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​By Holistic And Organix Pet Shoppe

I watched a video today in horror over a large dog attacking a small dog. Had him by the throat. The woman (grandma) was walking the big dog. She tapped dog on shoulder as the big dog continued to gnaw at the small dog's neck as the small dog helplessly flapped in the wind then to the ground. A man finally ran over and kicked the big dog and the dog let go. The man walked off. The lady just stood there. Then she allowed that dog to walk back over to the small dog still laying on the ground and let him began to chew on his neck again.
I am certain the small dog was dead. Now who was videoing it?? Why didn't they do anything? Why did the man walk off? And why was THAT woman walking this dog? This is exactly why people need training. I think training should be mandatory for pet owners if they have ever had issues in the past with dogs or getting their first dog. Not only for their dog but for them just as much. THEY have NO business owning a dog larger than their hand if they don't know how to control their pets. This is the VERY reason why you have so many attacks. This is why PEOPLE! If you are planning on getting or owning a dog that is larger than 15 lbs, learn first how to train, control, and react to situations just like this. This is why I won't even allow dog walkers to walk my dogs. I can't trust anyone. It's my dog's life at stake. Nothing against dog walkers but I am just very cautious and if anything happened, it would be on me and my dogs life at stake. 
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​For my dog's own protection, I will be the one to walk them and me only. I know how to control my dogs and I have 3 of which are pit mixes. And even IF this EVER did happen, I would be all over my dog getting it off of that small dog. I may get bit, but I hope my common sense kicks in enough to know exactly how to handle the situation. MY point is, there are SOOOOO many pet OWNERS that just don't have a clue about dogs. They just don't get it. NO Child should EVER walk a dog larger than they can handle. In fact no child should EVER walk a dog without parental supervision. What if this child is walking a small dog and a big dog is loose or attacks the child's small dog? Is that child going to get in the middle of that? Will that child know how to control that dog? NO, so do not let a child or an elderly person that doesn't know how to control a dog or even have the strength the try to control it..walk a dog. This video clearly made me very upset and burned into my brain. I do not like watching things like that at all and it happened to have been on a friend's Facebook wall that she posted. Needless to say I won't be seeing her posts anymore. 
​​The sad part of this is, a dog will be euthanized because of this attack. I don't blame the dog. I blame the person on the other end of that leash. It was very clear she didn't have a clue what was going on and what to do. She stood there and watched. She wasn't hysterical. No emotion. I was in shock. It was like woman, DO SOMETHING!
​  ​Pitbulls...or correctly named American Staffordshire Terriers are what's in animal shelters. About 70% contain some part of the AST breed. So if you adopted a dog from the shelter, you probably own a dog with some of its genes. Is your dog mean? Does it attack everything? I know mine don't. I have one that's a spitfire but I watch her extremely close and will not allow her to be put into a situation that may cause her to react..and in turn..my dog be taken away and euthanized. I won't allow that. I am here to keep my dogs out of harm's way and that means a dog that could react if in a certain situation. My dog hasn't been around children. I don't know what she will do..but I guarantee you, she will not have the opportunity either to test me on this. I won't put her life and a child's life in danger. I even walk my dogs late at night because I do not want to interact with strangers asking to pet my dogs. I do not allow any of that. People that meet strange dogs should ALWAYS ask the pet owner if it's ok if they can pet the dog. NEVER pet the dog on top of the head. NEVER bend over to say hi to its face to a strange dog. Never put yourself in a situation no matter how much you think it's safe. Always remember, it's never safe. 
​​Always be on guard and keep safe. Do not let children pet strange dogs. Even your own dogs. A child should NEVER be left alone even with the most friendly gentle dog on the planet. A dog is a dog is a dog. They don't speak our language and we need to not put them in a situation that may cause harm to anyone. Being overly cautious is your best defense. When walking your dogs or just walking..carry pepper spray with you..or a walking stick. I carry citronella spray and pepper spray. I have had to use it once. Two other stray dogs were coming our way. I had my little spitfire with me. I knew this was not going to go well. So I sprayed the other dogs (at about 20 ft away) and they went the other direction. The good thing is..those dogs seemed friendly. No barking or aggressiveness in their part. They were just curious and was coming to say hello. They looked very friendly. BUT, what about strange dogs..no matter how friendly they look..will react to a dog that may react. My dog isn't aggressive but she is super curious of all animals and people. She's young and still has that fire in her. So I will use EXTRA caution with her until I can get a better feel of her. Until then we keep a lot of distance between her and other living beings of any kind.  
I walk two dogs at a time so, if one reacts, so will the other. It's their nature. Now try to control TWO dogs then. It wouldn't be pretty. I don't need a gun to shoot other animals. I have no desire to harm other animals. I just need a deterrent and the spray worked just fine for me that night. A taser may help in really bad situations. Something I should probably invest in. My point is people, don't just run out get a dog and then not know what to do with it. I see dogs in backyards all day long with no attention. Those dogs are more likely to react. They will be more likely to be aggressive. Do you really want to throw a dog in the backyard and expect it to be well trained and not react. Why even bother getting a dog? Spend time with your dog, get to know your dog. Watch how your dog reacts by just walking by a fence that has a dog in it. Does your dog ignore what's going on or does it bark, growl, whine and look towards that fence. Most dogs that don't/won't react to a situation are the ones that are aware of what's going on..and where that other dog may be located (behind a fence) and continue on their journey without ever paying attention to the constant barking. That's a non reactive dog. Now I am in no way a dog trainer but I have enough common sense that it's in an animal's nature to be aware of its surroundings, protect its lair and food and they will defend it. So don't ever walk up into someone's yard with loose dogs because they WILL react. It's the instinct of an animal AND a human, to protect their possessions which may be their lair and food. 
​And do not walk a dog on a retractable leash. You honestly have no control over dogs with these. Sorry but you don't no matter how much you think you do. Dogs need a tighter rope and the retractables won't work. Sure you can easily control a small dog with them, but what happens if a big dog runs up to them? Then what? Will that small dog run out in the street? Will you be close enough to avoid an attack? Very unlikely.
So keep your dog safe and use some common sense and go to a training class to learn what to look for in situations like these. It is the humans at fault here. You can be the change in your dog's life. So be the better pet parent and keep your dog safe. Always use caution in all surroundings. Even in dog parks. ​