Two episodes, both involving two dogs. Around 1979, I faced down two feral dogs who were stalking me in the brush while I was bird hunting. As they growled and crept closer, I went onto one knee and pointed my shotgun at the larger dog. They both stopped, and looked at each other. They then did an about face and trotted away.
The second time, my neighbor's two large dogs had a habit of watching me as I mowed the grass in my backyard. These two dogs had most of the surrounding neighbors terrified. As I got within eight feet of the fence, they would suddenly charge the fence snarling and snapping. One of them would jump up and snap at me over the fence. I tried to talk to the neighbors about controlling their dogs, with predictable results. They told me I was a dog hater and that I should be a better neighbor. The next time I mowed the lawn, I carried my Ruger .22 Target in a holster on my hip. It was big, and must have looked like a cannon from a distance. As the moment of truth arrived and I got within 8 feet of the fence, I saw the neighbors' back door fly open and heard a whistle. The dogs both stopped dead in their tracks and made a bee line into the house.
Unfortunately, alot of dog owners are like this.