What do you do when a dog attack is imminent? Experts have advice

A woman was severely injured by a pack of dogs in Biscayne Gardens on Thursday. A week ago, a woman was mauled by two dogs in Homestead.

Read more What do you do when a dog attack is imminent? Experts have advice

And, last year, a 71-year old woman was killed by a pack of four dogs in Miami Gardens.

There’s advice on how to try avoiding being attacked by dogs when you see it coming. But what do you do when you don’t and dogs are already biting you, even knocking you to the ground?

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According to the Houston Animal Shelter in Texas, it then becomes a matter of trying to lessen the severity of the attack. The shelter recommends:

Read more What do you do when a dog attack is imminent? Experts have advice

• Substituting something like a stick, notebook, sleeve or any other object for the dog to bite.
• No object? One of your hands or arms might have to make the sacrifice to save the rest of your body, the shelter says. If you’re right-handed, try offering your left arm, and vice versa.
• Don’t pull back. “The damage is already done and will not get worse by going in the direction it is pulling, and resistance can excite the dog further.”
• If you’re able to get loose, square off and face the dog in an intimidating stance, and strongly command, “No” as you back off slowly, according to the shelter.
• If you have the strength, try pushing on the dog’s side and kneel on its chest. This makes it harder for the dog to breathe, the shelter says. Don’t push on its back because that could enable the dog to use its legs to push you away.
• If all else fails, go limp and curl up into the fetal position, protecting your head and core with your arms and legs. At this point, don’t fight or struggle. If the attack ceases, wait until the dog is at least 20 feet away before getting up.