Protecting yourself against stray dogs

Need dog removal in your hometown? We service over 500 USA locations! Click here to hire us in your town and check prices - updated for year 2020.

Let’s set the scene; you are walking down the road, either alone or with your own family dog, and you come across a stray. It looks harmless enough, but you never really know what the deal could be. What do you do? Do you make an attempt to rescue the dog from its hard life on the streets? Do you approach it? What if it hurtles towards you and your dog at warp speed? It can be hard to know what to do about a stray dog, and also how to protect yourself against one, but with the amount of these strays increasing every year, it pays to be knowledgeable!

Statistics have shown that thousands of people every year are bitten by dogs. Some of these bites will have occurred from a family pet gone wild, but the majority of them are by strays. Also, the majority of the victims are children that simply aren’t aware of the risks of approaching or wanting to play with a stray pup, and this is why it makes sense to have some kind of knowledge on what to do, and also what to train your kids to do.

One thing that you need to remember is that not all dogs are friendly dogs, regardless of how happy they look, or how much they are wagging their tails. A stray dog, just as one example, should never be approached, especially by a child. If the dog is a concern, call the local dog pound, shelter, or other wildlife control expert to deal with the situation in a safe and secure manner.

What happens if the animal approaches you? The instinct that you have will kick in, and you should try to avoid lashing out at the dog, regardless of how much you are trying to protect your own dog, your child or yourself. There are a few reasons for this – firstly, the dog could be long to someone and the owner is not going to be pleased that you have just battered the dog because it came up to say hello. Secondly, if you hit the dog, it is going to retaliate, and although you may be strong, there is a good chance that the animal will be stronger. If the dog knocks you or your child down, always cover the neck – you want to protect the areas that the dog can do the most damage.

At the same time, don’t throw anything at the dog in a bid to shoo it away. This behavior is threatening to the animal and will cause it to retaliate – completely the opposite of what you are trying to achieve.

Don’t offer a stray dog food. Again, this is for a number of reasons – you don’t want the animal to associate you as its food source and keep coming back for me. Secondly, you don’t know what diseases the creature could have. Thirdly, it could be a lost pet and have allergies, food intolerances or be on a special diet; you could make the dog sick by feeding it the wrong food.

There are a number of products that are reportedly used to repel stray dogs, and it may be a good idea to look further into these if you live in an area where the animals are a common concern. You should speak to a wildlife control professional, or call the local dog pound to find out more, and also which are the best ones to use for your problem.

Read more about stray dogs, including lost dogs and advice.
Find a local city or county animal control in your area.



Additional Articles About Stray Dogs
How to catch a stray dog to bring it to the shelter
What to do when your neighbor’s dog won’t stop barking
What will the county animal services do with a stray dog?