God, I love Texas!!!!
<img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

-Blast

See below:
Observation #1: staying out of the dog's yard will reduce your chances of fatal injury by more than 50%
Observation #2. Castrated dogs are more mellow than intact dogs. Go figure.

http://www.fataldogattacks.com/statistics.html
"FATAL DOG ATTACKS"
The Stories Behind the Statistics
by Karen Delise

THE STATISTICS - FATAL DOG ATTACKS IN THE U.S. FROM 1965 - 2001 *

The study covers 431 documented human fatalities from a dog attack.

Location of Attack
25% of all fatal attacks were inflicted by chained dogs
25% resulted from dogs loose in their yard
23% occurred inside the home
17% resulted from attacks by dogs roaming off their property
10% involved leashed dogs or miscellaneous circumstances

Number of Dogs
68% of all fatal attacks were inflicted by a single dog
32% was the result of a multiple dog attack

Victim Profile
79% of all fatal attacks were on children under the age of 12
12% of the victims were the elderly, aged 65 - 94
9% of the victims were 13 - 64 years old

The age group with the highest number of fatalities were children under the age of 1 year old; accounting for 19% of the deaths due to dog attack. Over 95% of these fatalities occurred when an infant was left unsupervised with a dog(s).

The age group with the second-highest number of fatalities were 2-year-olds; accounting for 11% of the fatalities due to dog attack. Over 87% of these fatalities occurred when the 2-year-old child was left unsupervised with a dog(s) or the child wandered off to the location of the dog(s).

Boys aged 1 - 12 years old were 2.5 times more likely to be the victim of a fatal dog attack than girls of the same age.

Breeds Involved
Pit Bull and Pit-bull-type dogs (21%), Mixed breed dogs (16%),
Rottweilers (13%), German Shepherd Dogs (9%), Wolf Dogs (5%),
Siberian Huskies (5%), Malamutes (4%), Great Danes (3%),
St. Bernards (3%), Chow Chows (3%), Doberman Pinschers (3%),
other breeds & non-specified breeds (15%).

Reproductive Status of Dogs
Overwhelmingly, the dogs involved in fatal dog attacks were unaltered males.
From 2000-2001 there were 41 fatal dog attacks. Of these, 28 were attacks by a single dog and 13 fatalities were caused by multiple dogs.

Yep, don't know how lucky you are. Our gun crime levels are lower over here, but the inability to carry a decent blade or keep a weapon in the house is mighty frustrating.

Still, we get the nice British weather and a monarchy.....

"Castrated dogs are more mellow than intact dogs"---haha isnt it the truth. my gramps had a dog ,we got him fixed, and almost automatically became mellow and before the dog was bouncing around everywhere. I feel bad for fixed dogs.....i'd hate to be them.haha

but like ive said before the chances are slim that youll get attacked, i dont care what statistics say. but if you keep believing your going to get attacked well then soon your brain will listen to you and trouble comes looking for your call. if you get bit well then big deal,pain and crazy situations happen during lifebut dont be bugged out by them. i knew who friend who was like this and i turned him away from being afraid about everything.
sorry for the little spiel(or whoever you say that.lol)

Hot topic eh?

Well, fwiw, my experience with dogs is that when the fight is on, they are quite a formidable opponent. For dogs averaging 80 to 130 lbs, especially those bred for fighting, an unarmed man is no real match. We simply don't have the tools to inflict the kind of damage they're capable of in close quarters.

In a truly serious confrontation, I doubt you'd have had much opportunity to draw and fire. Had that dog really intended to attack, rather than simply challenge you, there simply wouldn't have been enough time to react. Having watched how bulldogs and rottweilers deal with 600 lb feral hogs, and witnessed police dogs taking down an assailant with prejudice, my impression is they are far better equipped for a fracas than any man. Yes, dogs can be disabled and even dispatched by hand, if you know what you are doing and are lucky. I'd use whatever I have at hand, but I'd prefer a 44 mag if I really wanted to be sure of stopping them in their tracks.

Pepper spray is one of those items that can be held in the hand whilst strolling about without too much inconvenience or without appearing a threat to innocent passerby. If you get the right configuration, it is fairly effective in most situations and easily deployable. In this day and age, unless you can be certain of the environment, young children have no business being out on their own unsupervised. It is a good way to lose a kid, regardless the predator. If they are too young to be able to reliably operate a defensive mechanism on their own with a little training, then they are too young to be out on their own. Naive parents promote a fair amount of Darwinism by trying to enforce a concept that is inconsistent with this reality, in that their offspring tend not to survive as much.

Probably the best defense against a dog attack is likely another dog, preferably one more capable of it than the one you are threatened by. Trained well, a guard/attack dog that is under direct control poses virtually no threat to others, while providing an exceptional level of defense against 4 legged and two legged predators and instigators. It is a sad rebuke that most dog owners just don't take the time to learn the proper care control over man's best friend.

Which brings up the issue of dog owners who insist on letting their dogs out in public without maintaining direct control over them. People who say they KNOW their dog will do this or not do that are living in an illusion. I've met no one who can speak dog, or who can read a dog's mind. To make such a statement that they might KNOW what their dog will or won't do in a given situation is nonsensical and indicates an irresponsible behavior for which they inevitably will be held accountable for, either in losing their pet, or in subsequent litigation, or both. No dog is worth innocent human life. What happens when the dog they KNOW so well up and bites somebody, as one of mine did? They pay the medical bill, go to court, and put the dog down themselves (or pay someone else to do it if they don't have the stomach for it). To have an unrestrained dog out in public is akin to driving at speed down the freeway and taking your hands off the wheel. I've yet to meet a dog that couldn't be coaxed into biting somehow, and no matter what the provocation, the dog and their owner will be held accountable for the act of the dog, unless it is in the capacity of an LEO. Sometimes we take privilege way too far, and others pay a great price for it.

So what to do about the threat? Don't go places where the potential is significant without being prepared for it. Don't count on the owners being able or willing to command their dog not to attack. Public shooting is extreme; the use of deadly force is facing ever increasing scrutiny, as discharging a firearm in public will almost certainly put you at a big disadvantage later on. Deterrent is preferable, and may be in the form of pepper spray, one of those fancy whistles or ultrasonic transmitters that seems to distract challenging dogs, or maybe just a good piece of hickory. If you are full grown and of decent stature, and find yourself in unarmed conflict, I find that staying on top of the dog by grappling him and sprawling over him tends to thwart most of his agility. You are still going to get bit, but if you can keep him under you, you have more options. If you get on your back, you are going to be a lot more vulnerable.

I was out hunting with a friend and his big German wire haired pointer decided he didn't like me so much and snapped on my off hand. After the owner called him to heal, I tackled the mutt and put my forearm on his chin and laid my weight on him for a good five minutes. When he quit struggling against me and nipping me (I got ahold of an ear and put and end to the nips), he finally gave a big sigh and I let him up, still holding him by the collar. Since I wasn't beating on him my pal wasn't so concerned about the commotion, and after I let the dog up and talked to him for a bit, he got the pecking order right from then on. That was dealing with a challenge, which was different from how I would deal with an outright attack. You're not going to subdue an attacking dog, only deter them or disable them.

Animal abuse is unacceptable behavior. Neglect comes in many forms. People who neglect the safety and welfare of their pets by allowing them to roam free in public are in my opinion no better than those who would tie up a dog and beat it or starve it. There is no legitimate reason why any dog cannot be properly restrained and led in public, those who refuse it are just plain lazy at best and at worst willing imbeciles. To my mind they're just trying to foist off their responsibility onto the general public, and the poor pet is the ultimate loser. If you love your dog so much, then take the trouble of caring for him as if you actually do. I guarantee he won't mind it one bit.

i agree.animal abuse is horrible, ive seen that show on tv where the animal cops go looking for abused animals and you wouldnt believe what people do to their animals,some of the stuff is undescribable and almost pure evil.it sad.
ive seen abused animals at shelters and at a veterenarian(while i interned) and i always said if i ever saw the people who did what they did to the animals that i would beat the crap out of them and make sure they pay for what they did.

I havn't read this whole thread, -so I don't know if someone has already said it.

But in Defending yourself from, and Battling a Dog, -I'd say the Keymost things to Get At!, -are its Legs and / or Eyes.(I'm referring to when using a Stick or other Club, -not with a Gun as you describe. Where of course you'd have to go with the Largest / Most Accessable, part of its Body). With the greater emphasis on Legs. One to Four of them. For without Legs, -the Animal of course can only lay there, -Unable to attack. Injuring them, rather than "removing" them, should suffice.

I do Really Hate to be or Sound Brutal so!, to an Animal. But of course in this case, -it could be a matter of "Him or You"!....

(As I intend to say in some future Signature, -mayswell take the occassion to give some Preview, -"Its Not the Size of the Dog in the Fight!, -But rather the Fight in the Dog!" I Like that one!). [color:"black"] [/color] [email]Nomad[/email]

"Two dogs mauled a child to death and injured his mother in northeast Harris County on Tuesday, officials told KPRC Local 2.

Harris County sheriff's deputies said the pair was attacked in the 8900 block of C.E. King Parkway near Fern Forest Drive at about 1:25 p.m.

Officials said a 4-year-old boy was walking with his 2-year-old brother when the dogs attacked. The mother saw what was happening and was mauled when she tried to get the dogs off the children, investigators said.

The 4-year-old boy was transported by medical helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he died a short time later. The 2-year-old was not injured.

The mother suffered serious injuries.

Deputies shot both dogs, killing one. Animal control officials took the other.

The identity of the owner of the dogs has not yet been determined."

Should the cops tried to make nice with these dogs instead of shooting them? Maybe offer them some kibble and a nice comfy cushion? <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

-Blast

"...Deputies shot both dogs, killing one..."

Too bad they didn't get the second one too...

i hope your not trying to make me look bad......

and i said if you get bit....i never said anything about getting mauled or killed. it was a defenless child, adults should be able to defend themselves but sometimes that doesnt happen they way we want it too.im pointing out that if you get attacked theres no reason to be paranoid for your whole life. my cuz got bit by a chow and has a scar from it, but he doesnt worry about getting bit again.

its sad this happen. i dont know the cause of the dogs attacking,perhaps they were rabid,maybe they have bad owners or whatvever. but its sad.