Blood Thirsty Pack of Dogs

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Guys,

Here, we have dogs everywhere. They are not owned, but they are not feral dogs. They are just being checked for diseases, labeled and sent back to streets. So they are pretty much a part of daily life.
Whole my life, I ve seen angry dogs, mistreated dogs, formed packs etc....
Only one time it was the opposite...Meaning, it was I that felt threatened. It was the only time I got scared from a dog/dogs.
It was a territorial threat for its owners house and it made very clear that if I take one more step it will attack. So I did not.
I stepped back slowly, turned around and that's it.

As I mentioned before, I do underline the possibility of dog attacks, they occasionally do happen. I know a pack "can be" very dangerous and I do feel very sorry about folks who lost their lives.
I would neither go near a pack that seems to have aggressive behavior, nor advice anyone to kneel down while surrounded by them.
All I mentioned are the general rules about "more or less domesticated" dogs.
"Generally", dogs do not attack people.

However, as I always do, I will again advise carrying a solid knife with you always.
To shoot a galloping angry dog (even one of them) would be very hard. Consider the possibility of the dog being "on you" in a second. Try and protect your throat by sacrificing left arm and use your right arm to stab it again and again.
At least that is what I would try and do.



All the best

Note: I still do not believe the term "blood thirsty" is adequate for animals, other than us...:)
 
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From my experience working for the Telephone Co. pepper spray or mace etc doesn't work on dogs. Bear spray may be better. I see lots of elderly people walking around with walking sticks or heavy canes to deal with dogs. Shooting a dog is hard they don't fall over when hit unless you use a BIG GUN like a rifle. I agree with the knife or big stick therory.

Mace
 
Hi fightingbard,

I just do not buy your argument. But really I do not care what their motives are. If a dog attacks a human, unprovoked, then kill it.

Our society seems to want to find excuses for violent and illegal behavior, and make that an excuse for actions. If one does the crime he pays the price. That includes people and dogs.
I'd rather take the time to hunt down and destroy the pack that attempting to justify its behavior.

I have known of dogs getting into a chicken pen and killing 50 or so chickens, and not eating a single one. They killed them for the pleasure of killing. Instincts? Yes, but that didn't save their lives.

Regards,
Jerry
 
I would think that any thing that will work on a human will work on a dog (even the biggest dogs)

I think the best option is to call animal control if you see a pack like this and then stay inside.

If you do go have to go out I think your best bet would be bear spray. Any gun that would work well on a person would work as well. IF it was me I would carry my marlin 357 magnum carbine. Fairly high capacity. More accurate at longer distances and still light enough that it can be carried easily. Of course I live in a rural area so this may not be a good idea for every one.
 
They kill only in these circumstances:

1. They need food, and you are of size that they instinctively estimate as prey.
2. They feel that, themselves or their offspring are under threat.
Click to expand...

As a veterinarian, I deal with dogs every day, and I can tell you that the word "only" in the above statement is incorrect. Fear-biting dogs certainly bite hard and can injure you, but aggressive dogs exist, and behavior changes markedly towards aggression when they are in packs.

I have personally had a small pack of dogs tear out screens to get into my house and kill my cats. And there was a report in this morning's paper about dogs who jumped a fence to attack an elderly man. They tore one arm off, and he is in a university hospital with doctors trying to save the other arm and repair facial injuries.

You may argue about whether the behavior of such animals is altered by humans or ingrained in their pack behavior as predators, but in the moments when you are defending yourself against such an attack, those arguments are not important. Dogs are extremely intelligent animals that coordinate attacks as predators, and as such are formidable opponents.

The advice of kneeling down to reassure a fearful dog is a reasonable way to handle a potential fear biter who is on a leash under the control of another person. It is of no value and potentially highly dangerous with an aggressive dog. Aggression and fear-biting both result in bite wounds, but they are very different behaviorally.
 
Pepper spray, Bro! By the way the dog owners and lovers are right; they know the difference between wild or feral dogs and a domesticated dog. IF you use the 'stand tall, talk firmly' method and truly are not afraid it works with every dog except trained guard dogs and OF COURSE wild or feral dogs. A lot of people are just afraid of dogs, their fears are confirmed at every opportunity, but it it because they are afraid of dogs. Dogs are very empathetic, they sense the fear, become afraid and attack.
 
Animals (that do not have a developed brain telling themselves that they are something else) does not have a perception as "joy of killing."
They kill only in these circumstances:

1. They need food, and you are of size that they instinctively estimate as prey.
2. They feel that, themselves or their offspring are under threat.
Click to expand...

Wow! I don't know what to say. Except that, you are wrong. I wonder how you developed this opinion.

Some dogs, for whatever reason, enjoy killing. I've seen it many times.


Last Winter, I had a pack of dogs charge across a large open field growling, barking and snarling at me. I doubt I was threatening them, as they had to cross a large field to get to me. I doubt they thought of me as an easy source of food.

All I could think about was what if it had been my 5 and 7 year old kids in that field instead of me.
 
Dear Fightingbard.

I realize I'm not the best animal trainer in the state, so I have a difficult time teaching my horses, chickens, etc. to "bow down and speak softly" to roaming dogs.

Nor do I expect my wife and grandkids to do the same when they are attacked while checking the mail.

I live in the country where city folks think we need more dogs and cats. They figure if they just drop them off in the country, they will be fed and cared for.

That is not the case, they start running in packs and attack live stock, poultry, and wildlife.

As a livestock/poultry keeper its my responsibility to care for and protect my critters. And Sir, that's exactly what I intend on doing. And I don't mean by sweet talking them out of chewing on my critters.
 
I live in a rural subdivision near a metro area and like Capt Kraig I have no tolerance for feral dogs. My neighbors have livestock, small pets and young children that are at risk of attack and disease from these packs of feral dogs. The thought of adopting a submissive posture to a feral dog is foreign to me, I prefer modified Weaver but will kneel...for a longer shot.
 
TailGator, I had thought about posting a link to the article you are talking about, but had decided it wasn't feral pack behavior. There were two dogs, and they belonged to the next door neighbor. For some reason, they jumped the fence and attacked the old man.

But it is a very good example of the amount of damage large dogs can inflict, and also of an attack not based on hunger or need to defend the pack.

Pit bulls... Sad thing is, I like most of the pit bulls I've met.

Last I saw, the owner hadn't been charged with anything. The dogs have been euthanized. I haven't seen any comments by other neighbors of the victim as to whether there had been any history of problems with those dogs, or whether the dog owner was viewed as a thug type - or whether this attack truly came out of the blue.

Some cases do come out of nowhere, when it comes to domestic dogs, but I think the majority are at least somewhat predictable.

Feral packs are not predictable, in my opinion (and in the majority collective opinion here, it seems).

KraigWY, we got our latest dog because (we are quite convinced) her previous owner thought dropping her off in the country, near a horse farm, was the best way to ditch the dog. My lady found the dog lurking in the woods near the stables, acting lost and confused but not aggressive. It took two days before she was able to convince the dog to approach; she then took the dog to the vet, where it turned out she did in fact have a microchip. The owner, when called, said the dog had grown much bigger than she had expected, and also the owner's elderly mother had moved in with her and her little daughter, and the dog posed a danger of knocking her mother down.

She said they had made the dog an outdoor dog, and she must have run off.

I have a hard time believing a dog that had always been an indoor dog, and slept with a child, would have roamed six miles as the crow flies, and about ten miles as the valleys actually go.

Some people are jackasses, and should be kicked in their private parts.
 
Note: The owner, when contacted, did NOT want the dog back. She did agree to have the microchip company change ownership data to reflect that the dog is now ours.

Note2: The dog really likes the company of people, and is what a friend of mine would call a "velcro dog," always attached to either my lady's leg or my own.

Note 3: Pointer and either boxer or bull mix, by her looks, build, and shape of her head. And an absolute sweetheart. Particularly likes kids.

Note 4: I'm very happy Leanne found her before she went feral. It would have been a tragic loss of a good dog, and additionally the dog could really do some damage if she needed to.
 
I don't know...

A "neighbor's" emotionally neglected and chained mongrel freed itself from it's run and attacked a very friendly family cat...chewed it up, spat it out, tossed it about, then left it's carcass. On another occasion, this very same mongrel attacked my then 13 year old step-daughter. Bit her in the leg in a big way.

Domesticated dogs can get downright malicious when raised in the wrong conditions. That "neighbor" and I didn't see much the same and they moved very shortly.

Anyhow, I still think spray with a powerful delivery device is the best defense for a too curious dog or pack. And what about this idea?...If they get too close, deliberately spray some of that stuff on your shoes and/or pant legs?
 
NiteSites, that might work if you have Bitter Apple, but my limited experience at being immersed in CS gas tells me that I don't want all those fumes rising up from my shoes and pant legs.

It could complicate defense against the dog, to have one's eyes filled with tears, one's nose filled with dripping snot, and one's mouth leaking drool.

There's a reason you want to be upwind of your spray, not directly over it or in it.
 
First of all, I want to set something straight. Some animals do kill for the "joy,excitement, instinct,challenge- call it anything you want" of the kill. My cats are well fed and they still kill any bird, mouse or rodent they can catch. They don't eat them most of the time. I have watched my dog kill rodents, groundhogs, etc and then leave them without eating them. Maybe "Bloodthirsty dogs is not the right term, but make no mistake that a pack of dogs can attack and kill without being in fear or desire to eat.(I'm not saying that they won't eat some prey, but that these two reasons are not the only reasons for the attacks) Humans maybe the only creature that kills out of hate, but there are many other reasons other than fear or hunger that motivates animals to kill! Animal behavior is not as simple as some people believe. Ask anyone who has studied animal behavior and they will set you straight.
 
That of course would be bad juju...but maybe worth a try. Say a trial run to see if or how much spray would cause the defender issues...

Lol, may have to pick up some spray for hell of it and test the waters.
 
MLeake, we agree on almost everything, including both our like for the vast majority of bulldogs and our opinion of people who dump pets.

I would caution you and other readers, however, that almost any dog can exhibit predatory behavior when it is in a pack. Family dogs that are let out at night, or who get out of a fenced yard, when they join a pack, will exhibit behaviors that owners will declare to be impossible. My advice: don't limit pack behavior in your mind to feral dogs.
 
NiteSites, if you do that, let us know how it goes. Three suggestions, though:

1) Do it someplace where you can kick out of your pants and shoes without creating a commotion, because you may want to get away from them quickly.

2) Have water nearby, for flushing out eyes.

3) Have a friend or loved one nearby but upwind, who can help you if necessary. (Note: Make sure it's either somebody who won't laugh at you, or somebody who, if they laugh at you, you won't get too mad at.)

3b) Depending on how well you can laugh at yourself, you may or may not want to ban cameras.
 
TailGator, we agree on that point, too. When I was a kid in Maine, one pack that was running around, killing deer and poultry, included a poodle that had just escaped its house that morning.

I remember being very surprised to think that a poodle would be part of a pack in the first place, let alone out chasing deer.

Another point to bring up, for those who talk about Alphas and taking out the leaders: Don't assume the biggest dog is necessarily the Alpha. Identify Alphas by behavior, not appearance.

I know one lady who has three pit bulls and a chihuahua. Guess which one is the Alpha.

In my own "pack," the 9.5 lb Jack Russell bosses around the two mixes (the one already mentioned, and an American Bulldog mix).
 
A couple of comments:

1. Others have covered the "bloodthirsty" angle but I'll just say that as a kid we lived near a pheasant farm and our dog would catch and kill as many as would wander into our yard. He'd eat them on occasion but he'd catch far more than he could possibly eat.

2. Bear/dog/human pepper spray are all pretty much the same thing. There may be minor variations in the strength but the main difference is that bear spray comes in bigger cans and thus gives you much longer range. Human spray is available in a wide variety of types (cone/fog/stream/foam....) while bear spray is all cone/fog (at least that I've seen). Personally I prefer the cone style because it is more likely to get into the nose/lungs and I've personally seen people defeat the stream sprays simply by wearing sunglasses. I don't think you could reliably hit a charging dog, much less a pack, square in the eyes with a small stream type spray.

3. Using any kind of pepper spray on your clothes as some sort of a repellent is a terrible idea. The mist may burn the eyes/lungs but it actually tastes pretty good to bears and possibly dogs.
 
Tastes pretty good to bears and possibly dogs? Oh wow...season your chili anyone? All joking aside, I wasn't aware that is was a tastey treat for them.

My legs look like buffalo wings after I spray my pant cuffs lol!
 
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