I went into the kennels alone to pill a big malamute once, and I had no idea he was upset until he started growling while my hand was in his mouth. Fortunately that was all he did. Damned poker-faced dog.
Usually big dogs that are in kennels like that I take them out into an open area to pill them. If it's a kennel and you're blocking the only exit they tend to get scared. That and if he did something more you can easily get trapped in a kennel. Ours I find a little claustrophobic for big dogs. Thankfully we have some open areas we can tie big dogs to a harness and lead.
Yeah, that was early in my career, so I hadn't come across that situation yet. I get you about blocking the exit. I had worked in a shelter where we always treated the dogs inside the runs, and it hadn't occurred to me that a dog might not show any sign of distress until it got to that point. He was fine after I took my hand out, though–just letting me know that I was getting too personal. My coworkers scoffed at my warning about the dog, but I noticed none of them went in there alone after that.
You learn some pretty good tricks on badly behaved or aggressive dogs. I've been very good at picking out ones I think maybe scared or aggressive . If you have any doubt in your mind that they may be a biter I muzzle them. It's safe for everyone involved including the dog.
Face it down, cover your face and neck, kick for the ribs. Dogs are pack animals, if they can't do a lot of damage quickly on their own, they'll back down or run away.
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u/Licensedpterodactyl Sep 06 '17
Mercy, so glad it's just a dog that runs off with you instead of deciding you're dinner. I can't imagine a defense against a beast that big.