Dog Defense?

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WeedWacker said:
A pocket knife could be a last ditch final line of defense but you would need a rather large knife and I'm not sure how laws in your area will affect that.
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Three inches usually works for people, why not dogs?

I prefer a contact weapon against dogs, in my own experiences they don't give you the option to aim before they are in biting range. A simple pocket knife and some practice with opening it should be enough to stop an attack. I prefer cutting but stabbing is usually a more... lethal approach. Of course a young girl may not want to do this, may freeze up out of fear, or may not be able to put it into use. Though, that could be said of many items...
 
CountZero: What finally stopped these dogs though were bullets...
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My brother had to stop a Pit Bull with a 45 and it still almost got him. I am diabetic myself, and a dog bite even by a small dog can result in months of wound care at a wound care clinic, and being a veteran that will be expensive for taxpayers, unless the dog owner has deep pockets and pays for all that care at a local wound care clinic. Although there is a state leash law in Texas a lot of small communities don't have a municipal one. I would hate to shoot any dog, but I will stop one that gets close enough to bite me.
I don't believe a walking stick will stop some vicious pitt bulls. I used to carry pepper spray on my keychain, till the VA restricted it. So now if I get dog bit
it will be the VA's problem or the dog owner if I have to be treated for months at a local wound care center. I no longer carry it at all, since its
difficult to take it on and off all the time. Fortunately when I have to be
admitted for wound care, the State provides respite care sending someone out 24/7 for my disabled daughter. :eek:
 
Just a reminder to check local laws on OC. Here in Texas, it's supposed to be a can under a certain size (although I think it's a little vague if I recall). Bear spray is not allowed here.

I like the horn idea too. I wonder if the cattle prods make noise like some taser guns do. I don't know about a dog but if I was walking up to someone who had something in his hand that made that electrical "I'm about to light you up" noise I'd probably stop.

And I'd tend to recommend a layering approach. The stick sounds nice because you already have it out & in your hand. The dog can see it & think twice at the start. If he continues, then it buys you some extra time before the spray. With spray only, he's got to get within X (15?) feet of you before he knows you're going to fight back (ignoring body language of course).
 
Sorry to hear about your friend. Dog bites happen "for a reason" but some dogs have been raised poorly so their reasoning is a tad bit off.

Brainstorming:
Here's something you could make a fun actuvity of: about OC gel-do you want to test it 1 more time, noting the spread at different ranges? You could set an upright target and do a quick burst, step back, repeat, note the distance and group size. Better yet, purchase a feasible carry package of both OC and you could run the same procedure with the friend (most importantly) pulling the trigger and you could assist with the setup and documentation. that might help get her mentally back on her feet. Documentation doesn't need to be precise (inches) but I do think the distance in feet and rough references would help (plate sized? Torso sized?). Mostly for the reason that I myself have a hard time sometimes judging distance given a number and your friend might too. Perhaps the targets could be down low, maybe add a human height target in there too while you're at it.

The two kinds might behave VERY differently but maybe not. Nothing beats testing it out for yourself. What I have heard (jaust hear say) is that usually the debate against OC gel is that some humans/inmates will wipe it off and throw it back at you. If a dog can do that, we need to rethink the plan :) regarding getting a nostril full as a requirement: I don't have any experience with gel so if you still have that bottle maybe you could see if anything fumes out or strictly stays in the goo.

I once bought a friend a small can of mace. And though it would be fun getting an old timey Flanged Mace as an expensive gag gift. Best wishes.
 
- inspiration for that exercise was from watching a Gabe Suarez video testing shotgun spread pattern. If you do it, I forgot to mention that drawing an outline around each group size labeled w/ the distance might make things easier. You end up with concentric circles on the target. Not sure that would work with spray unless it is colored. Nice part is that it would be easy to set up- no need for a range. Just make sure no kids down wind and wash your hands asap. And no shaking hands with strangers before you do unless you're trying to add some excitement to their life.

No pun intended in first paragraph of my previous post. Too soon.

Perhaps a nice get well present would be a bag full of things that clinked like metal bottles inside. Maybe friends and family could pitch in.

God bless.
 
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I carry...

1. A sturdy walking stick... will soon replace it with a thin steel baseball practice bat.

2. A can of 4oz 18% pepper spray carried in a belt pouch.

3. A 9mm pistol.
 
I carry an Asp baton insted of mace for non lethal force...a short story about mace....years ago the neighbors dog wondered onto our property and was met by my shepards...long story short, they got into it, i interviened, wife came out with her mace.....end result, me on the ground from backspray, dogs still going at it....brother saved the day with a shovel (no loss of life)...
 
Without wishing to start a flame war, wasp and hornet spray is a hugely bad idea.

Setting aside the probable reaction of dog owners or dog lovers, use of a POISON against a human attacker will get you in just as much trouble as would use of a gun.

Mace, OC, etc could be used as less-than-lethal alternatives across a spectrum of attackers that would include humans; wasp spray could not.
 
Not everyone is physically or mentally capable of taking on a large dog with a stick. i.e. my 18 year old daughter, loves animals, is about 100 pounds soaking wet and likes to jog, tough to jog with a walking stick. Stream type pepper spray will work on dogs, perhaps not on all dogs, but I would rather her carry something that worked on 85% of dogs than not carry anything while looking for the perfect thing. Kind of like a .22LR pistol on your person is better than a .45 back at the house.

If walking, a lightweight walking stick similar to a ski-pole or the cold steel sjambok or similar item works well, much lighter than a club sized walking stick and can used in a full swing with pretty good result. Most dogs know what sticks are and don't like to get too close. Never run, back away slowly and stand tall, use a loud forceful voice, most dogs will respond to it. I am a dog lover and have stared or backed down many dogs, and have been bit also (mostly because I ignored the little rat b$#@%^%d, instead of dealing with it), and as much as I like dogs, the life of a person who isn't attacking me or my family is worth more than the dog. As for a knife shouldn't everyone carry a mini-griptillian sized one hand opening knife anyway??
 
^^^ That's True MOST of the Time But...

Some dogs don't back down. I had a run-in with three loosed pit bulls that were stalking me and darned near didn't back down even though I advanced (slowly) at them while I was yelling and loudly rattling my many bags of groceries raise high in the air. They BARELY backed down. I shot that leader pit bull in the head about a week later as it was killing another neighbor's dog. I did it because I knew that PB would eventually kill a human being... maybe a child.
 
Don't have to worry about pit-bulls here they are illegal to own under the dangerous dogs act. Also you have to have a dog licence for your dog, and a law is proposed that they will also have to be microchipped.
 
The UK, it's like CA and NYC, but more rustic...

At least there are residents in CA and NYC who recognize and resist governmental nannyism...
 
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