September 13 - Dogs and Their Owners

Last week, our friend Frank was attacked and mauled by two pit bulls while he was out for his evening walk. According to Frank, the dogs came out of nowhere and immediately began their attack. Fortunately, the weather was cool and Frank was wearing jeans and a long sleeved jacket. Frank tried desperately to defend himself with his walking sticks, but when the dogs knocked him to the ground he thought that it was game over. He made it to the front door of a neighboring house and while he lay bleeding on her doorstep, the elderly woman inside called 911.

I must admit that I was stunned when I read the police report following this incident. The report read that a local man had been attacked by two dogs but that his injuries were minor. Stitches along Frank’s one arm, a bloody chest and a chunk out of his leg, were not what I would call minor injuries. When the police arrived, they were able to subdue the dogs with some sort of spray (I think pepper spray) and take them to a kennel. The dog owner was nowhere in sight. He/she has since been located and it is rumoured that he/she would like the dogs back. At the time of writing, the dogs are still in a kennel and the appropriate procedure (whatever that means) is being followed.

I was quite disturbed by all of this. The route that Frank was walking was along a town street and is one where Lyle and I frequently walk. I have several questions. Why weren’t these dogs suitably restrained? How could the owner possibly contemplate keeping the dogs after this unprovoked attack on an innocent pedestrian? Why weren’t the dogs put down as soon as possible?  Will Frank be compensated for his injuries without going through the personal expense of a lawyer? Will the owner(s) of the dogs be prosecuted?

I have had several encounters with dogs off leash. Once, a huge German shepherd came racing towards me and bounded up putting his front paws on my shoulders and his nose and open mouth within centimeters of my face. Several times, smaller dogs have come running towards my feet and nipping at my ankles. Once I was bitten on the back of my hand – enough to bite through a woolen glove and break the skin on my hand.  The owner of this dog wanted to know what I might have done to provoke her dog, saying that the pooch had never done this before. At another time, I was sitting on a bench when an unrestrained dog came over to slobber all over my knees. I was wearing shorts at the time and didn’t appreciate the extra sticky moisture on my skin.

Uncontrolled dogs are a nuisance and may even be dangerous. The incident with Frank proves this. For many of us with vision impairments these dogs can be especially frightening. Take the incident of myself and the German Shepherd. I truly didn’t see this oversized animal until his paws were on my shoulders. I don’t think that the voice of the owner telling me that the dog was friendly and wouldn’t hurt me did anything to still the beating tattoo of my heart. It is bad enough when one can see an unleashed dog racing towards you, but it is way more scary when you don’t see the animal until it is upon you.

Now I have titled this post Dogs and Their Owners. Dogs will be dogs and I am not really blaming the canines for the above incidents. However, I do blame irresponsible and inconsiderate owners. In my opinion, people who cannot control their dogs and keep them on leash in public areas should not be dog owners.