I realize this could be a sensitive question so please no debates I just want to be proactive in the future and protect my kids and my little dog.

I live in Bucahrest Romania and there are literally thousands of stray dogs. We live on a short street that dead ends onto a park. A few doors down our nieghbor has a 24 hour security gaurd and a large black "Bull Mastive". I think but am not sure of the bread, but he big and appears to be a purebred and well trained. He stays behind a locked gate unless he is being walked in the park 3-4 times a day. My husband mentioned yesterday that the property owner has no problem walking the dog but he noticed that one of the gaurds gets pulled around by the dog while he (the dog lol) is on the lead.

BTW The crime rate is very low here except for property crimes, so security gaurds a common sight.

This morning I woke to an unusual amount of barking. Went down to the street and into the park and the gaurd dog...still on the lead had one of the stupid stray dogs and wouldn't let go. I understand these are 2 animals here and in a fight they revert back to primal instincts but should a well trained dog be able to obey a "drop" command from a handler he respects. The fight was over but the neighbors were all yelling and the stray was still alive. 3 other strays were walking around barking.

It is getting cold here so the stray dogs are at a heighted state of alert and I am certain he provoked the attack and the gaurd dog was just doing his job. As I said before I don't want to start any debates this is a different country and with no animal control to remove stray dogs there are bound to be problems.

I have 4 kids and am not to afraid of the gaurd dog. I think the gaurd on duty only takes him out if the street is clear and my kids don't play in the street (even though it is a quiet dead end and reasonably safe) I would never allow any behavior from my children that would provoke this dog. That behavior would be unacceptable in any situation. So the chances of this dog attacking a child are pretty remote anyways right??????

I should be more concerned about the stray dogs right???????

We take a walk in the park almost every day. My kids have been told not to approach any stray dog. They are dirty sick and are unpredictable. They are at the very least hungry and desperate. So is just avoiding the strays enough?
We always go as a family me, my husband and the kids. Should we carry a stick? What should we be alerted to. We have a teacup peke. I guess we shouldn't take him on a walk in the park? We have a very small yard that is big enough for excersize, but we like to take him when we go to the park. Are we just asking for trouble or should we just pick him up if we see another dog?

Thank in advance for any suggestions. I don't speak romanian so I will have no idea how this will all play out.

Debra

Debra, would a stun baton be legal there, or a small cattle prod?

And to answer your question, yes, a well-trained dog would obey it's handler no matter what the distraction. But, unfortunately, it sounds as if this dog is not that well-trained.

Debra, best advice:

Don't take your tiny lapdog to the park, especially with your young children accompanying you -- Let your teacup Peke get its exercise by playing fetch, doing tricks & practicing obedience lessons in your fenced garden <:-)

A pack of feral dogs (strays) will view a toy dog as prey to be eaten & would also think nothing of attacking little children <:-(

I'm not qualified to give advice, but I can relate to your situation; I grew up in Eastern Europe. Stray dogs have always been a problem.

I have been attacked by many a dog, but none was a stray. It always was the unsocialized domestic dog that attacked. From experience, stray dogs are more occupied digging through trash for food. That said, I wouldn't underestimate them one bit.

More recently, my neighbors dogsat a very aggressive pit bull mix two or three times that would have maimed or killed my kids if a chainlink fence didn't separate our backyards. The first time it happened, I expressed my concern to my neighbors. The second time they dogsat it and failed to properly close off their backyard, I put up a six foot privacy fence. It's been months now and as far as I know, that dog has never been back, but I'm not taking any chances. My point is never let the guard down.

This may be a bit much to expect from a European country, but are firearms legal in Romania?

Lastly, take my post with a grain of salt as I am not a trained professional.

Good luck.

If it were me, a 12" length of broom stick, an umbrella, a cane, a walking stick,pepper spray...I'd carry something,
and the teacup sized dog very well might look like dinner to
a very hungry stray, though next to you, it should be safe from them if not the guard dog.

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If it were me, a 12" length of broom stick

Am I the only one who read that as "boom stick?" "This is my BOOM stick! Shop smart, shop S-Mart." <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Anyway, on topic, I definitely agree. Carry something inocuous, even a golf club iron if you can get away with it, something that can be used as a defense weapon in a pinch. A stout walking stick is an excellent option, and a metal pooper scooper is about as inconspicuous when you're walking a dog as they get! Go with police-grade pepper spray if you can get away with having any sort of spray and make sure it's the full sized can, not a dinky keychain model.

 Quote:

.... "This is my BOOM stick! Shop smart, shop S-Mart." <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> ....

AT LAST! A lead-in for this bookmarked clip!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYJsXAtSoNc

that cracked me up!
thanks