My favourite thing to do is go for a long neighbourhood walk after supper each night. My husband and I leash up our two dogs, lace up our sneakers and head out. It’s good for us. It’s good for our dogs. We often see our neighbours, which also gives us a chance to connect and build a sense of community.
It’s healthy, fun, relaxing and enjoyable. Well . . . usually.
A few weeks ago, as we were strolling along the sidewalk, a large dog came out of its house barking aggressively and attacked one of our dogs without provocation. The owner had lost control of her dog and it came straight for us.
It was not a fight or a meet and greet gone awry; the dog was much larger than ours and it just clamped down and violently shook our dog Ariel. We fought and screamed to save her. Moments later, the other dog slammed Ariel to the ground and its owner had control of it again.
We got home to safety as quickly as possible so we could assess our dog’s injuries. She was struggling and needed a vet. Turned out she had a puncture wound to her chest and the muscle in one of her front legs was shredded and exposed.
We reported the incident to the Guelph Humane Society, and apparently a charge will be laid. And the other owner took responsibility and paid the vet bill. But you know what? I’m still not OK. It was a traumatic event and now I am afraid to go for my daily walks. I see the attack every night when I close my eyes to go to sleep.
If this was a one-off experience, I might be more inclined to suck up my fear and let it go as a freak occurrence. But this is the third time this has happened to me in my own neighbourhood since I moved here eight years ago. And every time, it has been a dog that wasn’t under the control of its owner. I’ve even had one of my dogs ripped out of my arms by an aggressive dog with the same clench-and-shake scenario I experienced recently.
My dogs are both rescued and rehabilitated mutts, weighing in at about 10 pounds each. I’ve given them a good home, lots of love and a commitment to keep them safe and well cared for. But how can I do that when these things are out of my control? It’s not acceptable; I’ve had enough.
Are our bylaws and humane society efforts protecting us?
This is not an isolated incident. I’ve heard of similar experiences from other owners and veterinarians. I’ve read reports in our newspapers. My husband and I want to start a conversation and see what we can do as a community to solve this problem. Email us at saferguelph@gmail.com if you have thoughts, ideas or potential solutions.
Michelle McGray & Dave de Burger   Guelph