Incident with a dog & pulling out a gun

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CMichael

New member
I was talking a walk tonight. I was wearing a vest and carrying.

I see this dog running toward me. The owner is calling for the dog. My hand went near my gun, but I didn't put my hand on it.

The dog sat in front of me and growled. Finally, the owner got the dog.

1) At what point should I have put my hand on the gun?

2) At what point should I draw my gun?

3) At what point should I shoot the the dog?

Obviously I don't want to kill someone's beloved pet.

Thank you
 
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SigP6Carry

New member
It, honestly, sounds to me as though you did quite right. But you doing "quite right" probably depends entirely upon the situation. The dog seems very well socialized in this situation, but a lesser socialized dog may have have been more "people aggressive."

You've told us VERY little of this situation. I've met Chihuahuas that'll take your tows off and Rott's that'll lick your face off. It's all very situationally oriented, and we know almost nothing about your situation.

I should assert that by "quite right" I mean "not drawing on the dog and shooting," and don't advocate ignoring running dogs.
 
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TheGoldenState

New member
My dog is like family.


I would wait for the last possible second before killing someones!

The owner was there and trying to catch the mutt, I wouldnt have gone for the gun at all.


You can often tell the intent of a dog tho, angry, playful, fearful, FAKE temper, etc.
 
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CMichael

New member
I am not sure what to add. I don't know what kind of dog. It was black and white, smaller than a collie.

I felt better knowing that the owner was nearby and it wasn't wild.

It did make me nervous enough that I was thinking of drawing.
 
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DanThaMan1776

New member
In my humble opinion, unless the dog is massive and angry looking or has rabies, my first line of defense wouldn't be my gun. This is mostly due to the inherent love I have for dogs, and because I have been attacked by dogs before and just kick the **** out of them until they whimper away.. no harm done :D
 
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TheGoldenState

New member
Hope this doesnt get closed quick lol

Not bashing your views, but a Collie averages around 30-35lbs (via breed standards) so youre talking a 20ish pound dog?? NO WAY would i have pulled.
 
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hardworker

New member
You could probably be ok shooting it if it charged you, but don't expect to ever get invited to Christmas Dinner anywhere in your neighborhood after. Unless the dog actually bit you, blasting it would just make you look like a jackass who shot the neighbor's dog because it barked at you.
 
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tet4

New member
Unless there's a pack or the dog is huge and threatening, I'm sure there's a different way to end the confrontation than a gun. Although my guess is that the dog owner would be moving much faster at the sight of someone pulling out a gun. :)

Anyway, usually if you've been around dogs enough, you can tell what they are up to and how it's going to play out.
 
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M4Sherman

New member
I have found that charging animals will turn around if you put one into the ground. My experiences where with a couple of big old pigs and a few ****** off bulls/cows
 
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BfloBill

New member
Had similar situation.
Had a 3yr old daughter on my shoulders, 5yr old daughter walking beside me when 2 dogs came running out of their yard (lady was visiting with male neighbor on lawn and left gate open) right at us.
Lady and neighbor were both screaming for the dogs. I held the one on my shoulders with my off hand, stepped quickly in front of the 5yr old, and yelled at the dogs, all while starting to draw.
When the gun was just about clear of the holster the dogs slammed on the brakes, probably because I yelled and stepped aggressively toward them.
Lady never saw that I was armed, but the neighbor did. I wonder if he ever told her how close she came to losing her dogs.
I just reacted, but in hindsight I think I did OK. Didn't unneccisarily kill them, but was in a good position to if it was needed.

As for your questions:
1)Get your hand on the gun early, they're fast!
2)Better a little too early on the draw than too late. It's not a person and I'm pretty sure it's not a felony to threaten a dog with a gun.
3)Shoot when you have to. It might not be a person, but you are still going to have to explain to the police why you shot it.
 
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Bud Helms

Senior Member
1) At what point should I have put my hand on the gun?

2) At what point should I draw my gun?

3) At what point should I shoot the the dog?
Click to expand...

You don't really think there is a check list for "When do you shoot a dog that acts threateningly?" do you?
 
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skeeter

New member
If it is a large, potentially dangerous dog I would have my hand on the gun but not draw until I felt I was in real danger. I do not think anyone could argue with that behavior. I also carry pepper spray along with a firearm to have another option. I would not draw down on a toy poodle but have seen some very large poodles that could be real dangerous. I think the bottom line is what would the average person consider reasonable and not someone from Berkley Calif. It does get more dicy when you are walking with a young child as you have to catch the danger much faster as you may not be able to fire when the dog gets close and if it goes for the child, and I am talking about large Rottweiler,etc types.
 
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Kreyzhorse

New member
I'd guess that unless that dog was latched on your leg, pulling your gun at all would be frowned upon by the police.

From a SD stand point, unless you feel you are in grave danger of bodily harm or death you should keep your gun holstered. I'd assume that also applies to a growling dog.
 
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MLeake

New member
30-35lb collie?

TheGoldenState, are you thinking of Border Collies? Pretty sure the classic "Lassie" type collie is more in the 50lb range.

Meanwhile, with regard to defending against dogs, I'd say it would help to familiarize yourself more with their body language. I'm pretty good at telling an actual attack from a bluff while the dog is still at distance, and I doubt I'm particularly talented. It's just a matter of familiarity.

Obvious cues are ear position (laid back on the head isn't good) and tail carriage; other factors (tone of growl, type of bark, etc) are more subjective.

One big clue in your case was the owner wasn't in a panic as his dog charged you. Most of the owners of unfriendly dogs that I have met have been quick to warn people to stay away from them.

Of course, there are always the idiot 5% owners...
 
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CMichael

New member
My cat is 14 pounds.

I would guess the dogs weight between 40-50 pounds.

What also made me nervous was how quickly the dog was running toward me.

I think I should have at least put my hand on the gun.
 
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drail

Moderator
One thing to consider here is local munincipal laws. Every city has a completely different set of laws regarding(1) having the gun) (2) pulling the gun (3) discharging the gun. I just read a story on another forum where a guy was attacked (large dog had ahold of his leg) and pulled his gun and put a round into the ground (dog ran away upon hearing the shot) and was busted for discharging a weapon in the city limits. This was after he had already scared the dog off of an old lady. Prosecutor did not care that he was defending himself and no one got shot. He may lose his license to carry.
 
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jhenry

New member
A walking stick could have come in quite handy. In addition, some OC spray. I am sure someone will trundle along and tell us OC does not work all of the time etc. and blah blah blah. It does work very well on dogs, bears, and people. I would sure rather hose down an aggressive mutt than shoot it. I would, and have, shot dangerous dogs. This was not one of those cases and if the little thing would have tried to take a bite the stick or a shot of OC would have handled it just fine I think.
 
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ZeroJunk

New member
Back during the summer I was walking down the road for exercise in an area that I had not walked lately. I big lab and a chow came charging out of a yard and under a split rail fence. Curiously enough, the chow stopped, but the lab kept coming. He snapped at my left elbow, but I pulled it back. Then he jumped and snapped at it again and I took my hat off and slapped him in the face with it and he ran back to the house. He was a big, slow, clumsy dog. Would have been different if a pit bull or something I suspect.

Anyhow, I had my LCP in my pocket but never pulled it. I kept him on my left being right handed. I guess if he had grabbed me I would have killed him, but I would have hated to do it. The owner not realizing he would do this has since kept the dog restrained.
 
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MLeake

New member
A friend of mine was jogging a few weeks ago...

... when a pair of pit bulls came running toward him. (Note: this isn't a pit bull slam; I like pits; however, in this particular case, the dogs happened to be pits.)

My friend slowed down, faced them, pointed his finger, and in a command voice said, "No! Bad dog! No!"

The dogs stopped short, dropped their tails, and slunk off.

Would that work in every case? No. Will it work in many cases? Yes, if you know how to become an Alpha.

But you can't be manic about it - no rage, and no fear. Kind of like the dog-whisperer says, you need to develop calm assertiveness. Dogs react badly to anger and panic. They react much more favorably to deliberate, calm command.

When that fails, OC/pepper spray, a stick, or (worst case) a gun may become necessary. But it usually doesn't fail.
 
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