Pepper spray is a good option. I would not hesitate to put a dog down that I felt was going to bite me.Originally Posted by Warped Mindless
Pepper spray is a good option. I would not hesitate to put a dog down that I felt was going to bite me.
The problem is the number of people I have seen in a full on panic over a dog being playful. Case in point my Shiba Inu puppy that was maybe 8 pounds(around 28 pounds full grown) backed the meter reader up and tugged on his pant leg. He fell backwards screaming he was bit. I had a few choice words for him and kicked him off the property.
This ^^^.
I understand completely, it’s a rotten position to be but in. You should be able to run/jog in your own neighborhood without worrying about somebody’s loose dog attacking you and who the hell wants to run/jog with a full duty belt just so you have less lethal options.
That said, shooting the dog could lead to so many problems and trouble. Financial and safety wise in the long run, really no easy answer to this.
I had to make that decision once while mountain biking on a canal bank in a very rural area, I carried a Shield 9 and an expandable baton on the bike. Dog chased me down, he didn’t want to play I put the bike between him and me. Made a decision to grab the baton, not the gun. Reached over the bike and smacked him in the head, he welp and took off running the other way.
But it was not a Pit and I had the bike between me and options, without the bike or if it was a pit I might have picked the gun.
Think if this was a very real issue for me on a regular basis, I’d carry a small OC with me too and hope that keeps me from having to use the gun.
Using the bike as a barrier was a good call. That said…
Please explain why pit vs non pit is an objective factor ?
A dog large enough to be a threat and displaying (actual) aggressive behavior (both objective factors) is a threat justifying use of force. Being in a remote area / far from help if injured could also be an objective factor.
But what difference does the breed make ?
It seems purely subjective.
Because as a subjective (feelings) factor if we substitute a human threat for a dog threat it sounds a lot like this: if “some-dude” chased you down and threatened you with a weapon and you chose not to shoot him because he wasn’t race “X,” but if he was an “X” you would have shot him.
One would then expect to hear something like “because you know those X people are (scary, athletic, have hard heads, don’t feel pain) etc.”
How does that sound in 2023 America ?
No. That's mostly a movie thing. The impulse that moves a dog to attack is very different from 'Ooo, treat' and they won't even notice. If a dog gets distracted by a treat it wasn't going to attack, it was just being a dog, which can be scary.
It makes a difference because of the athleticism is the breed. If you had to fight a dog, would you pick a standard poodle or a pit bull of equal weight. The breed also has a well-deserved reputation for unprovoked attacks, one of which happened nextdoor to me.
Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk
Because 2/3 dog mauling deaths are caused by pit bulls? That’s just math. Obviously there are sweet loving pits. And obviously there are aggressive pits bred specifically to be fighting dogs.
————
I have gone out of my way as a LEO to try and make friends with every dog I have encountered on the job. I usually have beef jerky or crackers in the car. If we have to hop a fence or such, a slim Jim or peanut butter cracker slipped between fence boards has calmed most dogs. Went 45 years of my life without having any issues with dogs, and not understanding why anyone would shoot a dog.
But…
I have now been on the receiving end of a German Shepard bite. It got my left forearm and shook me like a rag doll. Fighting a dog with both hands would be a challenge. Fighting a 110lb dog with only one had was going to damn near impossible. I would have had to shoot it if the owner (a friend) was not there to immediately pry its mouth open.
You don’t realize the power of that bite or how easily it will take you off your feet until you experience it. If there is more than one dog, and two of your limbs are out of the fight, you are screwed. A trained police dog will bite and hold a limb. That’s how they train. A random aggressive dog? Who knows if wants to go for your face or throat? Is it worth the risk?
A few antibiotic shots, some stitches and a lot of bruising left me with a valuable lesson. I will NOT get bit again. If someone’s dog is off leash and charging? Well, it might end badly.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
“A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.” - Shane
Pits can be incredibly aggressive and almost immune to pain when they are in attack mode, while most other dogs can be deterred with a baton strike that’s not always the case when it comes to pit bulls. Dog breeds are in fact different, you can’t make the same comparison with people. Dogs are breed to be a certain way, strong aggressive and being able to endure pain is what the pit was breed for. Add in a POS owner that treats and trains the dog to be so and there often is no quit in them until you kill them. Sorry but dog breeds are very different and there is ample proof of it.
1) All dogs are more “athletic” than humans so it’s a given not a variable but for arguments sake there are plenty of breeds more athletic / agile than pits.
2) doesn’t matter - not because pits are harmless but because you don’t understand what an aggressive standard poodle is actually capable of. A pit may have a stronger bite but an aggressive 70lb plus hunting dog quicker and more agile than a pit is no joke. Either one is a bad day.
3) Pits / pit mixes are one of the most common dog types in America. Many people don’t realize how common dog attacks (all types) are in general.
Last edited by HCM; 04-26-2023 at 03:05 AM.
Reply With Quote