Dogs, especially ones of the feral variety, can be unpredictable. One moment, they’re excitedly approaching you and begging for attention (or even your food!), the next, they’re gnashing their teeth, with a stance that is practically telling you that they’re ready to jump you and attack.
So, beware. Dogs usually have their own reasoning for attacking, and it usually comes from mistaken assumptions towards your actions. Rarely do they ever attack unprovoked, as they would have nothing to gain over actually doing so. Instead, their actions usually come as a response from your own, which might be a bad thing if they misinterpret your actions.
If you’ve ever thought about approaching a stray dog, you may want to think twice about it, especially if you’re wary about your safety. Why? Read on and find out.
Wild dogs are territorial
Like any other wild animal, dogs have their own established territory, and will threaten away others that might try to approach or enter it. This includes other dogs, cats, and even humans.
This becomes a problem in urban environments, as places like roads or sidewalks become places where humans traverse constantly. A dog that sees a certain narrow and tight spot as its territory might see a human as invading its territory, even if the human is simply passing through. In other words, humans and wild dogs don’t usually agree on each other’s concept of territory. It also doesn’t help that depending on the city, wild dogs can be quite a common sight in urban environments.
This doesn’t just applies to their sleeping spots and the area around it either. For instance, if you own a dog, you probably know that it’s never a good idea to ever disturb it while it is eating, as some dogs can be quite possessive of their food and snap at people who they think might be trying to steal it. Well, this concept applies to wild dogs as well. They may have a feeding spot, like a trash can, that they scavenge food out of, and if you approach it while the wild dog is nearby or can see you, they might think that you’re there to steal their food!
Dogs in general are very protective of their young
Like any wild animal, dogs are quite protective not only of their territory, but also of their young. They are very much likely to attack you if they think that their young might be in danger due to your presence, leading you with slim options. Usually, the best option in this case is to leave the family of dogs alone.
Dogs protecting their young are the most likely encounters you have, but encountering a dog hanging out with a pack that it considers its family may also end with you on the wrong side… and dealing with more dogs than you should.
Rabid dogs can transmit disease through bites
One of the most dangerous things that wild dogs can have is disease. Thanks to their environment being extremely dirty, this makes their mouths prime habitats for bacteria, viruses and the like. After all, wild dogs scavenge for food most of the time, and the best places they can usually get them from are trash cans or bins.
A single bite from a wild dog can mean dangerous consequences for the person who was bitten, as these bites can pass on things like Pasteurella or Tetanus.
But by far one of the worst and most common disease that wild and stray dogs tend to pass on is Rabies.
Rabies is a disease that spreads via the saliva of infected animals. The infected animal (like, say, a bat) finds an animal to bite, like a wild dog, and transfers the disease to them.
The dog in question will look like nothing is wrong at first, but don’t be fooled. Animals infected by rabies will eventually suffer deterioration in brain activity, and can cause them to have sudden bursts of aggression, potential allowing the virus to spread.
This is how dogs that may usually seem docile and even friendly one moment can suddenly turn angry and attempt to bite you. Under no circumstances should you allow yourself to be bitten by any dog. Rabies has no cure, and if you start to feel the symptoms, it is already too late. The only way you can prevent rabies is through vaccination in the early stages, before rabies has managed to take a hold of you.
If you do get bitten, wash the wound with water and soap immediately, and seek medical attention as soon as possible. The sooner that doctors are able to find any potential diseases that a rabid dog passed on, the higher your chances of survival.
For this reason alone, you should never approach a dog that you do not know the medical history of. Stray, or wild.
Feral dogs can also transmit disease through ticks
One of the most annoying things that dog owners have to deal with is the existence of ticks on their dogs. Unfortunately for strays and feral dogs, they have no loving owner to help remove these parasites from their bodies, and as such, it is not uncommon to see a stray with some unwanted parasites hitching a ride.
Make sure you don’t let a wild dog’s ticks get on you. While these ticks prefer hairy animals like dogs, them hitching a ride on humans isn’t unheard of. Plus, they can carry dangerous diseases like Lyme Disease.