Shoot a dog

Me, I wish cat owners here would keep their cats inside. My dog comes in sometimes smelling like she just jumped in to all the litterboxes in the city. P-YU! I don't mind the dogs that show up. Theres a chow, a few german shepherds, a black pit bull, a white one with black spots, a boxer and a little chihuahua mix. Made friends with them on the second or third visit. The chow comes around often then I take him back around the corner and toss him back in his yard. Too bad some people don't take care of their dogs being that they are 'just dogs'.
 
Just saw this thread.

When I was 11 or 12, my folks would always warn me about "the dogs" when I went outside. In my neighborhood, there were about 5 or 6 dogs that, when their respective owners would by chance let them all out at the same times, would group up into a pack and literally go hunting together. Each dog was a good, approachable dog when it was alone, but when they were all together, they tapped their "wild" veins and went around like hungry wolves.

A few cats were killed, as well as one neighbor's small puppy. The cops and Animal Control could never do anything because they were never there when all the dogs were together. They'd show up a few hours later, when the hunt was over and the group was separated, and the owners would say, "look at how gentle my dog is; he'd never hurt ANYthing." And indeed his dog WAS docile and submissive to the cops because he wasn't with rest of the pack at the time. Thus, nothing was done about it. Until.........

I was out playing with Star Wars guys with a friend and we saw the pack run by, barking and howling. I still remember how wild and aggressive they all looked. Little kids would honestly climb trees and hide in garbage cans to get out of the way. We knew better than to follow them although we wanted to see the path of blood and cat guts they would leave behind them. They went down the way and stopped. We couldn't see them, but knew they had stopped because the barking wasn't fading any and was very feverish. Next we heard, "POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP! POP!" Probably 12 or 15 shots were fired, followed by numerous squeals and howls. Well, danger be damned, that was too much action for us to resist. We went down the street and saw a huge PILE of dead and dying dogs in this one guys lawn and out in the street. He said that they had come at him when he was out in his yard, so he ran inside and shot them all through the screen door with a .22 rifle.

Naturally the cops were there as well as the entire neighborhood. I remember most of the people saying that they were happy it had happened, but of course some people were bemoaning the loss of their pets and were insanely angry with the guy. I don't think the guy was charged with anything, and the neighborhood was a lot quieter and, oddly enough, more boring afterwards.

It was even on the news later that week! :D
 
One morning when I went out to get the newspaper, a rotrweiler mix was in my driveway in the small area between the front of my car and my privacy fence. It was circling and circling. When I checked 15 minutes later, it was still there but growling at me. I thought it might have rabies. I called Animal Control. No response. Called the second time, still no response.

We could not get in our cars to go to work and take the kids to school. I told my wife I was just going to have to shoot it. She called 911 and they said if I shot it, I would get arrested!

The call at least had an effect because an animal control officer came. It was too vicious for him alone, so he said he was calling for backup. We were able to get in our cars and go to work/school, however.

We called Animal Control back later to see what happened. The owner was an Animal Control officer who lives down the street! She heard the call for backup on her radio and took the dog home. Haven't seen it since.
 
If the pit bulls come on your property, there is a very good chance that they will attack whoever is out in your yard, based on the fact that they have already killed cats; it appears that they have acquired a taste for blood and killing.

If you are outside in your yard and they come on your property, I can't see how any LE or prosecutor could or would take any action against you if you shot and killed them - unless you live in San Francisco, where even thinking about guns is against the law.

If the pits come on your property and you or your family are outside, you can reasonably conclude that you family members are "in immediate danger of death or grave bodily harm" from the pits. Just like with human predators, using leathal force would be justified.

Pit bulls are almost universally feared by people and if you kill them, I would expect the concensus to be "thank God."

If I were you, I would not go outside on my property unless I was armed - you never know when the pit bulls may come a-calling. And carry a gun that has some killing power - a 12 gauge loaded with 00 buck would be the best choice, as pit bulls are easily the toughest animal to kill in the lower 48 states.

As far as a handgun, .45 Colt, .44 magnum, .45ACP, 41 magnum or 10mm auto would be my choices; .357 magnum at the bare minimum. Pit bulls are very tough and very dangerous. I have read of them soaking up multiple handgun hits with no ill effect, and going down only when hit in the central nervous system (just like a grizzly).

It sucks when the actions of the irresponsible put a person in your position, and put dogs in the position of being killed; pit bulls are not evil, malevolent creatures. When properly raised and socialized to interact with humans, they can be as gentle and playful as any other breed. Unfortunately, alot of pit bull owners think of them as weapons, and that is what they become due to the owner's negligence. As the saying goes, "There are no bad dogs - only bad owners."

Good luck and be safe!!
 
Got a call recently about an "animal problem" out in the rual county. When I got to the house I couldn't find anybody around until I heard a crying sound from the front yard of the complainants house. Looking around I found the caller up in a tree holding a cordless phone. Long story short a pair of pits, mom and son had gotten out and were charging anything that moved in the neigborhood. I went nearly nose to nose with mom at one point but didn't have to shoot. Maybe that I was more than ready to got through to mom dog. Neighbors that raised pits were not very happy to get a visit from animal control and us (Sheriff's) and the bill that went with it. They could not understand how thier beloved dogs came to act like that and tried to blame the victim until I informed them what I had seen and done in defense of the female caller. Nerds!! Next time I am charged by a pit it gun time. :eek:
Say all you want about pits, they are dangerous !!
 
Yeah, I know people like to say that pitbulls aren't aggressive by nature and that it's just the owner's that shape them that way, but I've never met a pitbull that I didn't want to put in the ground.

I think very few people buy pitbulls and treat them nicely and raise them to be good dogs. Most people that buy them are out to make a mean dog. Maybe that means the owners ought to be put in the ground along with them, but regardless of what made the dog mean, the fact is that most pitbulls ARE mean.
 
Dogs do become more agressive when in packs - be especially wary when you see them in a pack.

I lived in Arizona in the early 60s, outside of Buckeye, in a community called White Tanks, not far from the mountains. People used to drop their dogs off out in the desert there all the time, and they would go feral. We would see packs of them running every now and then. My oldest brother was hunting and was circled by a pack of feral dogs, they started closing in on him like wolves - he ended up shooting several with his .22 before they quit circling and left.

The dogs that killed my friends son were a pack of semi-feral dogs, or strays as most of us commonly call them, that were being fed by a neighbor that lived about half a mile away. The neighbor would pet them and all that.

Dogs in packs take on a different personality - watch out for them.
 
Ya its called a wolf pack and its the common to which feral dogs revert when in the wild. All dogs are desended from wolves and are only one or two generations away from reverting to type. That said my black lab mix is a member of the family, but even human children have to be taught to be "human". Lord of the flies stuff....
 
It's not hard to articulate that the dog charged you or took an "aggressive posture".... It's not like it's going to trial anyway...

Best Coop
 
Coop, Coop, there have been any number of civil suits for damages against people that shot dogs allegedly in self defense. I just handled one case recently. Same damages can apply in the end if the jury thinks there is "emotional damage" to the owner and gives them your house!! :eek:
 
I am in AWW at the mass ignorance pertaining to damning of one particular breed of dog, pit bulls are NOT aggressive by nature, I own two of them one was purchased from a breeder and the other was rescued from a Pit Bull rescue center in Atlanta. neither one of them are in the least bit aggressive, mind you that both of them have been through professional obedience training and are very well cared for dogs. I would do the same with any breed of dog not only pits. I agree that a lot of these poor dogs are purchased by low life drains on society who only want a dog that they can beat in to madness or one left ignored tied to a tree in their backyard only to act out in aggression when some one approaches them because they aren’t used to people. These are the same group of people that are committing crimes using firearms on a daily basis. They buy them thinking they can fight them or use them to intimidate others because of their reputation, It is the irresponsible dog owners who transform them into angry animals. Owning a dog that you don’t properly train or owning one that you neglect is just as bad if not worse than being an irresponsible gun owner. Pit bulls have a better temperament than a Beagle http://www.atts.org/stats1.html . As for the dog attacking a wandering cat .....neither the dog no the cat should be allowed to roam free.

I expect this to go in one ear and right out the other, just as I would if I were discussing our 2nd amendment rights with an anit-gun “activist”.
 
Thanks for all your interesting comments... I have not seen these dogs for a week now. I am thinking that my visit and heart to heart last weekend with the owners may have (hopefully) had the desired effect. I truly hope that I will never have to shoot any dog (being the dog lover that I am), but am prepared to if a loved one was threatened.

I don't think any dog breed is inherently mean spirited. I own a rottie that while on the basis of appearance, is a frightening looking dog, is, in actuality a very gentle dog. I do think that some individual dogs do develop a taste for blood and these dogs can be a serious problem. I used to live with a dog that killed chickens. My roommate tried everything to change this behavior (including tying a dead chicken around it's neck until it fell off). Never did stop.

Anyway... to end on philosophical note: I believe in the RTBA and to defend ones self and loved ones by any means needed... and hope to high heaven that I'll never have to exercise my belief.
 
STITCH nice straw man argument, but it don't wash. Pits were bred for fighting and while some maybe very nice dogs what they are is what they are, dogs with one of the most powerful bites known and temperament to use it sometimes for no reason what so ever that can be determined. Been there too many times and seen the results of an on going and seemingly never ending attack in real life to come to any other conclusion. Do I want to ban the breed, no, but deal with the dog not what you want them to be. But I supose this will go in one ear and out the other........ ;)
 
I used to live with a dog that killed chickens. My roommate tried everything to change this behavior (including tying a dead chicken around it's neck until it fell off).
Click to expand...

You lived with a guy who had a dog that had a dead chicken tied around it's neck?

Holy cow, that is weird. :D
 
I had a female friend who got herself a Dalmatian. I have since learned that they are one of the most notorious breeds for turning against humans on the spur of the moment. Them and Chows.

I lost touch with the girl, and then a few years later ran into her again. During conversation, she told me that her Dalmatian had bitten, on several occasions, both her father and her brother, to the point of breaking the skin.

This was a dog that was treated nice in all respects -- spoiled, even.

I don't hold with bans on anything, not even dogs, but even I agree that there is potential for there to be something to the whole "this breed is predisposed to violence" thing.


-blackmind
 
Hmmm

A lot of opinions on the breed here. I know that isn't (or perhaps it is - would those of you in favor of shooting be so quick to shoot a couple of golden retrievers?) the central issue here, but I have to point out a couple things.
First, while pit bulls are certainly all the rage as far as the media is concerned, the truth is that cockers bite more people per year. And dachshunds are known to do far more damage per bite. Second, while their aggressive tendencies seem to be well known, what is lesser known is they were bred to specifically not bite humans. Think about this for a minute, if you were a fighting dog handler, would you want to work with a dog that bit everything in it's path? Not likely. The other point has been made, it certainly is the owner, not just the breed. An argument might be made that a larger percentage of owners of pits might be predisposed to making their dogs aggressive, but I don't know if that could be backed by facts.
While they are named in many of the fatal and near-fatal attacks, in the SF bay area, they rank as one of the top five breeds in terms of numbers. This alone could result in a higher than normal number of attacks on humans. The other truth, as could be witnessed in the media's desire to up the number of dead following Katrina, could be the media themselves playing up the attacks attributed to pit bulls. Keep in mind that in the 60-70's the prime "attack" breed was the Great Dane. Would you think of them now as vicious? In the 80's, it was German Sheppards. While many people associate them with being guard dogs, would you shoot them in your yard?
Again, breed might not have been central to the post here, but it bugs me a bit to see the breed maligned. A simple check of the web sites, both pro-pit and the American Humane Society, would reveal the true numbers. I was certainly on the side of anti-pit bull people until recently. I now live with my girlfriend and her two pits. Some of the sweetest dogs you could know. I trust them far more than my own mini-dachshund!
Now, if ANY dog threatened my family or my dogs, they would be picked up lifeless by the local animal control. I won't argue that point with anyone - I don't care the breed or even the species, I'd shoot a raccoon just as fast. I just suggest that you don't pull the trigger based on breed, rather on the threat.
my .02
 
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