I would have helped the people chase the pit bull away from their dogs.

Whenever I see a stray dog, I try to catch it. Pit bulls are rarely people aggressive...especially adults. The owner probably would like their dog back, safely.

If its a friendly dog, usually I can coax it back to my house and get a leash on it. Then I walk it around the neighborhood knocking on doors...asking people "is this your dog?". I've frequently found a grateful owners this way.

Only once, I got a grumbly owner comment, "if you would have left him alone, he would have came home"... to which I replied, "I wanted to make sure he made it home safely and didn't get hit by a car".

There have been a couple times where I couldn't find the owner in the neighborhood, but I did find the owner, by calling animal control. I left my phone number and description of the dog that I had found. And usually within several hours I get a frantic call from someone who has called animal control, looking for their dog.

There was only one time when I didn't find the owner, and I took the dog back to animal control. They told me he was adopted out as a stray 10 days later.

If you had helped, several things might have occured----only one of which would have been good. You have little knowlege of dog behavior---not a criticism, just a fact. Therefore, inserting yourselves in a dog fight is a very dangerous thing. I have broken up several dog fights---and seldom got bitten---because I know how to break them up without a lit of exposure.

The only good outcome would have been successfully chasing off the stray---which is highly unlikely.

Most likely is the possibility of either you or your husband being bitten. Or even assaulted by the other couple.

You did the safest thing for you and your husband---stay away.

The only possible other thing you could have done was to knock VERY adamently on the nearest door and seek help.

So, do not feel badly about what you did---you were not responsible in any way.

I agree - you did the only thing you could do. Not being comfortable with dogs, you could have gotten hurt. Unfortunate that the people thought the dog was yours.
HandyMac, I would like to know your method of breaking up a dog fight. I am a dog owner but have never had to do this as I have a friendly lab, but dog owners should be prepared for surprises.

What could you do?

You could have called 911. You might be surprised how fast a policeman can show up. The dispatcher could have released animal control as well.

Did you ask the people who needed help, what could you do?
Perhaps them being animal people, they could have told you what they wanted help with... (ie. take this leash and this dog over there (away from the sitation)...

I think you did the right thing. You did everything you could be expected to do and even were nice enough to warn the people about the dog too.

Since you didn't have a mobile phone with you, (for future reference) you can call animal control (or the police) when you get home and tell them there is a loose dog wandering around. In my parts it takes about 2 hours to respond but you never know.

If I was the lady with the 5 dogs, as soon as I saw a loose dog I would have turned around and walked the other way, no matter what breed the loose dog was.

I am the wrong person to ask about this...I would have attacked the pitt bull. I will go after any dog who gets agressive with me or my dog.
Grabbed it by the back legs, flipped it over and sat on it until animal control came. I have done it before and would not hesitate to do it again.
NOTE - I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE TRY THIS TECHNIQUE. YOU MUST BE QUICK AND FEARLESS AND NOT CARE IF YOU GET BIT.
If someone had a jacket on, one person could throw it over the pitts head, or even a t shirt, while someone else goes to get help.
It is a hard call to make. I have a tendency to get involved. Even saving a small dog and its owner from being stalked by a wolf malamute mix (huge dog). I saw it stalking the pair in a parking lot and in my deepest most fearless voice, I said hey, knock it off. Leave it. The hybrid stopped in its tracks and stared at me. I stared back. the man asked if it was my dog, I said no, go get into your car, I saw what was happening, go get yourself and your dog to safety.
The hybrid kept staring at me. I would not back down. Finally he broke eye contact and loped away.

You acted appropriately and frankly you could have been hurt by any of the 6 dogs. None of them knew you and displaced aggression is very common reaction in this type of situation.

The people walking the dogs did NOT act appropriately. I walk no more than two dogs at a time and carry citronella spray always. Not because I can't walk 4 dogs at once, but because I can't protect 4 dogs in this type of situation. As Danceswithwolves mentioned, the SAFE action for the couple with 5 dogs to have taken was to change course the INSTANT they saw the off-lead dog. If they can't handle 5 dogs, they shouldn't be walking 5 dogs at a time.

Novita---breaking up a dog fight depends on a lot of factors. What kind of dogs are fighting, what they are fighting about, Where the fight happens, and what tools I have available---like a water hose, rake, belt, newspaper and so on.

I will say happily I have never attempted to break up a fight involving a pit. I had a pit mix and spent a lot of time stopping any aggressive behavior before it started.

Now, there are some general actions to take. I like to act on the aggressor if I can quickly tell which one started the fight. The dog being attacked often will cease quickly when the aggressor is controlled. Trying to rescue the dog being attacked just allows the aggressor more access to attack.

Yell as loud and as deeply as you can. I was a drill sergeant when in the Army and can yell quite effectively. Smaller dogs can be grabbed by the skin of their neck and wrenched away from the other dog.

Larger dogs can be redirected by pulling their tail. That takes very quick reflexes---the dog may turn on you. Rapping the aggressor with a rake handle/stick can be effective. The main intent is to redirect the attacking dogs attention and have it focus on you instead. You have to be able to control the dog after that happens, so your posture and mind set has to reenforce that objective.

Even with my experience---working for a vet and helpiong folks work with their dogs, I would not want to have to stop a pit whose intent is to attack. They often attack with the intent to kill---not protect.

Thanks, Handymac. Useful to know just in case...

Absolutely you did the right thing. It's exactly what I would have done. You had no experience with dogs and any of them could turn on you. Hey, one of my cats hissed at me the other day because he was mad at another cat and thought I was that cat. Animals are unpredictable and you could have been seriously hurt. If you had your cell, you could've called 911 but they would not have responded in time. It's very scary. A friend's son's dog broke his leash and attacked my dog. I got between them and suffered a large bruise but my dog wasn't hurt and the other dog was just cranky..a lot of ruckus but no biting.

I can understand not getting in between the fighting dogs, but to just walk away without even trying to get some help is unbelievable. You should have at least knocked on doors to TRY to get some help. Someone just might have opened the door and called 911, but you will never know.

How would you feel if a pit bull had you by your neck and no one could be bothered to try to get help? Seriously think about it. I am so thankful that those that witnessed our attack last year immediately called 911. The officers showed up within minutes and saved my DH's life and shot the dog that had my neck in his jaws. As most of you know we lost both of our pups because of that night, but our lives were saved due to the RESPONSIBILE actions of others.

Phew, thank you Momofdoxies, I was beginning to think everyone here was heartless.

Irregardless of the dogs, these people needed help. What if they were being attacked by a person, hit by a car, falling off a cliff, would you just walk away?

I can't imagine not helping someone in an emergency...

My sister had a rottie that was sometimes "unkind" to her older, weaker male dog (rottie wanted to be alpha, older dog was trying to hang on). She got in the middle of it, trying to break it up once and she was very badly bit right through the ankle by the rottie (who was rehomed to a house without dogs or kids). It was a situation just just you are talking about, a snarling mess. But the rottie just spun and around and bit her before even realizing who she was.

I would never get in the middle of a dogfight unless absolutely necessary. I would say you should have called 911, but you didn't have a phone with you. Depending on the neighborhood, I would have knocked on a door, etc. I would have looked for a handy rake or shovel, even a long stick. But I would not step into it, so to speak, without something.

In the future I wouldn't go for walks without a cell phone.

You're asking the wrong question. What I would have done is irrelevant to your situation, because I have had large dogs for my entire life. Your question should be "what should we have done?"

I was fine reading the your post until this part: I thought about knocking on a door, but people rarely answer their doors, if they are even home in our neighborhood, and even if 911 was called, I doubt the cops would have come before it was all over.

Everything before that was fact: loose dog, people inexperienced and uncomfortable with dogs, two strangers with five dogs, loose dog attacking five dogs and two people. That last sentence was pure conjecture--assuming that no one would answer their door, assuming that help would not arrive in time, assuming that someone answering a door would be incapable of helping.

You were absolutely right, given your inexperience and discomfort around dogs, not to intervene physically yourselves. That might very well have been the equivalent of someone who couldn't swim jumping in to help someone who was drowning. It could have ended very badly for you, as well as for the couple and their dogs.

You were, however, absolutely wrong to do nothing. Getting away from the situation and to the nearest potential source of help as fast as possible would be the only responsible thing to do. Leaving those people and their dogs to fend for themselves was clearly not responsible or neighborly. I find it truly sad that this type of response is becoming the norm.

Do you even know how this ended for the couple and their dogs?

Wow. I agree with joepyeweed and others. I also can't believe anyone would think it was fine to just walk away. I won't fault you for not jumping into the fray, if you weren't comfortable doing so, but to just walk away? You cite fear for yourselves being injured as reason not to intervene, but completely ignore the fact that this other couple was in just as much risk of injury as you would have been. You even admit that you "thought about knocking on a door", but just decided not to bother? And didn't even stick around to see how it ended or if anyone was hurt?

If you weren't comfortable trying to help, and you didn't have a phone on you, what you should have done is pounded on doors and screamed for help until someone came, and you darn well should have stuck around to see if the people (even if you don't care about the dogs) sustained injuries they needed assistance with.

How could you witness someone (dogs or people) being attacked by a pit bull, and just walk away? I get that you were scared, but too scared to call 911? Wow, I don't really know what else to say. I just hope that if I'm ever in a dangerous situation where I need help, you and your husband, or people like you and your husband, are not the only ones around. Sorry, I know this sounds harsh, but this is unbelievable.

THere is too much going on here. I wonder if this is a factual post, or one to stir up the forum.

You don't know much about dogs, but you recognized the free dog as a pit bull? You referred to a pit bull, but the other people with 5 dogs are not identified as large or small?

Your neighborhood is one where people do not usually open their doors, but you are walking there with no spray or phone?

Who would walk 5 dogs without having a means for controlling them?

Could you not have taken one dog each, and let the walkers try to control the rest?

Do you know what a troll is?

You seem to have a good posting record on the forums.
Since you know nothing about animals, this may not have been the best place to ask your question.

When I saw that you claimed to be an RN part time, I thought you were not serious. I think you made a bad choice by asking basically animal lovers what to do. You truly should call the police department (not 911), explain the unsafe atmosphere in your neighborhood and ask what to do. I also think you should do something in your own neighborhood to open it up, and encourage your neighbors to become more involved in the safety of its members.

Are there no children in that neighborhood?

I still think your post is inappropriate for us. You are a gardener? What would your reaction be to a poster who doesn't like vegetation? Poor analogy, but you need to make a good choice in your audience.

You asked the question almost a week ago, and have not responded since. Regardless of how active of a poster you are, you should or could at least thank those who have taken the time to think about your post, and give their opinions ------- unless you are a troll.