In The News
There were so many animal stories in the new this week! Some sad, and some just plain horrible. Like the guy who set his dog on fire. And the Freep actually had a picture of the animal–showing its burned face. Very sad. Then the story about the man saving the dog who got swept off the peer by waves. The dog rode a surf board back to safety.
I guess the big stories are the ones about dogs killing 3 people this week and the 200% increase in rabies cases this year. Both very serious, and both worth commenting about.
Firstly, getting attacked by a dog is no picnic. And surviving an attack by a pack of dogs is pretty rare. But there are things that you can do to increase your chances of survival especially if attacked by a single dog. Dogs instinctually look to be members of a pack. They either lead or submit to a leader. And the decision to submit can be made very quickly if you know what to do. If you come upon a loose dog that looks like it wants to challenge your being there, stand tall and move very slowly. Face the dog and in a loud, very low voice, yell “NO!”. Repeat as necessary. Do not turn away and do not stop looking the dog in the face. If you do, you are telling the dog that you are submissive and will take whatever punishment it is going to give out. If they dog comes at you in an attack mode, give the dog something to bite. If possible a foot with a shoe on it is the best thing as that is the hardest thing to bite through. That also leaves both your hands free to jab the animal in its most vulnerable place–its eyes. Poke the eyes hard and repeatedly to get the dog focused on its own pain. If that does not get the dog off you, your only other choice is to strangle the dog until it passes out. Pit bulls are notorious for ignoring their own pain and sometimes poking out an eye doesn’t do anything to stop the aggression. Only passing out will stop the dog long enough for you to escape. I have been attacked by a few single dogs and have come through with just a few bites. It is scary as hell, and I don’t wish the experience on anyone. But I am also happy to say that most of the dogs have backed down when I faced them and growled “NO!” as loud as I could.
Most people do not think rabies will affect them. Your animals never leave the yard, or the cat is always in the house right? Well, the sad fact is that those are the most probable ways your pet will have with their first contact with the disease. The most common animal infected with rabies is the bat. When bats get rabies, they do not fly well, and end up on the ground in somebody’s yard. You let your dog out and it comes back with a bat in its mouth because it was so very easy to catch. Same with the cat. The bat isn’t feeling all that well, it was living in your attic anyway and somehow finds its way through a duct into your living area. The cat plays with it until you get home and is exposed to rabies. Please get your pets vaccinated for rabies even if they never leave your house/yard. If you don’t, when the health department comes out for a sick bat call, they will euthanize your unvaccinated pets to test their brains for rabies. Vaccination is the only way to save your animals from certain death–either by the disease itself or by the testing method used today. Even livestock can be vaccinated for rabies and it is highly recommended that horses get their yearly shots as well.
PS Don’t forget about Hawkfest this Sat at Erie Metro Park. And say “Hi” to Dave Hogan who is one of the master falconers there giving demonstrations. He is very knowledgeable about the birds of prey and rehabs several each year. Or you can ask him about chickens–a hobby we both share! (sorry about the font trouble–I have no idea why it does the strange things it does…..)