Respnse to Large Dog?
I was walking down a well used public path in the woods today. I noticed a young guy walking toward me with an unleased large Rotweiler. I moved to the side of the path as far out of their way as I could. When they got about 15' ftom me the dog ran at me and stopped about 2' in front of me blocking the path. It froze and starred at me, making no movement (no friendly tail wagging here). I also froze, and we starred at each other for about 15-20 seconds. The owner kept walking, and after he got about 25 yards away yelled for the dog, the dog then ran to its owner. It was a very tense 15-20 seconds, with that dog starring at me and blocking my path. I had both pepper spray and a firearm, and only my love of dogs kept me from taking action. At what point would you take action? By the way, I yelled to the guy that he should control his dog, he just responded with obscenities.
0
-
I hope you has the pepper spray at the ready!! I think you did it just about right, but if that dog took so much as a single step toward you I would have let him have it with the spray and saved the gun for the owner. (jk that last part)...(well, only a little) 0 -
The owner doesn't deserve to have the dog, But as he ran towards me, I would have drawn and been ready. If he stopped, I would not have shot and waited until he left or made another agressive move.
You did good, but the owner deserved a face full of that pepper spray.0 -
If it were me, we never would have gotten to the stare down 2' apart. The guy should have had control of his animal, I would have shot it somewhere around 5 feet, and would have been within my rights. 0 -
It's irrelevant what the owner did, right or wrong. When faced with a "guarding dog", which is what you had in that case, evidently, the direct stare is not the correct response. Pull your hands in, turn a little sideways, look off to one side or the other, and act like you have no interest in the dog. He will likely turn away also and go over and pee on a tree or something and trot away. You reacted with evident fear upon meeting the two, and the dog smelled the adrenalin, which puts a dog "on guard". When dogs smell adrenalin, they think they are going to be attacked. 0 -
Drawing my handgun was an option to the possible attack by the dog, but you always run the risk of the jerk owner making a report saying you were brandishing a firearm. Then you have the explaining to do. You never know how a LE agency will respond to the acusation. 0 -
Dogs are pretty easy to read. Whenever I come across a dog I'm unsure of I just stand there and let them make the choice. Don't act aggressive because that can piss a aggressive dog off and cause it attack. Don't run either because in turn that can ramp them up also and get them coming after you.
Standing there and watching was obviously your best option which you took. Personally I wouldn't point the gun at the dog either at that point because some dogs react to getting pointed at, low ready if you feel THAT threatened. My Rotty gets ticked if you point anything at her (well used to before she got old and become a rug unless something is happening).
Pulling my gun is my absolute last card, and more then likely if I show it it's going to go bang. A dog would probally have to bite me personally before I pulled and shot. That is just me though, I don't fault others for uping the anty alot sooner then that.0 -
I understand what you mean about starring at the dog. But with him 2' away and focusing right at me, I was not going to look away and take my eyes off him any more than I would a human subject who I thought may be about ready to attack me. 0 -
So if a guard comes up and runs at you, making you concern for you safty, your are supposed to look away and hope it doesn't attack. Make sense to me, yep uh huh. You should have shot it at five feet. 0 -
He would have been dead at ten feet, and his owner would have been spread out on the ground.
I take a very dim view of that sort of activity.
Doug0 -
There is some fact to looking a dog in the eye can encourage him to attack, but it depends on the dog. Some will accept you eye contact as making you the dominate one. Pointing can also temp a dog to attack, especially those traind to do so, but I'm not waiting until he has his teeth sunk in my neck to start my draw motion. As soon as he moves towards me, I'm drawing. If the owner loves his dog, he'll see the gun and gain control quickly. Otherwise, the poor dog pays for the owners irresponsibility. 0 -
--
-A big dog like that, off the leash and charging at you? Shoot the poor beast several times and just walk away. Don't leave the dog alive and have the bubble-headed bimbo from the evening news show up at your door with a camera crew. Don't look at the dog's owner, either, if you can help it. Don't let him get a good look at your face. Keep the weapon in your hand and walk away, don't run. If he comes after you, go ballistic and stretch him out on the ground, dial 911 and hold him there until the police come. Take the offense and tell them that he sicced the dog on you. If you don't, believe me, he'll tell them that the dog was just walking along and you shot him for no reason.0 -
All's well that ends well. Anything else is just speculation or wishful thinking.[;)] 0 -
Staring at a dog isn't a good idea. He considers it a challenge.
I had a similar situation years ago, except it was on the street where I lived and the owner was encouraging the dog to threaten me. I crossed the street to give them some distance. The owner was about to send the dog after me, and I told him if he made me kill the dog I wasn't going to stop with the dog. He called him off and I didn't have any more problems with him.0 -
Sounds to me like you did the right thing. My Chow will rush anyone who enters my yard, he doesn't act aggressive or passive. He just stares. It's is kind of scary if you didn't know that he was a big ice cream cat.
He's never attack anything. But He will go on the offensive if anyone or any dog tries to hurt me or my son. But even on those times he'll just get in between me and the attacker, be it dog or man. So far everything has back off when he goes offensive.0 -
quote:
, I yelled to the guy that he should control his dog, he just responded with obscenities.
maybe if it happens again with him or another jeark at least inform them how they almost
CAUSED THERE DOG TO LOSE ITS LIFE BY BEING A
D A
something like this could have gone so wrong for all involved0 -
I would have peppered-sprayed the dog and shot the inconsiderate owner![:D] 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Doug Wilson
He would have been dead at ten feet, and his owner would have been spread out on the ground.
I take a very dim view of that sort of activity.
Doug
Same here. Aggresive dogs have no place in society. It is our civic duty to exterminate them when threatened.0 -
I don't know if I would have hit it, but I would have been shooting at it a long time before it got within 5 feet of me. 0 -
Easy to say, but by the time you get done filling out reports and getting questioned by the Police, along with the possibility of being sued, you may wish you would have responded some other way. The owner is going to tell his side of what happened, and it will probably be very different from what you say. You shot his "pet", and public and LE response may be negative toward you. He probably has lots of pictures of his dog playing with children and old folks. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by capgun
Easy to say, but by the time you get done filling out reports and getting questioned by the Police, along with the possibility of being sued, you may wish you would have responded some other way. The owner is going to tell his side of what happened, and it will probably be very different from what you say. You shot his "pet", and public and LE response may be negative toward you. He probably has lots of pictures of his dog playing with children and old folks.
I would risk it. I am not willing to go through the type of injuries that this rotwieler is capable of inflicting on me. I think a jury could easily understand ones concern for his safety in such a situation.0 -
Better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6. The dog is in a public area, and apparently untrained and undisciplined. It should have been on a leash.
I'm darn sure not going to let it have a mouthful or two to decide if its intentions are serious.0 -
Dogs are like people, some just impossible to categorize and impossible to anticipate. And anticipation is real important when a dog is rushing you, only to stop two feet away. Definition of 'tense moment'? That's it.
I carry the mail on a rural route, and dog's are an ever-present problem, since I do leave my car several times a day to deliver parcels to the door. The Post Office issues dog repellent, but I'd almost rather be bitten than to spray one of my customer's dogs (and I've been bitten lots of times).
On the lighter side though, a customer asked me the other day what the bipod laying on my dash was for. I told him, "I use it to draw the mail out of boxes that are set too far back, or where the mail is at the rear of the box. I also use it on medium dogs".
He replied, "Well, what do you use on little dogs?"
And I replied, "I kick 'em".
To which he said, "Well then, what do you use on big dogs?"
I said, "I run over'em".
Sahagan0 -
Should have called the local LEA on the situation. I would have followed the jerk until they showed up. They would have shot the first if they were in your shoes. The owner needs to be reprimanded and ticketed. 0 -
Rural area with slow LE response time. If i would have followed him, that would have shown that I really was not afraid of the dog, and continued the contact. I think things would have escalated if I followed the owner. I was enjoying the day, and did not like the thought of continuing the confrontation. 0 -
That is an usure and bad situation to get caught up in. Very easy for things to go wrong in several ways and ruin your day or even your week. Hell, might even ruin your month.
If a large critter comes rushing at me and appears agressive, if it has gotten within 2 feet of me I will assume the attack has already started (I mean, how much closer before you might be on the losing end of that attack?) and I will take the best measures I can to protect me and mine.
But in this case capgun did probably the overall best thing. Although next time it might not work.0 -
I ain't saying nothing. except,
a) some people don't like their dog to get shot over nothing
b) y'all ain't the only yahoos out running around with guns.
be careful.0 -
Good point. If the owner has a weapon also things could get ugly. A dog bite might be the least of your worries when the dust settles. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by capgun
Good point. If the owner has a weapon also things could get ugly. A dog bite might be the least of your worries when the dust settles.
Again, I would take my chances and deal with the immediate threat first.0 -
quote:Originally posted by buschmaster
I ain't saying nothing. except,
a) some people don't like their dog to get shot over nothing
b) y'all ain't the only yahoos out running around with guns.
be careful.
Some people don't like their dog period, as demonstrated by allowing unacceptable behavior in public. A well behaved dog on the end of a loose leash is much more impressive than an uncontrolled threatening dog running loose. There are places for dogs to run loose, have their fun and get their exercise, but public sidewalks, streets with traffic and hiking trails ain't the place for it.
If my dog threatens somebody without provocation I'll discipline my dog. If my dog attacks somebody without provocation I'll shoot my dog. I'll cry about it and grieve for my dog, but I'll do it. People who love their dogs train and control them.0 -
Go to the local PD/Sherrif station and ask about the local laws about dogs on a leash. Then ask about if one is off loose and charges you what is your limit to self preservation. If the LEO say it's with in your rights to protect your self do waht you need to do. Also if you seen the dude when the dog was charging and he didn't do anything. I'd assume it wasn't his and sent the dog to doggie heaven. I recon if you have a CC with proper documents on you you should be in the clear (unless the dog was a off duty K9).
Most "responsible" owners would never let a dog loose (unless at a specified location where they can run free like at a dog park). Also they have to have control of the dog, off a leash and 25+ yards out is not having control in any state. And they wonder why society tries to ban those types of dogs.
I've known dogs who wagged their tail as they bit so that's not a cue.
So know the local laws and act with in it. You'll be able to walk without a limp and without holes in your butt cheek.0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
49 comments