Amber,

That was a scary story!  I too am not afraid of dogs, but pit bulls are another thing.  You can never tell what they will do.  I walk every day and I carry a bottle filled with amonia, I have been told that dogs will run from it.  I haven't tested it, I don't have a dog anymore.  Pepper spray scares me, if the wind is blowing you may spray yourself.  I hope this never happens to you again.  Have a great week!

OMG Amber-  I am glad you are alright.  As a dog lover; I love most ALL dogs...but I have no use for Pit Bulls or any other vicious dog.

At the very least Tiger should have been restrained.  What if it would have been one of your kids selling girl scout cookies or something?  Scary!

Yes, definitely get some pepper spray and keep it with you AT ALL TIMES.  I had a similar situation recently.  My pepper spray was in my car (no good!).  I use "Mugger Slugger" pepper spray that I HIGHLY recommend.  :)  Stay safe.

Thank god you are okay and that your children didn't see it. I like dogs too but...you never know how a pet will react to a stranger.

Amber - how scary for you and it could have gone completely different. Thank goodness you are alright. I still like dogs too - but there are some I am leary of.

Amber,

Whenever I do these visits, I always position myself where I can see 180 degrees- and I keep my head moving to keep my eye on the surroundings.  I never face the door while knocking. 

I have been fortunate, where most people invite me into their house -- to discuss the paperwork and what their option are.  However, if I am outside-- I try to watch all my surroundings.

But I too am glad that you are okay.

-Jason

Hi Amber -- that's a yikes(!) story.  I've had a couple a little bit like that with Cash for Keys.  I'm glad you're okay.  We, too, are dog lovers, but over the years we have seen the "other" side of even the best trained of them.  Pit bulls -- not at all predictable from our point of view.  God blessed you! 

Amber,

What a scary tale. My business partner has been in the buisness 25 years and has had many dogs (and birds!) attack her. She has taught me to use extreme caution since I first started Real Estate. Even though she is very cautious, she was attacked again about 6 months ago. Our area is actually seeing an epidimic of dogs running loose, and there is a new task force assigned to cure the problem. I'm glad you're alright! Stay safe and thank you for sharing, it's a good reminder.

Holly Galligan, Realtor ~ Lake Arrowhead

Sometimes it is the most common of things that hurt us.  Thanks for sharing the story and for the reminder.

Amber,

I am glad to know you are fine. It could have happened to any of us. Keep on soldering on. Thanks for sharing and we will rememember4 your story and learn from iy.

Thank you-all for the comments. Pit Bulls I have always been a little leary of , until my son got one and he is the biggest, most lovable baby around. I guess I just let my guard down and assumed that, because nothing like this has ever happened before, that it wouldn't. Well, now I know how quickly it can happen, so I have to remember to be more aware.

in my own defense, Jason, there is no way to approach this front door and still keep an eye on the surroundings. The entryway is, as I said, a narrow corridor about 15 feet long , so the view of the "outside" is just what you can see down a straight hallway.

When the lady got Tiger inside and apologized, she made a comment about that dog "being crazy." So I had to ask her why she lets him out on his own. I told her there were kids playing in the snow around the block, what if he had decided to go for one of them? She just shrugged and said "He loves kids- he would never hurt a kid!" So I asked her how many times he had tried to attack an adult before now... She didn't say anything, but I told her she needed to keep him restrained, and asked how she would feel if he hurt or killed someone someday.  She teared-up, so I think it made her stop and think about it, at least.

No, I am not against all Pit Bulls now because I had a bad experience with one, but I will definately keep their reputation in mind better now and pay more attention!

Amber,

I was not attempting to be rude-- so no need to defend yourself.

I was making a blanket statement and trying to be helpful-- and sharing what I do -- when I approach a strange situation.  Sometimes it is difficult---  but it is always my goal.

 Glad you are okay!

-Jason

Dogs behavior though often unpleasant always makes sense to the dog. 

Amber glad to hear you are ok.  Also, glad to hear that you chastised the owner for her lax attitude toward the event.  People need to take responsibilities for the actions of themselves, their kids, and their pets!

Jason, Don't worry- I didn't think at all that you were being rude. I just wanted to explain why, in this particular situation, it was not possible to keep an eye on the surroundings better. No offense taken, and hopefully, none given?

I think what really disturbed me the most was that I usually have VERY sharp instincts. I "get feelings" when there is danger around, and I honor those instincts and take reasonable precautions. In this case, except for having noticed the dog and his breed, there was absolutely nothing to indicate any danger. I will still trust those instincts implicitly, but now I guess I have to just start paying more attention, in general.

whoa, A great awakening of the caution we all need to bear in mind.  I too like to think that all dogs like me but...that is a bit naive of me...I'm glad you were ok..that is what counts at the end of the day

Amber:  I'm glad that situation turned out okay for you.  It would be appropriate to contact animal control to report the incident.  That can be a tough thing to do but it can be harder to read about an incident involving that dog later.  We have had some bad incidents with pit bulls here too.  Too many bad owners.

Amber, I'm so glad you were not bitten by the dog.  As a dog lover/dog owner I know that any breed of dog can be super protective of their territory (this is why I don't go door knocking).  There is a supplier on the Internet that sells dog mace especially for dogs like the one who threatened you...  http://www.pepper-spray-store.com/   I had planned on buying some so I can walk my dog(s) without getting attacked but haven't gotten around to it-your post has convinced me to get some!  Thanks for sharing this scary story.

Amber, that was a close call!  Glad you are OK.  You might want to check that house soon, as many foreclosure victims are leaving their animals behind to starve.

How absolutely terrifying!  All I could think of, while reading your story, was what "could" happen.  I've heard so many stories of dogs going crazy and the like.  So scary.  I'm so glad that you are ok (and that your children didn't see that!!).

By the way, did they survive being in the car alone for that few minutes?  I know I'm just asking for trouble if I leave mine in the car just to put an envelope in the mailbox.  hahahahha

~Renae

Amber, sorry to hear that happened to you.  But I am glad to hear that you are OK.   Take care and be safe.

I was attacked by a dog as a child but have always been around them and have always had at least one in my home, however in the field I am very frightened by them.  I have no idea how I would have reacted in your situation.  I am glad you are o.k. and hope you will be safe in the future.

That dog should've been tied up no matter what!  Your very lucky.

You did get out without severe injuries and that is wonderful. It doesn't alway work that way.  We have German Shepherds but they are extremely well trained and very lovable to everyone. Still since they are so large and probably look scary when I hear a bark, I try to get them inside and make them all sit and stay on the front steps. New delivery people appreciate that - the old ones call them to come for pets.

Yikes!!!   Were you kids watching, or were they trying their hardest to come as close to killing each other... while not actually doing it?

It is a shame that this happened to you, but you are very lucky to be okay.

I know I would have been terribly shaken up after an experience like that.  I would consider myself an animal lover, and there has only been one dog I've ever had an issue with.  In my senior year of high school, a friend and I went to visit another friend for his birthday.  Once inside his house, I started to bend down to pet their small dog, as I had done many times, and it jumped at me and bit my lip.  I still have a scar -- guess I should have gotten stitches.  That's probably the reason we have large breeds :)

I am certainly glad you are OK.  That was terrible.  I am already afraid of dogs so I don't take such chances.  If there was a crowd of 500 people outside, the dog would smell the fear on me and take the plunge.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments.  

Dawn- my kids couldn't have sen much, the way the house is positioned with the long covered entryway to the front door. Of course, they were a bit preoccupied, fighting over their Nintendo DS game, so all was as it should be with kids...

Kathleen- I wish more dog owners would train their dogs like that! Of course, I can't talk, mine are not the most obedient. WE live about 18 miles out in the "boonies," and they have the run of our land and some of the neighbors'. I have Great Pyrenees and Pyrenees' mix dogd, so they are the area watchdogs and kep coyotes and mountain lions away. They run alongside the few vehicles that drive past our house (I think, in their minds, they are "escorting" the intruders off our property, as they stop right at our property line and come back wanting praise). That is their biggest problem. They tolerate anybody who parks and comes up to the door (as long as we are home). I made the UPS drivers get out of their trucks and meet the dogs the first few times with me present, so the dogs would see they are allowed. We leave our doors unlocked most of the time, since I don't know anyone who would get out of their vehicles with 6 100+ pound dogs surrounding thier car.  But that's the way we want it on our property....

Latonia- I understand. When I went back to do the CFK, I told them the dog needed to be off the property or confined in a vehicle, or they would not get their check. So they had the dog in themoving truck. Until they got their check. Then they put him in the back of their daughter's pick-up and left. She went into the neighbor's house for about an hour, leavingthis dog they call "crazy" out there unattended. He never left the truck bed, but everytime he saw me, his head went down and he growled, so I went inside, closed the doors and did all my pictures and damage reports until they left. I just wasn't goingout there, because I knew I was afraid ofhim, and I am sure he knew it, too! 

I did get a thank-you card froma neighbor who got my info from a sign i put in the window. In part, they thanked me for getting those nasty people out of their neighborhood, and making them take that dog, too. Now they feel safe letting their kids play outside again...

At least the owner was apologetic...... and she did not sick the dog on you.....

I am glad you are allright, sis.......

At least the dog did NOT take a chunk out of you!!

=-)

Not all dogs are bad.  But this just makes me feel even stronger about owners who don't keep their pets restrained. This is obviously a dangerous dog that has no business being loose. I'm glad you made it out safely.

There is bad in every animal kind.  An animal is anything you make it!  Some people make them  mean by the way they are raised and treated, but most are loving and raised to be that way. You never need to teach an animal to be protective or aggressive.  That is a natural instict that animals can sense about someone naturally.  I was attacked by two vicious pit bulls.  Their owner made them that way.  Mace muzzle spray is what I now carry, I have used it and it works.  I purchased it through http://www.dz-gear.com.  Im sure it can be purchased locally through a firearms dealer also.

Amber, I too love dogs and usually have a good response from them as well.  But...(there's always a "but"), I'm always careful with dogs I don't know until we get "introduced" and I feel there's good chemistry between us. I'm glad to hear that this scary story had a happy ending. Most dogs are lovable creatures, but some can be lethal weapons.  

Do you stillthink bringing your children with you was a good idea?  You are dealing with desperate people in desperate circumstances. 

It is unfortunate that pet owners are not more responsible.  If a dog is outside it's home it should be in a gated yard or on a leash - that is the law in most places and best for everyone.  I have a Bichon that insists she poop in a particular neighbor's yard (we clean it up so he is quite nice about it) but it requires that we walk her down the street.  One day my husband was walking with her and she was attacked by a neighbor's dog that was out in the front yard, unattended and unrestrained.  My dog is submissive and rolled on her back right away, but my husband was very scared and had to reach into the conflict to pick up our dog.  Our dog was ok but Animal Control told us that we shouldn't walk anywhere in our neighborhood (which is by the beach and houses are not cheap) without a big stick and pepper spray.  What a shame - I can't even have my 13 year old son take the dog out for a walk, and even going on a walk after dinner requires that we DRIVE outside the residential area to walk in a safe place.  If a dog is out and off the leash, you can safely assume the owner is irresponsible and that the dog cannot be trusted because it probably hasn't been trained properly or kept current on shots.  Humans are to blame for vicious dogs, not the breed.      

I just joined this group & yours is the first post I read.  Had a similar experience, and I know how frightening it can be.

I was literally trapped in my car by a big sheep dog (think Stephen King).  There was a little dog running beside him.  When the owner finally came & grabbed the beast, I jumped out of the car & did my inspection on the house.

When I was finished I saw the lady with her big dog, now leashed, & I thanked her.  Her comment was..."my dog won't hurt a flea, but that little one you stepped around, he'd take your leg off".  Oh.

Amber,

Take extra care when working bank owned and short sales. Dogs that are normally friendly often pick up on the stress of their owners and can act out. Even though you're just the mesenger they see you as the mesage and it isn't good.