CBS3 Pet Project: What You Can Do When Approached By A Loose Dog
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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Many pet owners walk their dogs in fear that they may come in contact with a loose dog. In this week's CBS3 Pet Project, Carol Erickson explains what you can do if you are approached by a loose dog while walking your pet.
The first piece of advice Carol recommends is avoiding the dog if possible. If you know a dog is always at a certain location, take your dog elsewhere. While it may not be fun to walk or take your dog to a different location, it's effective. Sometimes it's completely unavoidable. In that case, you want to change direction. You're not going to be running when you do it. Sometimes the loose dog may just be patrolling his area. You want to create some distance and get a barrier up if possible, maybe get in between a parked car. You want to avoid picking you pet up because that draws attention on the situation. You can carry an air horn, umbrella, stick, or treats in order to distract or scare a loose dog. As a last resort, there is a thing called spray shield, it shoots out 12-feet and is not going to hurt anyone. It's citronella spray. It is a good deterrent. Do not use pepper spray because it can blow back into your dog's face or your own. It will also aggravate the approaching dog.
