Scared:Was that a fight or a play?

This morning I was walking Rex and let him to swimm a little, I stayed at the river bank (many meters above), then came a man with his dog (pitbull type) off-leash. The dog saw Rex down in the river and wanted to go there; the owner didn't allowed, called his dog but she stayed staring at Rex, at the same time Rex came up from the river with a huge stone in his mounth (as he always does), and that dog blocked his way.

Rex droped the stone, sniffed the that dog, and they started a kind of fight or play. Before they began this scene, I called Rex back, he didn't hear me. I pulled him away from that fight/play. No dogs were hunrt. I put the leash on. After that he took his stone back in his mount and we continued our walk.

Still during the dog's scene the man quicked Rex. When things calmed down he said he will bring a knife next time and will kill Rex.

I did not say anything and went my way back.

I think if I meet that man again and he threats us, I have to report the police (!?), or should I report just now, in order to avoid things to get worse? (The man looks like a "normal" one).

Normally Rex growls/barks/lunges to passing by dogs, and the other owners and me, simply pull the respective dog the other way, and never happened any kind of anthipathy, till now.

People whose dog already met Rex, know how he acts, and avoid proximity. I do the same.

Anyway next Saturday (May 8), he will go to a dog class and I hope he will accepted to future classes (other dogs!!!).

Rex never goes outside off-leash, I wear leather gloves for a better grip and another leash around my torax for more resistence (no dogs around I have free hands) I let him off only to swimm, and when we play retriever at a reserved part of the park, no dogs are around. When we are playing, he doesn't care about passing by dogs.

I do not intend to change our route (Sihlpromenade). The other route (by Limmat River) is too narrow (for him!!!).

Well, I just wanted to share this experience and my feelings with you.
Thank you.


Rosana
and
Rex, GSD, 3y (neutered)

Oh my! I can't believe that someone told you that they would bring a knife next time and kill him:eek: I'm just in shock over that alone!
I would have definately told the police right away, just in case there was another altercation next time I took Rex there.

It sounds to me like they were just playing & if not, you took care of the situation right away.

Oh my goodness! I hope that Rex is OK after that man kicked him! And I would also tell the police about the threat he made. Was it legal for the man's dog to be off-leash in that area? I hope that you and Rex stay safe!

Hello Anna_66
Thank you for your post.
I tend to think that it was a play, bc the other dog was laying down, if it was a fight she wouldn't lay down, she would defend herself on stay position, bite, etc... I think. I believe Rex is a "hard" player.
Was everything too quickly, less than one minute.

This thing with knives is not selten here in Zurich, and some times they stab the owners too... and that kind of thing ends on the justice court, press, etc.

Poor Rex, after that experience he is a little sad.

I wish you a nice day with your puppies.

Rosana
and
Rex

The Swiss law is clear: any dog outside, must be on leash.
Normally when people see that Rex (or other dog) begins provoque other dogs, they put their own dog on leash or control them another way (commands).
Avoidance of any conflict is on both sides.
That man had no leash at all and his dog did not obbey when he called her to follow him and he walked further. During the scene, he did nothing to get his dog away from Rex. I had to pull Rex alway from his dog.

Its hard to know if it was fight or play without seeing it. It sounds like you did the right thing though. The man is more at fault because he did nothing.

Please stay safe when you're walking. I don't want you or Rex to get hurt.

Thank you all very much.

I went to the police station and told what happened.
They said since the man did not show any knife, there was no dog bites, nobody was injured, i could not state a report.

They said that in case the man shows a knife, or tries to hurt us, i should call the emergency number and report him.

Rex is ok, I he shows no signs of pain or injury. I checked his legs.

I hope this kind of thing will never happen again.

Good evening and thanks again.

Rosana
and
Rex

I would probably be in jail if I were you because if anyone hurt my dog, they'd have the wrath of a very angry woman! You need to be careful for you both when you're walking. Do you have any friends that you can take with you, in case you run into this idiot again?

Sounds like you do everything you can to be safe courteous. Now just keep an eye out for that man and stay away if you see him, which I hope never happens again!

What a frightening experience! I'm glad that Rex is ok; that's the most important thing! And you did right in at least reporting the incident to the police so that they have a record of your concern. I would certainly true to avoid this man at all costs!