Dear Abby: Petite trail walker wants a snappy comeback for off-leash dog owners

[petrea_mitchell]

First letter here.

DEAR ABBY: I live in an area with a large number of dog owners who frequent the same walking trails I do. On several occasions, I have encountered dogs that are off-leash and running ahead of their owners. Sometimes the owner isn’t even in sight.

On several occasions, dogs have jumped up on me, almost knocking me to the ground. I’m in my late 60s, under 5 feet and weigh 105 pounds. I could easily be injured. I was once attacked and bitten.

My question is this: What’s the best thing to say to these dog owners when they finally appear? The last time it happened, the owner happily said to her DOG, “I know you’re excited, but ...” The rest I couldn’t hear because she had already passed me on the trail.

Abby, she saw her dog jump up on me and never even acknowledged me. I don’t want to respond angrily or sarcastically, but in a friendly yet firm manner. -- WALKER IN WASHINGTON

DEAR WALKER: You are far too nice, lady. Start carrying pepper spray or bear spray when you walk on the trail. If an off-leash dog starts to jump on you, use it. When the owner shows up, say their dog charged you and take their picture. If they give you any trouble, file a police report. When you were bitten, you should have involved the authorities and your attorney.

Comments

[jerusha]

I work at a law firm that handles personal injury cases (although I do not handle them myself). And WOW, the number of dog bite cases we get. So, while I don't necessarily agree with the pepper/bear spray bit, I do think if you're bitten, you should absolutely should file a report and get an attorney, if only to cover your medical bills.

[minoanmiss]

Yeah but by the time one picks inself up the dog and owner have skippped happily off diwn the trail. People like this won’t exchange info if at all possible.

[jerusha]

True, but if it's a serious enough bite, it's probably still worth the attempt. There might be cameras at park entrances, and if you can snap a picture of the owner, you might get lucky. It's not a great solution, but it's something.

[julian]

The thing is, if they're frequent fliers, then their information/general description is probably known to the dog officer. So even IF they won't exchange information (which I think is actually rather rare, people have accommodating instincts), you can at least report time/date/general description to the relevant person.

[lilysea]

Yes, in my local suburb there is a dog park where people and dogs have been attacked by off leash dogs

(well behaved off leash dogs are allowed at the park, but we're talking about dogs that have repeatedly bitten people and other dogs, who should not be off leash)

and there are some repeat offenders who have refused to give their name
who have been identified by someone taking a photo and posting it to the local community Facebook group and/or also talking to the local council ranger.