I was charged by a growling dog today!

[paddling_man]

First, fix the fence.

As an aside, block the fence exit if you don't fear the dog. Can you pet it? If so, check for tags and call the owner. I would give him one, maybe even two, chances to fix it. Maybe his fence needs to be repaired too.

Not tags? Call animal control.

Shooting the dog in the city when you obviously handled the situation without having to shoot? Nope. Only if there is no other recourse.

Neighborhood park. I've got my kids down next to the creek. A dog owner shows up and releases both of his dogs to run free. They both catch sight of my kids. They growl and bark as they charge at my kids. I got in between and - yelling - made the dogs turn away. The .380 had come out of the pocket and into my hand. If they hadn't stopped and were still growling and appeared aggressive as they charged my kids THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOT.

I think that jackhole will be a bit more careful next time. I was a bit less than friendly.

Dog owners who have an honest mistake? I give them a pass. An irresponsible dog owner who is delusional about their dog that is aggressive? A very, very different story.

I would have held the dog, called the pound, and bid a tearful farewell to the animal. Why should you care more about the thing than the owner does?

People that aren't responsible enough to keep control of their animals, shouldn't get all bent out of shape when one of them disappears.

 

[INyooper]

Do you have chickens? Years ago the sheriff told my father that he could have shot a neighbor's (lived about a quarter mile away from us) black lab when it found one of our chickens for lunch. We informed the neighbor of what happened and what the sheriff had told us ...and never saw the dog again. Get some chickens!

 

[Walter Zoomie]

I got nuthin.'

 

[Lucas156]

Shoot the dog. Bury it in the woods. Don't tell anyone. Problem solved.

 

[jd4320t]

Thread title failure

Keep your guns put away until your life is really in danger.

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

A dog that leaves when you yell at it... is likely not attempting to attack you.

Would you be in trouble if you shot it? Maybe, maybe not - it depends how it plays out. That is why evasion is the best policy...

A dog owner shows up and releases both of his dogs to run free..

I do not understand what runs through the heads of some "dog owners". That is irresponsible and negligent behavior. I have also seen people "let out" their dogs without a fence, chain, anything - not even an invisible fence - stating "don't worry they don't leave the yard". Maybe they don't leave the yard.. maybe they do... maybe another dog enters into your yard, because you lack a fence to protect your dog...

I do not try to make excuses for people that are irresponsible and should not own pets... but I also would not have shot the dog in the original post.

 

[vitamink]

+1 to the fence fix. If you end up shooting the dog, even if the dog his running at you with his mouth agape spitting fire, be prepared for a lawsuit. Even a pitbull named satan is always some 5 year old girls pet. The dog will be shown as sweet and lovable and you will be portrayed as a dog hater who most likely sawed the 4th leg off your own dog out of disdain for canines everywhere. They will then seek media support and portray you as an insane itchy trigger fingered gun owner who shot a dog that just wanted to be friends with your dog (that you hate).

 

[PistolBob]

+1 to the fence fix. If you end up shooting the dog, even if the dog his running at you with his mouth agape spitting fire, be prepared for a lawsuit. Even a pitbull named satan is always some 5 year old girls pet. The dog will be shown as sweet and lovable and you will be portrayed as a dog hater who most likely sawed the 4th leg off your own dog out of disdain for canines everywhere. They will then seek media support and portray you as an insane itchy trigger fingered gun owner who shot a dog that just wanted to be friends with your dog (that you hate).

The law says shoot it if you want to. They can sue away.

That is one seriously ugly picture you have there.

 

[$mooth]

I do not understand what runs through the heads of some "dog owners". That is irresponsible and negligent behavior. I have also seen people "let out" their dogs without a fence, chain, anything - not even an invisible fence - stating "don't worry they don't leave the yard". Maybe they don't leave the yard.. maybe they do... maybe another dog enters into your yard, because you lack a fence to protect your dog...

This sounds like me, but my pup is never outside if someone is not outside with her. She doesn't leave the yard and goes inside when called (even when another dog is distracting her).

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

The law says shoot it if you want to. They can sue away.

That is one seriously ugly picture you have there.

You can sue anyone for anything.

You may not win, but you can.

United States ex rel. Gerald Mayo v. Satan and His Staff - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In situations like that, it is sometimes hard to prove what happened... and in a civil case, even more so...

Even if the law could be interpreted as on your side, you have to ask yourself - do I really fear that this animal is going to harm me? Do I truly feel that I must resort to my firearm to end this incident?

If the answer is no, don't shoot.

 

[PistolBob]

Even if the law could be interpreted as on your side, you have to ask yourself - do I really fear that this animal is going to harm me? Do I truly feel that I must resort to my firearm to end this incident?

If the answer is no, don't shoot.

All I have to ask is "Do I think this dog is a danger to me or my property?" if yes, then the law says I can kill it. What if I managed to trap the mean dog and told the owner to come and get it?

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

This sounds like me, but my pup is never outside if someone is not outside with her. She doesn't leave the yard and goes inside when called (even when another dog is distracting her).

I guess the reason it bothers me so much... is even many of the dogs that do bite people had "never bitten before". The first time a dog bites is always something that has never happened before. Animals have teeth - and not only yours, but other animals as well. You have no way to ensure a larger dog may not be roaming the street when your dog is out. You might be able to protect your dog, but you might not... You may not be able to get a handle on your dog by the time it notices a cat or another dog. You may shout for your dog to come, but maybe this is the first time they do not come to you right away.

Lets just say hypothetically, that someone is walking their English Mastiff down the street, and your dog sees this dog, and runs up to it. Your dog may not even be acting aggressive, but this dog turns and bites it. Who is to blame? The person with their dog on a leash, or you?

I worry about this a lot when I am walking my dogs, because I have had small dogs approach us aggressively. It puts me in a weird position, holding a leash and attempting to keep an unleashed dog that continually approaches from getting close. Thankfully it has never ended up in any animals being hurt, but it could.

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

All I have to ask is "Do I think this dog is a danger to me or my property?" if yes, then the law says I can kill it. What if I managed to trap the mean dog and told the owner to come and get it?

What if you do manage to trap it and the owner comes and gets it? I am confused at where you are going with this.. but you could call animal control instead of the owner too.

If you feel the animal is a danger to you, I am not saying you should not shoot. My point is, you can make a judgement call based on the situation. In this situation, a kick was successful, and bullets did not end up being required. Evasion if possible will often save you a legal battle - cooler heads prevail. Just because you legally can do something, does not mean you must do something.

 

[Benny]

I'd just like to know how your dog outran a dog with all of it's limbs.



BTW, fix your fence so you can avoid asking this question again...Sure you could shoot the dog, but the hassle you will through won't be worth it.

 

[DCR]

Just 2 weeks ago I too was charged by a snarling, growling dog. Not being armed, I snarled back and she backed off.

 

[Frank_N_Stein]

The safest is option is to call your local police department. They love shooting dogs.

I'd much rather shoot a deserving human being than a dog.

 

[PistolBob]

Looks like IMPD had to kill another vicious dog yesterday, says in the Indystar the dog was a ...wait for it....Pit Bull.



According to the article, it had bitten someone already, and refused to yeild to the officers command of STOP.

"Police shot a rampaging pit bull on the Northside yesterday that had bit a person and rushed an officer."

It is what it is...I hope the owner is going to be held responsible. He should reimburse the city for the bullet too.

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

Looks like IMPD had to kill another vicious dog yesterday, says in the Indystar the dog was a ...wait for it....Pit Bull.



According to the article, it had bitten someone already, and refused to yeild to the officers command of STOP.

"Police shot a rampaging pit bull on the Northside yesterday that had bit a person and rushed an officer."

It is what it is...I hope the owner is going to be held responsible. He should reimburse the city for the bullet too.

Animal control had to take possession of another dog belonging to the same owner also.

 

[PistolBob]

Animal control had to take possession of another dog belonging to the same owner also.

The owner is a boob. He should not be allowed to own animals, it's been proven that this owner can't manage them. Putting an animal in the hands of this guy would be bad for the animal.

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

The owner is a boob. He should not be allowed to own animals, it's been proven that this owner can't manage them. Putting an animal in the hands of this guy would be bad for the animal.

Not to mention the general public...