and dog-friendly activities — and fenced-in yards — and this year it was only a little over an hour away . We spent the week , and Apache ’ s birthday , being silly , having fun and being together . He had a great time , and most im-portantly he was in good humor . We abandoned our planned woodsy hikes in favor of sticking close to the cabin with a few sight-seeing drives and found the perfect spot to get out and walk : a lakeshore right along the roadside where he and Emmie could wade in the lake and dredge up driftwood with only cars and birds in the backdrop .
The dog in front of me was Apache , and Apache had demonstrated his resilience and insatiable desire to play since the day I ’ d met him eight years before as an adolescent . By the second day at the cabin , he was running ( probably too fast ) and playing fetch ( his favorite ). He was trying to drag around big sticks ( under close supervision ) and cuddling and watching movies and eating birthday cake . For us , and for Apache , it fit . Whatever the dogs wanted to do or not do was the order of every day ; and Apache ’ s only limitation was us trying to be mindful of his stitches and that he didn ’ t overdo it .
While I don ’ t think our trip was a panacea for his healing , spending a week together , a quality week , the three of us and my partner ( Apache ’ s other favorite human ) just having fun and loving each other , was exactly what we needed . As Donaldson concludes , “ When you ’ re dealing with trauma you have to throw a lot of conventional wisdom out the win-dow because it ’ s not helpful .” I know this approach wouldn ’ t work for every dog ( or maybe even any other dog ), but it worked for Apache and Emmie .
Offense vs . Defense We were on a playground at a trailhead . None of the numerous neighbors , tucked securely in their houses a stone ’ s throw away , came out to help . Later I wondered how many of them bore witness and what it looked like from the safety of their homes .
In the moment , everything I knew about dogfights was buried somewhere , unable to be retrieved . Later I wondered about the wheelbarrow method . May have worked if another human had been readily available , but in an open area keep-ing the dogs away would ’ ve been challenging . Break stick ? Possibly , had I had one , I could ’ ve used it as a weapon if I was able to get and keep both dogs away from a bloodied Apache and him away from them . What I am convinced would not have worked was my citronella spray I carry a lot of times , which had come in handy before when a dog had approached and started molesting a muzzled Apache . I was able to get the dog square in the eyes and send him running , but that dog ’ s intentions were different from these two dogs .
Dog sociability is a spectrum , and most dogs are either dog tolerant or dog selective , and some even dog aggressive : a small number of adult dogs are truly dog social . So which dogs should and shouldn ’ t be off leash ? In most states , in-cluding here in Michigan , dogs must be on leash in most public places , but I see more dogs off leash than I do on leash regardless of what state I ’ m in . I ’ ve encountered very few humans who can call their dogs off . I ’ ve often given clients this flow chart , created by dog trainer Jenny Williams , as a great resource that playfully yet poignantly illustrates decision-making of whether to leash or let loose : https :// notesfromadogwalker . com / 2013 / 11 / 16 / shouldi-leash-my-dog-flowchart / ( Dolce 2013 ). Unfortunately , our clients frequently wish their dogs were social butterflies and this can lead to off leash tragedies .
Of course , there are many emotional and behavioral benefits to having dogs well trained off leash . Conversely , untrained offleash dogs not only present issues for other dogs and humans , but also themselves as they can be at risk in unfamil-iar ( and even familiar ) landscapes . My clients are sometimes surprised they haven ’ t previously given some of these any thought :
• Vehicles
• Hunters
• Wildlife
• Environmental hazards
• Property owners
• Other dogs
• Liabilities ( i . e ., knocking over a child , senior citizen , disabled person )
• Anyone who doesn ’ t want to be approached by a strange dog
Additionally , teaching body language as standard practice is essential . Our clients might only be on the lookout for obvious warning signs : snarling , snapping , growling , baring teeth , lunging . Apache ’ s assailants didn ’ t show overt signs of at-tack . Much like Apache , their signals were stiffening and intense silence and stare : within seconds the attack began .
Apache , and many of our dogs , live and are trying to function in a human-centric world having experienced various types of traumas . Most of us know people whose dogs have been attacked by other dogs , and we have worked with dogs who
“ I can be changed by what happens to me . But I refuse to be reduced by it .”
– Maya Angelou
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Spring 2024 41