Stray Dog Protection Tips

It’s a brand new year, which means New Year’s resolutions are in full swing. Since losing weight is a popular resolution, many people are out walking, jogging and running. With that comes the off chance that exercisers encounter a stray dog while walking through the park or neighborhood. These chance encounters can be a bit scary because the stray dog’s behavior is unknown. What should you do?

How to Protect Yourself From Stray Dogs

When encountering a loose dog while walking or jogging, the first initial seconds will provide a lot of information. The moment you see a stray dog, start walking away slowly from the dog. Refrain from abruptly turning around and running away in the opposite direction. This can cause a dog to chase you even if he’s friendly. Instead, walk at an angle away from the dog, so you can keep an eye on him.

If children are present, ask them to get off their bikes and walk slowly next to you. Walk between the dog and children, and try not to stare. Continue to walk slowly while glancing back and forth to keep track of the dog’s location.

If the Stray Dog is Friendly

When a friendly dog sees you, he’ll likely bounce right over to you while licking and jumping around with loose body language. If a loose dog is friendly, slowly reach down and check his collar for an ID tag with pet owner contact information.

Most friendly dogs will follow you around, so if you’re walking in a neighborhood, knock on a few doors and ask if anyone recognizes the loose dog. When walking in a park, ask fellow walkers and runners if they’ve seen the dog before. If no one claims the dog, give animal control (AC) a call and stay with the dog until they arrive.

While no one wants to relinquish a dog to animal control, it’s important to know animal control is the first place pet owners will look if they’ve lost their dogs. Plus, animal control officers can scan the dog for a microchip and contact the pet owners if one is detected. Ask the AC officer to contact you after the mandatory 10 hold, and you can adopt or place the dog yourself.

If the Stray Dog is Fearful

When a fearful dog sees you, he’ll likely stop and sniff the ground for a few seconds. Then, he’ll run the other direction. Whew, that’s a good thing. Continue walking slowly because you may encounter this dog again.

If the Stray Dog is Aggressive

Aggressive dogs will quickly run straight toward you. Some scary dogs will bark; others may be completely silent. And yes, aggressive dogs can wag their tails too. These dogs may charge toward you, stop about 1-2 feet in front of you and bark. Other times, aggressive dogs will stand a couple of feet away, while barking, and bite when you turn around.

Scream “Sit”

When a stray dog starts charging straight toward you, it’s impossible to determine if he’s friendly or not. In this case, the moment a loose dog starts running toward you, scream a common cue, such as “sit.” You can determine the type of dog by his reactions to your cue.

• Most dogs: Stop and run away when someone screams
• Friendly dogs: Likely stop for a moment, which gives you time to escape
• Fearful dogs: Will run away
• Aggressive dogs: Completely stop moving for at least a second

When a stray dog stops walking or running toward you, this is your moment to walk away slowly at an angle. Keep the front of your body facing the dog—you may need to walk backwards a bit—to prevent the dog from running up behind you and biting.

Once you’re safely away, call animal control with a description of the dog. If this dog has a pet owner, she’ll immediately contact her local animal control first. Stray dogs can certainly bite, but more than likely they’ll be injured by a passing car instead.

Bring Spray Deterrent

Seasoned walkers, joggers and runners carry spray deterrent to protect themselves from loose dogs. Instead of using pepper spray, it’s best to use a citronella spray that sprays at least 8-10 feet away. Citronella smells strongly to dogs, and will stop a dog from running toward you. Plus, having something sprayed in their eyes will cause them to stop and paw at their faces. Citronella spray won’t permanently harm a dog, but it will stop a dog from charging toward you, so you can safely get away.