Sunday I was leading a edible wild plant class when two large Rottweilers came charging down the path towards us barking and growling. They were wearing collars but the owner was nowhere in sight. I got between the dogs and my class and roared at them while swinging my walking stick at them. They tried circling me but I was able to fend them off with my stick. The owner (a young lady) showed up and tried calling them off but the dogs still stood their ground snarling. The lady was finally able to get them leashed and dragged them away while I yelled at her about the leash laws.

A bit later we saw the lady down by the river with her dogs again off their leashes.

At the time of the first encounter I was between the dogs and my class, directly behind the dogs was a large hill. The path curved to the left along this hill and was blocked from my sight by another hill so I wasn't able to see if anyone was coming down the trail.

The 5'piece of hickory was keeping them at bay but wasn't chasing them away. The fear of someone (owner or innocent) rounding the corner at the wrong moment kept me from drawing on the dogs...plus I figured shooting dogs in front of a group of vegans would seriously affect future class enrollment.

What say all of you? Was my response appropriate?

-Blast

You are a sheepdog and were protecting the flock. The owner was a quasi-criminal jerk; the dogs while probably guilty only of being poorly trained were a danger. Your first instinctive reaction worked. So accept being a hero. Good job!

It worked, so it sounds like you used appropriate measures.

Then again, option two sounds equally as appropriate to me. Still, you were thinking about the safety of everyone around you.

Good Job, I'd say.

Good job. Also good judgement on the shoot, plus the option was still there. Add pepper spray to the EDC for classes. As strong as you can buy it.

Someday I shall share the pics of my two unarmed encounters with German Shepherds. Your wife's cat was easy on you.

Lets see.

Run towards them (predator) vs run away (prey) - got that one right.
Make Noise (predator) - got that one right
Defending vs Attacking - no real right answer, no one got hurt so you did good.
Extending your reach with 5' of hickory - real good answer.

As long as the dogs were held a bay, shooting would probably be considered excessive. If the dogs had attacked someone, you should use the stick (or your feet) to beat them away from the person and then consider escalating to firearms.

Sounds like everything worked out and I don't see how to improve on the results.

Congrats on a good response in a tricky situation that doesn't allow much time to think.

- Eric

excellent. and good teaching point.

You Handled this situation,Quite Well,For you are here to tell us about it!Speaking for myself in this Scenario-I would have Drawn my weapon,& If the dogs moved in on me,I would have shot the closest one.I normally pack,when hiking,& my 1st and 2nd Round's are usually Rat shot or Glasers.You had a bunch of eye-witnesses,behind you,Vegans or Omnivores,they trusted you to guide them,I think they would back you up regardless!Good Job Sheriff!

This means you would probably have had to shoot at least one of them and may be both, since most dogs will not recognize a drawn handgun as a threat. Animals are not people and respond to different cues, mostly instinct driven. Not all animals respond to the same cues but in general you need to act like a predator (get large, get loud, stand your ground, or charge) and not prey (retreating, quiet, small).


- Eric

Hey Eric, Get Real!Also,Try that tactic on BlackBear/Cougar/Feral Dogs,You will likely become they're guest for lunch!Wild Hogs as well!

Blast, IMHO you couldn't have done any better in the given situation. Based on your description of the event, there was little reason to draw or use a firearm. Shooting someone's dogs without a really good reason might have serious consequences, legal and otherwise.

If dogs are a concern I strongly second Desperado re: pepper spray. It's non-lethal and works very well. Possibly better than firearms for most people.