Sense of Safety

Lizbeli

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Have you guys ever actually thought about this when you walk your doberman?

So today I took Remi for her first walk on a wooded trail. She is obviously still very young. Since this was a new environment for her she was a bit nervous throughout the hike.

Walk went well. She is so much easier to control than Jasper. It was a pretty leisurely pace with her. But at one point we were pretty deep in and I heard a loud noise, almost like a person screaming. It was a noise that made my stomach sink instantly. Mind you its just me and Remi. I honestly felt nervous for the first time in these woods. What IF something bad just happened? What if someone is in here preying on young women like me. Who knows? I was alone with just a knife and a nervous dog and pretty deep in the woods. I would be in my own if someone actually attacked. Working at a police station- I know there has been a huge increase in violent crimes even in my small quaint town. People are just losing their minds this year (seriously, please be careful around strange people right now).

Anyways we get out fine and I go home and decide what I heard must have been nothing to worry about. So I pack up Jasper and go back out to do a second hike with him (its about 2 miles if you go the long route).

Let me tell you something. I felt 1000X safer with Jasper. He was alert and pumped up ready to go the whole way through. Listening to everything, alerting me to some deer and even a small snake. I felt like if someone were to jump out to get me this dog would do some business. Now, I don’t actually know what would happen- but he is pretty confident. Even just the look of him would likely be enough for a creep to second guess going after me, a single young woman.

I just wanted to share because I had an intense appreciation for Jasper today. My goofy handsome boy at home is also an alert strong protector of the family. Who needs a husband to escort you on walks when you got a doberman? LOL

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Oh heck yes! I think about safety, especially at night, and this is as (sorry ladies) a man, and while we can still be messed with and attacked we've got far less to worry about.

I've felt this for as many years as I've had a Dobe. I used to walk around the various neighborhoods where my first Dobe and I lived in Tucson. I didn't live in nice neighborhoods.

My second one, we lived in a safe neighborhood in MN, and then a safe town very near Seattle, but even there it was on our nighttime walks in wooded areas and other places, including this large unoccupied private property where we were not allowed to be. A couple nights, I got most freaked out by the sound of coyotes nearby.

With Oji, and in this city where we now live, it's not too dangerous; but you still have all types driving through. Add in all the tension between different types of people and a lone man like me walking at night is at some risk. Then, I think about when we walk through the wooded area around here at night. Your picture of Jasper – out in front of you like that – reminds me a lot of when we're walking through the woods. I have a flashlight that I have on part of the time, and as I shine it past Oji, his profile has to be unmistakably intimidating. He's not the thickest beast, but he's tall with a long neck and those proud cropped ears standing straight up. The shadow cast by him, especially when we're heading uphill has to be quite a sight to see. Yes, I look and listen behind me as well (as everyone would do well to do!) but it's this "My battle beast goes before me" action that I love.
 
I so agree. We don't really have to worry about it living in such a remote place but when I go to a hotel I'm much more confidant when I have one of the dogs with me. Even last month when I had Phoebe with me there was a drunk guy outside that backed off and kept his distance since he said red Dobermans scare him more than any of the others. First time I had heard that since most people are more affected by the black ones, but the night before that same guy was BS'ing with me when I had Albert, who is way bigger and black.

When I'm at a hotel by myself I always have my head on a swivel and stay close to the door since there are so many odd people hanging out in the area.
 
Your picture of Jasper – out in front of you like that

He was like that the whole way through the woods. I agree, the long cropped ears and overall silhouette of a doberman is quite something. I actually like him out in front like that in the woods. He knows these types of walks are the only ones he can do that. I also let him pull me mildly which gives me an extra upper body work out and gets me running 😂. Ill tell you what though- running as fast as you can with a doberman pulling you through the woods is not safe for your ankles haha. I almost rolled my ankle on a tree root. Jogging fine- full run I won’t do again over there. Way too many roots and rocks.
 
Ill tell you what though- running as fast as you can with a doberman pulling you through the woods is not safe for your ankles haha. I almost rolled my ankle on a tree root. Jogging fine- full run I won’t do again over there.
That and your teeth. Della once took off on me on a long line when I hit a root and it threw me flat on my face. That broke a few teeth.
 
We live in a crazy safe neighborhood (which doesn't mean I should let my guard down in anyway - sad to say) and we walk around it ALOT. We're also in our yard quite frequently and live on a corner lot so I know most people in a 3 block radius probably know where we live.

I do take the dogs by myself every once in a while when my Husband isn't home and while I'm not worried about something actually happening, I do also work on my comeback if somebody were to make a creepy observation like "Oh, walking alone tonight, huh?" or "Oh, wow! No one is going to mess with you!" uhh... I'm NOT alone and why would anyone mess with me, anyway? No, seriously, WHY would someone mess me with and WHY would you even say that out loud? Creeps don't like to be called out for being creeps.

I have taken the dogs on solo hikes in a forest preserve nearby that is very busy around the parking lots but thins out immensely the further out you get. That had me a little more on edge but for you, with a Doberman or a full grown Dane, when she gets there, that would give anyone pause. "Bad people" are looking for something easy. Just in case, go get some bear spray or a taser (also works for stray dogs and wild animals!).
 
It's so true that I feel way safer with such a 'scary' looking deterrent. Even around the home, sometimes Kaiser will silently show up and the sight of him even scares me, so I can only imagine how scary he must seem to others. Oh ya, the long shadow of a cropped Doberman, probably looks like the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse - yes all 4 of them! 😂

Ironic what Jan said about hotels, because as a city girl, I get more scared in the woods than in a hotel :rofl: When we had our cabin outing, I got freaked out taking Kaiser for a late night potty break. It was really dark and quiet and he wanted to go behind the cabin where all the trees were and then a horse made a sound and Kaiser barked so I raised my flashlight in that direction and there was a slight fog that I couldn't see through which made me feel like I was in the Blair Witch Project so I bolted back to the cabin. But ya, daytime hikes are way better for me than in the dark 😁 With their level of alertness though, it does scare me a bit when he alerts to things 'out there'. Every time we go for hikes and Kaiser's body gets stiff and he starts sniffing the air like he's discovered some animal, I start scanning the woods and thinking what if it's a bear. Thankfully, so far, only once has he alerted to a person in a place where we didn't expect it at all - in a national park and the guy was dressed all in black and hiding up a tree. We think he was an illegal poacher and Kaiser must have ruined his hunt because we all were standing there trying to see what Kaiser was looking at. Eventually he got tired and climbed down the tree and walked in the opposite direction.
 
a national park and the guy was dressed all in black and hiding up a tree.

What the heck? Thats creepy. Did he have a hunting rifle? Good dog. I definitely would feel uneasy after seeing that guy in the woods.

Doesn’t matter how safe you think you are. There are crazy people everywhere. We just had a murder/suicide in a nearby small town, where I work. A town where kids go run around to play across multiple blocks. People always out and about. Be careful everyone!
 
What the heck? Thats creepy. Did he have a hunting rifle? Good dog. I definitely would feel uneasy after seeing that guy in the woods.

Doesn’t matter how safe you think you are. There are crazy people everywhere. We just had a murder/suicide in a nearby small town, where I work. A town where kids go run around to play across multiple blocks. People always out and about. Be careful everyone!
Whatever he had was wrapped up in what looked like a tennis racquet cover. It was about that long too.

People are definitely crazier now than before. I think the covid lockdowns are putting everyone on edge because it has just gone on for so long.
 
Whatever he had was wrapped up in what looked like a tennis racquet cover. It was about that long too.

People are definitely crazier now than before. I think the covid lockdowns are putting everyone on edge because it has just gone on for so long.
I definitely think people have gone a little nuts here too. There are all sorts of odd new arrivals camping in hidden pockets all around my area right now. Being known as an area you can "disappear" in has it's drawbacks when so many people want to be off the radar. The only reason I feel safe remaining here is because Jazz is such a GREAT watchdog!
 
I have always run in woods and trails by myself and have never been worried about my safety. Looking back now at some of the "adventures" I have done by myself I think maybe I should have been! With Skynyrd Im more worried about his safety! Lol. Im always scanning for things and critters (armadillos 😉)that might get him into trouble.
 
the guy was dressed all in black and hiding up a tree. We think he was an illegal poacher and Kaiser must have ruined his hunt because we all were standing there trying to see what Kaiser was looking at.
Kaiser was almost 2.5 years old here and still in the donkey zone plus this was pre eCollar days so it was a bit of a panic because he would come back a bit when called but then run out again. Kaiser ran as far as the red line, with the guy being somewhere in the trees above the blue line.
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A dark night, late. We're walking on the middle yellow line of a road. No sidewalks, but we can see far ahead and behind. A country-like setting. The only noise is the heavy, powerful but srained breathing of my Dobe pulling hard by a choker, because Doberman. The peaceful rythmic sound is interrupted by the sudden scuffling noise of a large animal, maybe a deer. I flip my flashlight up and shine the beam directly on a man clinging to the trunk of a tree maybe 10 feet up. The man says "You scared the crap out of me!!" I say "Oh, I thought you were a deer."
 
Great stories....I love the photo of Jasper in his harness too...makes him look like a police dog kinda! I too am from the burbs of Chicago, and now live in the country....I don't walk them at night, but I am out first light in the a.m. The other morning on a trail I frequently take, there was a man with no shirt on, with filthy pants that were falling down, and he kinda came out of nowhere. He showed up ahead of me, and looked back and waved at me. I had both dobes with me, who were completely alert to him, but I did not continue....I turned around and went back to my car. I am always afraid someone will have a gun! (This guy didn't really have a place for a gun ;) but he seemed out of it. I think crazy people are more dangerous.
 

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