I was walking my dog for my work break around the neighborhood like I normally do. Shame on me for not carrying, but it was just a quick half mile loop. Had a customer call me mid walk so I was on the phone too. (not ideal)

Spotted a dog roughly 80ft away smelling a bush. It was a decently sized pit, maybe 60lbs, with a pink collar so I knew it wasn't a stray. She hadn't noticed us. I was going to turn around but was maybe 700ft from my house. I decided to cut through a couple houses across the street to go the back way to my yard.

The dog spotted mine and bolted over. Appeared friendly but hair raised when she got close. Phone in one hand, leash in the other. Then one of them starts at it. I'm pretty sure it was the loose dog.

Drop the phone, try to pull but they are tangled up. I wait for my moment, rear my leg and kick her square in the ribcage as hard as I could. My leg is sore from kicking that dog. A couple seconds later, she stops and sits still. I think I knocked the wind out of her.

Owner comes over, grabs his dog, and starts cussing me out for kicking his dog. He didn't apologize for letting his dog wander off or for attacking mine. Hell, he didn't even ask if my dog was OK. I was livid but wasn't sure if customer was still on the line, so I checked my dog, picked up my phone, and went home. I think I told the guy he was lucky I wasn't carrying. Dude lived 5 houses down, Mexicans with a driveway full of vehicles. I'm half tempted to call animal control.

This was a big wakeup call for me and now I worry about my wife ever taking him out or even just walking the kids. I just bought two stun guns that we will carry even on normal walks. I'll carry my pistol every time now. Hard to believe I have to worry about stuff like this in my own neighborhood. Harley is totally fine though, he had a minor cut around the eye that healed up already.

Be the first one to call it in or he’ll seem like the good guy.
Carry pepper spray, not a stun gun, whatever that is, along with your real gun.

quote:

I'm half tempted to call animal control.

You should definitely call. Document it w/ Animal Control now, because unfortunately there might be a next time.

Report it immediately.

I like the pepper spray rather than shooting, in most instances.

I applaud you for going for the field goal.

Fuck them and yes get your story in the books.

Call and push hard for action to be taken so it's not some kid getting his face chewed off next time.

Glad you and your pup are ok.

I carry a BlackSwift Walking Stick which is a cane that is light and can be used as whip when I'm walking my dogs. I also have pepper spray. I carry but it's against the law here to shoot an animal unless it's attacking you, not your dogs.

I've had at least three times where I dealt with unleashed dogs. I put myself between my dogs and the loose dog and use my cane to keep it at bag. I suppose if it was more than one dog, I need to do something else.

You need to check your dog for ANY sores from the attack. I'm guessing your dog is vaccinated - the other might NOT. Report the incident - the other dog will be taken in for quarantine to eliminate any possible rabies issue.

The fact that the other dog was off property and approached you is enough to support the need for it to be checked.

quote:

Owner comes over, grabs his dog, and starts cussing me out for kicking his dog. He didn't apologize for letting his dog wander off or for attacking mine.

That's the straw that breaks the camel's back as far as I'm concerned. He's in the wrong and cusses you out for defending yourself and your dog. Textbook asshole.

I’ve trained working dogs for many years and broken up more fights than I can count. Both on the training field and loose dogs in the neighborhood. Get a cattle prod. Don’t pull your gun. Pepper spray you could hit both dogs if the k9’s are tussling in all that commotion and give yourself a dose as well. It’s just not a good idea at all. Prod is usually around $60 and get one that has 36” of length or more. Amazon has them or your local Tractor Supply. I think TS carries the Jolt ones. Just carry that around on walks. If you don’t want one that has the extended prod you can get a small one. We use shock collars on hard dogs. My Mal has one and she needed a whopping 2 whole zaps at low voltage when I got her during initial training and any time since, just mashing the vibration button, she’s not doing anything. Prod works the same way. One zap and that damn dog will be whimpering, I don’t care if it’s a 90 pound Pitbull. They don’t like it at all.

I’d also call your Animal Control and log it just in case. My Mal is older now and no longer in her prime but she’s trained, I’m trained, and even then I keep a hand free. Lead is in one hand or the shock collar remote as I do walk her off lead at night when people aren’t out. Get some earbuds for calls, Bluetooth ones where you can still hear ambient noise. We have coyotes close and even some Bobcats that migrate through here and I walk her at odd hours since she’s too old to do her work drills at the park.

Most people that own dogs shouldn’t. If it’s not going to be trained they shouldn’t have it, at all. So don’t hold it against the k9. It’s that dumbass neighbor of yours.

Thank you guys for the advice. I will call animal control today like you suggested. I got the stun guns but will also pick up pepper spray. Lastly, I got a belly band holster so I can carry when I wear joggers or shorts. I pocket carry but even that can be annoying when walking and the weight. I'm just thankful Harley was OK and my kids weren't with me. Scary thinking about the what if's, if it was my wife or kids.

I too am a BlackSwift owner and recommend it.

I'll bring it up since it hasn't been mentioned. That is your use of a phone while you are on a walk. It doesn't matter if you are walking the dog, the kids, or by yourself using a phone while on a walk is a VERY BAD idea. This means talking or texting. The reason why is very simple and one you have just become aware of, phones are just too distracting. I will also note that hoodies are also a really bad idea because you have zero peripheral vision while wearing them. It's a pure hunch but I expect that 80% of the people hit by a car while crossing the street were wearing hoodies.

When you go out for a walk you need to mindful about "Stacking the Odds" in your favor. This means you need to be observant and able to see everything that is going on around you. It's also a very good idea to make sure you have at least one hand free at all times that you are moving.

Finally, if a dog charges at you with the intent to cause injury you are permitted to defend yourself. It doesn't matter if your dog is with you at that time, if that dog is charging at you deadly force is a legal response. Two summers back I had a 120 lbs. Rot/Mastiff mixed charge me and my 24 lbs. Cocker mix and the only thing that saved that dogs life was that it had been well trained to Sit on command. BTW, I've been told that my Command Voice is rather awe inspiring, so the 100 lbs. Lab that was following that Rot mix also came to a skidding halt and turned tail. When the owner finally caught up he was told that the only reason he wasn't dragging two dead dogs back to his house was because he did train that Rot to sit on command.

Hey SIG4EVA,

Your location shows you as NC. You might double check NC and local laws to see if you can use deadly force against a dog that's attacking your dog. It's something I've always wondered.

NC has narrow rules and I think most are written in terms of protecting humans but I haven't really researched this question because I don't have a dog.

You should call immediately before someone talks him into reporting you kicking his dog for no reason.

BTW, if it gets where you can't get the dog to disengage, get behind it and grab it's back legs and lift, the dog generally will let go when it's being drug back by it's hind legs.

Yes, call it in, report the owner for letting the dog off his property off leash unsupervised and the attack.

Get your dog checked out and the damage on record at the vet.

1. cattle prod seems like a good idea but its kind of a pain to carry.
2. if you get pepper spray get a large can of the fogger and make sure you are upwind. stream is to difficult to score a hit in the eyes. even bear spray would be good less powerful. If I hit my dog I hit my dog.
3. firearm doesnt seem to be a good idea inside a city. to many mving parts. if that bullet goes throug/miss/ richochet you could be in big trouble!!

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
I too am a BlackSwift owner and recommend it.

Yoop, have you ever used the BlackSwift? How does it compare to using an ASP (yes I know they are useless) or a PR24 or straight wooden baton?
I’ve been thinking of carrying a regular wooden cane for stray dogs.

OC doesn’t work all the time and it’s sometimes difficult to deploy in any wind. So I quit carrying it while walking.

I have not actually used the BlackSwift, but I firmly believe it factored in to keeping me safe a while back. I had gone back to Dayton for a visit and I went to an area I used to ride ATVs on. The suburb I was a cop in bought the area and made it a park. I wanted to see what it now looked like. I had the BlackSwift in hand. I was wandering around the area when a beater rolled into a nearby parking area and some dude got out and made straight for me in a very determined way. No one else was around. I took this all in and decided I would turn the tables. I started towards this guy and shifted the BlackSwift in my hand so it was evident I was preparing to use it. The guy turned around and got back in his car and left. I had a pistol on me (its Dayton) but the guy was empty handed with no visible weapons. So if I shot, its the whole "he shot an unarmed man" scenario. As far as I was concerned, the BlackSwift paid for itself right there.
BlackSwift Pros:
Looks non-threatening. Very light and easy to carry. Fast, high speed strikes. Less likely to accidently kill your opponent. After buying it, I went out and hit a tree with it, repeatedly full power with no damage to it. So it seems very durable. More "stand off" distance than you would have with an ASP or cop baton.
Cons:
Less effective for thrust type strikes. If things come to a need for deadly force, the BlackSwift may not go the distance, since it is quite light. I am 6/4 so its a bit short for me. I dont think its construction would be good for storing it in a hot car. I would like a wrist strap but the BlackSwift has no option for one. I used Gorilla tape and 550 cord to make one.
Option:
Take a look at Laci Szabo's website and look at his martial arts sticks. Light, durable and flexible with the same attributes as Blackswift just less stylish. I have a couple of them and they are pretty excellent. And there are more options in size and type then BlackSwift offers. Including a walking stick. Which would be trimmable to the length most suitable for you.
www.szaboinc.com Click on "impact tools".

This message has been edited. Last edited by: YooperSigs,