My hat is off to you for exhibiting presence of mind, coolness under pressure, and reasoned action. I hope others follow your example. I agree with Desperado that the addition of pepper spray to your arsenal would have given you an additional cog on the force continuum if that had been necessary. As a dog lover, I applaud you for electing to only use the force that was necessary in the situation.

I am quite angry at the dog owner for putting you in this position. Owning a big dog carries responsibility and if you are not willing to accept that responsibility, give the dog to someone who will. Additionally, it was obvious to anyone (including the owner) that her dogs were not properly socialized and potentially aggressive. Possessing such knowledge, she was criminally negligent in taking the dogs out in public without proper control. People like that give responsible owners a bad name. I pray that this incident was a wake-up call for her.