For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
that is why I care a heavy stick to protect myself. I had a situation years as I was coming to a small village in France. A German shepherd untied was approaching and showing his teeth, I swung my stick back off and left.Please be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
I was carrying poles but not using them at the time! I think my quiet approach maybe what startled them. Now I'm hanging back to walk with other pilgrims and use poles to warn of my approach. Wasn't sure if raising poles would insight more aggression. Just glad the dog retreated straight after bite!Jo, sorry to learn of your bad experience.
Good reason to carry two trekking poles for protection of aggressive dogs. Walking side by side with another pilgrim with two trekking poles, most dogs would be unlikely to attack. Bob
Another reason to use your poles instead of carrying them in your pack!I was carrying poles but not using them at the time!
Quite agree, they were in my hands after just taking a photoAnother reason to use your poles instead of carrying them in your pack!
When they are in your pack they are just added weight and not helpful at all.
I saw too many loose dogs in that area a couple of months ago, every farm seems to have several of them. Also, there have been reports of wolves attacking sheep in the area, maybe that is why there are so many dogs now. Sorry to hear about what happened to you, take care!!!
Every farm?!! I may have to reconsider going if this is true…I saw too many loose dogs in that area a couple of months ago, every farm seems to have several of them. Also, there have been reports of wolves attacking sheep in the area, maybe that is why there are so many dogs now. Sorry to hear about what happened to you, take care!!!
Please be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
@Jo A Was the owner and authorities notified? Dog checked for rabbies vaccine? I know that it is supposed to be Rabbies free in Spain, but there have been occasional cases, and I would want assurance that the dog had its rabbies shot. If the dog bit you, chances are others will be bitten as well.
I know, I think I’ll be bringing my dog maceEvery farm?!! I may have to reconsider going if this is true…
In the EU, a rabies shot is only obligatory if the dog is going to cross a border, not if the animal remains at home or within the country of origin. Regret to inform, but if you manage to locate the owner and overcome the language barrier, you still won't get assurance.
@Jo A did the right thing by getting a tetanus shot and antibiotics.
My experience (of three caminos) has been that most dogs choose to be oblivious to the passage of pilgrims (not even worth raising an eyebrow...) - but cars and tractors were good for chasing...There are lots of dogs on the CF. Most of them are not interested in pilgrims. They seem rather indifferent to pilgrims. The dogs often sleep in the Sun as pilgrims pass by, Those that make noise are mostly those chained, or behind fences…many of whom are just looking for a little TLC.
However, the CF is a well traveled route…and dogs are used to seeing pilgrims.
Don't let it put you off,I'm having a great time. The majority of dogs are fine I was just unlucky. Just walk with other pilgrims through hamlets if concerned.Every farm?!! I may have to reconsider going if this is true…
I carry a small stun gun for scaring off bad dogs before they can get close enough to bite! You should probably also report this to the police.Please be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
Doctor said rabies is only a concern if it was a wild dog, this was a farm dog. I'm pretty sure if my approach was noisy or with a group of people the dog would not have bothered me, as most dogs along the way do. Lesson learned.In the EU, a rabies shot is only obligatory if the dog is going to cross a border, not if the animal remains at home or within the country of origin. Regret to inform, but if you manage to locate the owner and overcome the language barrier, you still won't get assurance.
@Jo A did the right thing by getting a tetanus shot and antibiotics.
A troubling reply. What defines, to you, a 'bad' dog? Dogs are usually doing what they are meant to do....defending their area and their owners. A dog is not 'bad' because it reacts....and using a stun gun on a dog BEFORE it gets to your definition of close is an act of cruelty. Talk softly with a high pitch, continue walking slowly, change the direction slightly of your walk so you are not heading directly into his territory, and do not look the dog in the eye.I carry a small stun gun for scaring off bad dogs before they can get close enough to bite! You should probably also report this to the police.
I was also attacked by an unleashed dog leaving Hospital de Orbigos a few weeks ago and pushed it off with my trekking poles to get past. I generally like dogs and knew it was protecting the ladies walking it, so I didn’t kill it. Stray attack dog would not be so lucky. Like another post, carrying poles in pack is absolute waste. I use mine at all times, even walking to doors of cafesPlease be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
Doctor said rabies is only a concern if it was a wild dog, this was a farm dog. I'm pretty sure if my approach was noisy or with a group of people the dog would not have bothered me, as most dogs along the way do. Lesson learned.
Sorry to hear you got bitten. As has been suggested taking walking pokes is a good idea. We also take a dog repellent. It is an electronic gadget that emits a high pitch sound that does not harm the dogs but keep them at bay. It has saved our bacon more than once as we tend to do very long treks (1000 miles+).Please be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
Sorry to hear this Jo, I absolutely love dogs , however years ago I was attacked by strays and when making plans to walk the Camino this was a concern, kept my poles in my hands all the time! Thankfully only needed to use them once . Enjoy the rest of your Camino Jo.Please be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
Exactly. Don't let this put you off your camino, please. I love dogs and surely met a lot of them on my 5 caminos but I mostly took advantage and pet them and played with them. Even with the barking lot, they usually changed mind after I started to talk to them in kind tone and invited them to come closer. There were a few who refused this approach of course, but stopped barking and went their way quite obviously disgusted by a pilgrim who didn't play her expected fear part. Only once, just before I arrived to SJPDP which was my final point that time I met one border kolia that actually run after me with obvious intention to attack. I used the voice this time, too, in a very harsh tone for a change. Wanted to hit the ground, not the dog! with my walking stick at the same time to highlight my words but it actually broke in two. So I bent over to throw it out of the way but the dog apparently thought I'm grabbing something to hit him so he turned immediately and run away. You know, I think we are invading their territories not the other way round and I heard from too many fellow pilgrims how bad they're behaving towards the village dogs in advance just to prevent them from trying anything whenever the dogs just want to approach and see who's coming, that I actually feel sorry for all these dogs who can't change their living space and have to deal with us all on a daily basis. Then please think about it the other way. How do you think the dog which was just curious and gained a bad experience with some people would turn out later on? How would he behave towards the next pilgrim? I think we have one result at the beginning of this thread. I'm really sorry this happened to you, Jo A, but, please, don't make this ruin your camino experience and especially, don't start to think other dogs will react the same way. Please try the opposite approach at least once if you can, invite the dogs to come to you, I promise if they're not going to be happy they'll at least ignore you. Btw., folks, do you know the chained and barking dogs just at the outskirts of Logroño? I played with every one of them. They licked my hands. Second time I went there I took a bit of a snack for them and they loved it (o.k. this is not recommandable to give something to another person's dog but I just wanted to make them happy because I've hard way too many people harrased them because they actually feared them). And the first time, I met an old lady in front of one of the houses with a truly hug old dog on a chain in front of it. I asked her if I can touch him because I was already talking to him and he waved his tail and she smiled and let me and then she laughed when the old dog played as a puppy, on his back with all four in the air. So, friends, please, don't think about the dogs and of course also other animals on your caminos not only in Spain as of your enemies. Sorry for this exhausting reaction but I think the "guilty party" here can't speak for themselves...Don't let it put you off,I'm having a great time. The majority of dogs are fine I was just unlucky. Just walk with other pilgrims through hamlets if concerned.
Personally I wouldn't approach any dog that wasn't with the owner. I have lovely boastress terrier at home who will bark at anything passing home, it's territorial I know. In this instance I wasn't even close to farmyard entrance but opposite side of lane and did keep walking and did nothing to threaten him . Didn't stop him from bitting despite I'd already passed.Exactly. Don't let this put you off your camino, please. I love dogs and surely met a lot of them on my 5 caminos but I mostly took advantage and pet them and played with them. Even with the barking lot, they usually changed mind after I started to talk to them in kind tone and invited them to come closer. There were a few who refused this approach of course, but stopped barking and went their way quite obviously disgusted by a pilgrim who didn't play her expected fear part. Only once, just before I arrived to SJPDP which was my final point that time I met one border kolia that actually run after me with obvious intention to attack. I used the voice this time, too, in a very harsh tone for a change. Wanted to hit the ground, not the dog! with my walking stick at the same time to highlight my words but it actually broke in two. So I bent over to throw it out of the way but the dog apparently thought I'm grabbing something to hit him so he turned immediately and run away. You know, I think we are invading their territories not the other way round and I heard from too many fellow pilgrims how bad they're behaving towards the village dogs in advance just to prevent them from trying anything whenever the dogs just want to approach and see who's coming, that I actually feel sorry for all these dogs who can't change their living space and have to deal with us all on a daily basis. Then please think about it the other way. How do you think the dog which was just curious and gained a bad experience with some people would turn out later on? How would he behave towards the next pilgrim? I think we have one result at the beginning of this thread. I'm really sorry this happened to you, Jo A, but, please, don't make this ruin your camino experience and especially, don't start to think other dogs will react the same way. Please try the opposite approach at least once if you can, invite the dogs to come to you, I promise if they're not going to be happy they'll at least ignore you. Btw., folks, do you know the chained and barking dogs just at the outskirts of Logroño? I played with every one of them. They licked my hands. Second time I went there I took a bit of a snack for them and they loved it (o.k. this is not recommandable to give something to another person's dog but I just wanted to make them happy because I've hard way too many people harrased them because they actually feared them). And the first time, I met an old lady in front of one of the houses with a truly hug old dog on a chain in front of it. I asked her if I can touch him because I was already talking to him and he waved his tail and she smiled and let me and then she laughed when the old dog played as a puppy, on his back with all four in the air. So, friends, please, don't think about the dogs and of course also other animals on your caminos not only in Spain as of your enemies. Sorry for this exhausting reaction but I think the "guilty party" here can't speak for themselves...
I like your positive attitude. I met a few noisy dogs on the CF last year, none attacked but one came and gave me many warning barks as I was videoing a herd of sheep passing by (hence wobbly end to recording), but I think he was only doing his job.Doctor said rabies is only a concern if it was a wild dog, this was a farm dog. I'm pretty sure if my approach was noisy or with a group of people the dog would not have bothered me, as most dogs along the way do. Lesson learned.
Please be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
I downloaded after reading reviews. I don't have a dog, but will try it on dogs in neighbors yards when I go for morning walks. It's definitely worth a try. Yep, I've been bitten and love dogs, so why not try this app. If it doesn't work, then plan B is trekking poles. Be safe, Buen CaminoHas anyone tried this:
Dog Repellent - 3D Sound PRO
Dog Repellent - 3D Sound with adjustable frequency, is the perfect app to chase away agresive stray dogs. By using a special "3D Audio Technology" and an adjustable pitch, this app can repel most animals, that don't normally react to one particular sound. It can also be used to train your dog...apps.apple.com
Thanks for the great information. So sorry to hear of your misfortune. Hope rest of your journey goes well.Please be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
You might want to reconsider that in Europe.I carry a small stun gun for scaring off bad dogs before they can get close enough to bite! You should probably also report this to the police.
What? You re going to assault dogs' hearing/ears in their own gardens??????I downloaded after reading reviews. I don't have a dog, but will try it on dogs in neighbors yards when I go for morning walks. It's definitely worth a try. Yep, I've been bitten and love dogs, so why not try this app. If it doesn't work, then plan B is trekking poles. Be safe, Buen Camino
I hope you are ok,those unleash dogs are dangerous, you should have reported to the police.Buen caminoPlease be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
I carry a small stun gun for scaring off bad dogs before they can get close enough to bite! You should probably also report this to the police.
I think this is very true. As a dog owner, my pet is always more aggressive when she is on a leash. I think it is because she feels she can't protect herself or me when she is constrained. If off leash, she approaches everyone with a wagging tail.There are lots of dogs on the CF. Most of them are not interested in pilgrims. They seem rather indifferent to pilgrims. The dogs often sleep in the Sun as pilgrims pass by, Those that make noise are mostly those chained, or behind fences…many of whom are just looking for a little TLC.
However, the CF is a well traveled route…and dogs are used to seeing pilgrims.
Agreed, if anyone used a stun gun on my pup, they would have a very irate owner to deal with. Circle around them and get off their territory is the best answer. They are just doing their "job". Most dogs bark only as a warning.A troubling reply. What defines, to you, a 'bad' dog? Dogs are usually doing what they are meant to do....defending their area and their owners. A dog is not 'bad' because it reacts....and using a stun gun on a dog BEFORE it gets to your definition of close is an act of cruelty. Talk softly with a high pitch, continue walking slowly, change the direction slightly of your walk so you are not heading directly into his territory, and do not look the dog in the eye.
I’d like to know what you think of the app after you use it. I am a bit of a scaredy-cat when it comes to dogs. ThanksI downloaded after reading reviews. I don't have a dog, but will try it on dogs in neighbors yards when I go for morning walks. It's definitely worth a try. Yep, I've been bitten and love dogs, so why not try this app. If it doesn't work, then plan B is trekking poles. Be safe, Buen Camino
ugh that's so unnecessary....I carry a small stun gun for scaring off bad dogs before they can get close enough to bite! You should probably also report this to the police.
So sorry to hear of this Jo, it certainly would have been frightening.Please be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
I'm sure the local police will be most interested to hear somebody is walking around Spain with a stun gun.ugh that's so unnecessary....
That stun gun is illegal in Spain. So don't be surprised if someone reports you to the police.carry a small stun gun for scaring off bad dogs before they can get close enough to bite! You should probably also report this to the police.
Absolutely not true. In Spain and France it is obligatory for all dogs to be microchipped and to have an up to date rabies vaccination. In Spain boosters are annual - France are 3 yearly. It has nothing to do with the EU.In the EU, a rabies shot is only obligatory if the dog is going to cross a border, not if the animal remains at home or within the country of origin. Regret to inform, but if you manage to locate the owner and overcome the language barrier, you still won't get assurance.
@Jo A did the right thing by getting a tetanus shot and antibiotics.
I can't believe this is serious. I have deleted what I was going to say, but I am frankly shocked by this post.I carry a small stun gun for scaring off bad dogs before they can get close enough to bite! You should probably also report this to the police.
Absolutely not true. In Spain and France it is obligatory for all dogs to be microchipped and to have an up to date rabies vaccination. In Spain boosters are annual - France are 3 yearly. It has nothing to do with the EU.
Is tetanus shot the same as rabies shots?Please be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
Internet says that tetanus shot and antibiotics are not unusual treatment in Europe after being bitten by domestic dog. The mouth and teeth of dogs can carry many micro organisms, among them clostridium tetani which causes tetanus. Other typical dog bite bacteria are apparently pasteurella, streptococcus, staphylococcus und neisseria. I am not a doctor but it sounds like @Jo A received good care at the medical centre in Sarria, as one would expect. Buen Camino, @Jo A!!!I, personally, would be a wee bit uncomfortable with a tetanus shot followed by antibiotics if proof of rabies vaccination for the animal was unavailable. Second opinion? Call back to your primary care doctor?
It also gets my face a lot closer to the teeth of a fierce dog than I would prefer.The only problem with it is that it depends on the dog's learnt behaviour.
trekking poles and pocket knives are weapons.....As far as I know stun guns can only be used by police and military in Spain ( when in action ).
Bad enough that pepper spray is now legal in Spain.
I already told it in an earlier thread : I prefer to sleep in the freezing cold in a church porch than to share a dormitory with a pilgrim who has a weapon in his/ her backpack.
I think, right there, that you’ve identified why so many Albergue require that we leave our poles at the entry.trekking poles and pocket knives are weapons.....
Obviously the Camino, any of the routes, is not utopia. Never has been and never will be. Only the naive would think it could be. The various pilgrimage routes since medieval times have always been plagued with criminals, drunks, whores and nowadays dopers. Crazies, mentally ill and flakes. Animals, both wild and domestic making contact with pilgrims as well. Unfortunately I have had two negative/violent contacts on the Camino. One animal, a Rottweiler on the Portugues who tried to bite me and also on the Portugues a man who tried to accost me by grabbing my arm and pulling me towards him what I assumed to be an attempt to rob me(?). The dog got two trekking poles grasped together slammed down with force on top of his head and neck. He ran away. The man who grabbed me I had about four inches of height and 20 kilos of weight on him and he ended up on the dirt road being kicked in the ribs until he crawled/ran off. He chose poorly, as did the dog.I think, right there, that you’ve identified why so many Albergue require that we leave our poles at the entry.
As to the pocket knife… I think that falls into the category of “with enough creativity anything can be used as a weapon”.
If the attitude determines the weapon, I know that I am much more fearful of the person looking for a fight than of a person looking for a large wedge of cheese.
And *I* personally, prefer not to be near to someone who has chosen to bring with them something that is a *weapon by design*.
It’s just seeking trouble.
On my first camino there was a man for the first few days… he took heaps of sleeping pills at night. He told everyone round him that he had 12 prescription drugs with him to zonk any of us out if desired. We all just kind of stared and then ignored…
BUT — he was looking for conflict.
On night one, he hallucinated that the young couple in the bunks beside him had done something awful and threatened to seriously harm the young man in the couple over the next 3 days. We did not see the young couple again after Puente de la Reina … I think they got “off stage” to get away from him.
His hostilities turned to me.
I had work to do on the night we arrived in Puente de La Reina. I did not join people for supper. He told the large table that he joined that I had stayed behind for a shower rendezvous with a young French man. There was a young French man with whom I would converse. Perfectly nice. For a thousand reasons of my own the story was absurd.
But by the next morning, the drugged up man was telling everyone that I needed a punch in the head.
The French man had come into the dorm somewhat later, and had started to spray something that smelled actually very nice. In French, I asked him what it was and said it smelled very nice. Like lavender I thought… and he said it was bedbug spray. Well, because the nasty many was below me and quite gaseous, I thought that the lovely smelling bedbug spray was *hilarious* and I got the giggles.
And for that I was to be soundly beaten at the first opportunity from the drugged up man — who had also claimed to have all the ‘control weapons that you’d expect a former marine to be carrying’.
Weapons have no place on camino. Taking them with one IHMO breaks the very wise advise, “Do not pack your fears.”
—- We never saw the hostile man again after the approach to Burgos. I don’t think he had found Hemingway by then, and nobody would talk to him after Estrella.
I had an aggressive dog come barking and growling at me and showed me his teeth. After being stunned for a couple of seconds I crossed my arms in front of my chest and slowly kept walking. The dog followed at my heels and seemed interested in the straps hanging from my backpack. I just kept going and eventually the dog got bored left.A fierce dog once came after me on the Frances, barking loudly. It was somewhat hampered by the metal anchor which it had clearly pulled out of the ground in an attempt to get at me. I stood still for a while, as it circled around behind me and stayed there, continuing to bark. I am quite amused at suggestions that a pilgrim accosted by a dog should face it from the front and not let it get behind them. That dog could move a lot faster than I. Eventually, I started to move, very slowly, away from the dog, which continued to follow me for a while. Then it must have decided that I was out of its territory and simply lost interest. I was certainly afraid, as I took the dog's anchor dragged behind it as a sign that it was thought to be a dangerous dog, which ought to be tied up.
I’ve heard that bending down as if to pick up a stone or picking one up will make them back off. I’ve had good results from doing that if my poles are in my rucksack. It’s the little dogs that can be worse.Please be careful walking through small hamlet before Tricastela. Just before Ramil. Walking through Monday morning on my own. 2 chained dogs barking aggressively and 3rd off chain ran towards me barking. Wasn't sure wether to run or what! It bite me on top of thigh but luckily then stopped and I kept walking faster down the way. Later a kind pilgrim patched me up when I realised I was still bleeding. Ended up getting a taxi to Sarria medical centre for tetanus and antibiotics. Ok but now feeling apprehensive at every small hamlet!
Wolves are more dangerous!
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?