Dog attack on trail

[ironbutt]

My grandson and I were hiking and came upon a black lab cross mastiff type dog. It had a collar and sniffed us and seemed okay when we stopped as it approached. The owner was a young female hiking with another female and a guy.They were in their 20's. As they approached and saw us they waved and called to the dog who returned to her and followed them as we passed. After about 25 feet of passing them the dog returned and grabbed my leg and wouldn't let go. I yelled and the girl ran up shouting at the dog, apologizing and started making excuses. I asked why it wasn't on a leash and she stated it wasn't required on the trail. I asked their names and they refused to give any information. They leashed the dog and quickly moved down the trail as I took pictures with my I-phone. Next time I will be carrying my pistol. Incident has been reported.

[Sarcasm the elf]

I am one of the biggest supporters of dogs on the trail on this site. I have to say there is nothing acceptable about the way the owners acted in your story above and frankly I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd shot the dog.

That said, if you're gonna carry something because of dogs, may I recommend bear spray? It works just fine and because it isn't lethal there is far less potential of liability and a lower chance of the authorities getting involved if you end up having to use it.

[Sarcasm the elf]

P.S. You didn't say whether you were injured by the attack. I Hope you're alright.

[ironbutt]

Thanks for the suggestion about bear spray that would be great. I was wearing hiker shorts that were baggy when the dog grabbed my leg I felt the pressure and jerked my leg out of its mouth as it bit down on the leg of my shorts. I sustained light scratches from its teeth.

[Gambit McCrae]

I don't carry when Im backpacking but do for day hikes or to the grocery store all the same to me. I would not personally exchange bear spray for my pistol. I for one know the pistol is going to do the job, and its going to detour that dog of doing the same thing he did to your leg, to say a little childs face. There is no excuse for it and in my eyes this should considered assault with a deadly weapon. The animal is the owners responsibility, and I absolutely despise the theory of owners not taking full responsibility for their pets actions.

Sorry for your experience, post your pictures of them?

[Malto]

let me guess, "Fluffy has NEVER acted like this before." Unfortunately this is becoming all too commonplace and has happened on my last two major trips. If I took bear spray my only dilemma would be rather to spray the dog or the idiot owners. There is no excuse for this occurring and the owners actions after the fact were disgusting.

[Sarcasm the elf]

let me guess, "Fluffy has NEVER acted like this before." Unfortunately this is becoming all too commonplace and has happened on my last two major trips. If I took bear spray my only dilemma would be rather to spray the dog or the idiot owners. There is no excuse for this occurring and the owners actions after the fact were disgusting.

Does that list include the idiot owner that walked their aggressive dog up to you in Harriman park and then tried to chastise you when their dog tried to bite you?

[MuddyWaters]

Average dog bite costs $37000.

This is why owners don't face up to it, their scared .

[T.S.Kobzol]

So it appears really did not attack bite you. If it did you would have punctured skin, bleeding and tearing.

Having said that, the incident alone is scary and no one should be subjected to this.

Thanks for the suggestion about bear spray that would be great. I was wearing hiker shorts that were baggy when the dog grabbed my leg I felt the pressure and jerked my leg out of its mouth as it bit down on the leg of my shorts. I sustained light scratches from its teeth.

[swisscross]

let me guess, "Fluffy has NEVER acted like this before." Unfortunately this is becoming all too commonplace and has happened on my last two major trips. If I took bear spray my only dilemma would be rather to spray the dog or the idiot owners. There is no excuse for this occurring and the owners actions after the fact were disgusting.

there should be enough of a charge to spray the dog and the owner.

[Sarcasm the elf]

So it appears really did not attack bite you. If it did you would have punctured skin, bleeding and tearing.

Having said that, the incident alone is scary and no one should be subjected to this.

That still very much qualifies as a bite. In my state that description meets the standard that would require animal control to quarantine the dog for 14 days of observation due to the State rabies laws.

[T.S.Kobzol]

Agree. I'm not excusing the dog. My feelings are to the contrary.

That still very much qualifies as a bite. In my state that description meets the standard that would require animal control to quarantine the dog for 14 days of observation due to the State rabies laws.

[yaduck9]

My grandson and I were hiking and came upon a black lab cross mastiff type dog. It had a collar and sniffed us and seemed okay when we stopped as it approached. The owner was a young female hiking with another female and a guy.They were in their 20's. As they approached and saw us they waved and called to the dog who returned to her and followed them as we passed. After about 25 feet of passing them the dog returned and grabbed my leg and wouldn't let go. I yelled and the girl ran up shouting at the dog, apologizing and started making excuses. I asked why it wasn't on a leash and she stated it wasn't required on the trail. I asked their names and they refused to give any information. They leashed the dog and quickly moved down the trail as I took pictures with my I-phone. Next time I will be carrying my pistol. Incident has been reported.

Along with bear spray, you might consider carrying a single trekking pole. At our age, no one can ever accuse us of carrying one with the intention of using it as a weapon. Lawyers, prosecuters willl see dancing dollar signs and headlines with a pistol.....not so much with a trekking pole.

[nsherry61]

Broken skin is generally the threshold for requiring the owners to provide name and contact information to allow follow-up. If the owners refuse to divulge that information, I would suggest that is grounds for a police report and legal escalation of what might otherwise just be medical and potentially veterinary follow-up. Further, I would suggest it is each of our responsibilities to the next unsuspecting hiker to go forward and escalate legal action to keep this type of thing from being as likely next time.

As for being off-leash, sure, many places allow dogs to be off-leash, unless they are dangerous! If the animal has any history of aggression, most places would require it to be on leash (an possibly even muzzled), by law, even if dogs in general are not required to be on leash.

As for the efficacy of using bear spray vs. a firearm, in general, bear spray has been shown to be more effective against bears (and safer to the user) than a firearm because bear spray does not require an accurate shot in less than idea circumstances, and an injured animal is more dangerous than one that can't see or smell. So, unless the gun shot is rapidly lethal (which, especially in the case of bears and moving dogs, is unlikely for most people) the bear spray is more incapacitating than being hit by a bullet. So, from a safety and effectiveness point of view, use bear spray. From a retaliatory point of view, yeah, go ahead, take the risk of shooting the avenging pet with your gun, although the owners may be the more deserving target.

[theoilman]

According to www.appalachiantrail.org : "If you are hiking with a dog, be aware of its potential impact on animals and other hikers. Keep your dog leashed and under control at all times, and learn where dogs are prohibited. Ask permission of other hikers before bringing your dog into a shelter. If you find the shelter is crowded, be considerate and tent with your dog. Keep your dog away from springs and other drinking water sources. Bury your dog's waste as you would your own."

So -- dogs ARE REQUIRED to be leashed!

[colorado_rob]

According to www.appalachiantrail.org : "If you are hiking with a dog, be aware of its potential impact on animals and other hikers. Keep your dog leashed and under control at all times, and learn where dogs are prohibited. Ask permission of other hikers before bringing your dog into a shelter. If you find the shelter is crowded, be considerate and tent with your dog. Keep your dog away from springs and other drinking water sources. Bury your dog's waste as you would your own."

So -- dogs ARE REQUIRED to be leashed!

Says who? appalachiantrail.org has no legal jurisdiction on the trail, or am I wrong? I'm not saying it's OK to have an aggressive dog off leash, either legally or morally. I just cannot stand false authority, unless again, I'm wrong. Perhaps the NPS has legal authority? Or do they farm this out to localities...

[Sarcasm the elf]

According to www.appalachiantrail.org : "If you are hiking with a dog, be aware of its potential impact on animals and other hikers. Keep your dog leashed and under control at all times, and learn where dogs are prohibited. Ask permission of other hikers before bringing your dog into a shelter. If you find the shelter is crowded, be considerate and tent with your dog. Keep your dog away from springs and other drinking water sources. Bury your dog's waste as you would your own."

So -- dogs ARE REQUIRED to be leashed!

That is a list of suggestions written by the ATC, not a list of laws. The actual laws that govern the AT differ from location to location and often property to property. If I recall dogs are required by law to he leashed on approximately 40% of the A.T., and the other 60% of the trail does not have any leash law.

Personally I always have my well trained dog on a leash while on the A.T., primarily so that I am able to be in control of the situation when I encounter dogs that have less responsible owners.

[nsherry61]

Without any reference to back up my recollection, I think it is more like 10-20% of the AT requires dogs on leash, another 20 to 30% requires dogs to be under the owners' control (which when you look at the fine print can be either on leash or under verbal control). Of course, what constitutes control will surely have some grey area in many peoples' minds.

[tiptoe]

Whether or not the local rules require leashing, a pet owner is responsible for the pet's actions (on or off trail) and the owner, at the very least, should have exchanged contact info and offered to pay for the OP's medical treatment, if any.

[Alligator]

Sorry this happened to you and your grandson. There's also spray specific for dogs Halt! is one brand. I don't know if bear spray is more effective vs dog spray.

I understand you are pissed about it and may carry your pustol. I do suggest consideration that you may not get a good shot off. You might possibly shoot your own leg for instance. The dog might knock you off balance and the gun might go off and hit a person, one of which might be your grandson. There's that whole idea of how close is too close for someone with a knife. A dog can cover that distance even faster than a person. Variety of dog sizes too, you'd be aiming down. Bullet might ricochet if it hit a rock?

Just some things to think about.