My Pet World: When people let their dogs run off-leash

Dear Cathy,

I am getting frustrated with people with unleashed dogs. I have a 6-year-old poodle-bichon, Rosie that we rescued three years ago. She is great with people, especially kids, but is very aggressive whenever we see other small dogs.

As the summer is progressing, I encounter more people out in their yards with small dogs unleashed. I realize that people should be allowed to have their dogs on their private property unleashed, but they need to ensure their dogs stay put. Once Rosie sees these dogs she goes crazy, and the dogs come running to her. I pick her up and hold her, but she scratches and pulls to get down as these dogs' bark at my feet. When the owners show up, they usually say, "Don't worry, my dog is friendly."

I cannot guarantee my dog won't bite another dog. If my dog did hurt one of these unleashed dogs I would feel terrible. Would I be responsible for paying the vet bills? -- Cathy, IL

Dear Cathy,

It can be frustrating to walk your dog and have an unleashed dog run up to you since you have no way of knowing whether these approaching dogs are friendly. Since there is concern your dog could bite, you might consider walking her with a basket muzzle, which gives her room to pant and generally communicates to others to keep their dogs away.

If a dog approaches and you're comfortable addressing the pet owner in real-time, say: "Please call your dog. Your dog is scaring my dog, and my dog can be dog-reactive." Pick up your dog, as you have been doing, but turn your back on the approaching dog. This keeps your dog from trying to get to the other dog. Wait until the other dog is back with their owner before putting your dog down and continuing your walk. If this happens again with the same dog, then visit the person's house without your dog to explain your situation.

If they say their dog is friendly, simply say, "My dog doesn't like other dogs and these encounters are stressful for both of us. Can you please help me by keeping your dog from approaching us?"

You also can carry a can of coins to shake or use a Pet Corrector (compress air) to make a noise that might halt the approaching dog.

As for paying for medical bills after a dog fight, this can be very tricky. An unleashed dog might be more to blame, but it will depend on how the fight starts and the injuries sustained. Let's just say you are smart to pick up your dog to prevent anything from happening.

Dear Cathy,

Our cat, like many, dislikes having his nails trimmed. When he was young, I used to wear garden gloves when cutting his nails so as not to lose a finger. He's now 18 pounds and tolerates nail trims. I just put his serving of wet cat food in front of him to distract him. While he doesn't try to eat it, he does let me trim his nails knowing that his meal comes afterward. This has made it a lot less stressful for both of us. When finished, I let him go, and he makes a U-turn to the food bowl. -- James, Hebron, CT

Dear James,

Nice! I love hearing how sneaky pet owners work out strategies to get their cats to acquiesce to a nail trim. Read on to hear another reader's tricky tactics to trim their cat's nails.

Dear Cathy,

For years, I offered to try to clip my parents' cat's claws but was essentially shot down each time. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I purposely arrived while Dad was asleep and convinced Mom to watch silently from upstairs. Rusty was sleeping on a chair, and Callie was sleeping on the couch next to the chair. I petted and spoke to Rusty and clipped all four paws in less than one minute without him even budging, while he purred. I moved over to do the same with Callie with the same results.

I looked upstairs to see Mom with her eyes open wide and her jaw on the floor. Next time around, I had Dad do the same it with same results. -- Doug, Wethersfield, CT

Dear Doug,

Sneaking up on cats and clipping their nails while distracting them and without holding them or touching them is definitely a ninja move. Thanks for sharing your technique for cutting your cat's nails.

========

(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)