Dealing with Dangerous Dogs
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There you are out for your morning run,bike or walk...and you're coming up on that house. You know the one...you're always nervous about going by. You never know if today the dog is out or in and if he is out will he be loose?You know someday he's going to be loose and you'll have to deal with him but how? What is the best way to defend yourself or better yet, avoid an attack all together?
Well that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today...what’s the best way to deal with an aggressive dog when you’re out exercising?
Dog Attacks
The CDC estimates that approximately 4.5 million people in the U.S., are attacked and bitten by dogs each year. They go on to say that approximately 1 in 5 people who are bitten need medical attention.
Unfortunately, there are too many stories of runners, bikers or walkers who have been attacked and even killed by dogs that have either been released by owners that can no longer afford to care for them or that have not been sufficiently restrained by their owners.
So what do you do if you encounter a dog that’s aggressive toward you?
Avoid Them
The very best way to deal with aggressive dogs is to avoid them. If there is a dog on your route that concerns you try changing your route. If you’re looking at a new route drive it a few times first and be on the lookout for potential situations.
Stay Alert
As always, stay alert while you’re running either:
- wear no headphones
- keep only one earbud in or
- keep the volume low so you can hear well.
Keep your eyes peeled and scan the neighborhood for potential issues and trust your gut instinct.
Learn to Read a Dog’s Body Language
While avoiding the situation is always the best line of defense sometimes aggressive dogs can’t be avoided. So how can you tell if a dog is potentially uncomfortable and considering an attack?
The Human Society says you need to watch their body language for the following signs:
- tensed body
- stiff tail
- pulled back head and/or ears
- furrowed brow
- eyes rolled so the whites are visible
- yawning
- flicking tongue
- intense stare
- backing away
Take a look at this video it demonstrates all of this body language so you’ll know excatly what to look out for.
Dos and Don'ts
If you get the feeling that a dog is uncomfortable and may be considering an attack keep the following dos and don’ts in mind to stay safe.
Don’t: Run or scream
Running will likely stimulate a chase instinct that all dogs have and the chances are slim you’ll be able to outrun a dog on the attack. Fight the urge to run and scream both may make the situation worse.
Do: Stand Still
Dog behavioral experts agree that one of the best ways to avoid an attack is to stand still and side-to the dog. This provides a more narrow target and let’s the dog know that you are not a threat.
Don’t: Make Eye Contact
While you’re profile to the dog keep him in your peripheral vision but avoid direct eye contact. Eye contact may cause the dog to lunge and he will likely consider eye contact aggressive communication on your part.
Do: Keep Arms at your side and hands in fists
Keeping your arms at your sides not only communicates that you aren’t a threat it also makes it harder for an attacking dog to bite your arm. Same with fingers, keeping them curled into fists so that your fingers don’t become biting targets.
Do: Slowly Back Away
Once the dog loses interest in you slowly back away and put some distance between you and the dog.
Don’t: Turn Your Back
Turn your back on the dog and run, you may trigger his chase instinct.
Do: Give a Command
If a more passive attempts aren’t working and the dog is still approaching, face him and give him a stern command like “Go Home”. It’s important, however that you still avoid eye contact.
Do: Give Him Something to Bite
If a dog does attack give him something else to bite like your jacket, water bottle or fanny pack...anything other than your arms or legs.
Do: Fight back!
Dog attacks can be fatal so if you are attacked fight back. Hit or kick the dog in the throat, nose or back of the head. Hopefully, you can stun the dog long enough to get away to safety.
At this point you should yell for help. If you can find a stick or other weapon use it but don’t go for the head, dogs have very thick skulls and chances are a head blow won’t help much.
Do:Roll into a Ball
If you fall during an attack roll into a ball and protect your neck, face and ears.
Should I Carry Mace?
There are pros and cons too carrying mace or pepper spray as protection on your runs, walks or rides. Ultimately, you’ll need to make this decision for yourself.
Pros:
Mace offers decent non lethal protection against four legged and two legged attackers. It’s inexpensive, small and easy to carry with you in a fanny pack or pocket.
Cons:
Mace can be used against you. It’s another thing you need to carry. You may start off carrying it during every run but overtime become complacent and end up in a situation without it anyway.
Here are some alternatives for Dog Repellent and Pepper Spray @ Amazon
What to do if you are bit?
The Human Society says that if you are bitten by a dog:
You should try not to panic and wash the wound as soon as possible with soapy warm water. Next contact your doctor for further assistance and then report the bite to your local animal care and control agency.
You’ll want to provide all the information you can to the animal control officer so the dog can be located. What color and breed was the dog, where did the attack happen, where did the dog go after the attack and so on.
I truly hope that you never have to deal with an aggressive dog but if you do remember:
- Don’t run or scream
- Stand Still
- Keep your arms at your side
- Keep your hands in fists
- Don’t make eye contact
- Stand side too
- If you are attacked give him something else to bite
- Fight back
- Protect your neck, face, ears and head
Best of all if you know there is an aggressive dog on your route, change your route, stay alert and do whatever you can to avoid an encounter.
Resources:
- What to do if a Dog Wants to Chase You
- How to Handle a Dog Attack
- CDC
- Human Society
- Dog Bite Prevention
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[wptab name='Eggs']
This week in the Outside Weight-loss segment we’re looking at a small change outside your normal routine that you can make to help fight the fat and keep the pounds off.
This week we’re cracking open an egg or two....
Eggs for breakfast
According to a 2008 study which was published in the International Journal of Obesity swapping a bagel for eggs could help you drop 65% more weight!
In the study, participants who ate eggs for breakfast:
lost more weight
reduced more body fat
and lost more inches from their waist
than those who ate the same number of calories in the form of bagels.
After analyzing the results researchers believe that because eggs are high in protein, eating them in the morning helps you feel full longer which reduces your desire to eat more throughout the day.
In fact, during the study researchers followed those participants who ate eggs for breakfast and found that over the next 36 hours they consumed, on average, 417 calories less than the bagel-eating group.
Aside from their ability to help you feel full and eat less eggs provide a variety of good nutrients your body needs. Eggs are packed with protein, zinc, iron, vitamins A,D,E and B12 and they deliver all of that in less than 90 calories!
You may have heard advice over the years that talked about limiting the number of eggs you eat weekly but now, according to the Food Standards Agency there’s no limit to the number of eggs you can eat a week as part of a healthy balanced diet.
One Medium egg provides the following:
- 89.7 kcal,
- 7.6g prot,
- 0.0g carb,
- 6.6g fat,
- 1.0g fibre
A couple of cautions.....watch the salt....I go with pepper if anything and if you’re frying your eggs go easy on the saturated fat.
My favorite way to do eggs:
Hard Boiled....easy to make, easy to eat and easy to take with you.
Scrambled....again easy to make, quick and not much clean up involved
So have a couple of nutrient rich eggs for breakfast, you’ll feel full longer, consume fewer calories throughout the day and jump start your weight-loss program.
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