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Hard Core Survival Situation

H

hollowdweller

Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
13,182
Just heard this on the radio this AM:

December 10, 2009
4 charged in fatal dog attack
By The Associated Press

UNION, W.Va. -- Four people now face charges of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a Lindside man after he was attacked by a pack of pit bulls.

Monroe County Sheriff Michael Gravely says Lindside residents Justin Blankenship and his mother, Kimberly Blankenship, were arrested Wednesday along with Mose Christian and Anna Hughes of Mercer County.

The four pleaded not guilty and are free after each posting $5,000 bonds. It could not be immediately determined if the four have lawyers.

All four were charged with multiple misdemeanors earlier this month after 70-year-old Lowell Bowden was attacked by four or five dogs near his home.

The new charges were filed after Bowden died in a Roanoke, Va. hospital.
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http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200912100324


I think you MIGHT have a chance against 1 pitbull if you had a knife or something.

But 4 or 5?? What would y'all do? I mean climbing a tree or getting on top of a car or something would seem to be the only thing to do if you saw them coming.

The main concern for me would be the element of suprise. I mean those dogs can move so fast, I'm not sure you could do anything once they were on you.

Our neighbor used to have one that used to stalk me all the time. I would be out in the garden pulling weeds and I'd see it on the road about 75 yards away. The minute I'd reach down to pull a weed and take my eyes off him he would cover the 75 yards in about 3 seconds and be right behind me. He never bit me but it totally impressed me how quickly he could have attacked me.

Then when my wife got bit by one she said that there was nothing around and in an instant it was like her arm was in a vise and she was on her knees. Luckily she had a coat on and the owners were home, so all she got was a huge bruise.

The funny part about her attack was she saw the dog house but no dog, no barking, no nothing, but when she went to the door and knocked the dog, who was on a chain came out of the back of the dog house and was on her without a sound!

Anyway we all hike and stuff on this forum. Short of carrying a firearm what would be the best prevention or ways to deal with a situation like that??
 
Perhaps a stout walking stick? I`ve often wondered if something like the pepper spray for bears might work, not that I`d be the one to like to test it! If they were not so heavy, steel toe boots would give an attacking dog something to think about. Even though it`s not legal here , I`ve been known to put a S&W Airweight .38 in my pocket.
 
I have a 6' walking staff I made, I most always use when I step out the door, unless I am going to town. I also have at least 2 small knives on me at all times.
 
I'd go batshit insane and take the offensive. Grawww!!! Long live me! Little puukkos aren't much of a weapon though a hatchet would be my best bet. Short of scaring them off early, don't know what else I could do aside from climbing a tree, if you just stand there they'll suround you and pick at you from your rear.
 
I have been charged by a lone pitbull while jogging. I faced him and shouted him down. A pack of pitbulls, that would be a difficult. I dont know if you could bluff a pack .
 
LOL you know bear spray and long sticks knives and guns are great, but have any of you ever thought about that wasp type spray? It shoots a stream of sticky goo and what ever other stuff is in there to, out to about 12 feet or so. I tell ya getting a face full of that stuff would be blinding and just plain suck. My mom carries that stuff when she goes for a walk.

HD you bring up a good point. climing a tree or getting on a car if yo were unarmed might just be the best thing. and if there were more than one CRAP that would just suck lol
I am interested in what others have to say also.
Bryan
 
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our aikido sensei had a response for these kinds of what if questions (like what do you do if suddenly a group of men open up with uzis and you can't get away)

it was "die with honor" :D

that's what i would try to do if i was attacked by a pack of pitbulls.
 
I've heard that one way to get a pitbull off your arm without calming it down is to take a lighter to it's bits and pieces...

That being said, I guess I'd try to gouge it's eye's out with my free hand.
Against a pack? Batman had the right idea...throw em down an elevator shaft!
 
now knowing how thick pitbulls are after having my own i know you might have a chance at ONE with a hawk or maybe a knife but you are screwed when there are five

me and my fiance couldnt even train hers to walk with a normal leash because there necks are to muscly so they have no feeling
 
These types of dogs have a very high pain tolerance. I think you could break most hiking sticks on them with little effect, unless you got a good hard shot to the top of the head. If dealing with five of them, your only hope would be to keep on your feet and have a handgun of some kind, hope that the noise would scare them off if you couldn't shoot all of them.

Andy
 
If I were near wadable water, I would definitely run for it and hope that the water would dissaude the dogs or slow them down enough to either take them one at a time with a knife or stick, or drown them if they latched on. I doubt (but don't know) pitbulls are great swimmers.
 
Having had lots of pitbulls, I can say that a pack of them after you would indeed be a scary situation. Still, I'd rather that than a pack of rotties or Akitas! I think if there's no hope of escape, the pepper spray might be the best idea. You'd probably get a fair amount of it in your own eyes but if you get them early, especially the lead dog, you might just take the fight out of them before they remove something important of yours. As for climbing onto a car, better make it a van. Pits are very smart animals and VERY good jumpers. The roof of the car might buy you some time and give you a good platform for fighting them off with kicks but there's a good chance they'll try to come at you from both ends. A better bet would be to get IN the car if you can. I don't know how much good a knife would do unless you landed a killing stroke right away. I had a pitbull who was attacked on a walk by a shepherd and when they started at it, my dog refused to give up despite the shepherd having torn a huge flap of flesh away from my dog's chest. If anything, she just fought harder. ( I did manage to get them apart and my Chante' was fine after a few stitches and some pampering).
 
bully breeds love when you hit back. they just come back twice as hard. i have a boxer (def not quite as tough as the average pit imo) and when we play once i smack her on the side of the face while we're tug-a-warring, thats when she really gets goin! ive had the same experience with my buddy's pits. you dont wanna "play" so you push them away... oh no you just started something now its on for them! haha. anyway.... i think bear spray/mace/ maybe that wasp spray are your best bets. i think even a "firm walking staff" would have little to no effect on more than one dog. hard to say with a pack you will undoubtedly be over-whelmed as the first things they will likely go for is your arms. one of them and you can still access your knife/ spray etc. but when your second arm goes and your on the ground... big trouble.

really tough question.
 
Machinegun, preferably belt fed. I have had to fend off two dogs at once, and they did their darndest to divide and conquer. I booted one head over tea kettle, and lined up to pepper spray the second when the owner came sprinting my way - he almost got the pepperspray.
 
I think you MIGHT have a chance against 1 pitbull if you had a knife or something.

But 4 or 5?? What would y'all do? I mean climbing a tree or getting on top of a car or something would seem to be the only thing to do if you saw them coming.
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Short of a 12 gauge with buck you are not going to win the fight.

My Grandparents had a pit bull when I was growing up. Best dog ever.:thumbup: Loving, loyal, and protective. Once she was focused on something only her wanting to obey your commands would change her mind. I miss that dog.:(

Personally I'd rather face a single Grizzly than a pack of dogs.
 
^^ good point but pitbulls are a hell of a lot tougher than most any breed and unfortunately they have been bread as attack dogs over the last 30-40 years even tho they were originally bread for rat problems


kycolonel said:
If I were near wadable water, I would definitely run for it and hope that the water would dissaude the dogs or slow them down enough to either take them one at a time with a knife or stick, or drown them if they latched on. I doubt (but don't know) pitbulls are great swimmers.
Click to expand...

this brings up an interesting fact, pitbulls are very poor swimmers and thats the ones that can swim at all as they are very front heavy
 
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