Safety for Women

At the time we were avidly participating in Street Ring with Toby.  Although he was a rookie he had lots of other bite work under his collar. 
 
There are also breed specific and dog specific reactions.  When picking out a dog for protection sport use it is important to pick a sharp, hard, dominant dog.  Toby was a very rough aggressive dog.  His instinct to bite got him in trouble a time or two, but he was for given, especially after the years of protection he offered our family. 
 
It is important to remember that 99% of dogs will not physically protect there owner with out some substantial training.

ORIGINAL: mrgmfoster


It is important to remember that 99% of dogs will not physically protect there owner with out some substantial training.

 
Thanks for the reminder, Mic.  I imagine it takes some SERIOUS nads for a 65 pound dog to go after a 240 pound man.

It most certainly does...an attack requires one of two things.
 
Extreme fear or extreme dominance.
 
In the case of extreme fear, most dogs will take the flight option over the fight...especially if the owner is showing fear. 
 
I always try to remember that it is our job the protect the dogs...not the other way around.
 
 

There is justice and it is sweet, indeed. Thanks, Mic. And hooraw for Toby!
 

Years ago we lived in Akron Ohio--my first "city living".  Hubby's plant had closed down and moved and jobs were hard to find and he had to take a low paying one for a while, and I had to go to work.  To save money, I took a night job in a resturant and we didn't have to have baby sitter--had supper on the table when he got home at 4:00, we ate, I went to work, he took care of the supper dishes, got the boys bathed and in bed, and finsihed up anything I had not been able toget done during the day.
 
Well, to the story.  I was coming home one night after closing, was about 1:00.  I got off the x-way at my exit, no cars behind me, had the green light, turned on my street and all of a sudden there was a car behind me.  This is hard to descrbe, but that end of the street was up a pretty steep hill, there was no buildings, just an open field on one side, a lot of trees on the other.  The street was actually 3 lanes wide until you got to the top and there the outside right land just ended in a clump of trees--strange, I know.
 
Well, it was misting rain and I was going probably 20 MPH and that car got on my bumper, flashing his lights.  Dumb kid that i was (25) I thought he wanted to pass and I pulled over into that outside right lane.  he pulled up beside me, but didn't pass.    I slowed, he slowed, I spend, he spend. Just before we got to the top of the hill where my lane ended in that clump of trees, he dashed ahead and stopped his car at an angle across the road where it became 2 lanes.  No houises close enough to hear if I screamed, 1:00 in the morning.   
 
I stopped my car and I saw him get out (driver's door was on oppisite side to me) and he was HUGE, at least 6'6".  He started walking towards my car and I put it in reverse and backed so slowly.  When I thought i could get between him and his car, I floored it.  Due to the wet road, I was fishtailing like crazy and i felt a THUD on the rear left of my car and was pretty sure it had hit the guy.  I was actually off the left side of the raod to get around the rear of  his car. I tore down the road and after I got down the hill on the other side, I turned my lights off.  I was coming to a cross road, and I didn't want him to see if I went straight, left or right.  I was going right and there were only a few houses there and THEN Summit Lake.
 
Got home, got Jerry up and called police.  I could only describe the tail lights and color of the car--never did actually see the license plates enough to read, but saw the tail lights when he zoomed ahead to block road.  I could only describe him as a black man about 6"6".  Also I said I may have hit him.  They said that was possible with a fish tailing car, but also possible he had hit my car with his fist in order to try to get me to stop.  But at any rate,  he and car were gone and I don't guess they ever did catch him.  I am not sure how I reamained so calm at that time of night with no houses that close, no cars anywhere.
 
Another time one of my neighbors had a person follow her home for  a WalMart type store, Giant Tiger.  Dont' know if they are still around up there or not.  Anway, he had followed her around in the store and instead of reporting it, she went out and got in her car.  He was right behind her when she stopped at a red light.  She was in a panic and actually ran a couple more lights and drove straigfht home, jumped out of her car, left engine running, door open and ran in screaming for her hubby.  We all told her she made mistakes--first no reporting the guy in the store, and by driving home, the guy knew where she lived.  It was day time, lots of traffic, she could have gone to another store and dashed in, gone to police station, anywhere but lead him right to her house.  Need I say she was terrified for months at every phone call (don't know shy she thought he  could get her phone number), every time the door bell rang, etc.

[sm=tex.gif]sandra_slayton  You did the right thing!!  Best you could of done in that situation.  KUDOS for you!!  I have a story too.  In 1981 I was coming home from my fiance's house about 11pm.  I was stopped at the red light in a pretty questionable neighborhood.  I was the only car in sight.   I was also looking straight ahead.  I hear a knock on my drivers side window, so I glance over and all I see is a 9mm.  He was knocking on the window with a GUN.  He said open the door and give me your money.  I said nothing.  And in a split second I made a decision.  I said to myself "Michele you have an 8 cylinder Thunderbird under your foot, floor it".  And I sunk down in the seat and man did I gas that T-bird.  He fired 2 shots, he missed me and my car.  I just kept driving like a crazy person for about 40 minutes.  I was so scared that I couldn't go home.  I was only 20 yrs old.  Sometimes a split second decision could save your life.   GOOD THINKING!!
Fondly, Michele[sm=angel.gif][sm=tex.gif]

All these stories reminded me of the incident last month...literally days before I moved back home. (Some may remember that I posted it before). Anyway, Brett was already in Louisiana (working for the sheriff's dept. no less), and I was still in MS packing and all that stuff. The night before my parents and a friend were coming to MS to help me finish up, I took Brown and Grey outside around 1:30 am. Normally, nothing happens in Starkville, and aside from our perpetually-drunk neighbor and the one time some stoned college guys ran through the neighborhood and fought in another neighbor's yard, nothing happened where I lived. Then we got new neighbors, who, for some reason, continuously received any and all packages mailed to us. I really don't know who lived in the house. I only knew of the younger guy because I saw him occassionally getting in and out of his car. That night, I had a weird feeling so in addition to the 200 lbs. of dogs, I also brought my gun outside with me. I put it on the table outside right next to me and let Brown in the yard. School had just let out, so the neighborhood was empty, and the one neighbor I could trust wasn't home either. As Brown was finishing, I saw a car pull into the street, but I just assumed it would drive past the house like every other car does, but it didn't. I didn't realize that someone was staring at me until Brown started barking. When I looked up, it was the guy, who asked, "Is this number 24?" (Having received a number of my packages before, he knew who we were). I didn't say yes; I asked why instead. He then said, "I got a package." I honestly thing that idiot was waiting for me to say something like, "Oh, okay, let me come over to your house and get it." At that point, both dogs started going nuts, and the guy looked at the dogs and drove back to his house. At the time, it didn't dawn on me that it was nearly 2 am, and just who the hell brings packages at that time anyway. On top of that, I was moving the next day. Why would I buy something and have it sent to a place I wouldn't be?? Anyway, I found all that suspicious, so I let Grey into the yard (insane black dog hiding around the porch in the dark...good idea at the time) just incase the guy came back because Grey definitely would have surprised the guy, which would have given me enough time to react. I heard the guy's car door slam shut, then I heard footsteps, not to his house, but towards my way. At that point, I cocked my gun as the footsteps got closer, and once I did that, he stopped walking. So I don't know if he turned around and walked through the grass or what happened, but once I didn't hear anything anymore, I literally drug Grey up the steps and flew into the house. I called my friend because Brett was at work, and he, of course, freaks out and tells me to call the cops, which I did. They came over and kept two patrol cars in the area. My parents and friend arrived a few hours later, so I was more than happy to have someone else at home with me.
 
That was the closest I've gone to a potentially dangerous situation. The only other scary thing I can recall was when Brett ran into a store at night, and I stayed in the car. The doors were locked, thank God, and I was resting my head in my hand. Suddenly, I heard someone pulling on the door handle, and when I looked up, the guy was running off. I called Brett's cell phone, and he came running outside, but the guy wasn't around anymore.
 
I'm quite glad to be living back home because very little happens here, and when something does happen, you tend to know who did it. I feel very safe where I live, and I do get the scoop on what happens around here since my brother and husband are cops. That, and we are a heavily armed family. If a random rebellion breaks out in the community, we'll survive lol.