Attack Incident Last night

Sheprano I wasn't taking your post negatively, I just don't want everyone out there thinking small dogs are all bratty.  I look at each dog as an individual just like people some are nice and some aren't.

We live in a town that has a leash ordinance.  Altho - it states that "if your dog obeys voice commands" you don't need to have it on a leash.
How ridiculous is that? 
My husband and I have always said that loose dogs who attack are simply a reflection of the EGO of their owners.  You know the type, they can 'control' their dogs.  Right, as the dogs attack your dog. 
(Well, I am sure that there are people who can contol their dog without a leash, but I once read an article called "Trust Killed My Dog"  and I've never forgotten it)
We have gone from 14 years of fear that a large dog would attack our medium dog (who passed away early this spring) to now having to worry about a small dog attacking our new large dog.  Believe it or not, this happened on a walk 3 weeks ago.  It was not pretty.  But, nobody got hurt.
I've learned to make a hasty retreat when I see the inevitable no leash dog and dog walker!

I can't count high enough to recount all the times we have had loose dogs coming after us, usually aggressively. Once a blue healer would come after us aggressively. The next time,  I had a scooper full of stool. He sniffed and everything was okay because now he "knew" Shadow.
 
Another time, two pekinese that get to run loose all the time came after is in the middle of the street from the opposite direction of their house. They started circling and assuming positions, which is pack hunting behavior. The braver one was stupid enough to charge Shadow. He grabbed him up by the scruff and shook the daylights out of him. Then he let go to get a better grip and the dog took that opportunity wisely to skedaddle back to the gap in their fence. Another time, they were loose again and I called the cops. The chief was on duty and he came and talked to the owners. I even asked the chief if I need to start carrying a pellet gun. Not that I would use one, I just wanted to make a point.
 
I agree with Anne. Get some of that spray and report the owners.

My Xerxes was attacked a few weeks ago by a GSD with dog aggression problems.  The dog ran over 100 yards to attack him.  The owner was holding on tightly to her aged malinois but not to her aggressive .  I was very lucky to grab the GSD's collar and jump on her back, pinning her in the "down" position.  No one was hurt, but had I used the "pickup" instinct, I'm sure someone would have been. 

I'm making this shorter than it needs to be so bear with me...When the owner finally caught up to her dog, still pinned in the "down" (and calm by the way)  I could have been very angry with the lady, and I started out that way.  But I took it as a challenge to educate her and provide her with some contacts to help her manage her GSD's behavior.  I found out that she did contact a friend of mine who runs a GSD rescue and that my friend put her into contact with a behaviorist that works with the rescue.  I've gotten no updates so I don't know if anything has changed with the dog.

In my particular incident, I think I did the right thing.  But if there's another incident, I probably won't react the same way.  The good thing is that after the attack, my dog was in awe of his alpha...he was like..."Wow, you stopped that attack and saved me, what was that dog thinking messing with you?"  Also that no one (2 or 4 legged) was injured.

Some people walking dogs are plain stupid.  My English Bulldog has no patience for zealous little dogs.  She was on leash (in our yard near our sidewalk) along with her gordon brother when the neighbors & little corgi came up on one of those stupid retractable leashes with 8-10 feet of lead.  Now, my gordon tolerates this rambunctious puppy corgi and I used him to help socialize the little corgi doing community service.    But my bulldog  hates little dogs.  I callled out, "pull in your dog"  but the neighbor was letting a visitor walk the corgi. I said "SHE HATES LITTLE DOGS!!" as shes lunging to get to kill this corgi.  Finallly the owner tells the girl to rope the dog in closer.  
 
SO I put the bulldog in the house and continue to take my gordon for a walk and run into the idiots agian.  Again, the girl has the dog on 8 feet of lead and gets all tangled with me and my dog.    I telll her " pull in your dog"  and they have no clue what I am saying.  Thank goodness my gordon likes all dogs or that corgi would have been hurt.. 
 
I hate those retractable leashes in the hands of idiots!