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Last week, Rodrigo was pepper-sprayed and the incident brought so many emotions for me and I needed Johan to talk me down and get to a better place and once I was sure that Rodrigo was okay, I started drafting a blog post in my head.
Why My Dog Was Pepper Sprayed
A lot has changed over the years because I take 100% responsibility for what happened. The day before the incident, Rodrigo had been sick – vomiting for 20 minutes – and the evening of the incident, I was walking around the yard with Rodrigo (just us) to make sure that he was okay. And, yep, he was.
We were closer to the trail (that borders our property) than I usually take him because the trail was deserted. But then a roller skater came by and my Border Collie was like “YES! I'm gonna go say ‘hi,' I'll be right back.” And he went chasing after the roller skater and I went chasing after him screaming those horrible words…
“HE'S FRIENDLY, I'M SORRY, HE JUST WANTS YOU TO PET HIM, I'M SORRY!!!!”
And the guy pulled out pepper spray and let him have it and Rodrigo stopped, turned, and ran back to me. The guy sprayed him so much that it got on me when I was checking to make sure he was okay. It seemed to be something for dogs because although it did hurt Rodrigo, I didn't need to rush him to the emergency vet.
I took him inside and rinsed his face a couple of times in the shower, gave him loads of love, CBD oil, and a tranquilizer to help him sleep (he was so stressed).
And this is what I learned.
1 – It's My Fault that My Dog was Pepper Sprayed
While it's tempting to lay the blame on the man, it wasn't his fault. Things could have gotten worse and, if I'm being honest, I'm grateful that things worked out the way they did because if he had fallen down because of Rodrigo, I might be facing a lawsuit. I usually keep all the dogs away from this area of the property due to the proximity to the trail and I failed Rodrigo by not walking around in a different area of the property.
Rodrigo doesn't tolerate these 90 degree days and I was trying to keep him in the shade – an explanation, not an excuse.
What I'll Do Next Time…
Next time, I'll put Rodrigo on a lead so that he can walk around safely in the shaded area of our property. Can you believe that at the end of the day, there is only one area on our property that has shade? We have a lot of sun on our property and I think that's why we don't have a flea issue. A little meaningless trivia for you.
Rodrigo was a stellar recall unless he's triggered. He hasn't raced onto the trail in years so I thought those days were behind us and I became complacent. Of course I would love it if he stopped in his tracks, but this is an ask that is too big for me and I'll have to reach out to a dog trainer for tips on how to work with him (and the other dogs) on boundaries.
2 – When Someone Hurts My Dog, I'm Kind of Scary
I texted Johan as I was taking Rodrigo into the house to rinse off his face and when we chatted, he knew that he had to talk me down because I was furious. Although, logically, I understood that this man may have been attacked by a dog, may have been terrified of dogs, part of me didn't care.
Do you know how when some people get angry, they start crying? Well, that's me too. But I didn't cry that day, I was cold and laser focused and ready to lay into that man for hurting my baby boy.
What I Did Right…
Reaching out to Johan to have him talk me down was so smart. He knows me better than anyone, he knows how I feel about our dogs, and only he could get me to a space where smoke wasn't streaming out of my ears.
3 – I Have a Clear Head When My Dog is Hurt
I surprised myself. Although I was worried about Rodrigo and angry at that man, I was still able to compartmentalize (not my strong point) and focus on getting my dog cleaned up and comfortable within minutes, reach out to Johan for help, and empathize with that man.
Yeah, he could have been a dog hating a$$hole, but it's better for me to think that he's a man trying to exercise and tried of dogs chasing after him. And, as I type this now, I just remembered that there is a dog north of us and a dog south of us that follows people on the trail, so I'm no longer surprised that this man carries a weapon.
At least he didn't kick, tase, or shoot my dog.
4 – Dogs are Resilient and Live in the Moment
Rodrigo ran straight to me and it was like he was saying, “I wanted to say ‘hi' and he hurt me.” But a few hours later, he was relaxed and resting comfortable (thank you CBD oil and sedatives). While I stayed up late to make sure he was okay, he had moved on and was fine.
I pray that he stays away from the trail and I can help him by putting him on a lead next time. And I pray that he doesn't fear men on skates. Rodrigo is such a friendly, happy dog and loves everyone and I would hate for him to lose any of that.
5 – Dogs Hate the Smell of Coffee Grounds
When Rodrigo ran back to me, I was searching all over him to see if he had been injured and that's when I noticed his eyes were watering and he had these orange dots along his nose that smelled like coffee. That's not the only ingredient, because the spray definitely burned (I felt it on my lips – side note: don't kiss your dog after he's been pepper sprayed). Probably cayenne pepper.
15 Natural Dog Repellents According to the Internet
I compiled this list from several articles online that were offering tips on how to keep the dogs out of the garden.
- Citronella oil (my dogs don't seem to mind the citronella in the garden, but it's not an oil)
- Mustard Oil
- Citrus
- Chili Peppers
- Coffee Grounds
- Black Pepper
- Essential Oils (Zoey hates them)
- Cayenne Pepper
- Lime Juice
- Apple Cider Vinegar (doesn't seem to bother my dogs)
- White Vinegar
- Ammonia
- Rubber Alcohol
- Dog Poop (which is why I like our dogs to poop on the perimeter of our property to keep other dogs and wildlife away – doesn't work).
- Mothballs
Will My Dog Be Okay?
Rodrigo will be fine, but when he goes in for his wellness check next month, I'll speak to his vet about what happened. I'm not worried about the physical side effects of the pepper spray, I'm more concerned about, and I know this makes me sound like a goof ball, his mental heath.
I checked on him for a few hours after the incident and he was fine His gums were a healthy pink, his eyes were clear, I couldn't smell the pepper spray on his face – he was fine, so I was fine too.
If I ever seen that man again, I doubt that I'll say anything to him. I apologized when Rodrigo went out there. Yeah, I probably sounded like a crazy woman since I was creaming “I'M SORRY!!!” but it still counts. And what's the point of a conversation? He was protecting himself and I respect that. I don't like that my dog was hurt, but I also understand that 100% of the responsibility is on me.
I love your level headedness if that is a word about the situation, sounds scary and I’d be so angry if it happened to my dog but feel like I wouldn’t say anything after it happened either I would feel so bad. We are responsible for keeping our dogs safe and out of people’s way. This is why I love long lines, not retractable leads but a long 5 or 10 metre lead so that the dog still has freedom but can be pulled back if needed.
This story reminds me of back when I was younger still in school and used to ride horses, we’d ride on quiet roads but there was a particular house that had these dogs that would be outside unsecure all the time and they’d hear us coming and chase the horses. I would be so scared to go past this house, scared that the horse would get injured, and that I’d fall off. So dangerous, we just used to trot past as fast as we could, no-one ever came to apologise or try to get the dogs in or anything.
thankss
I would have lost it if that had happened to one of my babies. However, as a cyclist I understand the fear and danger of a loose dog chasing me. I don’t carry any spray but have hollered at someone to control their dog.