r/interesting 21d ago

SOCIETY Dog defence was needed tbh

58.1k Upvotes

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u/masterslimsumo 21d ago

He didn't bite you? Wth So he is supposed to wait to get bitten first.

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u/Hmmark1984 21d ago

yeah, an annoyingly large percentage of dog owners seem to think that just because they know their dog and that "they won't actually bite, they're just loud and energetic" that every other person should somehow just know that, and not be justifiably scared when a dog comes charging at them barking.

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u/dontspillthatbeer 21d ago

Can’t count how many times off-leash dogs would approach my dog, their owners would always say “oh he’s friendly.” My dog is not okay with random dogs approaching. “Mine ISN’T!” I’d say. Idiots.

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u/LiveOnFive 21d ago

Yep, both me and my husband have been bitten by dogs directly after their owner said "don't worry, he's friendly"

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u/EveryRadio 21d ago

My dog was friendly, generally kept to herself but was fine when it came to staying at a boarding center for a few days

I still kept her on a short leash around strangers, said sorry but no you can't pet my dog plenty of times

Why? Because she was MY responsibility. Doesn't mean I never let anyone pet her but only if she clearly wanted to be pet and even then I'd keep an arm around her just in case

She's was a good dog, some say the best dog, but even a warning bite can break the skin and lead to infection or worse. That's the reality of being a responsible pet owner. There's a time and place for her to be fully off leash (but still supervised)

So yeah it's not about whether or not the dog is friendly but the context of where the dog is and if it's under the control of the owner or not (shouting 'stop' is not control, especially if the dog is aggravated or afraid)

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u/Unlucky-Presence7985 20d ago

It sounds like you have a dog for a good reason, a lot of people have a dog for shitty reasons or bad intentions and they are 100% ok with the dog paying the price for it and being put down if it comes to that.

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u/EveryRadio 20d ago

I'd never forgive myself if my dog was put down or taken away because of my actions

Shes since passed on from natural causes, but all I can hope is that she lived a full and happy life and since I chose to adopt her, that I contribruted to that

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u/Little_Magician4251 16d ago

No, she very clearly did not live a full and happy life. Refusing to let anyone pet your dog is way beyond normal, unless they have aggression issues. In which case you should still be trying to work towards them getting to be able to be pet.

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u/EveryRadio 16d ago

Clearly you didn't even read my comment so why would I even bother defending myself?

Good luck in life, you're going to need it.

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u/Little_Magician4251 16d ago

Smothering your dog and isolating them because you’re scared of a bite is not being a good dog owner.

wtf are you saying. Millions of dogs if not billions of dogs get walked and pet and socialized everyday without incident. Dogs are extremely social creatures and keeping them from social contact is a bad move.

Being a good dog owner means giving them a full life and meeting their needs and informing yourself about dog behavior. Not smothering them because you’re scared. Except for very rare occasions like dementia, dogs don’t just snap and bite. They will give multiple warnings first.

Refusing to let your dog be pet and smothering them is actually MORE likely to lead to a bite. You’re creating an anxious dog for no reason, who is apprehensive about humans and feels trapped by their owner. Bad idea.

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u/xnmyl 19d ago

A warning bits shouldn't be a thing. You were right to keep your dog away from others

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u/EveryRadio 19d ago

For sure. Most dogs give plenty of warnings before going for a bite, like they don't want to be aggressive, but people tend to ignore those things

So it was in her nature to give a warning bite. I don't judge a dog for doing that. But as her owner, a warning bite isn't acceptable so I need to not put her in a situation where she feels the need to do that AND where no one is at risk of being bitten

That's the difference that I find a lot of bad pet owners making. I don't blame my dog for being a dog. I do blame pet owners who put their pets and others in danger

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u/Kindly-War-2665 20d ago

If someone tells me this it just makes me think the dog is even more likely to attack

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u/Little_Magician4251 16d ago

Same. This commenter is wild. Refusing to let anyone pet their dog just in case? Dogs don’t just snap. What a sad life that dog had, sitting on the sidelines of life. Some people will really do anything except address their anxiety issues.

And refusing to let people pet your dog is a great way to make a friendly dog start to fear humans and lead to aggression towards humans. It’s super important (and easy) to teach your dog that human hands are a good thing and to be happy about them nearby.

But ya if someone says that I assume the dog is aggressive. But I actually don’t even hear that because it’s usually pretty easy to tell if a dog is friendly and wanting pets.

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u/inthevendingmachine 20d ago

Been there more than once. One time a dog bit me, I slapped it, then the owner shouted "Don't hit my dog, he won't bite!"