Some time ago Mack was attacked by a chocolate Labrador. Then a few weeks later the lab attacked Daisy and each time the owner casually gets hold of the dog and doesn’t apologise. It happened two more time and it droves us mad as he goes into the legion pub which is on the field and the dog wonders in and out. As he goes most days I think the dog has decided it is his second home and the field is his garden.

After the forth attack we reported it to the dog warden who went to visit them and they gave them a handful of excuses including one that Mack started it. Mack was on his lead and didn’t even touch him. OH says the dog just goes mental and there is no getting through to it. It is totally focused on attacked.

It then attacked a another local dog whilst being walked by the owners mother who was distraught and said I am sorry I was told it only hated deerhounds.

Anyway this weekend it has savaged a dog on the field. The owner went into the legion and got the same “don’t care attitude” we experienced from the owner. Unlike us though the owner of the attacked dog was less diplomatic and proceeded to beat this dog owner across the head with his walking stick. Maybe it will knock a bit of sense into him!! It won’t be long before a child walking a dog will be hurt trying to protect its pet.

What a dreadful dog, can nothing be done to force the owned to lock it up? I think over here a dog that attacked 4 times would have had the council taking some action against the owner to control it.

I hope you manage to aviod it in future.

Pam

How horrible to know that your Mack and Daisy both experienced attacks by this dog, it's very sad. I have to say that my three are always on lead in public but they absolutely do not appreciate being approached by off lead dogs and I am always on the lookout for loose renegade labs and whatnot. It can really ruin a walk and I can only imagine the strain you must feel crossing that field. But fancy that fellow with the walking stick!!! Love that guy as he's clear who is to blame, and it's not the dog!

Maybe some form of pepperspray would be a good idea as long as owner and dog are out of control - I carried it with me for a while when I had my evening walks along the lakeshore where I live and some holidayers had " nasty " free roaming dogs - once hit by bearspray ( which used after the 2nd attack and talks with the owners ) and they never came after my girls again ( who are on leash in areas like that ).

And yes , Ironstone , you are totally right , it is absolutely stressful and can ruin everything - and , it is astonishing how many dogs go for deerhounds ; here usually herding dogs/crosses and the dreaded ( just for that , otherwise I find them gorgeous ) husky-type dogs . That is the biggest reason why I stopped many years ago to regualrly go to dogparks - which I did weekly for the sake of my girls , who love , love , love them when not in them too often ( it gets boring pretty quickly for them when there is no wildlife around ) - it just became to stressful for me .

I keep Ben on the lead in public. He was attacked by a brown lab once while on-lead, he pinned the dog down to control it and the owner started to hit Ben and pull his lab from under causing a very small wound on its neck in the process, he even tried to hit me as well.

To add insult to injury he reported Ben to the police as a dangerous dog and got a woman that he was with to say that Ben was off lead and that his dog was on lead. The police investigated and I think that the police officer had a good idea that the lab owner was not being open about the incident. It was a very unpleasant incident and even to this day I get angry if I think back to the incident.

That's something I worry about Robb. We are new to the village but most people have lived here for years and the blokes that all go in the legion stick together. It caused a furore me reporting the dog to the warden. I wouldn't put it past them to make up a story and get each other to back them up. As time passes though and the lab attacks more and more dogs his story is getting weaker. I am just worried that a child will be walking a dog and willl try and help their dog and be bitten. The dog warden just says it is private property.

That incident certainly opened my eyes as to how things can turn against you even when you're in the right. I was also new to the village and although nearly everyone loved Ben there were a few people who didn't for whatever reason.

I don't know your circumstances but its probably best to avoid the area if possible and if not, then to have a witness with you.

To this day I just don't understand why so many dogs seem to try attacking Deerhounds. Ben really just wants to play with other dogs but if attacked he does stand his ground unfortunately instead of running away. As Deerhounds are such large dogs,they always get the blame even though they are not the instigators.

You know MrsMc this business about the dog warden not being free to act might well be a universal problem. Only this spring here in British Columbia there was a fellow travelling around in his van, letting his pack of four or five pit bulls loose on small dogs. These would be little lap dogs out for a stroll with their (usually elderly) owners. These little dogs would be mutilated or killed while the van-man stood by to watch the show. Police did eventually detain him but it did not result in charges for the simple reason that the pit bulls did not attack the people, only the little dogs. In fact the man was allowed to keep his bloody bullies except for one I think which went to a pound. Ghastly situation.

I'm sorry to hear that, poor Mack! Some owners are just downright irresponsible, and son't consider anyone but themselves.
I'm not so keen on Labs either, after the same Lab attacked my cat twice, both times requiring surgery, and the owners took no reponsibility despite the fact that I had caught him doing it both times!

That is terrible. As for the man with the pitbulls you can barely believe he got away with it.

I read your stories with great interest. As you all so rightly point out, deeries get the blame ALL the time for instigating trouble and I for one am sick of it. Daft little terriers run up to Murphy challenging him (he's on the lead), and the owners have the cheek to imply that I have a big dangerous dog when he reacts - it totally infuriates me. However, when playing in the park off lead, which we let them do if not too busy, it is always lab owners who let their dogs play with ours (let's face it not many do! ) and it has never become unpleasant for any of the dogs. The weight of a lab seems to make it sturdy enough to cope with the deeries form of dive bombing play which is rough to say the least! My leg can testify to this as yet again I have been brought down by my 'darlings' and cant bear to put weight on my left leg at the mo'

The breeder we got our deeries from, Nell McBean, breeds labs too and I believe that they all mix very well. Perhaps she could give some tips on what to do with Lab/deerie issues?

Anyway, I shall now be keeping a more 'weather' eye on my guys playmates - although I still hate terriers around them the most - trouble makers eah and every one!

Nell and Donald breed working Labs, rather than the pet stock you're most likely to see out and about. They're bred for biddability and as a result they're much more sensible and less macho than your average Ford Escort vanilla-flavoured pet Lab.

aha! well that would certainly explain it - thanks Sid!

The problem here isn't the lab, it's the owner. Not all labs are bad, it's how they are bought up, interacting with other dogs that makes them what they are now. It's more likely to be a male dominance issue rather than because he is a lab! He probably see's that particular field his, after all, his owner would rather be in the pub than giving him attention and long walks, it's a dominance issue, which most male dogs suffer from time to time. It's the owner who needs sorting out,mmmmnn, just how though? If no one is willing to help, perhaps finding somewhere else to walk might be the case, which I know isn't the way forward, but it might just solve problems for you, let someone else deal with the owner. I have a terrier, yes he has male dominance issues too, he's owner a Border, not a Staff or Pit Bull, but he can turn on other dogs, he only does this if we are with the Deerhound, he doesn't want any other dog to play or come near the DH??? He shoo's dogs away, which is funny as he has a face like a little teddy bear. Thankfully it seems to have stopped since a Doberman that he launched at put some manners on him! He's going up the fields now with his brother and some mates, we just know who he likes and doesn't, but he is a great little dog and this is someone who isn't a terrier person either!!