Lost my SA today

[justherenow]

Today we decided to take the dog, a 1 year old Belgian malinois out for a run and then i decided to stop at a couple car lots to look at some cars since i am planning a purchase and i knew no pesky salesman would be around to bug me. I will say i had my 10 old son in the car as well along with my sig p250 on my hip.

I was looking at a nice jeep at one lot and had seen a couple people looking at the back row specials and ignored them since they were a good distance away. I walked over to look at another car and then back to the jeep, having my back turned away from them and my car when all the sudden the dog starts going crazy so i quickly turn around to see the guy about 15 feet from my car.

Im sure there was no threat but i realized that i had no situational awareness and had it been a true threat the dog may have saved my rear.

After we left my son and i had a discussion about what i expect him to do in the future if there was an attack under similar circumstances which included putting the window down or opening the door to let the dog do her thing.



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[DefensiveCarry.com]

[stevem174]

Gotta love a good Mal!

[Eagleks]

They watch our backs.....

I was out in a side yard in the 'dark' one night, and my dog went straight for something by the alley, and I realized it was not a something... it was a someone hiding in some bushes there by my shed. Someone had been tampering and trying to get into the shed, and I guess I happened to go out when they were up to no good. If it had not been for my dog, I would have never seen them. She goes out and is beside me at all times now.

[justherenow]

Gotta love a good Mal!

Yes you do. She is our first Mal, we were actually looking for a Husky when we got her. We have only had her almost 3 months and it shocks me how protective she has become of not only our home but even more my son. She sleeps in his room usually at the foot of his bed and you cannot walk in the door without her introducing herself to you in a not so pleasent mannor, unless its my son or myself.

[10thmtn]

Don't sweat it too much. While you should strive to be as observant as possible, it is simply not possible to be alert to everything going on around you 360 degrees, 24/7/365. This is especially true if you have children. A dog can sure help, as can your spouse. However, I always laugh when I see folks post how they are always in condition yellow...sure they are.

Hey, as long as you aren't texting on your crackberry while walking down the street, you're more aware than 90% of the other folks out there...

[MattInFla]

Pretty Mal. Looks a bit like my girl.

[Mattmann]

Good job on realizing this. I get so shocked by the amount of people with cell phones stuck to there hand and not watching there surrounding. Smart phones are perhaps the most dangerous invention because of the way they trap your attention and even I have to check myself a lotfor this. Beautiful dog by the way!

[kaboomkaboom]

After we left my son and i had a discussion about what i expect him to do in the future if there was an attack under similar circumstances which included putting the window down or opening the door to let the dog do her thing.

You might rethink this part...IF your dog had been released to attack in a car lot, ...you'd be hard pressed to prove that the "attackee" was anything other than someone browsing at the cars...civil and criminal liability could surely follow! A dog was released in a similar situation in a nearby town and the owner was charged and convicted of assault with a weapon...Keep the dog IN THE VEHICLE unless and until there is actually an attempt to breech the vehicle...which in virtually every case will not happen once the potential threat sees the dog and the dog is barking at the person approaching....

[MattInFla]

I agree - keep the Mal in the car with the child. Nobody with a brain is going to open the car door and get face to face with an annoyed Mal...

[retsupt99]

Give the canine a steak...stay alert!

[9MMare]

She's lovely!

[Camjr]

Good puppy!! Shepherds and other herding breeds are fantastic for alerts and helping to maintain SA. My Australian Shepherd was the exact same way before he passed.

I've got a German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix. I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I'll usually be listening to a podcast on my iPhone with earbuds in while walking him. SA should tell me to keep my eyes AND EARS open and completely aware of my surroundings, but Fritz (dog) alerts if there is anyone in sight. I typically don't listen to music because it drowns out all external noises. At least the podcast voice of whoever I'm listening to doesn't drown every other noise out, and I usually have it on relatively low and don't use in-ear noise isolating earbuds for this same reason.

Also, I would not think of releasing the dog. I would release the dog if we were attacked by another dog and I wouldn't want the fight that close to me or to restrain my dog on a leash and put him at an unfair advantage, but not a 2 legged predator unless I was out of options (and I've got multiple options...). By keeping the dog on the leash, I've got a safe area that only a fool would try to enter. Also, if I'm walking him, most bad guys would move to a softer target. He serves the same purpose when standing in the front window barking at people that walk down the sidewalk on our side of the street, or barking at the expanded metal covered "windows" I've cut in our privacy fence so he can keep an eye on the goings-on in the alley (all our neighborhood homes have rear-entry garages). When my wife goes on her fitness walks, she will only go if he goes with her. She doesn't yet have a CHL license, but we feel good enough about her security with the dog and a Kimber Pepper Blaster.

Again, GOOD PUPPY! I've enjoyed learning about Malinois and the stories behind her becoming part of your family. Here's a shot of Fritz. Again, he's a GSD/Malinois mix. He's got the structure, coat length, and smaller size of a Malinois, but the markings of a GSD.


Cheers!

[MadMac]

Good job on realizing this. I get so shocked by the amount of people with cell phones stuck to there hand and not watching there surrounding. Smart phones are perhaps the most dangerous invention because of the way they trap your attention and even I have to check myself a lotfor this. Beautiful dog by the way!

That sounds very much like a Brady campaigner saying guns are "the most dangerous invention." If I had to make a financial choice between a firearm or a smart phone, I'd pick the smart phone for security every time. Best security and safety device you can own. Smart phones can summon help, get you directions to safer places, locate police and fire response units in unfamiliar territory, &c.

As with anything, it's not the device, but how it's used.

[Harryball]

That sounds very much like a Brady campaigner saying guns are "the most dangerous invention." If I had to make a financial choice between a firearm or a smart phone, I'd pick the smart phone for security every time. Best security and safety device you can own. Smart phones can summon help, get you directions to safer places, locate police and fire response units in unfamiliar territory, &c.

As with anything, it's not the device, but how it's used.

All while the BG is on top of you jamming his knife into your chest. Please tell us how that smart phone works out for you...

[Camjr]

All while the BG is on top of you jamming his knife into your chest. Please tell us how that smart phone works out for you...

knife or pepper spray app?