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‘‘I could tell right away these were not friendly dogs,” Tate said. She had only been outside for a few moments when they attacked the golden retriever.

Tate knew she would be unable to help without a weapon. She ran to her shed and grabbed the first thing she saw: a PVC pipe. Using it, she was successfully able to scare off the animals.

‘‘It was like God was watching out for her,” Tate said. ‘‘If my daughters hadn’t seen her, if the PVC pipe hadn’t been right there, I’m not sure what would have happened.”

Kavounis was unharmed, but her dog, Elly, was treated for puncture wounds.

‘‘Those two little girls are very special,” Kavounis said of Lindsey, 9, and Hailey, 8, who responded quickly to her call for help.

Dog attacks remain a steady problem in Montgomery County. So far this year, the police department’s Animal Services Division has recorded 24 attacks involving humans, said Paul Hibler, the division’s deputy director. Far more, 207, involve other animals.

The majority of dog attacks in Montgomery County are by pit bulls, according to statistics listed on the police department’s Web site.

But to consider pit bulls an inherently vicious breed is a common misconception, Hibler said. Most dogs that attack, regardless of breed, are improperly socialized, he said.

‘‘Any dog can be trained to be aggressive,” Hibler said. ‘‘The pit bull breed in general isn’t a bad breed – it’s all it the way they are raised and trained.”

Laurie Maxwell, a pit bull advocate, agrees.

‘‘Pit bulls are actually very people-oriented,” she said.

They display aggressive behavior because many are raised to be suspicious of strangers and chained outdoors for long periods of time, Maxwell said.

Maxwell became an advocate for pit bulls working in a Humane Society shelter in Pittsburgh. She saw many pit bulls come in who had been abused or trained for dog fighting.

‘‘My heart went out to them,” Maxwell said.

Maxwell continues her work with the Humane Society of the United States and also with an advocacy group, Hello Bully, to try to increase awareness of pit bull abuse and to teach pit bull owners how to properly socialize their dogs. She holds workshops in Montgomery County, including a workshop called ‘‘Pitbull 101” that was held last weekend at the Potomac Community Center.

‘‘The most important part of training a pit bull is positive reinforcement,” Maxwell said. Pit bulls should also be socialized with other dogs as puppies through supervised playgroups, she said.

Not all dogs who attack are pit bulls, according to Hibler.

‘‘One year, Labrador retrievers were at the top of our list,” Hibler said.

The numbers may also be skewed because of overpopulation in the pit bull breed, Hibler said.

Hibler advises the community never to approach an unfamiliar dog, regardless of breed, even if the owner has given permission. If attacked, he cautions against running away from the dog.

‘‘First of all, you’re not going to do it; second of all, you might excite the dog more,” he said.

Instead, he recommends standing still and making fists to protect fingers from being bitten.

Dog owners bear a large brunt of the responsibility for keeping neighborhoods safe, Maxwell said. Owners of pit bulls, who tend to be aggressive toward other dogs, need to be especially careful. Maxwell, along with conducting workshops, refers pit bull owners to trainers who use non-violent training techniques.

Though Tate’s two children now often visit the recovering golden retriever, she and her family remain shaken by the attacks.

‘‘You just don’t expect it in your backyard,” Tate said.

Both Tate and Kavounis are concerned about dog safety in Potomac.

‘‘I would say do your best to remain calm,” Kavounis suggests to anyone who is approached by a strange dog. ‘‘Keep your dog calm and yell for help.”

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The Animal Services Division of the Montgomery County Police Department reports that most dogs who attack are unneutered, are chained or left outside for long periods of time, and have never undergone training. If approached by a strange dog, the division recommends:

Standing quietly and backing away slowly.

Avoiding eye contact with the dog.

‘‘Feeding” the dog an article of clothing or a purse if it attempts to bite.

Curling into a ball if knocked to the ground.