A couple of weeks ago, Flossie and I were attacked on a walk.
We were ambling along the pavement one quiet Sunday morning, when two dogs flew across the road out of nowhere, barking and snarling.
I shouted at them to back off (I might have used stronger words), but they didn’t. The ringleader jumped on top of Flossie even though she was the bigger dog. She barked back but quickly gave up. It was two against one.
I turned into a roaring tiger, shouting and kicking at the dogs to get between them and Flossie. Still, they kept going. The noise was deafening.
There was no owner in sight. In fact, there was nobody in sight. Even though we were on a residential road, we were alone.
I tried to walk on with Flossie but the snapping dogs came with us. It was terrifying.
Luckily, a man driving by witnessed the chaos, pulled over, and got out to help. The dogs had a go at him too. Nothing deterred them.
It was difficult to know what to do. They were now acting aggressively towards all three of us, although they were fixated on Flossie.
Eventually, the man told us to go on and that he would stop the dogs from following us.
So we did. We scuttled away, leaving him doing a kind of shouty tap dance to keep the dogs away from us.
I was shaking like a leaf as we marched home at speed.
Flossie seemed fairly relaxed. It took me quite a while to regain my composure.
Fortunately, she was unharmed. Her thick coat had protected her, although it was covered in drool.
I reported the incident but, because I don’t know where the dogs live or who they belong to, it’s unlikely anything can be done.
I don’t know how the kind man prevented the dogs from pursuing us, but I am so grateful to him.
Needless to say, we have not walked down that road since.
As published in the Bath Chronicle, 25 September 2025
Suzy Pope is a certified copywriter and newspaper columnist specialising in pets, business and lifestyle. If you would like help with a writing project, please get in touch.