So what would you do?

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booker t Do you flyfish ,with rushing water sound around you. It is totally unjustified, ridiculous and unnecessary to have to turn tail in waders against the current and try to go back up creek. They said any more movement just made him act nastier. Owner of the dog should have gotten control of a amost died dog first. Then let the labs play or be held back while they fished or walked on threw. You must also have not had a dog really get after you . If you fall in waders even in a shallow creek you could be in for a ride with good water flow . The owner of the barking the dog was probably much closer to him and would have known if dog was t'd off and should be under control of the problem right then and not waited.
 
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Yes turning tail and running in the stream was not a good option. There was no where for us to go up stream and we did not know the dog was going to be aggressive till we got there. Had we turned and went up stream we would have had to come back down the stream to leave any way. Any one who has ever fished a stream like that knows that when you fish a stream you go down stream. Especially when you are wearing neoprene duck hunting waders with rubber boots.
 
Walk away without turning around. Getting hit by a dog from behind can take you off your feet, and you don't want that!

I aggree with the escalation:
Talk nicely
Scold
Use spray (if available)
Use lethal force

For the scold part, a gutteral and loud "OUT!" seems effective on many dogs. It is similar to the sound a female dog will use to scold its pups.
 
I never said "turn tail" nor "run away," but clearly you aren't looking for information, you're looking for validation of overly-aggressive action against strangers on (presumably) public land where off-leash is legal.

You can't have it both ways. If you're in deep enough water to need waders, then the dog is likely swimming and not exactly able to charge at you, let alone in a position to be aggressive. If you're shallow enough where it has solid footing, you should be fully capable of walking away. It's public space and they have just as much right to use of the land as you do, treat them as you'd like to be treated. Clearly there's a big difference between a rot or a pit versus a beagle or a lab. Even a pug can be aggressive towards strangers, but I'd like to see you justify that one.

Fine, so you go downstream to fish. Dogs are territorial, and protective of their owners/pack. You said in the OP that you saw one was being aggressive, but you continued to approach. It became more aggressive as you continued down stream. STOP approaching. Walk away or back off, all the dog wants is space, same as you. Really, how hard is that? If you really really need to get back downstream, holler to the owner if the dog is friendly, or if they can restrain it while you pass. They would likely comply if you ask that way as opposed to firing warning shots into the water, at which point they would likely be justified putting hot lead into your COM. Water in your waders will be the least of your concerns.

If you're unable to use your superior human brain to find a way out of the situation (or avoid getting into it) without the use of a firearm, then frankly I question whether you should be carrying one. Postmen encounter aggressive dogs on a daily basis, and our suburban landscape isn't scattered with decaying puppy carcasses as a result.

Good luck with your future gun-toting adventures. Maybe you should check out Nutnfancy's selection of fine tacticool fly-fishing gear.
 
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you should've cast your line over his back, hooked him and set that hook HARD, son! the dog, not the owner......
 
Dog owners are always saying he won't bite you while an animal is doing everything in its power to attack you.

I am not kidding you a bit. My dad and his friend went to do an estimate on a job and as they got out of there truck a woman came out with a rotweiler and the dog imediatly became aggressive so they stopped and stood by the truck. The woman said oh he won't bite you while she grabbed his collar then that dog charged dragging that woman accross her yard eventualy on her stomach while they got in the truck and left.
 
If I thought the dog was gonna attack I would draw on the dog and see what happens. Both times I had drew a pistol to shoot a dog its like the dog knew what was comming next and turned tail.
 
I'm with Booker T on this one. As civilians, we carry heat for situations that present themselves which cannot be avoided. We do not have CCWs for the purpose of getting our way, come hell or high water.

Maybe, though the dog's owner was clearly unable to restrain his pet and was irresponsible, how does that give one moral ground to cause the situation to escalate further?

To the OP - No offense, just my take on it...and I wasn't there so I can't say what it felt like standing in your shoes nor how I would have actually handled it.
 
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Well remember we are only talking a matter of 20 yards, it was only a matter of time before the dog was going to see us any how. We decided that our best bet for fishing was to get past them and move on. At about 10 yards the dog became aggressive but by this time the water was up to our wast and we did not feel like we could back out. We tried to get to the other bank but the more we moved the more agitated the dog became. I understand the don't go walking into a bad situation But as I sit here and think about it we were kinda stuck in the situation the minute we hit the water. Whether or not I had a side arm we pretty much had to go down stream. The only thing I think of is that two people who were not as experienced in wading and fishing probably should not have been in that water trying to fish, a small mistake on my part and my brothers I will admit. But ultimately I think the dog owner had a responsibility to have his dog under control. In some areas it may be legal for a dog on public land to be without a leash but in most areas of Idaho we have leash laws and most counties are leash counties in our area, meaning you need to keep your animal on a leash. Besides as a responsible citizen if you have a dog who behaves in such a way it is your duty to keep such an animal under control or to not bring it out on public land like that.
 
Suppose the guy got his dogs in his car and called the local minions of the law. If he tells them a couple of guys pulled a gun on him and theatened him, describing the guys and the gun, what do you suppose would have resulted ?
 
You could always carry a couple hot dogs or a steak trimming in your fly fishing vest.. that pit bull will become your new best friend in 5 seconds flat. haha
 
So now we are leaning towards if you have animals then you have more rights than the next guy, or maybe we have a duty to retreat from aggressive animals? Hogwash.

What are you Booker, a prosecuting attorney? You've given the iiresponsible citizen with the aggressive dogs more rights than the fisherman. You sit there what-if'ing that he could have done anything so that the vicious dogs and idiots can have thier way. You wasn't there to witness the doggies teeth bared at you.

You have the fisherman under duty and in the wrong. Bah! How dare you want to fish where there is other peoples aggressive animals? Very poor response.
 
well Hook I will tell you exactly what happened, He came looked for about 5 seconds, asked my dad about us and promptly left. In our state when they run your car plate it comes back if you have a CCW permit so if he ran my plates while he was there then he would have known who the guy in the Cabela's waders were and that I was the one who likely had the gun. But instead of waiting for me or trying to find me he left.
 
Moving to water deep enough to get the dog’s feet off the ground is a sound move. Much of a dog’s advantage in a fight is speed and mobility. A swimming dog is extremely vulnerable in comparison to one on it’s feet … even the ones designed for swimming like labs. This is one of the few situations that I’d probably pull a knife over a pistol if I had both … mainly for the "legal hassles" … no doubt that the dog was attacking because of the range involved, didn’t want to kill it and the knife was a last resort, etc. … and all that rot.
The pistol would be more for the dog owner ... if he turned belligerent.

Depending on what you’re fishing with, the pole and bait can be an optional non-lethal control rod for a swimming dog. A fly rod and some baits would be useless, but some rigs can be effective. Take it from someone that snagged the snout of a swimming dog with a Lucky 13 (three treble hooks) on a 6 foot fiberglass rod with about 6 inches of 27 lb. test spiderwire let out… steer him wherever you want, just keep the rod bowed a little … and don’t let him come straight down the rod at you (could break the rod). The owner was a bit upset till I told him the vet bill would be a lot cheaper than what I’d sue him for if the dog had gotten to me. The dude also got a funny look when I asked him which vet he was taking the dog to so we could call ahead and have the guy expecting the dog … and so I’d know where to pick up my favorite fishing plug. (also told the vet to feel free to cut any hooks he needed to, but not the body itself).

It may be a little bit "hick" to be concerned about the plug, but hey! … We’re talking a glass-eyed 7/8 oz. Hand-painted sunflower-pattern Lucky 13 here ! … and it wasn’t my dog. :D

(edit to correct weight of plug)
 
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Being that the OP said the dog would have to come into the water to get him.... the chances of that are SLIM unless it was a trained attack dog.

I vote for post #6. Use the brain 1st. More than one way to skin a cat as they say.

And unless its a highly trained attack dog, you can defeat it with out a gun.

I'm not a big guy and was smaller at 14-15 yrs old when I got in the middle of my doberman and spaniel fighting. The doby turned and went after me. Lunged at my midsection and got me on the stomach.While the dog was in motion I grabed both sides of her neck by the skin (right below the ears) and lifted the dog straight up off the ground and held it there. It that position, the dog cat really bite you.

Granted... it went well and that always doesnt happen. Point is... even a large shepard is 100lb max. It wont want to attack in the water.

I tend to think of myself as smarter, stronger, and more capable than a 100 lb dog in a couple feet of water.
 
If the dog comes swimming out making "I wanna eat you up noises", you got a problem whether it’s trained to attack or not. If he does that, you can be guaranteed of a bite if he gets close enough. Having a firm footing when he doesn’t is a big advantage. Go deeper, and you lose your advantage.

A dog won’t usually go out into the water past having a good footing and being trained as an attack dog doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with it. If he does that, something has ticked him off enough to make him decide to attack and who knows what that was … The thing might freak at the sight of a fishing pole because some neighborhood kid teased him with one, or the silly hat you’re wearing might trip some other trigger.
Freaky wierdness happens sometimes, and dogs can be freaky and weird sometimes. I can’t imagine faulting a guy for firing on a dog grunting and growling while swimming towards him no matter what caused the dog to do it. It might make me wonder about a guy that shoots the dog while it’s still on shore… if for no other reason, a swimming dog is a much slower, easier to hit target.

Dunno what set off the one I face-snagged, and he didn’t give up right away either .. had to lead him back and forth and dunk his head a couple of times before he decided to go back to his owner. Only then did I release enough line to let him go back to shore This thing was a big ugly mean mutt. Sorta lab-ish with a blocky square head like a pitt After observing and talking to the owner, I’d bet the dog had NO training at all.

Imo, going to waist-deep water filters out the bluffing dog and gives you a great advantage over the determined attacker (determining the threat level and simultaneously choosing the battlefield). After that, weapon choice, usage, etc. are just tactics for stopping a clear and present danger.
 
Moving to water deep enough to get the dog’s feet off the ground is a sound move. Much of a dog’s advantage in a fight is speed and mobility. A swimming dog is extremely vulnerable in comparison to one on it’s feet
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Both sides have expressed good points so far. I think if the water was deeper than the sheppard was tall you shouldn't have pulled but rather explained to the dog owner of your fear and ask him to leash the pet until you pass. The dog cannot cover 20 yards before you can draw and fire in water that he must swim in. So drawing early was not needed.

Just remember that we should only use the firearm if no other sensible option is available however inconvenient and or wrong the actions of others is.
 
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