Family Members and Firearms

Ridiculous, AH.74? Maybe so. I do lots of dangerous things..... I must be a dangerous man. Do you consider handloading your own ammunition ridiculous? Handloaders aren't messing around with ammunition? Why not? I have also never met a domestic dog that I didn't Think I could pound severely bare handed, your mileage may vary. I don't go for the gun as my first recourse and I wont kill even a dog unless it's necessary. If that makes me ridiculous then I will be ridiculous. I am no more afraid of being ridiculous than I am afraid of discharging a 12ga. load of bread dough! Don't live a life of fear.
Click to expand...

I do not live a life of fear, quite the opposite in fact. If I did live in fear I wouldn't be where I am.

Yes, I think it is ridiculous to load shotgun shells with bread. Yes, I think it is ridiculous to load handgun cartridges with pieces of eraser. That is hardly the same as handloading, don't even try to paint it with the same brush.

You've never seen a dog that would give you pause, no pun intended? How about a big German Shepherd, or a Mastiff, or a Doberman? You think you could easily "pound that dog barehanded" while it came at your throat, or locked itself onto your arm or hand and shredded it? Maybe you think you could, most people wouldn't want to have to make that decision or even try.
 
sounds like the quote I heard a while back from a rabid (no pun intended) anti-gunner who said he'd rather see his family slain than take the life of their attacker ... this is a serious attitude issue which should be dealt with ...
Click to expand...

Are you serious bikerbill? Gee, I wonder if his family feels the same way? Murdered in cold blood just so he can maintain his holier than thou attitude?

Friggin' coward .... :mad:
 
Mleake

Yeah I hear you and agree with you Mleake. I actually was responding to your post the other day(yesterday maybe), but I had to run so I just signed out. The ones that are more worry are the 'get out of jail' ones that you can sort of tell mean business and usually there are two or more(but not always). Unless of course the dog is rabid. Some dogs do charge but it is playing or they will stop near you but meaning business dogs can be dangerous. this scenario is different than that completely. If you were out in the middle of nowhere these actions described would lead me to believe the dog might be hungry(and eyeing dinner). lol
 
youngunz4life...

... I agree, some scenarios are scarier than others.

Some are potentially very bad.

A lot of my experiences in dealing with large, somewhat aggressive dogs have taken place at dog parks. Loaded with people, not too many clear lanes or good backstops, IE far from ideal venues for use of a gun in canine defense.

When the gun is not a practical option, it behooves one to have other fallbacks. (This is not only true for defense against dogs.)

But the right body language (on our part) can do a lot to prevent an encounter from escalating or devolving into something really unpleasant. Basically, the ideal is to be calm and assertive without directly challenging the dog.

Got run up on by a pit the other day, while jogging with the lady. We slowed to a walk; I got between Leanne and the dog and just started talking to the dog. It slowed its approach, came up to me and sniffed. I gave it a couple scratches behind the ears. It went back to what appeared to be its house.

Not panicking goes a long, long way in dealing with most dogs.
 
I came home to a rottweiler going through my garbage one day. As I approached he growled and showed aggression, probably protecting his new-found food source. I left the immediate area and went through another door to the house. I came back out with my wife's .38 and aimed at the dogs head. I knew the dog. It was my neighbors dog that had caused many problems in our rural area; aggressively chasing people on their own property. Still, I just fired warning shots into the bush beside him. I went inside and called the neighbor to tell him to get better control of his animal. He in turn threatened my life.

Weeks later the same dog attacked my other neighbor as she was jogging with her 18 month old son. She got out with very minor injuries thanks to a passing car who stopped to help. They could have both been killed and I should have killed that animal when I had him in my sites.

I was new to the area and basically worried about what people might think. I can't even imagine how I'd feel now if she or her son had been badly injured or killed.

It is not up to this forum. Not you neighbors. Not your wife. If you look into the animals eyes and see a threat to life or limb, its your call. I grew up around large dogs and I'm not scared of dogs. But, if one does scare me - it needs to die.

The dog in my area finally "disappeared" one fine afternoon (not by my doing). I'm not some serial dog killer, but when I walk in the evenings I don't carry tennis balls or milk bones - I carry a gun.
 
I normally have a gun, too, Oscar.

But I haven't needed it.

Depends on the dog, wild animal, person, etc.

4-legged or 2, I've somehow managed to deflect aggression without needing to draw. Not that I should always expect things to go that way, but they very often do.

Question, though - in your case, the dog was known to stray frequently, and known to be aggressive. Did your neighbors bury the PD/SD in nuisance calls? If not, why not?
 
MLeake

There was one call made that I know of. I don't know if there were other calls. The husband of the lady jogging is a police officer, but not in our jurisdiction. He called after he was attacked, but that was before I ever moved there. He was bit on the leg and he pepper-sprayed the dog to get away.

I never called the police, and I obviously should have. We live outside any city limits so there aren't leash laws, but I'm sure there are laws that would still apply. I admit, for whatever reason, I have trouble dialing 911 unless its for a fire or medical emergency.
 
OscarTurner

The situation is ultimately the dog owner's fault, and I don't mean to point fingers.

But I would recommend to anybody who honestly fears their neighbor's animal that they should make calls to animal control and the applicable LE agency for their neighborhood. They should also get their other neighbors to do the same.

Of course, unless the dog owner is a complete thug, I usually do recommend talking to him first. Harmony is a wonderful thing, when it can be achieved.

Unfortunately, most of the people I've met who have owned problem dogs, were exactly the sort of people one would expect to own problem dogs...

One last note: while I love dogs, and am very comfortable at dealing with most of them, I am well aware of the massive damage a large, aggressive dog can inflict. I understand there are cases where use of a gun is the only reasonable option. However, even in cases where shooting the dog might be justified, situations may present where it's just not safe to take the shot. It's always best to have a neighborhood-safe option, if feasible.
 
I heard a while back from a rabid (no pun intended) anti-gunner who said he'd rather see his family slain than take the life of their attacker ... this is a serious attitude issue which should be dealt with ..
Click to expand...

Now thats messed up, I hope his wife and kids find this out and get away from him and find some protection of some sort as he isnt up to the job.


I get all riled up when a person even looks funny at any family member of mine.
 
I grew up in a gun family,,,

And married a very anti-gun daughter of two pro-gun parents,,,
That's what they get for raising their kid in California.

It was somewhat amusing to see her attitudes do a complete 180,,,
When I was out of town and a crazy upstairs neighbor,,,
Tried to break down the door with a piece of pipe.

The real amusing part of this story,,,
Is that she was (probably still is) a police dispatcher.

The only pistol I had out of storage was a WW-II vintage 1911,,,
I can only imagine the scene as she was talking to her watch commander,,,
Who was trying to walk her through loading/inserting a magazine and racking the slide.

Fortunately we lived in downtown Sacramento at the time,,,
Her cop buddies knew who the call was from,,,
They got there and nabbed the nutcase.

Her attitudes changed immediately,,,
We went shopping for a gun for her the very next week.

Bought two Ruger SP-101's,,,
One in .38 Special and the other in .22 LR.

We divorced about 12 years later,,,
Dang I miss that little .22!

Aarond
 
AH.74 I hear your opinion and you are very welcome to it. No i am not afraid of a German shepherd or a doberman or even a mastiff. I am very familiar with each and every one of those breeds. I have even the mastiff outweighed by about 100 pounds and I know them to be a gentle breed, especially when they are not on their own turf. Here are two stories...... I had a pen full of rabbits. not meat or fur rabbits, pet rabbits. my wife knew and loved every one. I heard a fuss and saw two dogs inside the pen (a 4' fence with electric fencing at the top to deter dogs) ripping bunnys to bits. Angry, (not frightened) I drew my pistol and shot one while the other leaped the fence and ran away. Later my wife asked me what was better, 6 dead rabbits or 6 dead rabbits and one dead dog. I did the math and realised that she was right. Later still i learned that the 82 year old lady whose dog I had killed cried and cried. Bad a$$ macho me, what a man........ story two. An alcoholic neighbor owned a large Akita, an impressive dog. upon looking out and seeing the Akita and my dog locked in combat I told myself hell no, and went outside to get some. I wrestled the Akita to the ground and pinned him when my own dog took the advantage to attack the Akita as I held him. By this time I had lost my temper and (accidentally) knocked my own dog out with a single punch to the head. I then dragged the neighbors dog to his place and chained him up. I was bleeding a bit, the Akita was sore and my dog had a concussion. We all lived. the neighbors dog became mine later and was a fine and loved member of my family. I am not a tuff man. I am a 5'8" fat, 52 year old construction worker/truck driver. I just draw the line at taking crap from dogs. I also learned not to kill things when someone might love and rely on them. And yes, i DO equate my messing with ammunition as the same as handloading. If you don't think THOSE guys are crazy, then google some handloading forums and read up! Just my opinions, I hope I am welcome to them.
 
I'm just lucky... while my bride doesn’t shoot....

she expects me to and expects me to thach the boys (who are now men).
 
My wife's from England and grew up hunting, grouse and partridge, and the occasional hare. One of her proudest moments after becoming an American citizen was walking into our LGS and purchasing her OWN handgun. My FIL loves coming over each summer and shooting all the gun types that he cant own over there. :D
 
I was married to a French woman for 5 years, she was rabidly anti-gun. We had enough respect for each other that it just wasn't an issue. She knew there were firearms in the house, she just stayed away from them.

So far as the dog thing, I won't tolerate an aggressive dog, much less on one my own property. In the OP's example, if I knew the dog's owner, I would call the police/animal control to set a precedent of aggressive behavior, and let the owner know that the next time the dog did that it would be dealt with appropriately, up too and including being shot.
 
My wife isn't anti-gun, just anti me buying any more. I can easily counter her objections when I show her what I paid for a few of my guns, and what they are worth now. Then compare the values with all the crap she has purchased from QVC over the years!
Still works, I've got a good deal of "spare change" saved up, a couple hundred in BPS gift cards, and another hundred and change in BPS rewards points. All with either a S&W 617 or CZ-75 SP01 in my sights!:D
 
I can't comment on your delima with any sense of understanding. I teach CCDW classes and my wife has her CCDW permit. We both carry and shoot. she has her own guns. All my kids shoot (they are grown) and own guns.
 
quote from OP --- "but over the years I have been attacked several times by dogs passing through my yard. I have been unarmed each time. The first couple times, I was able to show aggression and get the dogs to back down and leave.

A few weeks ago, I was attached again and this time, I was very unsure I would have prevailed. Also, the dog would not back down or allow me to back up. This thing wanted to kill me and all I had was my knowledge of dealing with vicious dogs. This one was different since it did not try to circle behind me. We were eye to eye for about 15 minutes before it broke contact.

I mentioned to my wife how this situation would have been different had I been armed. Despite the fact that I feared severe injury in the encounter on my yard, she thought it would be savage and barbaric to harm any animal, even one that is trying to attack me on my property. "

MLeake, not sure how I could have interpreted what he said any more accurately ... "I was attacked again ... The thing wanted to kill me ..." sounds like an attack to me, one which would have been handled far more safely with a gun than with a Milk Bone.

"She thought it would be savage and barbaric to harm any animal etc." Sounds to me like she would prefer he be injured rather than responding with a suitable level of SD ...

I've told this story in here before, was walking my beagle one fine day when three dogs appeared a few hundred yards down the road, led by a big German shepherd ... he growled and the other dogs started howling, then all three charged ... stupidly, I was armed only with a 3-inch folder, which I deployed and got ready for some pain ... fortunately, the dogs veered off into the woods shortly before they got to us ...

dogs are no joke and when they attack, it's for real ... no dog is going to injure me or mine if I can prevent it, and the best way to do that is not with tennis balls or bones or yelling ...

and I repeat ... if the Mrs. thinks it would be better for you to be mauled than to shoot the dog, some attitude adjustment is needed ...
 
BikerBill, a lot of people use the word "attacked" when they mean "threatened," or in some cases "unwillingly approached".

The OP stared and shouted down a dog that had its teeth in him?

The OP's wife saw him torn and bleeding and didn't immediately call 911?

I am not buying it, at least not until the OP clarifies.

BTW, I have seen a lot of people mistake play behaviors for actual aggression; often as not, they react in a way that changes the dynamic for the worse.
 
Agreed and agreed .... I'm going by what the OP said in his note ... and I'm not going to take the time to try and interpret an unrestrained, growling dog's intentions .. I have enough trouble trying to figure out what MY dog is up to, let alone some mutt I don't know ...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top