Attack is a very harsh term BUT yesterday we were riding the Green trail at Mabie and on 2 occasions a little Jack Russell chased down my wife & kids and had a pop at her ankles.

On the first occasion i had stopped to wait for my wife so it had a pop at the kids when i wasnt there. It went flying past me at full speed and, even though it wasnt funny, it went round the berm in fantastic style chasing them down. I heard shouts and thankfully my pal had made the kids stop and the dog buggered off.

On the second occasion it chased down me and the wife and started jumping up at the wifes ankles trying to nip her. I am not scared of dogs at all and stopped the bike and started moving towards it telling it i was gonna rip it a new corn chute. It hightailed it away before i could get at it.

All the while its owners were at least 150yds back in the distance.

If i wasnt out with wife & kids and friends i would have made my feelings known to the owners. I think its a shared trail so i was wondering IF they had to have it on a lead or not

It has to be under control at all times. No arguements. If you booted it into the middle of next week for trying to bite your family, I for one would not think any less of you.

How many times? Really?

technically the dog is not under control unless it is on the lead or within a couple of strides and responds to command i think. you should have remonstrated with the owners. if they can’t/won’t control the dog they shouldn’t take it to an environment where they will risk these situations, but unless there are some consequences for their actions they are unlikely to change their behaviour or their animal’s – funny, bit like training a dog…

i’m a dog owner too BTW and i’d be deeply embarrassed if ours behaved like that.

now wait for a load of anti-dog vitriol. you should really have grabbed it by the scruff the neck, ripped it’s throat out with your teeth, and left it twitching and bleeding at the side of the trail…

Yep, definately twice….

I am a pet owner too so like to think i am tolerant.

you should really have grabbed it by the scruff the neck, ripped it’s throat out with your teeth, and left it twitching and bleeding at the side of the trail

That’s certainly what I’d do. 😉

now wait for a load of anti-dog vitriol. you should really have grabbed it by the scruff the neck, ripped it’s throat out with your teeth, and left it twitching and bleeding at the side of the trail…

If the little rat was going after one of my kids that would be a fairly measured response

attack the owner not the dog, and report them, not sure who to but there must be some one

You should have done the decent thing……waited for the owners and then lamped them 🙂

As with all things, you have to report it. I take it you have reported the dog & owner to the Dog Warden and local vets?

As Coyote says, the dog should be “under control at all times”. But this does not give you the right to kick the animal to death, really you should be kicking the owner, as its their fault the dog is out of control. I’m also not saying you can’t defend yourself

I think… The dog warden can take action if there has been 3 complaints (doesn’t have to be the same person complaining). Usually the dog warden will know of aggresive animals, as they would’ve had someone else complain as well..

It’s not the dogs fault, its the damn owners!

It hightailed it away before i could get at it.

Do “dangerous” dogs do this? It sounds like it was over-excited, about the size of a middling-sized rabbit and about as lethal.

I’m sorry if any pet-owners think their dog getting a boot in the shins or a whack over the head for acting up like this would be grounds for some form of throat-stamping, but equally it isn’t very clear that being chased by a yappy dog is grounds for slaying the dog, or its owner.

Threatening the dog with violence until it runs off seems reasonable in all the circumstances. 🙂

Three things to try –
Squirt water at their faces – they hate it (works with annoying cats too)
Or if you are in serious trouble hit their noses or kick them in the side.

I am not advocating you do the second two of these unless attacked/feel in serious danger etc.

you should really have grabbed it by the scruff the neck, ripped it’s throat out with your teeth, and left it twitching and bleeding at the side of the trail…

does not in any way sound too unreasonable..

Seriously, though; the dog’s only acting as it has been programmed. It’s it’s owners that are being ****.

id have given it a good old fashioned shoe-ing first time round if it had gone for my GF – i dont have kids but if i did, that would have sealed the deal.

im a dog lover too, but i cant stand nasty/nippy dogs. it should be under control.

Regardless of the ‘should have given it a slow & painfull death’ reports. I kinda agree with big dummy. As soon as i showed some aggression it turn tail and ran so wasnt so much a dangerous dog as an overexcited one. Different matter if it had connected with my wifes ankle!

So are these people allowed to walk with the dog off the lead? If not who would you report it too?

Reading this suggests that they don’t need to be on a lead at all times -just in sensitive areas http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-6EQJJU

We have a similar problem walking with our 2 1/2 year old boy and baby in pushchair. Little one is feeding ducks with bread, barking dog runs towards us at high speed. I managed to scoop our little boy off the ground before the dog would have knocked him in to the water. Happened twice in a fortnight. Remonstrate with owners, with no apology. We’ve had other dogs just charge at our little one. How do we know if the dog is friendly. If it happens again, and I think my family is at risk the dog’s going to get a kicking.

Me and my wife have both had dogs as children, so it’s not as if were aren’t dog orientated.

Don’t get me started with owners that allow their dogs to foul paths, and playing fields, and then my son treads in it by accident and we have to clean it up.

Dog owners keep you dog under control and clear up your dog’s crap.

Pick it up, put it in a plastic bag and hang it on a branch next to the trail.

Pick it up, put it in a plastic bag and hang it on a branch next to the trail

.. the crap or the dog?

The dog!

collect the dog crap follow them back to their car and place it on their car.

Hey the jack russel is tiny-kick the dogs head in.

If it was a pit bull? call the cops there and then.

collect the dog crap follow them back to their car and place it on their car.

That reminds me of something, pootling around the local country park at irchy we always had abuse from 2 lady dog walkers telling us we have no right to ride there “apart from the fireroads”, even though it is allowed, the abuse came as they were walking their dogs on the “NO dogs allowed” field and letting them crap all over it!

Needless to say we picked up said poo in a bag once they had moved on and proceded to smear it on their “SUV” door handles….childish but satisfying at the same time.

From the Off I have 2 dogs and they are fantastic.

But If they ever snappped at anyone I would as a responsable dog owner give em a proverbial shoeing

If I was in that position I would kick it into next week

WipeOut – Member

Dog owners keep you dog under control and clear up your dog’s crap.

Willingly no issues there what so ever and for those who do not make em eat it 😡

I think it’s some owners that need training, not the dogs!

Once is one too many times – next time acquaint the little chap with your size 9’s! 😉

Ive been attacked 3 times by dogs. Once as a child (needed stitches), another time on my bike (no injury). Afterwards, I went & found the Owners & let them know in no uncertain terms if the dog did it again I would inform the Police & get it put down. And lastly, about 2 mths ago out running..That put my back out for about 6 wks.

If a dog ever attacks me again I will retaliate. There is just no excuse for a violent/dangerous/wild dog.

ps Ive loved & buried 5 dogs.
pps I am in no way saying you should give the mutt a proper shoeing but a gentle tap in the ribs might help.
Last word – its not really the dogs fault, its the irresponsible Owner’s.

The ones that get me is where the owner comes running up tell me that its ok as the dog is friendly. Thats fine except that my daughter is afrid of dogs that she doesn’t know as most are big to her and are more than cappable of knocking her down. How about not letting the dog run off if you know hes going to run up to people they are not to know that hes only being friendly any more than if a person just came runing up to them at full pelt.

in this case, since the dog appears to be a little one and not particularly dangerous, grab the dog and take it back to the owners, have a big argument with them.

When I was a paper boy, there was this one house where they would let the dog out when I walked up the drive, the dog would nip at my ankles and generally try and trip me up. The owners would laugh together about the antics their little darling got up to. One day the dog was getting very excited (it had probably tsated my blood), and as I got to the owners, the bloke bent down to pick it up. It bit him, right between the fingers.

“F*CK!!!”, he shouted to which the dog ran off. They didn’t let the dog out to greet me after that.

Also, at the otherend of the scale, there was this huge bloodhound at a massive house up on the hill. WINTON the house was called on account of them winning the pools. Anyway, what you had to do was look around the garden carefully to see if it was out, if you could see it in the house then fine, go in and deliver the paper, if not, it got left under a stone on the wall. One day I miscalculated, went in and delivered the paper and then turned round to see this monster looking at me. I legged it for the gate with it lollaping along behind me. It leapt on me with many metres to go and I prepared to meet my death. Sadly the truth was much worse than that and as I cringed in terror I felt something hard pressing against my leg as the dog started trying to roger me for all he was worth. I never went in again after that.

Speak to the owners next time you see them (as soon as you see them/not the next incident). Dont shout or talk from a distance. Get off your bike and go upto them and explain that the dog is not in control and is threatening/a danger to your wife and children.

After that, if it happens again anything you do is open-season and this is coming from a dog owner who is quite defensive. If someone came upto me and explained why/etc then I wouldnt take the piss. If they just swung their foot at my dog without explaining clearly first I’d throw them into the canal.
The key is talk to them. If they still act like complete idiots then its open-season. Jack Russells are lovely dogs but they are terriers and can leave a nasty deep bite.

Had an incident last week when myself and my 8y/o daughter were walking our dog. This little border collie cross went charging up to my dog yapping at it. The owners said don’t worry about her she’s fine, I said I’m not worried as my dog is big enough to look after himself. The next thing this dog charges towards my daughter (who was around 10 yards away climbing on a fallen tree) barking at her, she’s running towards me crying, while the dogs chasing her. The good thing is my dog is quite protective towards my kids, and he took out this horrid dog, pinned it down. I called my dog off, when my daughter was back with me, and the little shit ran off with it’s tail between it’s legs. The bloody owners had the cheek to say my dog is dangerous and should be on the lead! I told them if their dog chases my daughter again I won’t be my dog that they will need to worry about.

Thankfully my daughter soon calmed down, and we continued our walk, met lots of lovely dogs, chatted with their owners and enjoyed the sun.

muggomagic our dog is fascinated with toddlers/children. Makes a beeline for them if I let him. As long as an adult stands behind them (incase he jumps up as he likes standing on his backlegs and waves his front)- anyway last week toddler is loving bingo and decides to try and pick him up by his ear (a nice big squeeze) -only his poor ear (from where hes lost some cartilage)..poor bingo! 🙄 😆

Chase the little fecker, run over it, assuming its got a collar on twist it til it goes limp due to lack of oxygen and hang it from your handlebars to act as a deterent to other would be little feckers who try to attack your family – along the lines of a farmer hanging dead crows in a field to deter other crows. And the owners will be so frantic about losing their dog that they will still be in the car park when you finish your ride hoping it will turn up before nightfall, hand it back to them (limp but not dead of course) and tell them next time you’re bringing a shovel.

By the way I am a responsible dog owner.

If its bigger than a jack russell more extreme measures needed and it will probably be impossible to hang from your bars.

More responsible dog owners needed, at the end of the day its not the dogs fault.

If i wasnt out with wife & kids and friends i would have made my feelings known to the owners.

I would have done that anyway. Not screamed and shouted, but I’d have gone over and told them that it’s out of order to let your dog terrorise and attack kids.

Do whatever it takes to proved safety to your family and yourself. It’s the rule of mother nature. Dog bites bigger animal, bigger animal kill dog.

If I had children I’ll do whatever it takes to avoid them to be bitten by a dog. I can’t even believe people on here seems to thing it’s ok to have a dog bit someone.

I can’t even believe people on here seems to thing it’s ok to have a dog bit someone.

No one said that, or used such bad grammar either.

I have a dog, and she is trained to follow my back wheel. There is no excuse for a dog having a pop at anyone else. If someone had good reason for having a go/protecting their family, I think you did. thats my tuppence.

If my dog attacked anyone I’d sort him out fullstop. No dog should attack any human. Its a trait that needs taking out asap. I dont care if a dogs ‘scared’ of bikes. It should be on a lead if thats the case.

If dog owners cant control their animals from harrassing people then they shouldn’t be allowed to keep an animal, i have no problems with any pets, as long as they don’t impact on me.

My two and a half year old lurcher came from a dogs’ home – we got him at about six months old.

He was a nervous wreck at first and had no training whatsoever. Over the course of two long, hard years, I’ve trained him to do the usuals; sit, down, stay, come and so on.

A month or so back, we took him to my brother in law’s house for a two day party where he met and played with about a dozen other dogs – all belonging to other guests. He was massively excited by all this, needless to say.

On day two though, he leapt, snarling at a 3 year old girl (she was running into the room, screaming, and running out again every few seconds), knocking her to the floor. He immediately jumped off her and slunk back to me with his tail between his legs. Happily, the little girl was fine – jumped up and carried on playing. No-one saw this happen apart from me.

As soon as we got home – the dog was booked into the local behaviour class. If he had bitten her, he would be in Dog Heaven (or Hell) by now. The training classes are expensive, hard work, and have to be followed through every day on his walks, but better this than no dog.