Taking out a dog

[Ameer]

Lemee see:
Ash Stick ... check

Is that Ash's boom stick?

Shop smart. Shop S-Mart.

[cheezit]

http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/ ... geles.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

When he returned, he found the family's Pomeranian dog on the bed attacking the baby

2,000 children are killed every year by their parents, through abuse and neglect (A child is 800 times more likely to be killed by their adult caretaker than by a “Pit Bull”)


Really people because its a "pit", a gsd, a chow, a rot, etc, etc......
to me this statement is no worse then being a bigit.
The avarge mutt is no more or less dangorus then the Lab accross the street thats always running around off the leash.

[Abraham]

I bicycle for fitness well out in the countryside.

I'm often charged by dogs.

I carry pepper spray and it works on MOST dogs, but NOT all dogs.

Most of the dogs who charge aren't feral. They come boiling out people's yards and occasionally the various owner's will watch with what seems amusement.

I've had more than one owner shout at me to not spray their dogs while the dog is coming after me.

I guess they assume I should let the dog potentially harm me rather than defend myself.

How do I know it isn't just playfully chasing me? Well, I make a judgement call and just as often don't spray, but if it's snarling and acting with what appears to me as violence I spray them.

I feel sorry for dogs allowed to run the roads - apparently the owners are inconsiderate louts who don't see the many poor critters I see lying dead on the side of the road, hit by vehicles.

It's very sad to see.

The refrain I hear many dog owners tell others when their dog is off it's leash is: "He won't bite you".

What they fail to realize is he won't bite them, but he may very well bite you.

The follow up statement I hear dog owner's utter: He never bit anyone BEFORE and that's what I don't care to experience...

[Cobra Medic]

Keep dogs on leash or fenced and your dogs will be safe from CHL and safe from hit by cars.

And safe from bicyclists with pepper spray and sturdy tire pumps.

[dicion]

http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/ ... geles.html

When he returned, he found the family's Pomeranian dog on the bed attacking the baby

2,000 children are killed every year by their parents, through abuse and neglect (A child is 800 times more likely to be killed by their adult caretaker than by a “Pit Bull”)


Really people because its a "pit", a gsd, a chow, a rot, etc, etc......
to me this statement is no wore then being a bigit.
The avarge mutt is no more or less dangorus then the Lab accross the street thats always running around off the leash.

Saying you're more likely to be attacked by a pit, is like saying you're more likely to be shot by a glock.

It may be true, but only because some of the people that use them that way, not because of what they are.

[Abraham]

Cobra Medic,

Playing "Dog Polo" with a tire pump is a great way to come flying off your bike.

Kicking at a charging dog while on a bike is another quick way to find yourself on the pavement with an attacking dog.

The semi-safe way to handle a charging dog when on a bike is pepper spray.

However, if you panic when attacked and spray with the wind in your face while the spray angle is up you'll get to enjoy some of that spray.

Always spray down taking wind direction into account or hold off until the angle is in your favor as you continue on your way.

I use a stream type spray and utilize a Z spray pattern going for the face. The spray will have little effect if it just gets on their fur, but if it hits the mucus membrane your chances of being left alone increase dramatically.

Pepper spray for attacking dogs is a learning tool for some. There's one in particular that is always loose and when he sees me pedaling by now he stays in his yard. He just barks at me, but God help the poor pedestrian innocently walking past his yard.

In mentioning my method of self-defense with charging dogs, one person advised all one has to do is pedal furiously and soon you'll be out of range. Perhaps he can pedal that fast...

[glbedd53]

Couldn't disagree more. With Pit Bulls it is because of what they are. They do what they were bred to do. I used to work with someone who bred them. He even admitted it. He agreed that they are not dogs that should be around children and other animals.

[texas1234]

I agree on pits. There is no safe pit. I am absolutely against any dog breed legislation. I am just for Pit owners to realize they have a potential disaster on their hands and need to handle accordingly.

You guys are welcome to own them and love them as far as I am concerned as long as you realize the propensity and take the measures to assure the safety of those that dont choose to own them or be around them.

[PappaGun]

Couldn't disagree more. With Pit Bulls it is because of what they are. They do what they were bred to do. I used to work with someone who bred them. He even admitted it. He agreed that they are not dogs that should be around children and other animals.

I have come to agree with this.

I used to think it was entirely a bad rap for the breed.
But they were were bred to chase down loose livestock and that is a trait that is genetic and part of their nature.
Livestock or human is all the same to them.
There are good and bad in all breeds and I love a good dog.
But I would have to pass on the Pit Bull.

[SpringerFan]

This actually came up at a pistol class I was taking and the instructor's advise was interesting to say the least. "Wait until the dog is upon you with open mouth in attack mode, and point and shoot directly into the mouth. Basically insert gun into open mouth and pull trigger. This is the only way to effectively take out an attacking dog" This sounded strange to me as well, but his guy is supposed to be one of the best in Texas. As a dog lover with little fear of them, I was not real excited at the thought.

[Tass]

What most pet owners fail to realize (or at least acknowledge) is that ALL dogs have the potential to bite given the right circumstances.

And No, your dog doesn't just want to come over to say 'hi' at lightening speed when i'm walking mine on leash....your dog is displaying (from my dog's point of view) challenging/aggressive behavior and my dog is justified in taking a defensive posture (in dog language, it's time to stop the threat before it gets me first). I think this is where a lot of 'dog attacks' begin. Dog rushes another dog (i.e. walking around the neighborhood on leash) to 'say hi' and dog on leash takes notice (often WAY before the owner at the other end of the leash realizes what's about to happen) and defends himself. The human is usually the last to notice the offending dog's intentions and finds himself in the middle of a dog fight.

Tass

[tubular031]

The human is usually the last to notice the offending dog's intentions and finds himself in the middle of a dog fight.

Tass

Yup that has happened to me twice. the first time was nothing too bad. the second time I got the worst of it. my blood ended up all over the 2 dogs and they were fine. SUX. this is partly why I am so paranoid about dogs rushing me.

[glbedd53]

That's exactly right. All dogs have the potential to bite even if some breeds are more aggresive than others. That's why dogs have no business running loose in neighborhoods.

[VMI77]

Please use pepper spray. I love dogs and they generally really mean no harm. If the pepper spray doesn't work, THEN shoot the dog. If you don't believe that pepper spray before bullets is a good idea, then I invite you to google for "Harold Fish". He sure wishes that he had pepper spray! Stay safe out there.

It probably is no difference to him. If he pepper sprays on the dogs, the crazy man still attacks him, and he still has to shoot the crazy man who doesn't stop attcking when Fish yells at him to stop and points a gun to show he really wants crazy man to stop. He can't pepper spray crazy man if he used all of it on the dogs.

Keep dogs on leash or fenced and your dogs will be safe from CHL and safe from hit by cars.

Not necessarily. I am very careful about keeping my dog in the house and in the yard. However, the yard guys once left a gate improperly secured, and before we had a chance to correct the problem, the wind blew a gate open and my dog got out. Fortunately the neighbor saw him, and although he was cautious about my dog, didn't feel the need to kill him. I got to the house within minutes and secured him. Sometimes things happen.

[A-R]

This topic seems to come up from time to time. And always results in a lot of mixed emotions and advice.

I'm not a "dog person" but I don't dislike dogs (or any animals). Live and let live and all that. But I also greatly respect the damage a determined dog can do. A dog attacking me is the same as a human attacking me, except that my ability to effectively communicate STOP! to a dog is probably less than a human. So once a dog starts an attack, you may already be past the point of no return as far as defending yourself.

IMHO, intermediate force (such as pepper spray) against a very real and aggressive threat is not a good choice. Either the attacker (human or otherwise) is a deadly threat or not. If it is a deadly threat, I'm not going to waste time on half measures. I'm going to stop the threat. Period. And remember, items like a short club or stick can very much be a deadly weapon if used in certain ways.

My question for those who use pepper spray for dogs, at what point is a dog worthy of a spray but not worthy of deadly force to repel an attack? At what point is this intermediate line crossed?

Obviously, there are plenty of reasons (many already mentioned) not to shoot at a dog - same as reasons not to shoot at a human, bystanders in background being the most important to consider. In these instances, a fist-to-paw fight would seem to be inevitable. Again, just don't know how/when you'd be able to make the multiple decisions of shoot/no shoot, spray/no spray, kick/punch, run for your life etc. in the time you have when a dog attacks.

Again, I have no desire to shoot a dog. But if I must then I must, and I would have no regrets from protecting myself or my family from a vicious attack.

But honestly the "fault" in most of these scenarios lies not with the person being attacked by a dog. It lies with the owner of the dog. Doesn't matter what breed (though obviously certain breeds will cause my hair to stand up faster than others). As a dog owner it is your responsibility to make absolutely certain your dog cannot needlessly attack another dog or person (needlessly meaning - unless that other dog or person is itself a threat). If you allow your dog to roam free, outside a controlled/fenced area and/or off a leash, then anything that happens to that dog and anything that dog injures, destroys, or kills is YOUR FAULT. Not the fault of anyone else.

Owning a dog is sort of like owning a gun with a mind of its own. As long as you take the necessary precautions as a dog owner, no problems and I firmly believe you have every right to own any kind of dog you like. But if your negligence allows your dog to menace others, that's the same as negligence with a gun that injures others - you're criminally liable for any harm done and must live with the consequences. Just like you cannot call back a bullet that has left your gun, you may not be able to call back your dog that has left your yard.

If your gun or your dog are not in your direct control, lock 'em up.