Would your dog get his hackles up if someone threatened you? (Photo from the Flickr photostream of corsi photo)So you’re walking down a quiet street one night with your dog. Suddenly someone approaches you, threatening you with a gun, knife, or simply a command to hand over your wallet — or worse.
I’ve occasionally wondered what Jake would do in this situation, since I’ve had to walk him late on plenty of occasions. Sometimes I think he’d wag and wonder what’s going on, smiling as I handed over any valuables. But lately I’ve come to think that if Jake felt my fear, if it “dumped down the leash” as they say in military dog circles, he might do something about it. And 90 pounds of protective yellow Lab is not to be taken lightly.
A fellow San Franciscan found out the answer to this question just after midnight yesterday. She was walking her dog in the Bernal Heights neighborhood when an armed man approached and told her to put up her hands. She did. He took her house and car keys. (She probably had nothing else on her, if she was just taking her dog for a little bathroom stroll.)
By this point the dog — whose breed, age, and name were not revealed in any news stories — decided this guy was a problem. He started growling. Police say the robber backed away, and was about to run when the dog bit his leg. The injured robber ran off. He still had the woman’s keys, but at least the incident stopped there.
Good dog, whoever you are!
So it got me to wondering if you have also wondered whether your dog would ever take matters into his own paws in this kind of situation — or if any of your dogs have ever actually acted on your behalf. Let us know! I’m sure there are some dogs who would lick a bad guy to death, but I’ll bet there are many who would really be there if need be.
