Off Leash Dogs

[Bronco302]

Pepper spray, walking sticks, .22 revolver what ever you can carry in your area. Cold Steel has some good options. If the neighbors can't keep Fido in their yard I'd be calling in every time it got out. People that can't keep their critters at home do not need them.


Joe W.

[knkali]

I carry pepper spray for non lethal option. If a dog is coming at me, I will spray it. If it gets to me and bites me, I will shoot it. That simple. And I will sue the owners for assult with a lethal weapon, medical bills, and my attorney's fees. ALL people should have controll of their animals at all times. If you let your dog run around in the backyard without a leash, fine. If it gets out of the yard, you are responsible. I cannot believe the tolerance toward dogs here on this board. I love animals too but with them comes responsibility. The sight of a German Shep running at you full speed with teeth exposed and growling/salivating will make you soil your pants. Of course I am talking about big powerful animals that can kill and mame. A little pug or weiner dog isnt going to worry me but they should still be controlled. My 2 cents.

[Tinman507]

I don't think it's tolerance toward dogs per se. I think it's a staged approach.
If the pepper shot doesn't work then it's time to take the real shot.

Yeah, there's a lot of bad dogs out there. But it's bad owners who allow them to run wild. I would rather hit a dog in the face with a shot of pepper but I'll kill it if I have to, no problem at all.

[Bawanna]

I've had far more issues with Weiner Dogs than German Shepards. Seem to be high strung little biting machines those weiner dogs.

Just like kids, bad dogs come from bad owners.

[ptoemmes]

Comments are all very helpful.

In the incident I originally described I was not carrying that time.

The off leash dog - mid sized maybe 50 pound Heinz 57 dog - probably covered maybe 30-40 yards in way less time that a pro football linebacker.

It's a complicating factor if you have your dog on leash and if that dog is a 90 pound male GSD getting ready to defend the rush. And I often walk both of our GSDs (they are rescues BTW) on separate leashes so in that case add another 60 pound female GSD getting riled up.

Get the pepper blaster out - fire 1X maybe 2X - and if that does not work then draw the pistol and... By that time you are probably in close quarters with your dogs engaged, too. It is what it is - you prep the best you can. I ain't sitting home in fear ;-)

Both of my GSDs - male especially - will alert at just about anything: squirrel, dog, cat, jogger, meter reader, hopefully BG, etc so I have gotten more in tune with their behavior.

Pete

PS
Talk about a snarling GSD coming at ya full tilt. Many years ago when I still jogged - new in the neighborhood...just started a jog and for no good reason looked over my shoulder to see the biggest freaking Great Dane lumbering toward me with owner in hot pursuit. As it turned out she - the Great Dane - just wanted to jog and ended up playing with me until the owner arrived.

[wyntrout]

Did your pants have a more "interesting" smell to the dog after your initial reaction?

Wynn

[Tinman507]

[knkali]

I think if I saw a Great Dane coming after me, I would go straight for my .40. That is a very big dog and could easily kill me.

[jocko]

thats a good one tinman, I knew something was comingout of that brillian sickmind of urs.

[muggsy]

My wife used to carry a CO2 powered air horn when she jogged. Dogs have very sensitive ears. One loud blast usually sent the dog running in the other direction.

[hss.strat]

There's a bunch of different pepper sprays to choose from. Don't bother with the stuff at walmart, see if you can find a local LEO supplier. Also check with your local laws, in some places pepper spray over a certain concentration can be considered a prohibited weapon.

If you get stream, splatter/stream, gel or foam you shouldn't have to worry too much about blow back. The keychain stuff at walmart is usually a cone spray which can easily blow in the wind. You'd have to be spraying directly into the wind on a very windy day to get blow back from a decent stream. Since it's for a dog I'd go with stream. Gel and foam are going to get stuck in their fur and may diminish effectiveness of the spray. The "spray guns" are cool, but I am skeptical about their usefulness in outdoor applications from anything but close range.

Defense Tech, Fox Labs, Sabre Red are all good reliable names.

[jocko]

I have never seen a 9mm blow in the wind at 5 yards!!! Just sayin

[TriggerMan]

I carry pepper spray for non lethal option. If a dog is coming at me, I will spray it. If it gets to me and bites me, I will shoot it. That simple. And I will sue the owners for assult with a lethal weapon, medical bills, and my attorney's fees. ALL people should have controll of their animals at all times. If you let your dog run around in the backyard without a leash, fine. If it gets out of the yard, you are responsible. I cannot believe the tolerance toward dogs here on this board. I love animals too but with them comes responsibility. The sight of a German Shep running at you full speed with teeth exposed and growling/salivating will make you soil your pants. Of course I am talking about big powerful animals that can kill and mame. A little pug or weiner dog isnt going to worry me but they should still be controlled. My 2 cents.

I completely agree. Spray if you can, don't hesitate to shoot.

[Scoundrel]

PS
Talk about a snarling GSD coming at ya full tilt. Many years ago when I still jogged - new in the neighborhood...just started a jog and for no good reason looked over my shoulder to see the biggest freaking Great Dane lumbering toward me with owner in hot pursuit. As it turned out she - the Great Dane - just wanted to jog and ended up playing with me until the owner arrived.

I think if I saw a Great Dane coming after me, I would go straight for my .40. That is a very big dog and could easily kill me.

Great Danes are usually pretty mild-mannered (but very energetic) dogs, and also very drooly (even when they're not rabid). If I saw a Shepherd or a Pit coming at me, I'd probably go straight for the gun, THEN try to determine its intentions. But if I saw a Dane, I'd probably pause for a moment to try and get a better idea of its intentions before drawing the gun.

But that's just me. I'd rather take a bite on the arm/leg than kill someone's overgrown puppy that just wanted to play.

[MW surveyor]

Look shiny!

Does anyone wonder where tinman keeps coming up with these things?

Tinman - your google fu is mighty!