Hi everybody,

This morning Chokai and I got attacked while I was walking him on a leash.

Actually a Westie (do not smile ) escaped from a house nearby and charged us.

In a second, I stepped to the front of my pup and ordered the Westie to stop which he did not, reached my pup and started to harass him.

Fortunately I managed to control my Akita but could not stop the Westie to bite the chest of Chokai. At this time, I had no other choice to shove the Westie away to "protect" my Akita. By doing this I was also protecting the Westie from my Akita by putting distance between them.

Nevertheless the Westie kept coming back trying to bite my pup till the owners finally came to pick up their dog. No excuse whatsoever but they threaded me to call the police because I shoved their dog twice. Two other people witnessed the scene and all of them gang up against me. They could not care less that the Westie attacked my pup first but were really upset that I showed it away. They did not understand that I was also protecting their dog by doing that.

To notice I did not hurt this dog. This dog was like a crazy little beast he could not stop.

Those people tried to explain me that I was wrong because my dog was bigger suggesting that I should have let the Westie doing his business with my Akita! I also got the famous sentence “my dog is friendly he just wanted to say HI”. How people can be so stupid?

So I became the aggressor! My pup got bitten (no wound fortunately, Chokai still has some of his winter fur) but did not touch the Westie. I showed away the Westie twice and managed to prevent a dog fight.

Once I got back home, I called animal services to report the incident but do not really expect anything from them. I just wanted animal services to be aware of this dog.

At the end of the day, I am mad at me because I was wearing a GoPro but did not have time to turn “on” the camera. From now I will always let my camera “on” when I go outside with Chokai.

What do you think and what would you have done differently than me guys?

Thank you,
Sebastien

Does your area have leash laws?

What comments, if any, did the police offer you?

I love dogs and love terriers. I've had half a dozen different terrier breeds over the yrs but I would have grabbed the little bassid and shook the snot out of it.

If they threatened to call the cops I would have told them "I'll wait!"

Unfortunately, much of the public's view can go against the large dog and certain breeds as your experience showed.

Be prepared! Turn the go pro on the second you hear a dog bark even if it's still on their property.

Thank you Bob for your reply.

Yes, we do have leash laws. Dogs have to be on leash where I was walking with Chokai.

I gave my name and told them to go head and call the police. They did not. I asked them to check their Westie. The dog was Ok.

I love terriers too but these breeds have special needs and should not be with inexperienced and clueless owners.

When I called the police. They did not care and did not provide any comments. They just recorded my complain. The woman from animal services told me that I did well to prevent a dog fight...

So, you were legally walking your leashed dog when an unsupervised, uncontrolled, unleashed dog, illegally loose in violation of local ordinances confronted you and threatened you and your dog.

You acted with restraint, protected your dog, and did not injure the attacking dog. Frankly, the facts speak for themselves. You were right and the other dog owners were in the wrong. And had you not acted as you did, the outcome could have been quite bleak for the attacking dog.

Having once or twice found myself in such similar circumstances over the years, I came to the conclusion that my priority is to protect my dog, protect myself and devil take the hindmost. I have little patience for self indulgent, irresponsible, mind numbingly arrogant dog owners who blame others for their inadequacies.

The cold truth quite simply is that most all of the GSDs I've had with me in similar circumstances made it clear that the intruding mutt had to be protected from a bad outcome.

You acted responsibly. Too many people don't. Take care of and protect your dog, and devil take the hindmost.

That ended up a rant, eh what?

Thank you so much Mike for your reply.
I was so frustrated… to see that sh*** can still happen not matter how much careful I am with my surroundings. Hopefully these people will learn something from this incident for the sake of their dog, but I seriously doubt it.
Thks again and happy Easter everyone

Having owned a dog-aggressive Akita spay, who could have & would have KILLED any other strange dog she ever met as an Adult, I promise you this will NOT be the Last Time that scenario plays out against your dog...

My Shaka was very Well Trained and Obedient, thanks to LEERBURG -- She would comply with my "Behind Me / Down Stay!" command when in proximity to other dogs who were NOT trying to Attack, but once Engaged in Combat, all bets would have been OFF and it would have been Over in a Minute with the other beastie DEAD...

So, in order to Protect MY Dog from the possibility of ever receiving a Put to Sleep order, I bought a STUN BATON that is street-legal in California -- And of course once I had one, it was never actually necessary for me to use is in 10 years (LOL) but wearing a "man stopper" Stun-Bat in the belt holster when I walked my Akita, set my own mind at ease that I COULD Protect her if needed...

And meanwhile, YOU did everything RIGHT, and especially in making your report to Animal Control -- Because the Big "MEAN" Akita will be BLAMED every time in ANY altercation with a Smaller Dog ... The fact that your dog was On-Lead and was NOT the attacker will be IGNORED by irresponsible owners & idiot bystanders, so the suggestion of wearing a Go-Pro video camera is an EXCELLENT idea from Bob !!!

You did everything right, beginning with protecting your dog foremost and having him on a leash. I've run into that same exact situation many times and I know how fast a situation like that can play out so don't second guess yourself. It's just sad and maddening running into such clueless idiots. You were very kind just pushing it away. I can't say I would have had the same level of control.

Hey Candi,
Most glad to hear from you.
Chokai is also well trained (and hopefully he will get better and better :-) ), I love working with him. Thanks to Leerburg, Michael Ellis and all the experienced people posting here :-).
When we got attacked, I was wearing a camera but did not have time to turn it on unfortunately. This makes me mad but not as much than being blamed for shoving away this little beast.
Thanks again for your kinds words.

Thank you Greg.
I am not sure how long the attack lasted (a few minutes perhaps) but it looks like eternity for me. I have to say that I do not really know how it will have ended if this event would have lasted longer. When I think that bystanders were watching the scene without doing anything but blaming me at the end..

 Quote: SebastienDELPEUT

Hey Candi,
Most glad to hear from you.
Chokai is also well trained (and hopefully he will get better and better :-) ), I love working with him. Thanks to Leerburg, Michael Ellis and all the experienced people posting here :-).
When we got attacked, I was wearing a camera but did not have time to turn it on unfortunately. This makes me mad but not as much than being blamed for shoving away this little beast.
Thanks again for your kinds words.

Hi Sebastien

My Akita used to be dog-social, and we could even enjoy going to the dog park (before I found Leerburg) -- But when Shaka was about a year old, she was attacked from behind without any warning or provocation by a GSD while we were in PetSmart (again, this was before my Leerburg training) ... That "flipped the proverbial switch" on her internal Game Plan and she NEVER returned to being friendly (or even neutral) with strange dogs, which is what led me here to Leerburg

All this to say: please do be aware that once a grown Akita (or maybe any dog) has been seriously attacked by another canine, it's highly possible they will then TURN dog-aggro for the rest of their lives -- I could always manage it through Obedience Commands whenever she and I were together, BUT if left to her own desires & devices, Shaka would have gone for the kill every time ... And as you most likely know, there is NO bluffing, no posturing, no "giving the opponent a hint & having done with it" when an Akita engages another dog, because they do NOT just want to fight, they mean to kill ASAP.