Feral Dog Interaction

[mdauben]

Yesterday, on the way to the post I was attacked by two dogs, no damage to either party but make no mistake it made me want to carry my .45 on leisurely strolls through the barren wastes.

Honestly, I think just about anywhere in the lower 48 the animals posing the most danger to people in the wild are not bears or wolves or mountain lions, but rather feral dogs. They are the reason I often carry a .357 while in the woods. I respect the damage a big dog can do and then there is always the additional danger of rabies in non-domestic animals.

Now, I love dogs and have no special fear of them, but if the choice is between a me (or a companion) needing stitches and the dog, the dog is going to lose every time.

 

[jaymeister99]

My two cents. I think you handled it well. I'm a dog lover and the last thing I would have wanted to do in that situation was kill em. I would think most sane people would not be thrilled about killing a dog even if it did attack.

In that situation it was better you had a knife, if you had a .45 you probably would have done em in.

I ran into a Coyote once in upstate NY. Scared the crap out of me. I was afraid it would go after my dog. But it just stood in front of me for a few seconds then took off. Had I had my .223 that I often carried it would have been history.

 

[mete]

Feral dogs and pets who run with them should be shot on sight . Don't wait till they kill or maime a child !!
We used to have a feral dog problem here because those nice dog owners, getting tired of the dog would drop it off in the country. There is a leash law here in deer country in NY .I came very close to shooting dogs here a few times until the owners appeared at the last second ! Take care of your dog !
Our feral animal problem was solved when coyotes moved in !

 

[Zombie Zeke]

In CA you can open carry an unloaded handgun. Might be a good option.

That's a consideration, but I still think it would cause more suspicion than necessary. I am comfortable with my knife, it's well suited for the task, but I think there's definitely a can of Bear Spray in my near future.

 

[fmajor007]

I'm happy you weren't bitten - what a scary situation.

Where i grew up, many people from other parts of Michigan who no longer wanted their dog - for whatever reason - would drop them off at a quiet intersection not far from my house. It is a very rural area comprised mostly of farms. However, these dropped-off dogs would form packs and were killing livestock, running deer, etc.

They were a HUGE nuisance and a dangerous one at that. Since everyone in the "neighborhood" (an area probably 3 miles in radius) knew everyone else (and their dogs) really well it was easy to know which dogs were the feral's. It became common practice to simply shoot them.

As such, i have no reservations about such activities if it's necessary. If a dog/dogs is/are on the loose and aggressive i will undoubtedly kill it/them. I have and would again.

Honestly i really love animals and dogs especially, but have 0 - Z-E-R-O tolerance for aggressive, "wild" animals - dogs, cats, whatever.

Throughout my life i've had a few dogs and truly loved them as members of the family. Over the years i've owned a mut bought at a livestock auction - my 1st dog and had him for 6 years, then an Aussie Blue Heeler for 13 years while in those 13 years i gained a spouse and a golden retreiver which we had for 4 years. Most recently we had another golden, but needed to find another home for him b/c our career/lifestyle requires a lot of travel.

 

[Zombie Zeke]

Feral dogs and pets who run with them should be shot on sight . Don't wait till they kill or maime a child !!
We used to have a feral dog problem here because those nice dog owners, getting tired of the dog would drop it off in the country. There is a leash law here in deer country in NY .I came very close to shooting dogs here a few times until the owners appeared at the last second ! Take care of your dog !
Our feral animal problem was solved when coyotes moved in !

I am on the tail end of that problem, between house foreclosures and folks going up to the desert to drop off their dogs because "there are alot of rabbits up there"...so we have seen a boom in the population, along with Coyotes.

 

[Hoodcanal5]

Did you guys know that pitbulls are not affected by pepper spray. No joke same with rotts and german shepherds. Not sure the bear spray is gonna be to much help.

 

[jw2n]

I have sprayed several dogs with pepper spray and they shut down immediately. My Border Collie and a stray Pit were doing everything possible to get at each other thru our chainlink fence. I blasted the Pit directly in the face with a bear cannister, and it did not even phase him. First time I have seen that lack of reaction.

 

[Havokk]

The misleading factor to all of these statistics is how many different breeds are lumped into "pitbull." It plays a numbers game with regards to stacking the numbers against pits.

In New Zealand the "pit bull" breeds feature highly in the dog attack numbers. Part of the reason is that the people who are owning dogs for violent purposes are more likely to pick them.

As far as the sparay is concerned, I've been told by some delivery people that the menthol sprays used for treating a cold are effective on dogs. They are sprays that are supposed to be sprayed in a hot steamy shower, they usually have menthol and eucalyptus.

 

[jaymeister99]

I have sprayed several dogs with pepper spray and they shut down immediately. My Border Collie and a stray Pit were doing everything possible to get at each other thru our chainlink fence. I blasted the Pit directly in the face with a bear cannister, and it did not even phase him. First time I have seen that lack of reaction.

Talk to somebody who works for the post office. They have dog spray that will work on anything. When I was a kid my uncle had "forgot and left" a can of it in my dads car. I sprayed a little out to see what it smelled like. In a few seconds without even touching it my eyes teared up and I could barely breath (or so it felt).

I was told by a friend who works for the Post Office that it is illegal for anyone else to carry it. I don't know if thats true across the rest of the country, but is in NY. Its even illegal to carry pepper spray here.

 

[frc505]

ive owned apbt's almost all my life ! along with rotts i believe its all on how you raise the dog never has any of my past dogs has ever bit a person. dogs are another story but in my defense any dog bitten by my dog had it coming. once a drunk neighbor released his
pit bull on me and my younger brother and sister while walking ours . the dog went after my lil sister our dog grabbed it on its cheek and after 15 minutes of fighting that other dog had to be carried away . sad yes even sadder was we found out our dog dead a month later . its all on how you raise your pet !!!

 

[DennisStrickland]

feral dogs have been a problem in abilene tex. since the 50s. in 56 or 57 local ranchers did a "drive" on one of the larger ranches trying to round up & kill off a pack that had bothered cattle. i do'nt remember the results but years later i read in the ft. worth news paper [1979] that a pack of feral dogs had attacked a herd of cattle that were penned up near abilene for rail shipment. the cattle had broke out & were scattered along the highway & railroad.i guess the explosion of feral hogs have moved the dogs out. we used to hear yotes every nite on my brothers ranch but no more yotes since the hogs moved in.check hunting & fishing for the fattie i shot 2 weeks back.
dennis

 

[hoopster]

My normal reaction to feral dog encounters, is to kill them.

If you have the means, I think this is exactly what you have to do. As much as I hate it, they are dangerous, breed with native canines, chase wildlife, etc.
What if it was your wife and daughter out for a stroll and a pack of feral/stray dogs run up on them?

 

[reconranger]

That's a consideration, but I still think it would cause more suspicion than necessary. I am comfortable with my knife, it's well suited for the task, but I think there's definitely a can of Bear Spray in my near future.

The less you can do to draw attention to yourself, the better. The high desert is full of tweaker types and has the largest number of felons on parole of anywhere in the state. You run around with a gun on your hip, and you are going to attract unwanted attention from law enforcement! That said, if I really felt like my life was genuinely in mortal danger (doesn't sound that serious in your case???), I would not hesitate for even a second to open carry.....or even carry concealed and accept the consequences if I ever had to open fire.

I hike where I encounter dogs every day. Peper spray works exceedingly well! Get law enforcement strength and quality, not the wimpy stuff that is so common. Also, carrying a sturdy staff (I carry a full length shovel handle!) is good insurance. Most dogs are familiar with being struck, so when you raise your hand or a staff, most of them get the message.....

 

[Scott Free]

I used to carry a Glock 40, then a Walther 380 and then a tiny Kel-tec 32. I don't go to bars and I live in a relatively safe rural area and generally have little interaction with other people. A tiny .32 seemed reasonable. —And then I had two tense encounter with big scary dogs. I'm now carrying 38+P and hoping that praying will make up for its deficiency. I also always carry pepper spray because I really don't wanna shoot anyone or anything.

Feral dogs need shot. Pets do get loose, though. It's not always easy to tell the difference.

 

[reconranger]

Feral dogs need shot.

As I recall from another post, he lives in Pinon Hills (????). I would guess that area has ~5 acre lots, so I am guessing it's not like he is out in the country miles from the nearest neighbor. You go cranking off a firearm, and someone is definitely going to hear!

I use to live in an area even less dense (10-15 acre lots), and the neighbor put a .357 trough the bathroom window while "shooting coyotes"! Girlfriend was sitting on the "throne" at the time, and the bullet landed in the wall about 1' above her head. From the trajectory, the bullet clearly came from the neighbors house. We sent the Sheriff over to have a little talk with them....but declined to file any charges. Firing into an occupied dwelling, is a felony.

 

[Mannlicher]

Regardless of where an interface with a feral dog takes place, you have the right to defend yourself. If the law recognizes your right to use deadly force against a human attacker, it follows that you also have the right to use deadly force against an attacking animal.

In my ever so humble opinion, it also follows that if you choose to use a firearm to defend yourself, you have an obligation to know how to use the firearm in an effective and safe manner.

I worry more about getting home in one piece, than I do about the reaction of a responding LEO, or an annoyed animal loving neighbor.

I depend on a stout walking stick and an adequate firearm to protect me from attack. I have a damn good attorney on retainer to protect against the law and the neighbor.

 

[dipbait]

Would you believe that a dachsund and a beagle are both considered to be more people aggressive than most pits?

Dachshunds maybe but Beagles , I wouldnt believe that.

 

[Zombie Zeke]

As I recall from another post, he lives in Pinon Hills (????). I would guess that area has ~5 acre lots, so I am guessing it's not like he is out in the country miles from the nearest neighbor. You go cranking off a firearm, and someone is definitely going to hear!

I use to live in an area even less dense (10-15 acre lots), and the neighbor put a .357 trough the bathroom window while "shooting coyotes"! Girlfriend was sitting on the "throne" at the time, and the bullet landed in the wall about 1' above her head. From the trajectory, the bullet clearly came from the neighbors house. We sent the Sheriff over to have a little talk with them....but declined to file any charges.

Recon you know the terrain here, I am spot on the county line where people have between 5 and 20 acre lots, yep carrying a gun it not in the best interest in the long run of anyone here (with the exception of a 12 Gauge in which case, it's just more undo law enforcement attention than need be). I pop off .22 shorts in the 10/22 whenever I get the chance just to keep the reflexes on line. But anything bigger and we are taking a chance on a flier doing something bad, no bueno.

I do have a five acre piece that bumps up to a 40 acre piece that we co own with friends right off the 138.

I like the idea of the pepper spray and a knife, but I am not going to full on, kit up just for a walk to the mailbox

 

[lmalterna]

The OP seems the perfect example of "Pack" mentality. Once the pack was broken and the APT lost the emotion of the lab to feed off of... it no longer had an interest in attacking. I tend to avoid keeping dogs phsysically capable of doing great bodily harm for the same reason I never kept venomous herps- you can never be certain what the animal is thinking or what IT may consider a good reason to attack. At least with a less capable animal, you stand a better chance of defense. My dogs are companions and they ALERT me to potential danger, they do not wholly protect me from it.

I challenge ANY dog that comes on my property. If it is likely to be aggressive, I want to be the one to find that out, not my children. so far in MY circumstance, Chow and Akita are at the top of my shit list. ONE encounter with a female APT with pups in tow was a sweet and demure dog. She was rewarded with attention but not food.

I grew up on farms and love animals but I did not cry when they shot Old Yeller.

2Door