How To Handle a Dog Attack

A dog attack is something which most of us would have experienced or witnessed many times in our life. Dogs should be the most common living entity, next to humans, in our neighborhood. Especially in developing countries, stray dogs are present everywhere we go. Most of them are calm and consider humans very friendly and would run away rather than counter attack if we give an attacking pose or hurl stones at it; this however gives no one the license to attack or hurt a dog. However, there are some dogs that are very aggressive or some that are in a state of tension and anger due to fights among its pack and would attack us even if we didn’t pose any threat to it. The following points suggest ways of preventing dog attacks and techniques in case you are attacked.

1. Don’t run away from a dog. Dogs are basically predators. When you are trying to run away from a dog, it sees you as its prey and attacks you. So if you are ever barked at by a dog or are walking in an area with dogs, avoid running. Be cool and calm even though the dog is behaving aggressively.
2. Hold your position. Dogs have short attention spans. Often after some barking, the dog will lose interest and go away. Don’t try to show your hand and calm it down by patting. You may get a bad bite on your hand. Remain calm and still till it barks for a while and goes away. Remember ‘Barking dogs seldom bite.’
3. Try not to threaten the dog. When a dog is giving aggressive gestures, try not to attack it with stones or sticks. This makes the dog feel more insecure and makes him angrier with you. This may lead to a more violent attack.
4. Avoid streets where dogs are fighting. When dogs are fighting, they are in a very angry and aggressive mood. Even though it is a dog known to be very calm and friendly, he becomes beastly when he is competing with his peers. If you try to intervene, the dog may spill out its anger on you.
5. Avoid approaching a feeding dog. Dogs are very specific when it comes to food. If you are not very familiar to the dog, it may feel that you are going to snatch away its food and hence become aggressive. Don’t bother about the dog and its food and walk away as if you are not at all interested in it. This will give the dog a more secure feeling. This is even more important in the case of street dogs that are fed very scarcely. They will become very aggressive over the little food that they get after a long hungry period.
6. Be cautious of dogs with puppies. Female dogs with puppies are very anxious. A female dog may make a violent attack if you near her puppies, even though your intentions may have been to just pamper or give food to them. Leave the family alone. This lesson is especially important for kids that are fascinated by puppies and tend to grab them or go after them.
7. Inform authorities about biting dogs. Inform the local governing body about the existence of dogs that are a menace to the neighborhood. They will take necessary actions so that you and your neighbors can live a peaceful life. Such dogs, if left just like that in the streets, can be of great threat, especially to kids, because not only are dogs easily irritated by kids but dog bites can be more severe on small kids.

Some dogs may show hostile behavior at times but the vast majority of them are loving and caring. Always remember that dog is man’s best friend and all dogs need our love and affection!