I have never had this happen and it scares me to death to think of it as I am reading your stories. Long ago my dad was walking my childhood dog, and an off leash dog came up and attacked my dog. My dad was so shaken he nearly had a heart attack. When he got home he and mom raced Laddie to the vet and he was OK in time.

The worst thing I have faced on my walks is dogs snarling/growing at us from out of windows or in a fenced yard (cyclone) where they can see us but not get to us. Bella's tail goes way down and she is clearly afraid. Ripley acts like "bring it on." I like the idea of bringing an umbrella or some sort of device for protection, but honestly just the thought of this terrifies me.