The Meaning of Dogs in Louisiana

Dixie - Blue Healer on a leash, should have a long life

We met many dogs, most in Louisiana. They guard their turf. Many run and roam where they please, the end result often lying in the ditch, dead and bloated . It became obvious that our passing through would endanger dogs. We worked out a dog protocol, based on what the dogs did relative to what we did. If a dog started chasing us from a yard on the left, we slowed and sometimes stopped, verbally coaxing it back to the yard. If we sprinted away, this would pull the dog out into oncoming traffic. Two dogs almost licked the bucket before we developed a better strategy.

If the dog was on our side of the road and bolted for us, we'd out run them, but then discovered the bigger ones can easily stride at over 22 miles per hour. If the yard had no ditch, the dog would usually be on us immediately. We needed a new plan.

Chris knew some commands have universal effect on dogs. "GO HOME" is something most dogs either understand or puzzle over. We started yelling "GO HOME!" in a stern loud voice, looking straight at the dog while jabbing and pointing emphatically at the house or double wide the dog started from. Dogs know what pointing means, right? I know Porter does. It worked 99% of the time. A few dogs ignored the command, usually small yipping punk dogs. Most stopped and looked at us, confused and disappointed.

We stopped at one convenience store on our way to Simmesport. A mangy pack of five dogs ran amok in the parking lot. They were not overtly friendly but not aggressive either. A chubby female alpha kept them in check. Once we left the store the dogs migrated back to their yard, two houses down in the direction we were headed. Passing in front of the house, all five charged us, a cacophony of barking and yipping. The smallest one kept coming and got the closest, showing the most courage.

Bite aversion was our first concern, preventing dog/car impact second. With no tethered dog runs, fencing or other barriers, dogs living along well-traveled roads have shorter dog life expectency. On one occasion a dog ran at us, crossed into the middle of the road while we flagged the oncoming traffic. All the while, a girl in the yard casually said, "Percy, you're gonna get hit." I guess dead dogs are just one cost of doing business in Louisiana.

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