Unique Question: Have You Ever Been Attacked by a Dog?

Pet owners and canine fans are not unsusceptible to being bitten-- or full-on attacked-- by canines. Dogster's John D. Williams described his scary encounter with several hostile canines in "Ever Been Attacked by a Dog? I Was, and I'll Never Forget It." Williams, our Watch Dog, asked you, Dogster readers, whether you've had comparable trouble, and the reaction was frustrating. At last count, there were 167 comments on the story.

A reader called scarred explained the difference between a bite and an attack.

" There is a HUGE distinction in between being bitten by a dog and being attacked," scarred writes. "An attack is a sluggish process that lasts more than the preliminary bite. Being assaulted is being bitten, consistently, and continuously, [and] trying to get away and being unable to since the dog is hunting you down."

Scarred then related a frightening encounter: "I was assaulted by a Pit Bull in an elevator, and so was my dog and a good friend's pet dog. I will never ever forget it. The noises of my pet crying in pain is a sound I will never ever overcome. Absolutely nothing would stop this animal from attacking, short of me beating it. It's definitely the most horrifying thing I have ever endured. My pet made it through, and I am incredibly lucky. My friend's canine did not. This has actually scarred me for life."

A reader called thegreatspag was amongst numerous who mentioned that if you deal with pets, eventually you will be bitten or assaulted. "I've worked as a groomer, a pet dog trainer, a pet dog walker, and a canine day care assistant, and each positioned its own special challenge. But all those tasks include putting canines that are not yours which you might not know extremely well into stressful situations that the canine might not take pleasure in."

This reader's attack was by a yellow Labrador Retriever while working at pet daycare, and "It was a pretty ruthless attack, I ended up needing 25 stitches. I'm not completely sure what provoked the attack considering he had been such a sweet and docile pet up till that day. He had to do with 7. We believe something went medically wrong in his head because this was totally out of left field. I didn't really have at any time to respond to the attack since he came up behind me. I have an unclear recollection of chewing out the pet dog and trying to kick him off of me given that he had actually ahold of my leg."

This reader also acknowledged the requirement for an animal employee to get over such incidents: "I couldn't let the event bother me. I could not be shy about breaking up battles in between dogs because I was afraid of getting bitten again."

Some readers reported bites or assaults occurring when they were extremely little ones-- and often it was because they didn't understand any much better.

" If a canine has actually simply had porcupine quills drawn out from its nose," composes Naeva, "DO NOT try to 'kiss make better."

The outcome was having to be a flower lady in her uncle's wedding with "huge red welts" on either side of her face "where the dog revealed its annoyance."

" It was a huge dog relative to me (an Australian Shepherd) and if it had truly wanted to, it could have removed my nose and half my face with it," she composes. "It was a warning nip. I do still have a minute when I see a mouthful of doggy teeth headed my method, however ... I still love pets. Cannot live without 'em!"

Darrell Arellano reports being assaulted by a Golden Retriever when he had to do with 11.

" I constantly strolled to the store and bought something for my moms and dads every day. And I always passed the pet dog. He was constantly behind a fence. ... But that day, he was really OUT of the fence. Well, he barked and growled at me. ... I didn't understand much about dogs. I believed he was having fun with me. But then ... he charged at me. He went for my left leg. I ran. However it bit me. I was lying there on the street with a discomfort in my left leg. I threw my shoe at it. But it didn't work. Then I stood and attempted to bear my discomfort. I shrieked at it and stomped my feet. It pulled back and he left me alone."

A month later on, the owner informed Arellano the canine had been trained and was more friendly, so he returned. "He was licking me and having fun with me. From then on, we became buddies and I visited him every other day. I missed him when we moved. I gave him a toy. And the owner actually called my moms and dads and stated that the pet sobbed at night since I wasn't there. And he stated that he keeps that toy ... safe, and he sleeps with it every night. He said that the canine has dreams about me, due to the fact that he was whimpering while he was asleep."

One commenter explained a story without a pleased ending-- one that resulted in the death of a kid.

" I've never ever really been a "fan" of Cocker Spaniels," composes Dxndmom, "and my friend's Cocker 'just snapped' ... one day and assaulted her 2-year-old kid. Everyone was on the couch quietly viewing TV, the pet dog lunged from the other end of the sofa and took the little kid's face off! Up till then Barney had been fantastic! The household went to the ER, a relative took Barney to the vet and he was put down. It was later found out he had a mass, and it would've taken him pretty quickly."

Another commenter responds, "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, but delighted you still like pets!"

Readers disagreed over how you must handle pets when they are attacking.

" I've had pet dogs aggressively approach me, and every time I turn and step towards them and in a loud deep voice shout 'No!'" writes kmh. "They've constantly reversed and left me alone. Canines aren't used to their victim switching on them. Prey escape. I did step towards them, however I don't look them in the eyes as that 'd be aggressive."

Esmedoodles reports being "threatened many, MANY times while out jogging with my pet. Used to bring pepper spray when we endured in the nation. Had to use it on 4 different loose Rottweilers (thank GOD that things works quickly). Now we live in town however there are still loose canines, or dogs that break free of the leash. Years of experience and straight-out anger has actually taught me to face the pet dog and let loose with a blood curdling scream/yell, and if the pet dog pulls back, I pursue it, still shouting and shouting. That typically catches them off guard and I believe they notice the fury and violence coming from within. I even did this on a Rottweiler ... it stopped dead and had a really baffled look on its face. I do not believe I'm worried for myself however I'll combat tooth and nail to safeguard my Lab. The only time this didn't work was on a rotten, nasty little Yorkie with a sappy sweet owner attempting to call it back with infant talk. And by the way, those little ankle biters are nearly difficult to kick."

Commenter runner51 takes things even more: "I am a runner and keep up and without my pet dog. I constantly stop, hold my ground, and chew out the dog as soon as possible. If time, I get a handful of stones and will shower the incoming pet as needed. This technique has even worked when a pack of canines came racing down a driveway after my friend and me. I have never ever been bitten, and in fact, never ever had a dog brave enough to come within three feet of me. I am 5' 4" and weigh 115 pounds, so it is possible making yourself larger and badder than dogs."

The reply from dog caring kid is, "I comprehend if you're attempting to protect someone, but what if among the rocks badly injures a canine? You do not need to use violence. Many people have used just a harsh tone and even friendliness and didn't get assaulted."

Zamkat was having none of that. "The chances of a handful of rocks completely injuring a dog are quite slim. Even if you were to somehow strike him in the eye, he would likely blink, safeguarding from anything serious. It would need to be a quite huge rock, thrown at quite a speed, and hit the animal in just the right way, to potentially break a bone or trigger long-term vision loss.

" It's not the best situation to need to deal with, however often it's either you or the pet dog, and you cannot fault someone for safeguarding themselves with whatever implies readily available, although it's rarely the canine's fault that he hasn't been effectively mingled. Always remember, pets have actually powerful jaws filled with sharp teeth, and in the face of that, I think rocks are an appropriate weapon. On top of that, one might not constantly have time to attempt non-violent methods before the dog will be upon them. Eventually, are you going to bet life and limb, or attempt to secure yourself by reacting rapidly?"