Then slowly closes in teeth baring in a fearful threatening way. You are worried most of all feared for your own pooch..You are now feared for your life and safety, which is grounds for defending yourself in most states.
There Chef, I read it again. The aggressive dog is
maybe going to attack your dog. It's being aggressive towards your DOG. I'm not "feared" at all for
my safety, though I can see a dogfight coming. I'm saying I don't think that's any reason to pull a pistol in the middle of town. Out in the country maybe. The point is that it's unsafe to discharge a pistol in a neighborhood. That's a fact. I think you're being a little casual about firearm safety. It isn't like the movies where if you miss that's the end of it. When you miss the bullet goes somewhere and is still dangerous. Even if it zips thru a dog it can still hurt somwbody. You need to consider some things:
I would like to think that anyone who conceal carries for personal defense reasons has the ability to put two rounds into a large dog at 25 feet and closing.
People get excited and people miss. IF you have a good backstop and no people around, no big deal. In a neighborhood, kinda a hazard.
Lets not forget you're shooting from higher than the dog is tall so you're shooting with the ground as a backstop.
Um, exactly. The bullet doesn't stop when it hits the pavement at an angle, it ricochets. Go out and shoot the ground 25 feet away somewhere you can see the dirt. You'll notice that it will ricochet most of the time. I've done a whole heap of shooting at stuff on the ground in front of a backstop, and that's what happens.
Ricochet should really be the least of your worries, with more focus on hitting the target. Hollow points being the preferred ccw round should relieve your fear even further.
In a neighborhood you damn well better be worried about a ricochet, especially when shooting at the ground. The bullet will ricochet if you miss the dog. Hollow points ricochet like anything else, so no it doesn't relieve any fear at all. What if you skip a bullet into a person? Guess who's going to jail for it?
Guys I could care less about killing dogs, I'm all for it. If they are attacking you or another human, then yes protect yourself however you can. But shooting to protect your dog I think is extreme
because of the risk of a ricochet in a city. It is dangerous to discharge a firearm in city limits, which is why it's illegal. I'm also saying that under normal circumstances, including the two scenarios posted, pulling a pistol would be completely irrational and unsafe. Neither animal in the scenarios are about to cause harm to a
person. Key word. Your dog is not a person. If you run a serious risk of having your dog getting into a dogfight where you walk, get something that will be safe to use around the folks in your neighborhood (like pepper spray). I have two little girls, I can't imagine if one of them were to catch a bullet while playing in the front yard over a flippin dog.
The K9 unit of your local police department would like to have a word with you.
In all seriousness, what if you miss with your kick? What if the dog is faster than you and grabs hold of your ankle and pulls you down?
Ok, I'm not talking about fighting trained police dogs. I'm talking about your average, run of the mill neighborhood dog. If I miss my kick, I'll kick again. I have 2 fists as well. It isn't going to drag my ankle down, it's going to mind my kick. In general, I think I can take the average dog. If a huge Rotty or pit approaches me or my child with intent to attack then yes, I'll shoot it. But that's not the typical situation and not what the scenarios in the original thread are about. There is not a single thing in either of the two scenarios that justifies pulling a pistol.