What to do when a strange dog approaches or attacks

Dear Cathy: Several weeks ago, I was taking a walk when a dog ran from its backyard and bit me twice on the back of my right leg. I was terrified and shocked.

I turned my back to the dog (like you are supposed to do when a dog jumps on you), crossed my hands on my chest, started hollering “no” and “help,” but did not kick at him for fear he would grab my leg and drag me down. The dog retreated to his yard while barking viciously.

I returned home a different way, limping. The bites had not broken my skin, but I was sore and badly bruised.

I reported the incident. Not sure how the sheriff handled it. How should someone react to a dog when this happens? It was such a scary and shocking moment. There is little time to process and react to protect yourself. — Joyce, Cook County, Illinois

Dear Joyce: It can be very frightening to be bitten by a dog and difficult to control your reactions to avoid escalation. It sounds like your instincts served you well and you got the dog to back down. Turning away from the dog and crossing your arms over your chest not only protected your face and torso, it also would have helped you maintain balance if the dog had jumped on you.

When I teach children to be safe around strange dogs, I tell them to stand like a tree (freeze in place) and cross their arms over their chest for those very reasons. I tell them to never stare at the dog, which can feel like a threat to a dog, or speak to the dog, because a fearful voice can agitate the dog further.

Silence and stillness tend to result in a dog’s quicker retreat. It sounds like you overpowered the dog with your voice and got him to retreat. If you hear your voice sounding scared, though, go silent quickly.

If the dog knocks them down, I tell the kids to stay on the ground and be like a rock, tucking their head, arms and legs under them.

They need to stay there until the dog leaves or an adult comes to help. Adults can apply these techniques as well. You also can carry pepper spray to ward off an attacking dog.

Always report these encounters to authorities for the safety of the neighborhood. These dog owners need to be educated by the police or an animal control officer on how to keep their pet restrained.