MandM

I don't want to hijack the thread. But on a similar note I was walking my dog the other night (70 lbs lab/german shepard mix). Two teenage boys were about a block behind me. It was a still night and I could hear them talking. One of them picked up a part of a tree branch that was on the ground. He told the other one "We can hit the dog with this".

That put me on alert. I immediately crossed the street in the middle of the block to put the street between us and then cut across yard at the next corner to put more distance between us.

This seemed to help and I made sure they knew I was looking over my shoulder. Luckily they never crossed the street or came my direction.

I was wondering in that situation. If they had struck my dog with a tree branch at what level of defense can I justify?

My first thought on this is ..... I have a 70 pound dog on a lease. If they hit her I'm dropping the lease and letting her take the first line of defense for herself.

SonofASniper

Timing and judgement for the appropriate force is everything. Good job with the kick, it would have been better had you connected. If you shoot the dog first, the questions asked later could lead you into trouble. You may find yourself having to prove that the situation met the same criteria as if you were confronted by a criminal.

I think in most cases with dogs though, its a game of fluff and bluff. Dogs typically have more common sense than criminals do, and if you present yourself with the clear message that you are more trouble than worth you can discourage them quickly. Some times that does involve striking the animal when they get close, either with an object or your hand/foot, or using something like OC spray.

When I was a young teen, the neighbors german shepherd had gotten loose. She was known for not being friendly so I went up to their door to let them know she was wandering. When I stepped off the porch, the dog saw me and charged. The owners were screaming trying to call the dog off, but she was focused on me at a full charge. I had my skateboard gripped in two hands like a bat, and when she came within range I swung with everything I had. The dog was in mid lunge when I connected the skate board with her head, and that ended the fight right there. The dog cowered and ran back to her owners, and of course I "politely" informed them what I thought of their dog and them in typical "teen fashion".

The point is, there are many ways to discourage a dog, and just like any other potentially life threatening situation, your firearm is just one of many tools in your tool box of self-defense.

__________________
The unreasonable person will determine what the reasonable compromise will be.

762

dogs are used for defense. i would have let it "be free"...but don't let it get carried away or course...the kids need not be laying there in puddles of blood with end trails hanging out. my old shephard (130 lbs) was enough of a deterrent. NOBODY messed with me when i walked him. too bad i am stuck now with this panzie lap dog.

SonofASniper

Your situation almost sounds like they were planning to assault you. If someone came up with an object and suddenly struck my dog while she was attatched to me by my 5' leash, I can only assume that their next target would be me.

I would have to say that the proverbial S just HTF.

__________________
The unreasonable person will determine what the reasonable compromise will be.

tinkerinWstuff

+1

762

Big dog + dog owner with gun = not good.

SIXTO

There is lots of thoughts on the best defense, but the worst one is kicking at a dog that is actually attacking.
Most "attacks" are nothing more than a bluff and kicking might suffice such as this incident, but thats not a gamble I'd take.

__________________
Only in America .....do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

RebelKangaroo

If I had heard that I would have very um...politely informed the 2 young idiots that if they hit the dog I would drop the leash. With a 70 lb dog on the end of said leash that should be enough discouragement right there.

Although, just the fact that they thought about hitting the 70 lb dog in the first place doesn't speak too well of their reasoning skills.

MandM

Back to the original topic of this thread. When I've had dogs act aggressive to me. I make sure I don't make eye contact with them. To a dog that is a sign of aggression. At the same time, I do keep careful watch on them and if they do start rushing me, I will turn and take an aggressive stance or an alpha stance. Sometimes that helps. As stated above most attacks are a bluff. The dog is trying to tell you that you are in his territory.

MandM

Exactly what I thought. I live in a small town and these were boys who were probably 14-16 years old. Definately not the brightest.