If a dog goes for you, or bites
Do not run, do not shout, do not stare. If you are bitten, wash the wound and see a doctor without delay.
If a dog comes at you
Running is the worst option: anything that runs is something to chase, and no human outruns a dog.
Stop. Turn side-on, keep your hands close to your body, look away. Do not shout or wave your arms. Most dogs are defending a boundary; once you are outside it, they stop.
Back away slowly. If you can put something between you — a bag, a bicycle, a tree — do it.
If you go down, roll face-down and cover the back of your neck and your ears with your hands, and stay still. A person who is not moving stops being a target.
If you have been bitten
Wash the wound at once, with soap and plenty of running water, for several minutes. That alone substantially reduces the risk of infection.
Then go to a health facility without delay. A doctor decides about rabies and tetanus; do not put it off as "just a scratch", because the timing of that assessment matters.
If you can, note where the dog was and what it looked like, and keep a photo if you have one. That information is useful to the doctor and to the municipal teams.
Do not try to punish or chase the dog, or turn a report into revenge. Bites usually come from fear, and a dog that gets rounded up rarely ends well.
Common questions
- The dog is barking but not attacking. What do I do?
- Stop. Barking usually means "do not come closer", not "I am about to attack". Turn side-on, look away, and back off slowly. Most dogs stop as soon as you leave the boundary they were defending.
- Dogs chase me when I cycle or run.
- Movement triggers the chase. Slow down, get off the bike and walk with it between you and the dog. Speeding up almost always makes it worse. If you use the same route regularly, it also helps to talk to the neighbours who feed those dogs: being a familiar person beats being a fleeing stranger.
- What should I teach my child?
- Three sentences: "Ask the owner first." "Let the dog come to you." "Leave it alone when it is eating or sleeping." And a fourth: if the dog turns away, flattens its ears or tucks its tail, it is saying no. Teaching a child to recognise a dog’s no is the most valuable thing you can pass on.
More in this guide
Dog advice- When you find a dog in the streetLost, abandoned, or living there already? Stop and look first — let the dog come to you.Read
- How you can help street dogsNot every kind of help is taking a dog home: clean water, the right call, a safe feeding spot.Read
- If you are thinking of adoptingAdopting is not just taking a dog home: the first day, food, the vet and training.Read
- When you come across puppiesPicking up a puppy you find alone is usually not a kindness. The mother is probably close by.Read
- When a dog is injured or illYour safety first, then the right phone call. A dog in pain may bite, and that is not its fault.Read