One time last year, I was crossing a nearby park and heard a noise.

There was a Pit Bull charging me at full speed.

I didn't have my CCW with me -- should have I guess.

I was getting a bit worried until he stopped about 10 feet away and started wagging his tail and the whole back end of his body.

He was looking for some petting.

Would have been a shame to shoot him.

I'm a dog lover and agree with the comment there are very few bad dogs -- but a lot of bad owners.

I asked a friend who has worked at the SPCA for 15 years.

They run into aggressive dogs fairly often.

He carries a small compressed air horn -- tuned to a frequency that hurts a dog's ears. It stops the dog in his tracks.

Available in large pet stores.