Dog leash/muzzle laws barely enforced in Warsaw, what's a proportionate deterrent that won't escalate?
Hi all,
I've lived in Warsaw for 8 or 9 years now. Over that time, enforcement of leash, muzzle, and breed control laws has dropped drastically. I remember a few years back, neighbors with even small dogs would get fined if their dog was unleashed or aggressive. These days I see violations constantly, and I'm permanently stressed walking my small (10kg) dog because so many owners just don't care about the safety of other people or dogs.
The secondary problem, at least in my experience, is that these owners are almost always aggressive themselves. Even when they can see you're just shocked, they immediately start verbally attacking you, which is rich given the situation.
What set me off today: a dog I'm 99% sure was a Belgian Malinois, no muzzle, visibly aggressive. I had to grab my dog and leave, fully bracing for the possibility it would slip the leash with nothing on my end to deter it.
So, what's the genuinely recommended response here? I've thought about carrying pepper spray, but honestly I can already picture two outcomes: either I freeze and don't use it because I don't feel good about spraying a dog, or I do use it and as a foreigner I can imagine how that plays out in court.
I'm a bit lost on what counts as a proportionate deterrent that won't escalate the situation, or if there are other approaches I should be considering. Right now I'm dealing with incidents like this roughly once a week, versus once every few months back 6 or 7 years ago, and it's made me a lot less outgoing than I used to be.
Any advice appreciated.