Dog fight turned human fight, first ever sign of violence

Hello
This first post is as a result on an incident earlier today.

My parents own a 7 year old Border terrier called Rupert, but I walk him frequently.
We bought him when he was 8 weeks old and over the course of his life so far he has never displayed any signs of aggression towards us or any other dog, save for the occasional growl/bark that ceases on my command. When other dogs are aggressive towards him he usually growls back and that is the worst that has happened. Usually he just retreats. He is a family pet through and through. He receives long walks and is healthy.

However at the end of one of his walks today he was carrying a ball that we found. He seemed to display particular attraction towards it, as he ran away if I tried to take it from him. Soon after, he met what we later discovered was a staffordshire bull terrier. Rupert started growling and my girlfriend,who was accompanying me on the walk, grabbed his collar. The bull terrier responded in a similar fashion. Rupert started making lunges at the bull terrier, although they never actually made contact. At this point the bull terrier, who was also off the lead, started attacking Rupert and a fight broke out. My girlfriend at this point let go of Rupert's collar for fear of her hands. The owners of the other dog did nothing initially, and neither did I (I will explain why later.) Eventually though through the owners of the bull terrier managed to get their dog on the lead, and I followed suit with Rupert. The dogs were completely unscathed and none of us were hurt either, except from some minor scratches/bites on my girlfriend's hand.

However it was what happened next that concerned me most. The owners of the bull terrier started shouting abusive comments at me and my girlfriend, accusing us of lack of control over our dog among other things. They swore continuously, became increasingly aggressive despite my attempts to ask for a proper conversation. They called my girlfriend a "f*****g c**t." My girlfriend didn't respond aggressively, but tried to talk to her. However, a fight between one of the owners of the bull terrier and my girlfriend commenced, because one of the owners slapped my girlfriend. There was slapping, biting and hair tugging involved. I, and the other owner (who was also a woman) stood there; I didn't want to get involved with two girls fighting, and the other owner seemed to enjoy it. My girlfriend became trapped in a headlock and at which point the fight stopped. We continued to received abuse. I once more asked to have a civil conversation, but all I received was more swearing. There witnesses there who came over to us and checked we were OK. My girlfriend was unsurprisingly crying out of shock at this point.

I am extremely angry at the owners of the bull terrier, because they turned a dog fight into a human fight. Although I appreciated the severity of the situation, their reaction was out of control, even more so than that of the dogs.

I would like impartial opinions on the situation, and also advice on whether I should consider some immediate action on behalf of my dog, for example not letting him off the lead again for some time; i.e. is this first sign of violence something to worry about? I cannot forget that it was my dog who seemed to initiate the growling. Personally I suspect it was the ball he was carrying that caused him to feel overprotective and aggressive.

(Going back to the point above about why I was too scared to intervene: A few months ago whilst running with a group of people (without dogs) I saw a dog fight that resulted in a bull terrier mauling and killing a smaller dog, in what was a completely unprovoked attack. Despite the owners' attempts to separate the two dogs, including pulling them apart and kicking the bull terrier, they continued to fight and all that was left was a bloody mess. This incident scarred me and since then I have always been afraid of bull terriers.)

Thanks in advance,
Andrew

I am utterly gobsmacked that you stood by and watched your girlfriend have a fight - and indeed get put into a headlock!

You and your girlfriend must be very shaken by this horrible incident. I wouldn`t make any decisions now regarding your dog because you will all be in shock. For now, I`d walk in a different place, keep your dog on lead and just get your confidence back.
Maybe a friendly dog club could help you and your dog get back to feeling OK round other dogs and owners?
I do hope you all feel better soon, and can start to enjoy dog-walking again.

I also think you should consider talking to the police about the attack on your girlfriend.

I was concentrating on the dogs

If your girlfriend didn't start the fight, I'd be reporting the attack to the police.

If I see a PCSO or something in the area I'll mention it to him/her;problem is I can't really remember the women very well and at this point it's too late; If i'd attracted some attention straight after, something could have been done.

Don't really see how it's too late - it only happened earlier today! You've got over the shock, realised they initiated the attack (on your girlfriend) and aren't going to put up with it! That sounds perfectly normal to me. If I'd been attacked when with my boyfriend and was shaken up, I'd like to think he would at least encourage me to report the incident.

Thanks, I will report it
My gf is perfectly fine now, apart from 2 small bald patches because some of her hair was ripped out.

yuck! what an 'orrible walk!
very sensible imo not to get involved in a dog fight,re your dog,my guessing is he sensed by body language the other dog was an aggressor,if he is well balanced normally ,i wouldnt see this as a begining of a problem.
i defo would advise walking somewhere else for now,as they sound the sort that would cause alot of trouble for you and your dog.these sort of dog owners are usually imo 'fair weather' walkers,give it a while rain and cold and you probably wont see them again.
i hope you all are ok now!

What a terrible incident and I completely understand why you didn't intervene. Shock makes us all act differently, some people leap into action and others (like me) freeze up completely and can't think properly what to do. With hindsight it all becomes clear of course. Definitely report it - you may not be the only ones these people have attacked or they may go on to attack someone else with worse repercussions and your statement will be very important if that happens. Glad your dog's ok and keeping him on the lead for a time would be a good idea both for his confidence and yours - a long line might be an idea.