What to do if a dangerous dog approaches you

There are some cases in which a person can get attacked by a dog without any warning, and the victim may not have time to try to avoid getting bitten. But there are certainly other times when a dangerous dog will approach, and you have to decide how to respond to the situation.

Sometimes people get bitten because they accidentally respond inappropriately. They do something to make the situation worse. So what should you do to give yourself the best chance of walking away uninjured?

Avoid eye contact

First of all, you want to avoid eye contact with the dog because that makes the dog think you’re acting aggressively. You also want to present a smaller profile, so it can help to simply turn sideways and watch the dog in your peripheral vision.

Try to stay calm

You may be afraid, but yelling, running or otherwise reacting out of fear could make your situation much worse. This can rile the dog up or cause it to chase you. If you can stay calm, you can sometimes soothe the dog so that it will leave you alone.

Make a slow escape

Your goal should be to slowly try to leave what the dog thinks of as its own territory. In cases like this, dogs are usually threatening to bite because they think you are an invader. If you can put something else between you and the dog, such as a trashcan, then you can slowly back away and get yourself into a safe position without escalating the situation.

Doing all of this is no guarantee that you won’t be bitten, however. If you get injured, be sure you know what legal options you have to seek financial compensation.