Yes, it happened again. Kodi and I were out walking, in an area we chose to walk in because we were avoiding another area where we had been attacked several times.There is a stretch of road with no sidewalk, behind a ball field. Only the backs of houses face the ball field, so there isn't much activity on the street and portions of the road are shaded by old tree growth, so it makes for a quiet and serene place to walk.
We have noticed that one back yard is fenced in with a short decorative fence consisting mainly of a decorative lattice and a frame. There is a small boxer mix that has been in that yard on occasion, though she has barked at us, she's never attempted to jump the fence.
She jumped the fence! We were walking by, following (at a safe distance) a Samoyed and his owner who often walk the same route. As we were passing her back yard, she had her paws and elbows on the top of the fence, barking at us. We ignored her and kept moving.
We had just passed her property line, on the other side of the street, closer to the ball field, when suddenly I was startled by growling and barking, two snapping dogs. Kodi had spun around, pulled the Halti off his face and was defending himself.
I didn't have my pepper spray in reach (of course), so I swiped at her with my hand screaming "No! No!" and "Get away from us!"
She ran toward her yard as the man walking the Samoyed came back. He said she liked his dog and he would get her in her yard again.
A woman was sitting on the monument at the corner of the ball field who had witnessed the attack. She and the man, who had returned with his dog, asked if we were okay. I was getting the Halti back on Kodi's face and proceeded to run my hands over the length of his body. There was saliva on his back/shoulder, but there didn't appear to be any breaks in his skin.
I have to say I was shaken up. Kodi was too. Once we had moved on and were a good distance away from where the incident took place, he kept looking up at me and slowing down. I stopped my chair and spoke to him, as he put his paws up on my forearm and licked my face, rubbing the top of his head and nose under my chin, across my chest.
Clearly, he needed reassurance, as did I. We stayed there on the sidewalk, and took care of one another for 2 or 3 minutes, just letting cars pass us by.
When he was comfortable enough to put his feet back down, we continued on our walk.
I don't understand what it is that gets us attacked so often. I've had people suggest that perhaps it is the power chair, that some dogs are frightened or threatened by the moving chair, something beyond their realm of understanding or experience. I've also had people tell me that one dog can be prone to attacks depending on the way they 'carry' themselves. I don't know... I wish I knew what was prompting these attacks. This would make no less than 7 in about 2 years.
We are never going to overcome Kodi's insecurity if this sort of thing keeps happening. Short of constructing some sort of bubble around us to protect us, I am clueless as to how to avoid future attacks.
Our area in which we can safely walk has shrunken considerably, as I avoid places where previous attacks have occurred. We are becoming seriously limited as to how much exercise Kodi can get by walking.
I wish there were more I could do to protect us.
