You have no idea how much I wanted to smash that dog's skull in...but at the same time, I was thinking that it would be ME seen as the bad guy for harming a "poor, misunderstood dog" on SCHOOL GROUNDS.

If it had been on my property - or just about anywhere else - that dog would have been dead on the spot.

Schools are funny places here, with complex and mysterious laws that can make a seemingly obvious course of action - eliminate a clear and present danger to a child - an entry point to a long, horrible legal battle.

The basic human right of self-defense is abdicated by all on the grounds of a public school, with the predicatable results of the strong preying on the weak, something that is a matter of discussion perhaps in another forum. The legal risks to myself left me with no other choice but to let the dog live.

I'll finish with a positive note - the pepper spray was very effective, the dog was disoriented and unable to attack properly, and I was able to prevent harm to my child. In the end, I committed a small crime (pepper spray is illegal on school grounds) in this act.