rationalskepticism.org

romansh wrote:

Fallible wrote:
No, I didn't. Dogs see delivery peeps as intruders, and they think they're doing their job by repelling you.

My point was there was no warning. I understand the dynamic.

I think we're talking at cross purposes. I was talking about situations where you are in the environment of a dog/cat that knows you're there, and you know it's there, or you're on neutral ground and each knows the other is there. Perhaps you are getting close to it or stroking it. The dog will let you know it doesn't like what you're doing and to back off before biting, unless it has behavioural issues, with a whole series of non-verbal warnings, whereas in my experience, a cat will be sat on your lap purring one minute and the next it's drawn a nice red go-faster stripe on you, or given you a nice new couple of piercings. Dogs attacking the paperboy/girl/postman/woman is a very well known phenomenon...because you are deliberately entering their territory without warning and they take that as a sign that you're an immediate risk. That the time has passed for warnings. It's not OK that Bruce bit you, but that's the owner's fault for not keeping their protective dog under control.