In Defense of Pet?

Status
Not open for further replies.
edistomick, if I read your OP correctly, your home is also a place of business? If so, that is a key to your problem. Because it is a place of business, you have implicitely given permission to customers and potential customers to come onto your property. At which point, if said customer perceived they were in immenent threat of bodily harm or death, they may be within their rights to shoot the dog.

A fence is the most obvious answer, but you have ruled that out. Don't do invisible fencing, unless you are willing to wear the shock collar too. Also it doesn't stop predators from coming in to kill your dog, but it does make your dog an easy target.

If not a fence around your property, how about a large fenced in dog run? Put her in during business hours. Maybe in sight of the driveway so she can bark when customers drive up. Or fence off the sides and back of the house, so she can't get out front.
 
When they say a mans best friend IMO thats the absolute truth.I have and had dogs my whole life and when I say with a few exception they have been the most loyal,protective and reliable friends a man can possiably ask for.My dog is part of my family like one of my kids and It would be a very emotional moment and would most definatley be a threat and safety concern,How it would play out is any ones guess.A dogs life may have a great value to us but in the eyes of the law the human life is much greater and would hate to loose my freedom over a dog and leave my children fatherless.
 
Last edited:
Deet is correct the law in connecticut all dogs most be under the owners control 24/7 365 No exceptions and when taken for walks or dogs parks the dog must be on a leash all times.
 
Human life vs. canine is basically a no brainer, but..........
Would I just have to watch as a stranger on my property shoots my dog down while doing what she's supposed to do by protecting my/her property?
Click to expand...

Stranger on what property? Your back yard at 2am where you'd have a reasonable fear that the intruders' propensity for violence could soon include you? Could your lawyer make the case for you being in reasonable fear of your life.

Depending on the circumstances, not sure the dog alone would qualify as justified, especially if your dog attacked the stranger. Then again, I'm no lawyer, and I have more questions than answers.:cool:

And of course, if he tried to shoot your dog, and you tried to shoot him, then there could be bullets travelling both ways.

I'd suspect there have been some precedents regarding deadly force to protect a pet.
 
Last edited:
My dog is a very important member of my family. Drawing a gun on him for protecting his home would be no different than doing the same to my wife, daughter or me. If I have a shot there will only be one side to this story when the police arrive. Although if it is my dog he may get a warning before the hammer drops.
 
Im thinking dog in my yard who has permission to be there and a stranger who does not.I think Id feel bad shooting someone over a dog but if hes in your yard with a gun shooting dogs who knows what and where he'll be shooting next.
 
edistomick, if I read your OP correctly, your home is also a place of business? If so, that is a key to your problem. Because it is a place of business, you have implicitely given permission to customers and potential customers to come onto your property. At which point, if said customer perceived they were in immenent threat of bodily harm or death, they may be within their rights to shoot the dog.

A fence is the most obvious answer, but you have ruled that out. Don't do invisible fencing, unless you are willing to wear the shock collar too. Also it doesn't stop predators from coming in to kill your dog, but it does make your dog an easy target.

If not a fence around your property, how about a large fenced in dog run? Put her in during business hours. Maybe in sight of the driveway so she can bark when customers drive up. Or fence off the sides and back of the house, so she can't get out front.
Click to expand...



+1
 
I might catch some flak for this but I think in this case a well placed warning shot might be the best initial action and here's my reasoning.
Click to expand...

Warning shots consitute the use of deadly force and must be justified the same as shooting at the person. If you are shooting to scare someone off who might have evil intentions, you are looking at assault with a deadly weapon, if not attempted murder.

As to the OP, my dog is never outside without myself or my wife walking him on the leash. Anyone attacking him would have to be using deadly force in our direction as well, so that normal rules on the use of deadly force apply. Issues of property or pet don't come into play.
 
Based on the asumption that he/she will be shot to death without warning from concealment/cover before he/she will be able to get off a shot on me, my family, my dog, or my propery and most likely without knowing I am there till they are dead.
Click to expand...
Well you know what happens when you assume :p

And of course, if he tried to shoot your dog, and you tried to shoot him, then there could be bullets travelling both ways.
Click to expand...
Thats exactly what I was thinking. I personally dont have a problem shooting someone to save my dog (dog = family, and I bet a lawyer could articulate that in court too). My problem is should I endanger my own life to try and save the dogs life, ie start a firefight? If the dog is about to buy it, maybe its better to get your other family (wife/girlfriend/parents/siblings/kids) to a safe place and call the police because chances are he's coming your way next. A dog I could loose, my whole family not so much....

But if they did kill my dog, there'd be a reckoning come down upon them. But maybe im just emotional because my childhood dog died recently :(
 
It's interesting how we tend to only view our own situation.
For example my first thought was "wouldn't be an issue, I have a HUGE fenced in yard". So in that case I'd have some pretty clear-cut justifications for responding to someone shooting into my yard when my dog couldn't possibly be a real threat.

But then again I also remember an incident from my younger days when I was living in a condo. I was coming back from walking the dog I had at the time (dog was on leash) when the neighbors latest boyfriend (a real jerk) came storming out of their place and stepped on my dog.

As you can imagine the dog yelped and snapped at him.

I instantly pulled the dog back via the leash and things were obviously under control as I was now mostly between him and the dog...but the boyfriend threw back his shirt and drew down on my dog anyway.

In one of those automatic reactions (that later make you wonder what the hell you were thinking) I leaned forward and struck him HARD right on the wrist causing him to drop the gun.

Now I was unarmed at the time, but had I been armed and had I drawn and opened fire, that would have been one HELL of a mess (assuming I even survived).

I think this is one of those scenarios that is too situation dependent to develop more than just a general guideline for action.
 
Emotionally your dog is a member of your family.

Legally, however, your dog is merely property. That's it, that's all.

If you are legal to kill someone over your TV set, you are legal to kill someone over your dog.

Otherwise, you need to find another way to solve the problem.

pax
 
PAX, The other situation is in some areas an armed person on your place has already committed a felony and to posture a violent intent has put the human in fear of their life. if the dog is attacked or shot they remove all doubt. This is only for legal defense as the dog is property in most jurisdictions.
Brent
 
I think this is one of those scenarios that is too situation dependent to develop more than just a general guideline for action.
Click to expand...
Very very true. Taking your scenario for example, what if he was really ****** at you and not your dog, and the gun was coming up in your direction? Too many things to think about, but I think the designed intent of the original post was to question if killing someone to defend your dog is okay...

Legally, however, your dog is merely property. That's it, that's all.

If you are legal to kill someone over your TV set, you are legal to kill someone over your dog.
Click to expand...
Thanks for smacking me in the face. Everyone needs a wake up call at some point I guess....
 
The way i see it the dog is property so the interloper is already taking that right away. Also if the man pulls a gun on my property im going to assume hes there to do harm to me. I would shoot but only after he began firing at the dog.
 
i had a real long reply typed, but most everything as already been said. i did want to bring one thing up, someone mentioned fence.

a few years ago i got an email titled frivilous(spl?) lawsuits, named after taht old lady who sued McDonalds over spilling coffee on herself. well, in the subject of this email were several lawsuits that were won by people who had committed stupid acts, got hurt and then got paid. one involved a dog.

seems a guy was bit by this dog, sued the owner and won. what didn't seem to matter to the jury was the fact that the dog was in it's fenced in back yard. the dog was chained up inside this fenced in back yard. and the perp was also inside this fenced in backyard, within reach of this chained up dog, SHOOTING this dog with a pellet gun!

so the guy was trespassing, inflicting bodily harm to a domestic animal (in this state, that can be a felony) and the dog defends himself. yet, the perp gets paid??


all that said, to those that responded there would only be one side of the story to tell the police, i say good for you! to the OP, the scenerio you ladi out, seems to me someone is drawing a gun on a family member. after the dog, who's to say who's next? do what you got to do, and remember, one's first reaction is usually the correct one.
 
I would not shoot a human to protect an animal. If I have reason to believe the person has other intentions then I may have other intentions. That simple.
 
LEOs please answer this question for me. Are K-9s considered officers of the law and do you as their handler have a duty to protect them?

If the answer is yes then why can I not protect my dog as they can? A little more training makes them be able to be protected by lethal force?
 
LEOs please answer this question for me. Are K-9s considered officers of the law and do you as their handler have a duty to protect them?
Click to expand...



yep..they are and yes they do. however, it is the dog's duty to go after the perp, and if need be, sacrifice it's life for the officer. but try and hurt one of those dogs and well, let's just say that your trip to jail will be on deer filled trip. not to mention, all that resisting you did before we got you in the car...sheesh..have to replace the OC, bent my ASP, yada, yada, yada...



If the answer is yes then why can I not protect my dog as they can? A little more training makes them be able to be protected by lethal force?
Click to expand...


not the training, it's the fact they are basiclly sworn officers of the law. your dog isn't a cop, the k-9 is. but i will agree/argue that your dog is family and as such, needs teh same rights to protection. by the law might not.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top