Deterring a curious dog

Deterring a curious dog

As I typically do just before I head out the door to take Mona for a walk, I run through the mental list:  phone, treats, poop bags, and – lately – animal deterrent spray.  Our walks have been gradually lengthening (yay!), but it’s not lost on me that the risk likewise increases that we’ll have a less-than-friendly encounter.  I want to be prepared.

Pepper spray was the first option that entered my head a few weeks ago when I finally got serious, with the added bonus that if attacked by the human sort, I would be well-equipped with a defensive weapon.  My conscientious side, however, said, buy the gentler deterrent.  I don’t, after all, really want to hurt a charging dog; I just want to stop it in its tracks.

Mona and I banked around one of the curves in our road and settled into our comfortable stride.  I noticed ahead the boxer that typically bounds across his front yard but always – just when my heart is verging on arrest – stops short of the street.  He’s okay.  Just behind him an unfamiliar Australian shepherd mix careened toward us.  He didn’t stop at the street, but instead hurtled toward us.  Mona strained to engage, and I whipped out the animal deterrent spray and aimed.  A weak stream arced about five feet; I had aimed for the dog’s nose and it appeared to have just barely connected.  The dog slowed some, adopted a look of confusion, but took little notice of the spray or me; he turned at the last moment to trot back to his owner, who finally had done the responsible thing by calling him back.  “He won’t bite, you know,” was the grumpy and by-then-unhelpful comment I got. 

I did a quick body check:  heart racing a bit fast, knees and hands shaking, face flushed.  But both Mona and I were unscathed, so there was a sense of relief.  Hours later I was able to gain some perspective.  Here’s what I have:

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• People who fail to contain, restrain, or supervise their dogs are idiots
• If I’m unfamiliar with someone else’s dog, I have to assume that it’s capable of harming my 13-lb dog. . . or me. . . or both of us.
• A pet deterrent that is “pet friendly” is an oxymoron.
• If it misspells a key word such as “deterrent” on the can, its credibility is shot.
• If it claims that the product may fail to deter a very aggressive animal, that’s not very reassuring.
• Pepper spray would be a more effective deterrent (or “deterent”, if you don’t know how to spell).
• I dodged a bullet with this one, because the dog was only. . . rather curious.
• I have to be better about reading charging beast cues, and pepper spray in my hands at that very moment might not have been the best thing.
• But I’ll be buying some soon.