Dogs

[Gawdzilla Sama]

...with only one live prey in mind.

Run, Brian!

[zebo-the-fat]

I own a German Shepard/Akita cross, a big strong dog, likes everyone but she is simply stupid. We have a large garden for her to run around in but she is never allowed out in public unless on a lead.



One thing I don't understand though, If we are out I have to pick up the crap or face a fine, this is ok, it's all part of owning a dog, but I live in a fairly rural area with a few horse riders about, why do they not have to pick up the horse crap? It must be a hundred times bigger!

You're missing the point, which is that Brian clearly lives in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with packs of vicious and probably mutated dogs roaming the countryside and preying on the weak and unwary.

Boru

Just wait until the virus kills us all off, then dogs will rule!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Cats rule, dogs drool.

[zebo-the-fat]

Cats rule, dogs drool.

Very true, I have both, the cat is the boss!

[The Grand Nudger]

I'll offer two helpful rules for you Brian, to help you manage the roving packs of man-eating dogs.

1- Don't torment dogs, and if you see someone tormenting a dog, call animal control and the local shelter - immediately.

In almost every case, an attack is telegraphed far in advance of the event, and avoidable. We do things, as people, that make it happen..and when it happens, we do things that make it worse. Which leads us into...

2- Don't run, and don't pull away.

Most "big dogs" are around 40-75lb...and if I asked someone to beat the shit out of a 40lb man they'd spend more time laughing at me than they did brutalizing the poor asshole. Go through the dog. Their teeth are made for holding - and they really don't like having things halfway down their esophagus.

Story Time!

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I love dogs, and I've been bitten a dozen times that required stitches, a few dozen more that didn't. My first dog was a rotty/shep (and who knows what else) mix. Abnormally large fucker - over 100lb. I named him Bear. Under completely idiotic and preventable circumstances, he took me down by the face and then drug me around the yard by the head for a few minutes before he let go...shame-crawled to the back door..and barked until someone came out to find me. Then he sat there whining, waiting to die. Took a few hundred stitches from the base of my chin, through my cheeks and lips, across my nose, around my eyes, and to the top of my skull. I was on a liquid diet for a few weeks. Couldn't chew, lol. I plead bears case. In the end, my parents had to decide between putting him down, or my grandfather slowly carving him up with a knife.

I love big dogs, and there are probably a bunch pics in member photos of my kids using our big dogs as pillows from infancy. They weren't just bred for their power, they were bred for docility. Some of the biggest breeds were specifically bred to guard children and are recommended over smaller breeds for children. In all cases, dogs are misunderstood and feared for absolutely no reason. They are not in any way vicious animals that can flip on a dime and must be caged for the protection of human beings. Doing so -makes- it so.

In reality, they need to be confined for their own protection... from humans.

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[Gawdzilla Sama]

I got paid $100/hour to be a tackling dummy for a security company who provided dogs. (This was back in the '70s.) I wore the big suit and they taught me how to deal with a dog if they couldn't get to me in time and the dog was highly focused on me. My best move was to swing the dog up to my chest and do a body slam. 200 lb. human vs. 90 lb. dog.

[The Grand Nudger]

Yup, and the dog knows it, even if the people don't. LOL, we misinterpret their look of sheer terror, when they bite, for bloodlust. Dogs are fronters.

[arewethereyet]

I was taught at a very early age how to approach many different animals. With grandparents who were farmers raising dairy cattle, hogs, and all manner of poultry, along with various and sundry dogs and cats and my father, a veterinarian, knowing how to act around animals was pretty important.

Only one dog has ever backed me down. She was a junkyard dog of dubious heritage and she weighed about 50 pounds. She knew me...I was not a stranger but her owners weren't home and she was not having it when I went to knock on the door. Being heavily pregnant, running was not a choice for me and that's probably a good thing. I had to take a deep breath and stare her down while commanding her in a loud voice to lay down. I startled her more than she scared me. As I spoke to her I slowly backed toward the car. My husband wouldn't even get out of the car to try to distract her.

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I own a German Shepard/Akita cross, a big strong dog, likes everyone but she is simply stupid. We have a large garden for her to run around in but she is never allowed out in public unless on a lead.



One thing I don't understand though, If we are out I have to pick up the crap or face a fine, this is ok, it's all part of owning a dog, but I live in a fairly rural area with a few horse riders about, why do they not have to pick up the horse crap? It must be a hundred times bigger!

I always feel bad for your dog...you point out how stupid she is.  I bet she's loving and loyal even if a bit of a cabbage head.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You can take the mickey on a dog without damage.

[The Grand Nudger]

Cabbage headed-ness can be endearing in a dog, just like with people.