A dog owner has told how he was injured - along with his pet puppy - by two ‘Patou’ guard dogs in the car park of a popular tourist spot in the Alps.
The attack happened near the col de l’Izoard (Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) as the two were preparing for a walk on July 11. The puppy, named Wendy, was on a lead.
The nine-month old bichon frisé was left with life-threatening injuries and had to be rushed to the nearest vet for treatment, with the care cost totalling more than €800.
Pet owner Michel Gobet told BFM DICI he has been left ‘traumatised’.
He was in the area during a four-day holiday with his wife, Régine - the couple are originally from Juliénas (Rhône, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes).
He said that he was not off the usual tourist route, and had not provoked the ‘Patou’ dogs, who were protecting a flock of sheep between Queyras and Briançon, in any way.
"We parked in the car park where everyone parks to take photos, so we were really on the public highway," said Mr Gobet. "The first Patou came along and wanted to attack my dog. I lifted [Wendy] up by her collar so we could shelter her.
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“But a second Patou ripped her out of my arms. I let go because [otherwise] she would have been torn to pieces.”
The owner then threw himself to the ground and put his hand in the other dog’s mouth to stop it from hurting his puppy further. He was bitten on the finger.
The owner of the Patou dogs came running after hearing the screams, but Mr Gobet said that the dogs should not have had free access to the car park.
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“My dog was on a lead,” he said. “What annoys me is that we were in a public space, not in a field. I isolated my dog and luckily some Italian vets were on the spot and gave Wendy first aid.
"I phoned the owner of the Patous to let them know what I thought. This happened to our dog, but there were a lot of people in the car park. What would happen if it was a two-year-old child? I'm thinking of lodging a complaint in the next few days,” he said.
‘These dogs are defence animals’
The owner of the Patous is sympathetic to Wendy’s owners, but has also defended his dogs.
"I feel very sorry for this man and his animal. I love animals and I've been affected by this. Faced with this situation, I feel helpless,” he said. “I wasn’t there, so I don’t know exactly how it happened.
“These two dogs are with me for eight months out of the year, and I've never had a problem,” he said. “I don't know what happened, but these are defence animals. They have an instinct,” he said.
The farmer - who is in his 40s, and originally from Bouches-du-Rhône - suggested that the dogs may have become overwhelmed due to the influx of tourists in the area.
“When there are a lot of people in the mountains, they get too much information all at once. That's perhaps what happened,” he said.
The man said that his family had been breeding dogs for several generations, and that the situation with European farming and countryside laws makes it very difficult for farmers to find a balance between protecting their sheep from predators, and maintaining tourism safety.
"European legislation is counter-productive and in France we can do nothing,” he said. “To protect ourselves from wolves and be compensated in the event of an attack, we have to have ‘patous’ and electrified pens guarded during the day.
“[But] since Covid, the number of hikers and electric mountain bikers has exploded,” he said. “Sometimes we also get tourists who don't know the specific features of the mountain and the rules to be respected. What more can we do?
"I pay the rent for the mountain and I have a legitimate right to protect my herd. But now I don't know what to do because the risk will always exist.”
He added that without farming or mountain industry, the area would not be maintained and could not be visited by tourists at all.
What are ‘Patou’ dogs?
‘Patou’ is the nickname given to Great Pyrenees Mountain Dogs, also known as the Pyrenean Mountain Dog, or Chien de Montagne des Pyrénées. They are usually white and very large, and typically trained to defend sheep from wolves and other predators in France.
They can be affectionate family pets, but can also become very strong-willed and aggressive if they are trained to be guard dogs, and they sense that their flock or farmland is in danger.
Patou dogs that are used to defend farm animals are typically not trained in the same way as if they were family pets only. They are specifically taught to defend and attack in case of threats.
Read also: Farmers and hikers given safety tips on French Pyrenean Mountain Dogs
Visitors to the mountains are warned to avoid any flocks of sheep or goats, and stay far away from any Patous. Keep your dog on a short lead, and go far around the flock. Do not let children approach or run.
If a Patou does appear to come close, try to stay calm, avoid sudden movements, and do not shout. You could even yawn, as this is seen as a sign of appeasement to dogs. Avoid staring or threatening the dog with a stick or other object, as these could be seen as aggression.
Gradually move away from the herd or flock, without running, and avoid any signs of confrontation.
Tourism tension
There has long been tension between farmers and tourism in France, as farmers seek to protect their animals from wild predators without increasing the danger for visitors.
In October 2021, a farmer from Ceillac (also in Hautes-Alpes) was fined €2,500 by the Gap criminal court because his Patous had bitten four walkers a few months earlier.
Read also: Shepherd's guard dogs attack hiker on French Alpine route
"Frankly, we've had more problems between Patous and tourists than wolf attacks since the start of the season,” said a local authority, after this latest attack.
This year, a mayor in Hautes-Alpes (in Manteyer, above Gap) has even issued a municipal decree that bans all visitor dogs from accessing part of the Ceüse mountain during the summer grazing season, even if they are kept on a lead.
The decree states that until September 30, people cannot walk their dogs - even on a lead - in the ‘Pierre Pointue’ or ‘Clot Badet’ areas. Previously, these had been popular areas for dog walkers and tourists due to the beautiful landscapes.
