Wait!
I forgot about Great White Sharks!
Well, I stay out of the ocean. BUT. Be careful.
I forgot about Great White Sharks!
Well, I stay out of the ocean. BUT. Be careful.
My husband walks early in the morning. He carries a small air-powered boat horn we bought at Walmart. It's been extremely successful against attacking dogs. The sound, very loud and unpleasant, startles them and they back off. He follows it with a loud "NO!". He also carries a small canister of pepper spray. Of course you have to be careful which way the wind is blowing so you don't gas yourself, but it's also an escalation of the air horn. Finally he carries a stick which he could place in front of him as a deterrent and then as a weapon against the dog's front legs. The head is too hard for a hit to be effective. An umbrella of the pop-open type will often startle a dog away and also prevent them from getting to you or your pet.Has anyone mentioned hawks? I'm pretty scared of hawks. Walking along the beach with my dog in the open and here comes a hawk circling above us...I've known of people who have had their dogs and cats picked up by hawks in their back yards. They just swoop down and grab them and then they are gone. I'm always afraid of that. My dog is small, but he's 24 lbs. Is that too much for a hawk to carry off? It could def get my cat but she's always on a leash.
Also afraid of all the loose dogs around. I have seen so many pictures on Facebook of dogs that have been killed by pitbulls and their owners post pictures of their clothes covered in their dogs blood. My dog has been attacked twice, and everytime I see a big dog, I fear Bosco could be attacked. and there would be nothing I could do to save him.
See my reply.I'm afraid of wild dogs. I've seen some big pits loose every now and then. Very scary. I've never liked big dogs anyway.
I never thought about an airhorn. I have pepper spray but never really thought I could count on that. one reason, like you said which ever way the wind blows... I should look for a horn and a stick. Especially when I go to the beach. You are SUPPOSED to keep your dog on a leash, but no one ever does. There are all kinds of unpleasant dogs. That's a good idea.My husband walks early in the morning. He carries a small air-powered boat horn we bought at Walmart. It's been extremely successful against attacking dogs. The sound, very loud and unpleasant, startles them and they back off. He follows it with a loud "NO!". He also carries a small canister of pepper spray. Of course you have to be careful which way the wind is blowing so you don't gas yourself, but it's also an escalation of the air horn. Finally he carries a stick which he could place in front of him as a deterrent and then as a weapon against the dog's front legs. The head is too hard for a hit to be effective. An umbrella of the pop-open type will often startle a dog away and also prevent them from getting to you or your pet.
Billy the Exterminator had an episode where they went to North Carolina to work with an agency that keeps the Canadian goose population down by oiling eggs so less hatch. The women handed him and his brother an umbrella and said to use that as a shield.An umbrella of the pop-open type will often startle a dog away and also prevent them from getting to you or your pet.
I've worked for USPS for 15 years and have never even seen an umbrella in a Post Office . I wonder if that's a Southern thing. The carriers here get loud whistles and pepper spray. Supposedly if you blow the whistle loud enough most dogs will back off. I don't know about that. The spray is dyed bright orange so Animal Control knows which dog you sprayed when they show up, lol. Also they're supposed to cram their satchel or some mail into the dog's mouth.The Postal Service issued every carrier an umbrella. Unfortunately, they went with the lowest (quality) bidder. Many of the umbrellas wouldn't open so the dogs ate the carriers and used the umbrellas for toothpicks.
I foolishly tried to pick up a chipmunk when I was a teenager, bit me right down to the bone. Cute little critters but one heck of a bite. I almost petted a skunk as I was sitting in my friends backyard and saw it out of the corner of my eye. Thought it was my friends cat at first.Squirrels bite badly, too. Don't mess with squirrels! I would never touch a squirrel. Not sure I'd say they're the scariest though .
I have a little seniority on you, having retired 13 years ago after 40 years of service. The umbrella debacle happened back in the late 80s or very early 90s. I worked as a clerk for 17 years and then moved into the offices, ending up as congressional liaison in consumer affairs for the district manager. Houston has the highest rate of carrier dog bites in the nation, a title it has held for many, many years.I've worked for USPS for 15 years and have never even seen an umbrella in a Post Office . I wonder if that's a Southern thing. The carriers here get loud whistles and pepper spray. Supposedly if you blow the whistle loud enough most dogs will back off. I don't know about that. The spray is dyed bright orange so Animal Control knows which dog you sprayed when they show up, lol. Also they're supposed to cram their satchel or some mail into the dog's mouth.
But mostly---dogs should never be allowed to roam freely!
Those little tree rats did all of that to me and I still think they are cute. I spend almost half of my social security check feeding the little darlings nuts and sunflower seeds.You want to lend me $100 CAD to replace the bird feeders I lost to these rats? Oh and want to pay for the damage to my roof?
Not cute at all when the little pests nest and crap in your roof and attic and chew your wires. /QU
I agree. Nothing deters the squirrels, so I buy what the store calls "critter food" and mix it in with the birdseed. There are shelled peanuts, cracked corn, and other large seeds in it, so the squirrels quickly get filled up, then the birds come. I feed all of them anyway just to entertain the cats. The cats enjoy the squirrels as much as the birds.Those little tree rats did all of that to me and I still think they are cute. I spend almost half of my social security check feeding the little darlings nuts and sunflower seeds.
You can buy your own bird feeders and repair your own roof. When you feed the birds you have to expect the squirrels to show up. You may not like it but that's just part of life.
Muffy
I will look for that the next time I go to the store. I've been wanting to get something different for the animals. I buy stuff for the squirrels but if the other animals want to eat it then they are welcomed to it. I get a lot of cardinals, bluejays and some kind of black birds.I agree. Nothing deters the squirrels, so I buy what the store calls "critter food" and mix it in with the birdseed. There are shelled peanuts, cracked corn, and other large seeds in it, so the squirrels quickly get filled up, then the birds come. I feed all of them anyway just to entertain the cats. The cats enjoy the squirrels as much as the birds.
Weird. The squirrels never touched the bird feeder we had. I remember it was on a metal pole, between 10 and 15 feet tall, and my dad had placed it where no tree limbs nor our roof was close to it. I thought it was composition plus placement that kept the squirrels away. I suppose it might have been the Steller's jays though, those things are crazy aggressive, they'd make a squirrel beg for mercy.I agree. Nothing deters the squirrels, so I buy what the store calls "critter food" and mix it in with the birdseed. There are shelled peanuts, cracked corn, and other large seeds in it, so the squirrels quickly get filled up, then the birds come. I feed all of them anyway just to entertain the cats. The cats enjoy the squirrels as much as the birds.
The wolf-coyote hybrid is officially known as the Coywolf.I have no fear of the local wildlife, and we have plenty. The bear does his bear thing, the wolves just meander around, the mountain lion loves to sleep on my car. Yes, my car. The coyotes and what I call wolfoytes (coyote wolf hybrid) although they sound like bigfoot attacking a chupacabra, they are harmless.
But for some reason, I have a death fear of crickets. Been that way since I was little. Go figure.