dog attacks are rare. like someone said before theres no bad dogs,just bad owners. i dont think its neccesary to shoot a dog,and if it was my dog that was shot well(which hed never would cause he's a good boy <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) id have to kill someone. if u had some food you could distract him, ive been bit by dogs before by accident and i lived, its not like your gonna get killed unless its Cujo or ur a wuss(sorry for lack of better word). try consulting with pro's or vets ,my vet has told me what to do in case of a attack.

I live in the country. Our dogs run loose out here. I have a very large, very friendly dog. He might jump up on someone and lick them, but he'd never bite anyone. If someone shot my dog, they'd better hide all evidence, because I'd shoot the bastard who did it. 12 times or so.

I am not a wuss but my 3-year old daughter is. If I feel a dog is threatening us it is going down. If the owner thinks his dog is more important than my daughter I recommend he inform me of this in a very non-threatening manner. In Texas we have the right to defend ourselves from threats.
<img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

-Blast

I'd have a hard time shooting a dog that was 20' away from me. I might rethink that if it showed signs of being rabid, or if there were more than one. Of course, once my ankle is in his mouth then all bets are off. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I own a dog that I love dearly, but I would never even think about getting into a gunfight with somebody who shot him in self defense, misguided though they might be. People who would should seriously reconsider whether they should be carrying a gun at all.

Actually, I think people panic too much with dogs. Even the biggest dog is likely to be smaller than the average male, and unless a trained attack dog (and they should be better controlled) will just bite whatever it sees first then hang on. Give it a stick or (in extremis) a forearm to commit the teeth and then bringing it down is just a matter of putting your weight on it. I've brought down a rottweiler using the stick and a sort of bodyslam/pin which held it until the owner arrived. I prefer to use the same principle I use for H2H fighting - wait until conflict is inevitable, then unleash hell. I'd argue it is the same with armed response to dogs as humans - once you feel physical assault is inevitable, attack hard and fast.

Like most conflict it is the attitude (sheer ferocity on the dogs part) that panics people, and from there they tend to get attacked (combination of showing fear, running and kicking, which tends to topple them with the dog on top).

Of course I have some advantages with my size and some martial arts training, but then I live in a country which won't let me carry a knife, gun or pepper spray, but does have a lot of dogs.

I have no children. My dogs are my children, and I'd defend (or avenge) them te same as anyone would his own child. I'd probably end up in jail, but so be it.

I got in the mifddle of two big dogs once, trying to break up a fight. Once the chow had been kicked in the ribs a few times, he broke off the fight and high-tailed it. A dog, no matter how big is no match for a grown man. There are other ways to handle the situation. If attacked, beat the dog with a stick, go find the owner and shoot him, not the dog.

The average adult male may be bigger than the average dog however again I state that I'm concerned for the safety of my child. A 3-yr old Chinese girl is significantly smaller than most dogs. To think only adult males get attacked by dogs shows a very large lack of awareness.

As for sticking one's forearm into the mouth of the dog. You are welcome to do that but I'll stick to using a different sort of 'armed' response. If a loose, growling dog gets within 10-15 feet after my repeated attempts to scare it off anything I do next is justified. This is assuming I am not tresspassing somewhere but in a public street/park where leash-laws are in effect.

-Blast

Re-read my post. I can't carry a gun, or pepper spray. So I have to use what methods I have available. I'm not going to sit there getting bitten while lamenting the laws that stop me being armed.

I don't claim this is ideal or for everyone - but I don't think a 3 year old is going to be able to pull a Glock either, unless your local gun laws are really lax :-)

And I too have a child, a 4 year old, and I don't take their safety lightly. Its my job to keep between them and the predator. But I think the principles and attitudes you apply to human predators make a good rule of thumb - avoid it if you can, fight like hell when it arrives. And an attacking dog is not a grizzly bear - if you keep your nerve most people bring significant attributes to the conflict, the most important ones being size, intelligence and the ability to have a logical gameplan.

So as an adult male, living where I do, this is my response.

One of my best friends was my purebred German Shepherd that weighed about 105+ lbs on any given day. He was adopted from an animal shelter at approximately the age of 6 or 7. They weren't sure of his exact age, as he was found wandering around in a neighboring town by animal control.

He loved to ride in the car and was very easygoing and calm. In fact, he was the only dog NOT barking and going nuts when we walked in the shelter. That's how I knew he was a great dog.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) German Shepherds are a pretty intelligent breed. He watched me operate the fence latch a couple of times and that was all it took. Walked in the door one day, went into the backyard to greet him, and he was gone. He decided he would rather roam the neighborhood in the daytime. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> A padlock on the latch quickly solved that.

Okay, I am getting long-winded. I've been around plenty of dogs and I'm a dog lover. But I've been hiking before and some moron decides to let their dog run out far ahead of them on the trail. Sometimes it makes for a little "pucker factor" coming around a blind corner. I like when dogs can run free, too, but as others have mentioned, there are only stupid OWNERS.

If someone had shot my dog when he decided to sneak out and roam the neighborhood, I'd be pissed. But his responsibility was still on my shoulders. I just underestimated his IQ (dogs are probably smarter than us anyways).

On the other hand, if I encountered a dog being overly aggressive and wanted to bite, I would defend myself. Whether that's pepper spray, a large stick, a close-by rock, or a .40 S&W round. I'm not going to be crippled or dead because someone decided to let Rover roam free that day. I wouldn't fault anyone else for doing the same thing.

(p.s. - that "Dog Whisperer" show is great if you get a chance to watch it.)

"...Its my job to keep between them and the predator..."

Very true. Now, let assume that one is driving down the street and sees someone else, kid or adult, in the jaws of a pit bull or rot. Now what do we do? I know what I would do, but I can legally carry a firearm...

Did anyone ever see that video of a Los Angeles County dogcatcher (female) with one hand and one breast in the jaws of a pit bull? Punchered her breast several times and crushed her hand. Neigbor guy tried to beat the dog off with a large stick, didn't faze the dog at all...