This little tidbit was in the news today:

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP) - Authorities in rural Los Angeles County were warning people to be on the lookout for four pit bulls suspected of killing a 63-year-old jogger Thursday, and they have seized several dogs in a search for those who may have taken part in the attack.

Sheriff's Lt. John Corina told reporters that a woman in a car saw the dogs attacking the female jogger Thursday morning. The witness called 911 and honked her horn to try to get the dogs to stop.

"When the first deputy on scene saw one dog still attacking the woman, he tried to chase the dog away," Corina said. "The dog ran off into the desert, then turned around and attacked the deputy, the deputy fired a round at the dog and tried to kill the dog, and the dog took off into the desert."

The woman died while she was in an ambulance on the way to a hospital near the high desert community of Littlerock, about 65 miles northeast of Los Angeles, said Evelina Villa, county animal control spokeswoman.

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/10/4-pit-bulls-blamed-for-calif-joggers-death/#ixzz2StHfV0Hi
- vcstar.com

While we talk constantly about the dangers posed by bares, lyons, and tiggers, some of the more dangerous animals are much closer and not confined to the deep woods. That includes the honey bee, a big killer, as well as Fido.

A climber and his dog were killed by bees in Tucson recently.

Google tucson bee death.

Nomad

On my daily neighborhood walks, I've encountered a number of aggressive dogs---twice I've been charged. I was simply walking on the sidewalk. Neither of the 2 times I was charged resulted in any injury, to me or the dog.

I have been wondering about what would be the best defense/defence (take your choice ).

I have been considering pepper spray or bear spray, but have never heard of it being used in such a way; would it work or just make them madder and more aggressive? Any thoughts on how we walkers should prep for confronting an attacking dog? Note, local law prohibits carry of a handgun, concealed or otherwise, so that option is out, at least for me in my area.

bws48,

The walking stick was popular in England years ago specifically to deal with dogs (the 4 legged version in particular, not just the two legged ones :-). For a spray, use the ones optimized for dogs, the same ones the letter carriers use. Ask yours for recommendations.

Respectfully,

Jerry

That hits close to home. When I was in Tucson, one of my regular climbing and SAR partners was allergic to bee stings. He always carried an epipen.

I never encountered swarming bees like those mentioned in the article when I was in the area. Is this an Africanized strain?

Typical news coverage. They talk about Mt Hopkins, but show a picture of Elephant's Head, where most technical routes in the Santa Rita's are concentrated. I don't know of any technical climbing on Mt Hopkins. Doesn't mean the routes aren't there, of course.

I like dogs. Except for the ones who decide to bite me. My 27 stitch wound on my right calf resulted in one dead dog. He nailed me from the blind side, so I decided to play Judge Dredd.

I know several ways to take a dog down. If a dog should attack me and mean it, I would not hesitate to drop said dog.

The only time I ever drew a pistol in public was for a dog charging my then four-year-old daughter. Fortunately, I didn't have to fire and there were no injuries.

Taking down one dog is very possible, but usually a single dog is less likely to attack unlike a pack. In this case there were four dogs and that's a much different problem. The deputy's shots did not take down the one that attacked him.

If anyone is interested, there are some techniques for fighting a dog more effectively.

If you have the time and material, wrap your arm (left if you are right handed, and visa versa) with a jacket or something and force that toward the dog. They will usually take it. You have the other hand free to fight.

Get the dog's feet off of the ground. They have no leverage and will usually try to escape at that point. They will still bite, but you have more control this way. Dogs can't fight effectively without traction on the ground.

If there is more than one, and again, if you have time and opportunity, move to a position that will channelize them and make them come at you one at a time. Just like people, they will try to get on multiple sides and attack simultaneously, that is a bad thing for you.

Just a couple of practical tips from previous training and experience.

I'm guessing that these techniques might work on coyotes too, Montanero. We've got 'em here and they've become increasingly daring the last couple of years. I arm myself with those noise machines known as kids to scare them away, and a walking stick just in case.

How do you do this? For a sizable dog you'll probably need to wrap your arms around the torso (in the mount position, I guess). At that distance you'll probably have some bites at least. Am I on the right track?

Fighting a dog, you will be bitten, just like in a knife fight you are going to get cut. If it is a large dog, you will have to use both arms. But dogs don't like being lifted. They will try to escape. They may come back at you, but it will give you a little time. If you give them one arm and keep their teeth occupied, you may be able to lift the front of them up and get two feet off of the ground. They are vulnerable underneath. Kick, stab, hit, but make them hurt.

Most dogs are not attacking with killing intent, but it can still lead to that if it is too easy for them. Most animals, with the exception of large bears, will stop trying if you are a hard target and hurt them too much. I guess that would work for large bears too if you were big enough to be a threat.

The main point is to keep fighting the dog, don't turn and run. He will outrun you. Like they teach for black bears and mountain lions, face them, and slowly back away.

I grab them by the throat as they charge me and then lift them off the ground.

why is it always pit bulls ... especially in pack?
an attack by multiple fierce dogs is a very dangerous situation.

Pete2

i've noticed a few walking folks who carry a golf club on our bike path. not being a golfer i'm not sure of the name of this type but it has a large rounded head on the business end. oh yeah, it's called a driver.

Two Pit Bulls recently attacked an Urban Search and Rescue K-9 in NC. The K-9 later succumbed to the injuries. These PB's accessed the K-9 over a 5' chain link fence while running at large from another neighborhood. The loss of the USAR K-9 while tragic on many levels would have been nothing compared to the loss of a human life. Side note: The neighborhood where the K-9 lived has 20 children under 12 years of age. The owner of the PBs is in trouble, as are local authorities. Reportedly these PBs had attacked three times previously and no action had been taken to prevent a re-occurrence. All "wild animals" don't live in the woods. Be prepared to deal with these type problems, both mentally and physically, if you could be faced with this situation.

"Two Pit Bulls recently attacked an Urban Search and Rescue K-9 in NC. The K-9 later succumbed to the injuries. These PB's accessed the K-9 over a 5' chain link fence while running at large from another neighborhood"

Wow. That's a pretty profound outcome.
I wouldn't have guessed that the K-9 would have gone down that easily. Are we talking a German Shepherd here?

If the K-9 was a large dog - then there is something I'm still not fully understanding about the Pit Bulls. These dogs must have a specific attack pattern that's particularly risky to the victim. It would be nice to know exactly how they operate.

Pete2

The K-9 was a Border Collier. He was smaller and lighter than either of the attackers. Major injuries and the major emergency vet center was some distance away. The K-9 survived three days, but much like humans that have been in profound shock the outcome wasn't good even with the best care available.

Not all K9s are trained for attack. Most are sniffing for bombs or drugs.

rescueguru & montanero ... thanks.

rescueguru - very sorry about the Collie. that's a sad incident.

Pete2

The only time a pal of mine had to draw his Glock was when a rogue pitbull attacked him while walking in the neighborhood. He shot the crap outta that dog, and it hobbled away and died elsewhere.



If you've got the bite occupied with your (hopefully) padded arm, will sinking a thumb into their eye socket be effective?

Eyes are always good, even works on sharks (for those who want to experiment with it).

My granddad was a security guard for a mining company. One of his jobs was to go out after packs of aggressive wild dogs. He said that when a pack of dogs would attack him his first tool of defense was his hickory walking cane. He said that it was fairly easy to break the knees of dogs with a blow to the side of the knee. He said that once the lead dogs went down the other dogs would back off and then he would start dispatching the dogs with his pistol.

David Enoch

Good info Montanero and David.

Now remember, when things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. 'Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is.

The Outlaw Josey Wales

When you are fighting for your life, never give up.