[bluedragon]

Yes, that's a good idea. Squibs for examples always scare them, and swinging a backpack at them does the trick too. I guess I am just overestimating the dogs' abilities and their determination. When I see a pack of dogs, I fear they could come after me and not stop until they eat me, but the truth is, they rarely pursue a person for more than a few meters, they're usually just defending a territory, and even if they bite someone, they usually leave him alone after that (except when they didn't and those horrible things happened, but those were rare). I am sure most people don't think like that, otherwise they would be afraid too. For example, I see old women who can barely drag their feet. They have no squibs or bats, and they are still not afraid. Of course, knowing all this doesn't help a bit when I see an animal crossing my path.