What do you say to the owner...

After a doggy altercation or fight? If it was their dog being unfriendly? How about if it was your dog at fault? I've been on both sides of this.

The one time it was my dog at fault, I apologized, tried to explain how it happened, and offered to pay the vet bill for the injuries my dog inflicted. When the man refused to take his pit bull to the vet, saying that he didn't want to be investigated for dog fighting, I even offered a written statement accepting resonsibility. He still refused, so I gave up.

The MANY times where altercations or fights were not my fault... the owner was present only very few times. I tend to be rude about it, especially if the owner is nasty or refuses to apologize or take responsibility.

I told one man to take his *expletive* dog out immediately because if she rolled my puppy aggressively once more, I would boot her over the fence. It could have hurt him and it was scary to watch and he certainly didn't like it. His dog was being nasty to many dogs, and nobody would say anything. I asked him to leash her once before, but he refused.

She snarled over a stick my guy tried to play with, and her owner snatched it from her, went over her head with it, then tossed it over the fence where NO dogs could play with it. No surprise she was a nasty dog. But she didn't belong in the dog park, and he wasn't following the rules. He needed to leave, and after that he did.

I'm sorry, yeah I've been on both sides too. Sophie attacked a puppy awhile back. She was on leash and he wasn't. But dear Gawd you just want to shrink up into a hole. I was aghast at what she had done...not fatal but bloody. Afraid he would call the sheriff's department and I would have to battle out in court why she isn't a dangerous dog...in a controlled situation. I just apologized nine ways to Sunday and got her home as fast as I could.

Now when I walk with her I will call to people even a block or two away "Please don't come near her!!!" Or I'll turn her around out of sight. Then with Callie unleashed dogs have come up to him. He is not dog aggressive but I would never want to see him imagining he has to defend himself. So I will also get him turned around and away as fast as possible.
I probably wouldn't tell most people off for off-leash dogs because I used to do it with Sophie. But of course some people deserve more colorful warnings than others.

Yes, my boy attacked a pit bull who was in his own yard. He was 14 years old, but still strong and vicious when he wanted to be, and a Labby guy. Nobody in the world would have believed a 14 year old Labrador mix tore up a pit bull. I see why the man was so worried. My boy had a few holes in his face, nothing serious.

No witnesses and very dark outside made the situation just as or more dangerous for him as it was for me. Add in that his dogs were mild tempered but illegally chained... it looked bad. This exact type of attack is why chaining became illegal. Had his dogs been in a kennel as required by law, Brownie could not have mauled his poor Buster.

He was getting old and senile and he acted totally out of character, yanking free of his lightly held leash. I helped break up the fight, but lots of damage was done. The owner was great. He helped me get Brownie off and he didn't hit or kick him or anything. He forgave me, and when I went back to see how his boy was doing, he thanked me for offering to help and dismissed me with this statement...

"If you see my dog around, you let me know, and if I see your dog around, I'll let you know."

It was all my fault, and I see why he was worried. I have and will never allow anything to happen like that again. I muzzle my IFFY dog and only walk her on a tightly held and well inspected restraint, avoiding other dogs and people as much as possible.

I've had some pretty heated chats with a former neighbor.
He has 2 extremely DA GSD, which only heaven knows why he feels he should let his 2 boys walk, that where unable to hold the dogs.

My issue is no matter what happens most of the time Mouse will get the blame.

I don't say anything. I've had dogs behaving aggressively toward others, but have never allowed them to cause injury. I'd assume that if I did allow that to happen then I would remove my dog, apologise profusely and insist on paying vet bills and I'd exchange basic details (name/phone number). As it hasn't happened I don't entirely know.

One of my dogs tends to get a lot of aggressive responses from other dogs and she's been charged/attacked repeatedly. Only one owner has ever apologised to me for their dog attacking mine. The rest just leave their dog and walk off.

I take a ball launcher on walks with me and it is good to keep strange dogs away if their owner won't call them back.

My Jade is kept restrained at all times. However, if an off lead dog (or unsuspecting child) enters her space and she attacks with everything she has, it's STILL all her fault. The vicious GSD type is blah, blah, blah. Her threat to the defenseless (often with no warning) requires a muzzle.

I do like owning Labby guys, because usually, nobody will suspect them of starting fights. Bite statistics from Labrador dogs pretty much don't exist here. A black Labby guy, bite someone? NO WAY! That is the mindset of mostly everyone here. They are "soft", useless dogs to most people here.

I own the only Labby guy in a billion mile radius. There are mostly rat dogs (yorkie, chihuahua, etc) and pit bulls. Barely any other breeds and even though my 90 lb Nigredo is the biggest dog in the neighborhood, he's literally the most harmless. There was a 90 lb American Bulldog, but he was removed by the owner after several bite incidents and threats on the dogs life.

I'll never own an American Pit Bull Terrier (not a pit bull) only because if anything EVER happens, it's my fault and if there is one thing I can say about here, pit bulls are so popular, if yours causes an issue, they have NO trouble putting it down. Kinda sad how little mercy they show towards them.

Generally speaking, the culture and attitude towards dogs is different to that in the US or UK. Nobody worries when a dog/dogs bark and run up to the gate when they walk past and passers by will ignore the dog. After all that's what a dog is meant to do! Everyone assumes that all dogs are aggressive ... even the little ones, and if someone who doesn't know your dog comes to your door the first thing they ask "is your dog aggressive"? Similarly when you meet another owner with their dog you assume that their dog is aggressive which is the assumption they make about you and your dog and you both make sure the dogs are kept at a distance from one another until the dogs let you know they want to be friends (or otherwise).

Here in the U.S., we don't care if MOST fenced dogs bark, it's as you said, that is their duty, they're going to do that. BUT, certain breeds (pit bulls) have tendencies to go over fences, or shake the gates loose. This likely doesn't happen over there. They can be overly vicious, and they can, and have been known to, get over the fence or be so vicious up on the gate, that it comes loose. Then, all hell breaks loose.

I'm leery of this particular breed even behind fences. BTW, it's a bit disconcerting when the dog can get his paws over the fence to snarl at you. A 4 foot fence isn't high enough for a giant, vicious, standard poodle. I bet he could get over if he tried hard enough.

The worst is a house down the way that has an electric fence up to the sidewalk. I don't walk over there even without the dogs. Seeing this big black lab mix racing at you barking with no actual fence is scary as heck.

The standard height for a fence both here and in South Africa is 2 metres ... approximately 6.5 feet. When I had a GSD in SA she could easily scale that height. When I had my tiny Tibbie I always had to keep my eye on her because she would burrow her way under the fence if given half the chance!