does no lasting damage, and is much better than your dog getting attacked, or a dog fight ensuing. My dogs would just stand behind me and await developments when any dog ran out at us--once it was two jack russells backed up by a rottie--they all went home smelling like pickles with me walking behind them telling them loudly to get off the street. Never saw that group out again.

[jealma]

I sooo agree with everyone about little dogs getting away with way to much. That is why even at 4 months and 7 lbs I am trying very hard to teach my shih tzu that it is not acceptable behaviour. Barking their little fool heads off is not acceptable either. I do allow her to bark when someone approches the house. She's just doing her job,, but once her job is done, I am trying to teach her that is enough. In someways I think dog owners of larger dogs have an advantabe to some of these teaching,, ( it's very hard to grab Abby by her coller, it's so dam low to the ground) but just so you all know,, some of us with little dogs want them to be well behaved dogs and not just our little dolls.

[prelag]

So, if I get a 300 post count will people let my thread title slide? I got beatup for saying a rescue dog attacked my dog and was vicious. Even after I prefaced my rant by saying I didn't feel that way about all rescue animals. You make a generalization about small dogs, preface your rant, and no one beats you up about it.

[Jim Hall]

people get a little umm radical here sometimes they mean well though and its fridy and everyone is a little tired ya know?

[prelag]

Originally Posted by Jim Hall

people get a little umm radical here sometimes they mean well though and its fridy and everyone is a little tired ya know?

Haha, tell me about it!

[LavenderRott]

Originally Posted by prelag

So, if I get a 300 post count will people let my thread title slide? I got beatup for saying a rescue dog attacked my dog and was vicious. Even after I prefaced my rant by saying I didn't feel that way about all rescue animals. You make a generalization about small dogs, preface your rant, and no one beats you up about it.

As you post more, we get to know you better.

For instance, if you knew me, you would know that I rarely beat anyone up, but generally ask questions or give short answers until I know more about the situation and how to respond.

[HenrysMom]

As an owner of chihuahuas, my biggest pet peeve is small dog owners that feel the rules of responsible pet ownership don't apply to them. I have seen many people let their dogs act like crazed and vicious little furballs while they stand there and do nothing about it. I've encountered more well-behaved pit bulls and other "dangerous" breeds than I have chihuahuas ... in fact, I'd rather my dogs play with big dogs since they are usually more behaved than the smaller breed dogs we've encountered.

I could rant about irresponsible chihuahua owners all day ... but I won't.