I thought I might have to shoot?!?

[Fartknocker]

Ok guys, I dont post that often, I usually just sit back and take in all the information that I can reading your posts. I finally had a situation last Saturday that could have been a potential self defense situation.

I have been house shopping for a couple of months. I came across a house that I really really liked. I took the family to look at it. The owners had a dog....a really cool dog...so I thought. This dog was very friendly and seemed like your normal friendly dog. It was friendly to our kids too. Well we left that day. A few days later me and the ol lady went to look at the house again without the kids so we could really check it out. The dog was there, jumping around and friendly. One of the homeowners put him in the back yard so we could look around. Well while they were talking I strolled on into the backyard not thinking anything crazy would happen.....the dog came up behind me hostile, barking and started biting me on my A$$!!!!! I was like "Whoa doggie, whoa doggie!!" It wouldnt let up!! As I tried to get away it kept coming! So I turned and the dog basically had me trapped in the corner of the yard growling...so I was like "OMG I might have to shoot this darn dog....but I really like this house!" My XD was in a tuckable holster at 11:00. I paused stayed still and calm and kept looking in the house but no one seemed to hear the ruckus. Its like the dog kept me at bay in the corner. Finally they came and grabbed the dog and apologized to me. I told them it was ok and that the dog was just doing its job. I was a strange man alone in the back yard and the dog acted on it. Maybe that was dumb on my part. I went ahead and put a deposit on the house!

I definitely didnt fear for my life, but I definitely didnt want to get mauled! It was a pretty big mix-breed dog. It was really scary when I realized he was biting me and not letting up! I guess I blame myself for going into the backyard alone with him and assuming it would be ok. What do you guys think?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[AzB]

You kept your cool and didn't shoot the dog. That is a good thing. Generally, when dogs nip at heels or your butt it's a herding instinct more than a killing instinct. He may have been trying to get you back in the house. I'm assuming he did not break the skin?

Not sure what happened with the dog, it's possible the back yard was off limits.

Glad to hear of the happy ending, and hope you heal up ok.

Az

[2ndAmend]

I have a buddy that has a pit bull. Its a good dog when he is off his chain but if i walk towards him alone he will bark and become very aggressive.

[SIXTO]

Sue 'em and use the settlement for a nice down payment on their house.


Just kidding of course. Honestly, it sounds like you got a little to confident with a strange dog on his turf.

[ccw9mm]

I was a strange man alone in the back yard and the dog acted on it. Maybe that was dumb on my part.

Try that in some places, and you can find yourself on the business end of a shotgun. (Recall the post from ~1yr ago in which someone had a tech from the cable company futzing with the cabling at a person's home at 2am, in terms of how that was handled.) Dangerous, rooting around a property uninvited, as you know.

This time, you found yourself on the business end of a large dog that seems to have known its business.

I definitely didnt fear for my life, but I definitely didnt want to get mauled!

Then, it sounds like you did fine.

[WHEC724]

"OMG I might have to shoot this fricking dog....but I really like this house!"

Please forgive me for chuckling at that. Yeah, it probably would have made the deal a little awkward...

[ZX9RCAM]

Dog was just doing his job, good that things ended the way it did.

[Fartknocker]

"OMG I might have to shoot this fricking dog....but I really like this house!"

Please forgive me for chuckling at that. Yeah, it probably would have made the deal a little awkward...

You would have chuckled more if you could have seen me jumping and saying "Whoa doggie Whoa doggie!" We had a good laugh afterwards, but it was scary and serious at the moment.

[Janq]

Rules of thumb as it goes with dogs:

* Dogs are sentient high order thinking beings, and thus are unpredictable.

* Dogs are extremely territorial. [This was your mistake in failure to know and/or remember]

* Dogs are generally protective of their master(s), their masters territory (which they by action tend view as being their own), and generally that of their own self as a being.

* Dogs that are _foreign_ to you should not be trusted nor assumed 'safe' aka friendly simply because you've had good experience with them while as a _guest_ among their owner and while the owner is within view of the dog.

To the dogs view you appeared from no where as invading it's territory, invading the territory of it's owner, and you presented to itself as a being a degree of threat.
The dog biting at your bottom was it giving you clear direction to leave it's territory. Canines do this to other dogs and animals for same reason as when domesticated and when wild. They bite the but, or scruff of the neck, because that is an area of pain/discomfort but is not going to injure so as to not result in the threat being forced to retaliate to save and secure it's own life...Thus increasing the potential for danger, injury and death toward the primary dog defending it's own territory and/or life.
The growling is a clear sign of warning by vocal communication. It likely was showing you body language communication too...Not just this time but the first time you met it as well, but you were not schooled or skilled enough to recognize what it was saying to you.

You are fortunate to have survived shaken and stirred as all.
That dog did not want to harm you. It just wanted you to disappears quick and same as you had appeared, to it's view and understanding of it's world.

I kid you not dogs are not a being to be shrugged off, especially not dogs foreign to you as this one was.
Go to this old thread for some real world stats as related to dog bites and incidents:

http://www.defensivecarry.com/vbulle...tml#post231646

- Janq

[Fartknocker]

Good info Janq, and thanks for the feedback guys. Thats why I love this forum!

[Daddy Warcrimes]

Next time, no bologna in your back pocket.

[bladenbullet]

you might want to carry a can of oc along with the gun...it is a great alternative to deadly force and could end a problem like yours without killing someones pet...

i live in a neighborhood with several aggressive dogs...i dont leave the house without a can and have armed it multiple times but managed to avoid having to use it at this point...several of my neighbors have also received citations from animal control and seem to have a better handle on their dogs now...

[21bubba]

you might want to carry a can of oc along with the gun...it is a great alternative to deadly force and could end a problem like yours without killing someones pet...

i live in a neighborhood with several aggressive dogs...i dont leave the house without a can and have armed it multiple times but managed to avoid having to use it at this point...several of my neighbors have also received citations from animal control and seem to have a better handle on their dogs now...

Yeah come to my house, go into my dogs backyard unsupervised, mace my dog, see how well that goes over.

[ZX9RCAM]

Yeah come to my house, go into my dogs backyard unsupervised, mace my dog, see how well that goes over.

[packinnova]

+1 to what Janq said...

Sounds like the dog did his job and you made assumptions. There's a saying about assumptions which I'd have to reword to make board friendly here without getting demerits from one of the swingers of yard sticks here...

In short...
Assumptions are the mother of all screwups.

Glad you and the dog are both Ok.
Next time, don't assume and never underestimate a dog...even the tiny one's. They're the most evil!