I live on a 12 acre parcel. The property next door is inhabited by a mix of undesirables (tweakers). The actual renter is an alright guy, but some that stop by, not so much.

He's had a woman hanging around and she has a Pitbull. Yesterday I was walking my fence line with my Shepard mix. I saw the woman and her dog in the field adjacent to mine. The dog was going away from her and I tried to get her attention to contain her dog.
As I did, the dog spotted mine and I took control of my dog. The pitbull started across the field in my direction. I put my arm around my dogs neck as the pitbull came in. Ruger Mark II in my other hand.
The dog took one second and attacked. I had steel toed boots on and fended off two surges. He stepped back and I had him point blank with the safety off. He responded to the woman calling him off. I lowered my gun and let him live.

I know the owner of the property and called to report the problem. He came over immediately and told them the dog had to go.

If I see the dog again on my property I will drop it on the spot.

How would you react?

I think you did good.

You took control of your dog and gave the other dog two chances (two kicks). At that point, shooting it would be the only option left.

I'd be careful about shooting it on the spot in the future though. If it's on your property but not a threat to you or your dog, you might end up giving yourself a lot of grief for killing it.

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- The Federalist #46 -

I'd say under the circumstances you did the right thing. Your life is less complicated today than it would have been because you didn't shoot the pooch.

You are lucky that the pit didn't retaliate against you after kicking it. Had it done so, you would be completely justified in shooting it. You were fortunate to have steel toed shoes. Otherwise, things might have played out differently.

I live in a suburb of Detroit. In Detroit pit bulls are like rats running loose on the streets. The outcome most likely would have been different.

I would of shot it. There have been numerous pit-bull attacks here in metro Atlanta over the years and they all have the same results. The victims are severely mauled and a few children have died. The animals are destroyed. I would not run the risk of having the pit-bull turn on me. They are not all viscous, I have seven on my mail route that are friendly, lovable dogs. They do not act like the one you had contact with.

The dog came in the first time and did not hesitate to attack.

I know the dog will be looking for a second chance to attack without control if he can.

I went and talked with the woman right after it happened. She told me the dog went after a couple of skateboarders. I just wanted to 86th the dog right there. She thanked me for sparing the dog. I told her only once.

I live in Oregon, too. After reading your story I googled and read some of Oregon laws pertaining to shooting a dog. It looks like it is not in your interest to shoot a non-threatening dog. You may want to review the laws in our state.

I think that you originally did the right thing and made the right decision.

I understand your concern.

My point is that if you and your dog are inside, and through the window you spot the dog and decide to grab a rifle and shoot it, you might get grief.... especially if the owner of the dog sees you come out and take a shot.

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- The Federalist #46 -

I would not want to go “hands on’’ with a vicious dog. Doubly so on my own property and would have shot the dog. Yes I wore steel toes and know they are a good weapon, but against an animal that’s way to close unless that is all I had.

Years back I had a situation like that at our gun club. A business was right down at the edge of our property and they had two Dobie’s that they locked in the business at night. During the day the animals ran free and did come on to our property. Some member said they saw them chasing deer and acting rather aggressive to people on club property.

I was doing a little work about a 200 yards from the business and the dogs got aggressive with me I got into my car went to their lot and laid on the horn and told them what was going on and to please remember this a gun club that was here 50 years before they moved in. They kind of blew me off!

So to finish the job I strapped on my Ruger .357 and went back to work. They saw me armed and grabbed the dogs and chained then on their property.

As I was Secretary of the Board of Directors and with other board members approval I went to En Con (conservation department) and talked with them and they told they had reports about those dogs chasing deer and the only law we had to worry about was the discharge of firearms with 500 ft of an occupied building (their business) to do what was prudent. The charge would not hold in a defensive shooting)

I sent that business a registered letter on club stationary and that did the trick the dogs were secured and we had no more problems. A couple years later they went out of business!

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14 S&W Revs none with locks!

What would I do? Start packing a larger caliber gun. Glad it worked out for you.

My dog is always out and has worked the 12 acres for more than 8 years. He knows his boundaries. I have his back and it would be with a pistol close range.

I think you did very well. Minimum use of force, great restraint. Shooting would likely have been justified, but why would you want the trouble?

Pit bulls are what the antis always claim guns to be: They are usually fine like most dogs, but they are "loaded guns" that DO have a mind of their own and can decide to go off by themselves without their owner doing anything.
The people across the street from me, nice, helpful folks in general, have two pitbulls. The yard is fenced with large warning signs, the dogs do occasionally get out but have been well-behaved, but I've been keeping a can of bear spray stashed on my front porch just in case.
(The bear spray also serves other purposes; my place is located near a "migration route" between several brew pubs, and I don't want to ever find myself in a situation where I have to pull a gun on someone too drunk to remember what a gun is )

That's funny.. actually I had a J frame and a 22mag mini on me as well.

How about filing a police report? At least, to document the incident. This would indicate your show of restraint during this incident and may work in your favor should you be attacked again and have to use deadly force.

There was another pit-bull-incident here in the valley several weeks ago. Two folks were mauled, one severely. A neighbor shot and killed one of the dogs while the other 3/4 were taken into custody by the county. At last report, the Lexus Project was fighting in court to prevent these animals from being euthanized.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

An expandable baton works great against a dog. I would be worried about shooting my dog if there was a fight breaking out.
A few strikes to the ribs will deter most dogs. A hard blow to the skull would be fatal.

I agree with that.

But, if it comes to pass that you feel like you need to shoot that dog. Take care of business. Don't wound it. Finish the job, bury it right away. Keep your mouth shut about how right you were to do so, and don't post on the net about it.

My brother wound up in a unnecessary feud with some neighbors of the same ilk as yours over wounding a dog. It's way more trouble than it's worth.

The woman should have enough sense not to bring the dog back. You cant kick a pit hard enough to hurt it.

Bang! End of story.

I say it's a lucky dog to have not been shot dead, and hopefully the owners understand and appreciate that enough to keep it restrained from now on. It can be hard enough to protect yourself from a vicious dog without trying to protect your dog in the process also. I'm glad it turned out ok for everyone involved, but as mentioned there is always the possibility of another attack. Stay vigilant and and well armed.

you need to file a police report of the event ASAP..........

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There's nowt so queer as folk

It's easy for us to say what we would or would not have done. But since we weren't there it's all speculation.

I've been bit three time and attacked/chased many more times. Each situation was different. I won't be bit again but I would say you did what you thought was best and that's all that counts.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

Be sure and document first attack, report filed with local law enforcement agency. Video of next attack would go a long way in your defense. If you kill the dog "they " will take you to court where you have to prove the killing was necessary. And she will paint you with the bad guy dog killer brush. People around here think nothing of people killing people....but shoot a dog, you are put in the same category as child molester.
If you shoot , have proof .
Gary

My dog is like one of my kids. If the same dog strays on your property, without aggression, call the cops. If it puts one step in your or your dog's direction put it down.

How about filing a police report? At least, to document the incident. This would indicate your show of restraint during this incident and may work in your favor should you be attacked again and have to use deadly force.

Good advice right there.

That dog by what you stated already has a history.
Make sure it gets documented.
The owner is not taking care of the problem

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

i'm in louisiana and i have the same problem with a idiot that has a pit. the cops told me if its off of her property without a leash that i have the right to shoot it if i think i'm in danger. he also told me to never fire a warning shot.

I suggest getting some pepper spray.

A good dose of that in the face would probably stop the attack.

But carry your gun if the pepper spray doesn't work.

As a dog lover, I'd be hard-pressed to have to shoot a dog but I would to prevent injury to myself or my own dog. Most people seem to have a sixth sense as to when a dog is friendly, issuing a warning or in an attack mode.

I, for one, will not mix it up with a dog capable of inflicting fatal injuries. It's him or me. Worse, many fatal dog attacks are inflicted by pairs of pit bulls, particularly in high-crime areas. Now, if a person were to feel threatened by a yappy designer dog snapping at his ankles, then he has no business carrying a gun.

I got caught in a storm kayaking last summer and headed for shore to escape the lightning.This is a heavily wooded mountain open space area (no dogs allowed,period)Headed into the trees to take cover when I was charged by a pitbull.I bellowed at him to freeze,which he did for just long enough for his hillbilly owner to run out and grab his collar.If I'd been armed,I'd have shot him with no remorse at all.I have no doubt that mutt would have torn me up pretty badly.

Actually, the data shows that "pit bulls" (most people can't identify a breed worth a hoot unless they are a serious dog person, and if it is a mix, they are really hard to ID) are UNDER represented in attacks on humans. However, they tend to be horrid with other dogs, and if you get in to that mess and try to break it up, you have a real poop sandwich.

I got one in the ear/temple with a PR24 about 30 years ago. I was running and always carried the PR; the dog was in the are on its way to me after crossing the street. The sound was like a softball thrown hard hitting a wall. Worked; it was dazed when it got up, and it went home. I've pepper sprayed other dogs; worked ok, but cross contamination of myself or my dogs is a real issue since you don't get a vote on what the wind is doing when you need to spray.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS contact LE and make the report. Be the first to call. That record might save your bacon in the future. BTW, one of the reasons my dog walking gun is a revolver is that I anticipate the need to make a contact shot to avoid risk to my dog(s). Jam a pistol in to the rib cage to shoot while I adrenalized, and I would be concerned about pushing the barrel out of battery; not a concern with a revolver. Animals are tougher than people, and I would not rely on a .22 unless I had no choice. My fanny pack revolver is a 296 loaded with the Blazer 200 grain gold dot.

Know your state law. KNOW your state law. DO NOT rely on rumors, the rules in other states, or LE. This can be a fact specific issue, depending on your state, and the arcana of such legal stuff is not well known.

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NHI, 10-8.

Even if the larger dog is not aggressive there is a very good chance your dog will start the fight to protect you.

You did just fine. Sounds like you would have equally fine to have fired. Either way, it's always better to not have to use force if possible. You are ultimately responsible for that projectile once fired. As I've mentioned before, I carry Bear Spray, nifty stuff for both K-9's and unruly humans. I also carry a firearm as Spray is not always the answer. This is a personal decision and you my friend must justify it in the end.

When the dog first approached I talked to him trying to keep his aggression down. The woman was running towards us but no control.

I agree my dog was sending "alpha" signal and the pit went off.

I knew it was coming and held my control.

He didn't get a hold of my dog and never touched me(that would have been immediate dispatch).

He stepped back and I had the barrel a foot from his head waiting for his next move. I told her" I will kill him" She said " I know" His choice was to respond to the owner. I was in control the entire time.

I know what I will do if it happens again.

My question was what would you do?

The problem is generally speaking the idiots who buy them. No dog is vicious by nature these idiots just don't know how to train a dog or worse yet abuse them to make them mean. Most aggressive dogs are just scared and 9 times out of 10 will back down if you approach the situation right. Dogs are not stupid they know a human is much larger and dangerous.

That being said I was attacked at our local dog park by 3 of them. Once the get in that pack mentality if one goes off they all will. I legally carry but as there were people all over I didn't draw my firearm. One attacked me from behind maybe because I had dog treats in my back pocket.

I was able to turn around and give it a good solid kick with my work boots. By then my 125lb cur came out of the water and put one down by the throat. Never mess with a good hog hunting dog. Several people rushed over and help secure all 3 dogs.

Get this the owner of the 3 pits tried to press charges on me? Thankfully one of the guys there was an off duty sheriff who let the responding officers know what happened.

It's a shame what people turn these dogs into. I have a Rottweiler as well they are know to be aggressive and feared but in reality they are just another dog they respond to their owner.

^ I agree.

When I spoke with the woman. I told her I gave her dog the benefit of doubt.

I was making friends with her dog while we spoke. I do like dogs.

Carry a cattle prod with you and give the dog a little poke if it gets close to you. They can be a of of fun. Just make sure from then on to have some protection as the dog will not like you at all.

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail....FdQ9gQodwgEA9w

I was wondering if your dog sustained any injuries. I hope I would respond in a similar fashion. I would call the cops and file a report, just to be on the safe side.

It's unfortunate that owners don't keep their dogs controlled. I don't care what breed it is.

Sorry but if that dog had even shown an indication of attacking one of my dog's or a family member I would have put it down pronto. Having treated several patients in the past for aggressive dog bites (kids and adults) I have no mercy for aggressive animals. The aftermath on humans and pets is not pretty.

Police report (and animal control) is mandatory. I was attacked not long ago, but wasn't armed. Owners refused to allow Animal Control to quarantine them, and didn't have vaccination papers, so they were seized and put down.

A little more info.

Both mine and the adjacent property are owned by the same person. My Uncle in-law.

I am in the good. He won't even let his daughter(same as the rest of my neighbors) keep her pitbull on property.

I just went over and the dog is in the house.

They did not heed his demand for the dog to be gone yesterday.

Looks like this will be a problem.

P.S. I often carry an axe handle. It's a 45 now.

I would file a police report too. Some localities have dangerous dog laws, such as:

Dangerous Animals - City of Minneapolis

I'm sorry this happened to you bigggbbruce. I had a similar situation about two years ago. My shepherd was attacked by a pit-bull. Like you I separated the two with my foot. It was a stupid thing for me to do. If the dog had instinctively clamped down on my foot, I would have been in deep trouble.

I'm glad your situation worked out for the moment.

You asked what I would do? Next time it will be, press, reset, press, reset, assess. There just isn't time to decide of the snarling dog is a real threat or can be driven off. If we're wrong, it could cost a limb or life.



I copied this statement and highlighted it so others could see just how ridiculous it is.

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Freedom isn't free.

I like this post, it sums things up well.

However, I wouldn't have kicked it. Colt Detective Special, 125 gr. JHP +P, as many shots as needed!

Yep..

Second attack.. this will be my primary thought.

Pit Bulls are hard headed, you're going to need a bigger gun.

Remember SSS

Shoot Shovel Shhh

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Back to back World War Champs.

A pit mix ran at me once. Don't know if he wanted to play or attack. Somehow when I stood my ground and drew down on him, he knew to turn tail and go the other way. Maybe he'd been shot at before. Who knows.

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

If I see the dog the FIRST TIME, and he goes into attack mode...there won't be a second time. I carry a firearm to protect myself, loved ones (and perhaps others) from the immanent threat of great bodily harm or death.

Why would I risk either when I have the means on my person to prevent it?

Why would you wait until the dogs are embroiled in a fight in which YOUR dog may be killed, or count on "trying" to break it up with a baton when you have the means to definitely protect your dog AND yourself from injury before the fighting starts?


I like PEOPLE too! But if someone attacks me or mine with the intent and ability to do serious harm, well, you fill in the blank.

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Stay protected my friends.

The same thing came up in another thread a week or so ago. Shooting a dog in a public place is going to waste a lot of your time and money. It's usually the damned owners fault they have no idea how to train a dog. Unfortunately with the legal system you probably wouldn't be justified in shooting the dog until it was biting you. Pepper spray is probably the only answer.

I live out in the country on seven acres. There are only two of us in a full section (square mile) they own the rest of it. I have three dogs, a male border collie, a female chocolate lab and a female pit bull/lab mix. The pit is very defensive and can be aggressive if she doesn't know you. However, if a stray comes onto our property and is threatening, I have no qualms about putting it down.

Pits are very loyal protective dogs. Typically, if you do not threaten them, they will not threaten you.