Another dog situation...

[Drjones]

This happened to me in a dream last night...

You are walking along in a residential neighborhood at dark. You are with one other person. Close friend/family/whatever.

You notice a rather large german-shepherd type dog come out from behind some trees about 50 ft. away. He starts trotting at you at a good clip. About 25 ft. away, he starts running. STRAIGHT for you. (He does not look happy.)

What do you do?

[Cal4D4]

Put her leash back on and clean up the mess on the lawn.

[Drjones]

Cal: ???

One more thing... are you required by law to stick around and explain the situation to the cops, or can you just get the hell out of there?

[KSFreeman]

Well, what I did was wait for the car to come down the street and run over the dog! Brilliant tactical move on my part.

[CWL]

I think you know the answer.

Not only did you discharge a firearm within city limits, but you blew away somebody's Fido to boot. The fact that that pistola you've got is isn't permitted...

[spacemanspiff]

my bottle of pepper spray is out and i fill the mutts face with it, buying me enough time to retreat. if the dog advances again, i use either my gun or my knife to stop the threat.

i dont think i am under any obligation to wait for police, whether or not the dog survives, i will go home and call animal control to either report a loose dog or a dead one.

p.s. actually, if i use my gun on the dog, i will wait for police, and will allow them to write me a ticket for 'unlawful discharge of a firearm within city limits'. its a misdemeanor.

[Mike Irwin]

I release the 2,000 pound weight...

[Blackhawk]

I would relax with some good music and stop obsessing about guns and self defense so much before beddy bye so I'd have more pleasant dreams....

[C.R.Sam]

A. It wasn't really a dog.
B. The Roadrunner will handle the problem shortly.

Sam

[Cal4D4]

Drjones:

Sorry for the flippant response (the only GSD I've ever had charge me was my 90# female). I have trouble taking an attack from a single dog as a real threat. Dogs are pack animals with numerous weaknesses in single combat. They like to "cut & run" and allow another member to get in if possible. You will get bit, but a roundhouse kick to the side or a short uppercut to the throat while you offer a target arm or shirt ought to do it. Most untrained dogs don't deliver a really effective bite on attack anyhow. You are a more effective predator than they are.

[m14nut]

Dispatch Fido, carry the carcass to the local eatery, :barf: sell for "short ribs" walk down block to gunstore to buy more guns

[m14nut]

OR..............
Slip into ninja outfit, charge dog in "Matrix" sequence speed muzzle and leash dog at hyperspeed in mid air, and return to distraught owner looking for dog...........






Yea, I know, too much free time!

[JohnKSa]

As the dog bore down on my position, teeth bared and with a look of pure evil in its eyes, I realized there was only one solution! With a casual wave of my hand, I changed the dog into Pamela Anderson, and, at the same time, converted the look of evil to one of animal lust.

Unfortunately, too late, I realized that the dog had been targeting my companion. Having used my quota of magic for the evening, I turned for home, dejected, while my sister tried desperately to ward off Pamela's advances.

[Gusgus]

That's an easy one. I just release his leash, and allow my tiny little 8 month old PUPPY handle the nasty German Shepard type twitt. Sure beats discharging a firearm in township limits, and losing my right to ever own guns again.

[Blackhawk]

So, Gusgus, are you going to get him a saddle when your pup's grown up...?

[Kirk Keller]

I turn both of my 200LB mastiffs loose and say, "Look boys, a new chew toy!"

[Cal4D4]

Gusgus Is that a Mastiff or a cross? I think I may have to revise my earlier foolishness about a single dog attack. I forgot about dogs weighing more than me....

[imadork]

When a dog attacks me, I shoot the bastard, that's my policy. I would define "attack" as the dog jumping on me and trying to bite me. If it starts to lick my face, that's a different story, probably causing a sigh of relief that I won't have to blast someone's best friend. If I don't have my pistol on me, I'll use the knife...

[Cal4D4]

A side issue to this dog attack thing would be to learn enough about dog behaviors to prevent a huge percent of dog problems. If you are doing dynamic entry as PD or criminal you have a different set of rules. Then a dog must be treated like forcing a door and be dealt with, yet a PD K-9 is afforded full (human) legal protection. Double standard?

How about country dogs? Are there many feral/starving curs harrassing people, or mostly smaller animals?

[MeekAndMild]

Been charged by German shepards twice in my life. Both times they were after dogs I was with. One was stopped with an open umbrella, "Duh, what happened to da lil dog and da big guy. Dey's gone and all dere is is dis umbrella." The second was knocked sideways with my walking stick.

Umbrella works better. Dogs just can't grok it at all.

[Jato]

I was attacked once by a German Shepard. It exposed it's teeth and went for my groin.


Score:
Jato = 1
German Shepard = 0

[Mike Irwin]

Gusgus,

Canecorso (sp?) or Neopolitan Mastiff?

[LetsFetz]

... looks like a Boer Bull - yes? ...

... a bit smaller than our "Kowalsky" = Irish Wolfhound ...

... how different Africa would be - again - in an issue like this ... dog not inside a graden, but chasing around on the street hasn't got a very long life expectancy ... we have a tribe here that considers dogs an absolute delicacy, too ... so, it'll be shot most probably and be eaten before it can land in the dumpster ... "that's Africa" ...

[SamH]

I've never gotten along with dogs. Been attacked.... five times.

Case 1:

Walking home from a corner-store with two 2L bottles of milk. I was 10 years old. A large dog which was never friendly to me, began to give chase after profuse barking and baring of teeth.
I ran like Karl Lewis for about 30 metres, and then across the road in front of an oncoming car. I crossed the road safely, but the dog hesitated and got the fright of its life when the car swerved to avoid it.

Case 2:

Walking home from school. I was 12 years old, IIRC.
This was a very large Alsatian which always stared at me like an old lion everyday I walked home from school.
This day, the temptation of fresh human meat must have been too much.
It gave chase very suddenly and without warning. In fact, I only found out because I could hear it loping up behind me.
I sprinted to the nearest house, and climbed up the steps. The dog broke chase, and the owner of the dog fetched it back.
The owner of house which I had just invaded, well she came out looking horrified, but was very understanding of the circumstances.

Case 3:

Took my little dog out walking in the park. I was on a bike. Two medium-sized dogs began to round up my dog, and I cut them off with my bike and shooed them away. Their owners ran up and leashed both - with some difficulty.

Case 4:

Had a large dog - a collie of some sort - charge at me while I was riding my bike. I just dismounted, put my bike between myself and the dog, and stood perfectly still, avoiding direct eye contact, but watching the dog through peripheral vision.
It soon lost interst, and a very surprised pensioner took it away.

Case 5:

Had a pitbull attack me very aggressively while I was walking in the same park as Case 3. I was alone then, and had an umbrella. Just opened up the umbrella and kept it at the dog.
Trying to keep the thing between myself and the dog was a real exercise in awareness and intuition, but the dog was just stumped.
The livid owner (why don't they keep their dogs on leash?) eventually took control of it.

====================================

Lessons learnt:

- Unless you're armed with a gun, don't be aggressive towards the dog.

- Use passive defenses as much as possible (eg. the umbrella).

- Dogs have short attention spans. Exploit this.

- Dogs don't have much problem-solving ability. Exploit this.

- Dogs are fast. If you have to run, make it short, and place either a physical (fence/car, etc.) or territorial barrier (eg. different houses) against the dog.

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What would I do if I must tack an aggressive dog empty handed?:

(Note: Dogs are predators. Like all predators, their main targets are the ankles, groin, wrists, and the throat.)

- Strike the dog when it is on its haunches or when it is trying to jump.

- If the dog has latched on the arm, orient body square to the dog, place a hand at the back of its neck, and drive a knee into its throat area. Great pain is expected, but it may stun or disable the dog, at least temporarily.

- If the dog is jumping to target a wrist, fling that arm up, and strike the dog at the back of the neck with a hammer fist or knife hand.

- DO NOT ALLOW THE DOG TO ACCESS THE GROIN OR THROAT!!!!!!! (Duh! )

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What about if I had to fight an aggressive dog armed with a knife?:

- Simply stab a dog which has latched onto an arm or leg. Stab as many times as possible. Most dogs won't let go after having latched onto their target. Pain will be great, but the alternative is permanent injury or death.

[Gusgus]

KMKeller posted
I turn both of my 200LB mastiffs loose and say, "Look boys, a new chew toy!"

My Point Exactly! BTW, do you have any links to photos of your big'ems?


Cal4d4, Mike Irwin & LetsFetz,
Pure bred, AKC registered, English Mastiff puppy. He's currently 30" at the withers, and 130 lbs. He still has several inches, and at least 80 lbs. to go. His father was just a year old when we met him (unplanned breeding), yet was already 36"/190 lbs., and had not even begun to fill out (takes 2 years). We still have contact with the breeder, and our little George seems to be following in his father's foot steps.

Folks,
I've always owned oversized dogs, and they have all proven to be gentle giants. It's usually not the big ones that you have to worry about. There are no bad dogs, just bad owners.

After reading the countless "dog attack" threads on this board, I fear for the lives of my gentle family members. Seems that some feel that an approaching dog is justification to draw and fire. In spite of our best efforts, one of our dogs may get out. Just because someone's family member found a way out of the yard, doesn't mean it's hunting season. Canine-a-phoebe doesn't seem to be all that different from the gun-a-phoebe of our opponents.

Afraid of dogs? Go out and adopt the biggest one you can handle. Not only will you get over your fear, but you will sleep more soundly. A well trained, well socialized dog is the first line of defense, for those serious about protecting home and family. A couple years ago, my dogs repealed several intruders, before I could even grab my bedside gun. Without the dogs, I may not have even known that they where in my home, until it was too late. I will never live without big dogs.