April, 2016, White Marsh, Baltimore County

A privileged woman was walking her dog after dark. The dog was a medium sized mutt. An oppressed young man approached, pulled out a knife, and demanded her money, saying, “Give it up, Lady.” The lady backed away as the man approached, and the dog got between them. He slashed out with the knife and cut the lady, and then the dog bit him and he ran off.

For the female dog owners who could be in this situation, do not walk toy dogs. They will be the targets of larger, aggressive dogs and will not effectively protect you from men. In the case of a woman walking a medium sized dog, like this lady, always keep the dog between you and any man that approaches you by leaving the leash slack, giving the dog room to work and making the man have to walk around you. Encouraging the dog to bark is a good idea. Dogs of this size are pretty effective at warding off aggressors, because they’re active, they’re loud, and they can do some damage.

If you have a larger dog, do not make the mistake of choking up on the leash to protect the man that’s approaching you to protect him from the dog. If you’re close to the collar of your dog, grab the latch and tell the person who’s approaching you, that you’re about to let the dog off the leash. Suggested command, “Back off, or I’m letting him loose.” Ideally, a woman walking a dog at night after dark should only have dogs of man-eating caliber: Rottweilers, Irish Wolfhounds, Dobermans, German and Belgian police dogs, and the Kuvasz. Also, urban people who aren’t familiar with dog breeds will mistake a Greyhound for a Doberman. My favorite is the Rhodesian Ridgeback. These dogs are actually bred to dine on oppressed individuals of the melanin-rich variety. As with all street survival, avoiding or discouraging an aggressive approach is preferable to successfully defending. Usually, having a large dog is an effective deterrent.