Dog Attack

[Trude]

Just to warn anyone walking stage between Azambuja - Santarém we had stayed the night at the wonderful Quinta Da Burra left the next morning about 8am we walked about 15 mins when we passed a farm that had about 3-4 large light coloured dogs. We kept walking without talking whilst they were barking without making eye contact. They followed us down the road barking then they came through the fence and attacked my friend it was his lucky day he ended up with a tear in his pants and a hole in his wallet. The wallet saved him from the bite. We laugh about it now but it was extremely scarey. So take care in that area and carry a stick. Unfortunately we didn’t have one. Trust me we do now.

 

[Sailor]

Saved by the wallet! Thank you Miss Trude for the information. To you and your friend, please be careful out there. Animo! La luz de Dios alumbra su camino.

 

[KinkyOne]

Just to warn anyone walking stage between Azambuja - Santarém we had stayed the night at the wonderful Quinta Da Burra left the next morning about 8am we walked about 15 mins when we passed a farm that had about 3-4 large light coloured dogs. We kept walking without talking whilst they were barking without making eye contact. They followed us down the road barking then they came through the fence and attacked my friend it was his lucky day he ended up with a tear in his pants and a hole in his wallet. The wallet saved him from the bite. We laugh about it now but it was extremely scarey. So take care in that area and carry a stick. Unfortunately we didn’t have one. Trust me we do now.

Did you report it to the Police? Or at least the owner?
I know you're on Camino and dealing with the reports could be a hassle but isn't it better that Police make the dogs owner repair his fence rather than another pilgrim get bitten?

Anyway Bom Caminho!

 

[Iriebabel]

Happy your friend is ok

 

[Lucho]

A stick is better, but in lieu of one I offer this: whenever I came across aggressive dogs in Latin America I'd pick up a rock or, if none were around, pick up an imaginary rock and hold like I was going to throw it. A local taught me this in Mexico. It worked 99% of the time.

Thought I'd share. Stay safe and unbitten, folks!

 

[Trude]

Thanks for the tip Lucho.....

 

[Vanozza]

Just to warn anyone walking stage between Azambuja - Santarém we had stayed the night at the wonderful Quinta Da Burra left the next morning about 8am we walked about 15 mins when we passed a farm that had about 3-4 large light coloured dogs. We kept walking without talking whilst they were barking without making eye contact. They followed us down the road barking then they came through the fence and attacked my friend it was his lucky day he ended up with a tear in his pants and a hole in his wallet. The wallet saved him from the bite. We laugh about it now but it was extremely scarey. So take care in that area and carry a stick. Unfortunately we didn’t have one. Trust me we do now.

Pick up stones from the trail and throw them!

 

[Jeep500]

Just to warn anyone walking stage between Azambuja - Santarém we had stayed the night at the wonderful Quinta Da Burra left the next morning about 8am we walked about 15 mins when we passed a farm that had about 3-4 large light coloured dogs. We kept walking without talking whilst they were barking without making eye contact. They followed us down the road barking then they came through the fence and attacked my friend it was his lucky day he ended up with a tear in his pants and a hole in his wallet. The wallet saved him from the bite. We laugh about it now but it was extremely scarey. So take care in that area and carry a stick. Unfortunately we didn’t have one. Trust me we do now.

We did The Camino Portuguese last falls we had 3 dogs attack , 2 of those the owner of the dogs was witness never called their dogs back. I had to fight them with my walking poles , it happenned early in the morning.
Not fun

 

[Elle Bieling]

Wow, I walked this section last year and had no problem! Maybe it was too hot for dogs when we walked by in the afternoon! Glad the wallet saved the day.

 

[Jeep500]

Wow, I walked this section last year and had no problem! Maybe it was too hot for dogs when we walked by in the afternoon! Glad the wallet saved the day.

It was between Lisbon and Porto section.

 

[surya8]

I encountered a bunch of 5 aggressive dogs on the way between Tomar and Alvaiazere, after Casa Torre where the route goes off the asphalt road and into the farmland, the last 5 or 6km to Alvaiazare. The farmers were collecting olives and didn't bother to call the dogs off. Then in a kilometer or two I faced 2 more loose dogs there. That was the most scarry bit of Camino I've ever walked. Two other people that walked the same day and came later were equally shaken there. If you walk alone, tired and it's getting late then the best option could be to stay on the asphalt road all the way to Alvaiazere, it'd be faster and safer. I was contemplating doing that but then followed the yellow sings as usual, that was my lesson for that day that sometimes you may not need to follow them and listen to your intuition and be flexible instead.

 

[Trude]

It would be interesting to know all the details as what is described is a fear bite. It can come from a smell, or even a sound which we cannot detect. This kind of attack, especially with the dogs coming through the fence, is quite rare as a fear bite only occurs where the dog feels normally safe.

But you are right, a stick is the best solution.

I have talked to the few pilgrims we meet and they all had the same dogs come at them through the fence. They started as soon as they saw us. I can tell you these dogs are dangerous.

 

[Ray J]

A little late to the thread, but here's something I posted in March of 2017:

I have used steps similar to those described in this article: http://www.wikihow.com/Handle-a-Dog-Attack . One thing to note is to not hit a dog on the head - they have thick heads and you'll only make them angrier. And where the article says to yell "Back away!", I think it's better to shout "No!" since that's likely a word the dog has heard.

All that said, we had absolutely no problems with dogs on the Frances. We would laugh because we'd see them coming down the trail acting like they had a business meeting to get to, and they had no time to waste on us.

On the Rota Vicentina and Portuguese, however, every dog seemed to take it personally. Fortunately, they were all behind locked yards so it was all just sound and fury. Except, that is, at one spot where there were four unlocked dogs guarding cattle. We were almost past them all when the alpha dog gave the command, and the others charged us. Frightening, yes, but by following the directions above, we escaped unscathed (albeit, with our hearts in our throats).

 

[Garrett]

Thank you to Trude for posting this, I am currently on the Lisbon to Porto part of the CP and was going to start a thread myself warning about aggressive dogs.

When passing houses with dogs, which seems to be nearly all of them, most dogs seem to bark and growl but will stay on their property, however I have had several encounters with small packs of smallish dogs coming out to confront me, fortunately the larger dogs always seem to be chained up.

On one occasion I had to fake charge at a group of four dogs and ended up throwing a five kilo lump of granite at the most persistent one!

A few days later I had a very ugly incident where I was basically ambushed by another four dogs in a very pretty and otherwise quiet hamlet - they suddenly dashed out of a house and surrounded me aggressively barking, one of them came in for a bite and I had to kick it extremely hard in the head, I believe I may have injured it quite badly and I felt quite sick about it for a few days however it did stop the attack in its tracks as all the dogs backed off immediately!

A few days later I actually got bitten by a dog as I stepped outside the front door of an albergue I had just stayed the night at! The dogs were owned by by the people running the albergue!! The bite didn't break the skin but was a painful nasty little nip for no reason.

After being bitten I now have zero tolerence for aggressive dogs.

When I encounter barking dogs now I immediately make eye contact and stare at them until they look away - they will continue to bark but now know you will not take any s**t from them. I also now carry a stick and will not hesitate to use it. If I hear/see barking dogs ahead I sometimes stop to pick up some smallish stones ready to throw at them.

I've walked/cycled all over the world and rural Portugal is the worst I've ever seen for aggressive dogs!

 

[Ray J]

Making eye contact is considered to be aggressive by the dog, so I highly recommend against it. Remain as calm as possible, throw something, but if attacked don't hold back or feel sorry - the dog certainly won't.

 

[Shaun M]

Just to say that we walked this part of the Camino on 1 April, having got out our trekking poles and placed some stones in our pockets after having been forewarned by this post. Fortunately, however, we saw no signs of any aggressive dogs.

 

[ConnieAdriano]

Thank you all. Ready and fore-warned for July

 

[Magwood]

I have encountered many aggressive dogs closer to home (in Spain) when walking in the mountains with my terrier sized pooch. I am not the focus of any attack, but my poor innocent dog. I have learned that walking sticks are not much use as they are so lightweight and the attacking dog is so focussed on the job in hand that he takes no notice of even the hardest whack with a lightweight stick. I would recommend quickly removing the rubber tips from your poles and use them as a spear rather than a baton. But better still, if you have time, is to let the dog see you bend to pick up a stone, in most cases it will immediately back off.

 

[Deleted member 56069]

We generally found the dogs in Portugal were not as friendly as the ones in encountered in Spain. We had no issues, but dogs seemed generally more aggressive in Portugal.
Probably mostly they do not see the volume of people that dogs on the Frances route see.

 

[Michelle Menhennet]

Advice from a veterinarian, and someone with lots of dog experience, I heartily agree:

WHAT TO DO IF THREATENED BY AN AGGRESSIVE DOG
1) Remain calm and still. Don't run. This is a race you will not win. If you are alone, back away slowly. Do not turn your back.
2) If you are on the ground, curl into a fetal position, cover your head with your arms, and keep your fingers curled in a fist.
3) Avoid eye contact. Remember, staring an aggressive dog in the eyes is a challenge.
4) Do not smile at the dog
5) Use a soft, soothing tone of voice. Loud, angry-sounding words and screaming only spur on the dog.
6) If he bites you, DO NOT PULL AWAY. This only spurs the dog on. Remain calm. Try to put something between you and the dog like your purse, jacket, bicycle, backpack, etc. Don't hit the dog. Again, just makes the situation worse.