Actually, the pistol has to be TOTALLY unloaded - No rounds in it at all - doesn't mean you can't carry rounds on you, but

I have a few thoughts about this.

Consider walking with a dog yourself. Once you do that, most dogs will never even see you. They will always focus on the dog you're with.

When walking my two dogs (both around 60 pounds), I have been charged and approached by lots of dogs including a few that have burst through gates. Mostly, these end in a sniff-off and/or an eventual retreat by the charging dog. The exceptions have always been very small dogs which more than once have run up and snapped at my dogs and then run-away. (One dark night, a very silent Yorky actually ran right past me -- at speed -- bit one of my dogs and kept on going right under the legs of my other dog before any of us knew what happened).

Some of the suggestions made above certainly work: Calmly and assertively telling the dog 'no' and sending it back to its yard has worked for me. I've also seen dogs (not mine) hit by the repellent that letter carriers use and it's pretty effective.

Yeah, I know. I'm not going to say much on the wisdom of that logic, however.

No logic or wisdom, that's just the way the law is written. Empty gun on one side, full magazine on the other. 5 seconds maybe. . . maybe less -- still 5 seconds you may not have. But not for dogs. Dogs you just talk to unless they're totally bent.

Open carry requires that the weapon is completely unloaded. You can carry the ammunition on your person, but not in the gun. There's a political movement (AB1934) to do away with this after a couple of idiots decided to open carry black rifles at political rallies. Either way, it's socially taboo and compounded by the fact that I'm don't particularly like guns. Longbows and traditional recurves are more my speed.

Sword canes are expressly prohibited under California law. There's a couple of densely worded paragraphs basicly stating that any knife has to look like a knife. Also batons, saps (included weighted monkeyfist knots), shuriken, and general havoc-causing-what-not are off limits.

Getting back to a tangent on the original subject. Since I don't want to drop $40 on a potential chew toy, what's a good reference for finishing up my own hardwood walking stick?

For urban self-defense, you prefer a long bow or traditional curve?
I have the most awesome mental image I've had in a long time. Thank you.

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With the recent pro-gun opinions at the Supreme Court, I'm looking forward to Californians getting their act together with respect to gun rights. My dream is for California to have "shall issue" concealed carry permits. For now, I have a huge grin every time I see law abiding citizens exercising their right to open carry. Open carry is an expression of freedom and a reminder of what is sane.

For general shooting I prefer traditional archery, though I would not want to be on the receiving end of one of my arrows . It's tremendous fun, and I can make and maintain most of my own equipment.

I agree with MDinana above. A cattle prod may do the trick. However, I have NOT checked the California laws for walking around with one.

http://www.enasco.com/product/C13638N
http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/prod...p;sort=&r=1

pepper spray has been proven ineffective against some particularly aggressive and committed breeds.


sticks require a high degree of accuracy and strength...a 'bop' on the noggin just ain't gonna cut it.
can't carry a gun.

'Tasers' are one shot deals. Drive stun and or the non-projectile models require up close and personal utilization (if they work at all) and in that case, lethal force is warranted.


hypovolemic shock will stop anything...carry a knife discreetly, yet easily accesible. a 'waved' folder, or even an open folder secured in a sheath, if not a fixed blade...stab for effect.


if you're gonna tango with an angry dog, you're gonna get bit...accept that and proceed with violence of action.

In my SoCal neighborhood, there is a mandatory leash law. Nevertheless, people here often walk their dogs without a leash, and out of their control. They become indignant and rude if you politely remind them there is a leash law, even if their dog has just lunged for your thigh.

For some reason, my wife is an absolute magnet for aggressive dogs. (Same with mosquitos. There are only two mosquitos in SoCal. One is biting her now, and the other is on its way to bite her.)

My wife is an artist, and looks for interesting junk all the time. She's particularly fond of old broomsticks and mop handles, and often retrieves them from trash bins on the curb. One of the items she retrieved is an aluminum mop handle which on one end has the rusty, jagged, sharp and broken-off remains of what used to hold the mop fixture. She has painted some nice flowers on the shaft, little bunnies, some peace symbols, an American flag, and stuck a Mickey Mouse figure on the top. All a very nice SoCal flavor, and people often remark about her cute walking stick. They rarely notice the rusty sharp jagged end, but she finds it very comforting when greeting the neighbors' little pets now on her walks.

This is comforting to me, also. I still have teeth marks on my arm from a bite by a neighbor lady's large brittany spaniel more than 35 years ago. She was walking the dog down the street, and he was cheerily carrying a stick in his mouth like he wanted to play fetch. We stopped to have a friendly word with this lady, and without warning the dog dropped the stick, and lunged toward my face. I threw up my left arm, and he bit through my shirt into my left bicep. For his trouble, he spent several days penned up so the county health department could see if he had rabies. During this time, he was presumably well fed and watered. I spent most of the next week in pain, but my wife also made sure I was well-fed and watered.