george wrote:What Steve said concerning the hammer.
It is wise to give yourself as many options as possible. Cell phone, pepper spray, flashlight, etc.
If you felt the man was in danger, and you felt compelled to help, the cell was a good response. Possibly pepper spray a second response.
The points that the victim did not provide for his own defense, and that the decision of whether or not to intervene when we believe we can help another who needs it is a tough one, are both well taken. There are no simple answers here.
For a whole lot of reasons (ricochet, moving dog and moving victim, residential neighborhood, etc.) and a situation that was not life threatening, drawing or firing a handgun would not have been a good idea under the circumstances as described. Firing it especially could have caused greater harm than what the biting dog was inflicting.
If you decided to intervene directly instead of just requesting police assistance, an OC projector like the Kimber Guardian Angel (not just a spray) would have been a good option to use on the dogs. Of course, you have to have it with you to be able to use it. It is usually quite effective, has a sharply reduced risk of contaminating anyone it isn't aimed at, and poses very little danger of lasting harm to anyone involved.