DropTop

i have 2 dogs(7 total) that are very protective of our yard. they get very "excited" when someone comes in our yard and then those 2 get the others stirred up. if we are out there to calm them down when you get there they are fine. we live in the country on about 1 1/2 acres(40 total, about 1/2 mile off of the main road)that is fenced in so if you get into my yard you wanted to be in my yard and the dogs are just doing what they should do. like i said, if we are out there after a few minutes they are fine and will want to play ball with you and are the greatest dogs after that. my mom came over the other day and she got out of the car(unfortunatly she was about 10 feet from her car when they seen her and she couldn't get back into it) and they wouldn't let her go any further until i came outside and told them it was ok. my point is, you don't know what even the friendliest dogs are going to do when they are being protective. you did the right thing and that cop should have been reported for not following up with your complaint just because he knew them.

PastorPack

Did the dogs have the "I want to play" or "I kill you now" look?

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Thumper

I am a dog lover and personally, I'll usually prefer to be with a dog than a lot of humans that I know.

Several years ago, a wonderful loving dog that would never bother anyone and had never even lowered it's tail at anyone, for only reasons he knew, turned and jumped up biting me in the face (yeah, THAT explains what happened... ha ha) ripping my lower lip half off. Could have been a scent I had on me, the sound of my voice... who knows?

The point is, ALL dogs are to some degree unpredictable. It's just too bad so many owners of dogs don't understand that!

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ALWAYS carry! - NEVER tell!

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Janq

Umm...Puppys bite too, and just as severely as an adult.
The dogs owner is a moron and he's lucky the pup didn't get shot/permanently stopped.

- Janq

"ALL dogs are to some degree unpredictable." - Thumper

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IsaacMc

I think you handled it well. I've worked with dogs, and you can't always judge a dog by its breed. Even a good dog can be ruined, and I'd be suspicious if someone's dog just took off after me.

drkangl6

I'm sorry you had to mace the dogs but don't fault you in the least. As others have said it is truely the fault of the owner, who is either unable or unwilling to properly train and then control their dogs, that this happened. With a properly trained dog all it would have taken was a single control word from the owner to prevent this whole incident.
That sad excuse of an owner should be thankful that you had the mace and didn't have to fire as your only recourse to stop what for all intents and purposes appeared to be not one, but two, attacking dogs. He should also be thankful that you didn't contact animal control and report the dogs, but then again that would only be making the dogs pay for their owners irresponsibility.

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chains1240

Very good point. That is one thing that concerns me about all big dogs. They all have lethal weapons, their teeth. I know boxers by nature are a clowning breed that are very playful and a great family dog. BUT, I am not a member of that dog's family. And unlike a person that dog doesn't have to listen to me and he doesn't know what a can of mace is or what a gun is. A human with that type of lethal force wouldn't get the mace.

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chains1240

The officer followed up at the address of the dog owner after talking to me. But I said that I seriously doubted they would be ticketed for violating the Michigan leash law because the officer knew the dog owners. I am a firm believer in Community Policing and giving people a break, but not when it comes to dogs running loose.

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Erich1B

Agreed. I have two dogs myself. My dogs are always kept on leash outside when not in our fenced back yard.

I carry when my wife and I walk our dogs as there are a number of irresponsible dog owners in our neighborhood who don't seem to think the leash law applies to them.

After reading this, I might think about some mace.

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chains1240

The dog definitely did not want to "play". It can be hard to tell sometimes with dogs that do not have tails but there are signs of aggression in dogs without tails: If they are are growling, barking, snarling, showing teeth, and running at you, and you only have a few seconds to make a decision chances are they are not trying to play. The dogs were in their yard with their owner and a small child before running to me in the middle of the street. I have been approached by dogs that want to play, their whole posture and mannerisms are different. But to those who believe that I overreacted, what would the consequences be if I would have UNDER REACTED? If I wouldn't have maced the dogs and would have gotten attacked the situation would have escalated even quicker.

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Kel-Tec P-11, Supertuck Deluxe, Wilderness Tactical Original Instructor's Belt