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How to Handle Unfriendly Dogs
Dealing with Aggressive Dogs
A UPS Driver's Defenses
June 30, 2004; Page D1
The Wall Street Journal
Ian Mount
Watch the tail, take off your sunglasses and speak in a falsetto. That's how UPS driver Becky Ligget deals with unfriendly dogs on her package-delivery route in Phoenix.
After being attacked by dogs four times during her first few years on the job, Ms. Ligget learned to handle aggressive animals. It's not just dogs baring their teeth or barking furiously that can be problematic. Ms. Ligget says in her experience, if a dog's tail isn't wagging, that often means something isn't right. In her eight years of delivering packages, she has come across all kinds of aggressive dogs, from chihuahuas to Great Danes. Because dogs are often intimidated by men, she sometimes tries to talk them down by using a higher voice.
When she runs into a mean dog, she stands completely still so there will be no surprises; if she's wearing sunglasses, she takes them off so the dog won't be spooked by its reflection. She never turns and runs -- dogs take that as a sign to attack -- and never reaches out her hand.
Copyright 2004, The Wall Street Journal
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