This is Why We Carry Knives

S

Squeezymo

Joined
Feb 4, 2008
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315
So I went for a walk with my beautiful girlfriend and dog over in buffalo park in Flagstaff, where I live, and the dog got pretty dirty. So i took her home, gave her a bath, cleaned her off and getting out of the shower she must have cut herself becuase she had a 2 inch gash on her left leg. I ghetto rigged a bandage out of a torn shirt, a wifebeater, and some duct tape and flew her down to the vet. There they told me, while I was waiting for the vet, to take her bandage off. Since I had the duct tape around the whole bandage to keep it on, I couldn't untie the shirts, and I defintely wasn't going to simply yank the thing off and risk further hurting my dog, so I had to cut it off. I used my Ladybug in my pocket, and as I was taking the thing off the only thing going through my head was "thank god I have a knife, thank god I have a knife." And that's the exact reason I carry one. Because I love that feeling and hate it's opposite. It's kind of a two in one. The feeling I more or less had was "thank god I'm not feeling that feeling you get when you don't have a knife when you need it." But of course I was in a vet's office. It was a calm setting (for them at least, my heart was pumping like crazy), and it wasn't a life-threatening situation. Of course I coulda asked for scissors or a scalpel or something, but that's not what was on my mind. I was only thinking of one thing, and I knew exactly where to find the tool to do my job: in my pocket. It wasn't in some veterinarian's desk, or in the pocket of somebody else, my tool was in my pocket when I needed it, and it did exactly what I needed it to do. I don't care if it is my $24 Ladybug cutting through a bandage, or a $2000 custom folder cutting through sheet metal, when you're in a situation where you need your knife, you'll plunge that thing through a brick wall if you have to.

As I said this wasn't a life threatening survival situation, but I did have somewhat of a mini-epiphany in that moment. The second I saw exposed muscle on my dog's leg, I had the adrenaline coursing through my body, and my mind was on a one-track setting. I did exactly what needed to be done, calmly and organized, despite my heart pumping at twice it's normal speed, and I had the tool that I needed when the job called for it. And I will rue the day when I really do need my knife and someone's life is at stake and I don't have it. And that is why I carry a knife.

Thank you.

The mutt is fine by the way, stupid thing only cut the skin, no tendon/muscle damage.
 
It is often comforting to know that you have exactly what you need in order to deal with some sort of problem. This is why I always like to be prepared.
 
Squeezymo said:
So I went for a walk with my beautiful girlfriend and dog over in buffalo park in Flagstaff, where I live, and the dog got pretty dirty. So i took her home, gave her a bath, cleaned her off and getting out of the shower she must have cut herself becuase she had a 2 inch gash on her left leg. I ghetto rigged a bandage out of a torn shirt, a wifebeater, and some duct tape and flew her down to the vet...
Click to expand...

When I started reading this I thought you were talking about the girlfriend :p

Good to hear it turned out alright.
 
I completely agree - you carry a knife every day because some day... one day... you are going to NEED that knife.

It's funny, I've carried a knife every single day for the last 30 years of my life (no lie - I'm 44 now) - I've had dreams where I happened to need a knife and, yep, there it was where I always keep it! That's how much it's a part of me now - I can't even conceive of leaving the house without a knife.
 
I concider a knife as part of everyday apparell. Just as I need to wear clothing, carry a wallet, and put gas in the vehicle a knife is no different. It would be hard to go through a day without a knife on my person.
 
"It is better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it." Whomever said that is a very wise person.

 
I crashed my Jeep down a huge ditch one time and it ended up on its side with the driver side up and me hanging form the seat belt. The seat belt was jammed and I could not get it unlocked. I had a Spyderco Centofante III in my pocket which I used ot cut the seat belt off and then crawled out of the shattered out drivers side window and walked back up to the road.
Seconds later the car exploded.


Well, OK the part about the car exploding I just made up, but the rest is true. :D
 
I have 6 children, 4 steps and 2 of my own. The younger 5 are 11 and younger. They come to me rather than mom or stepmom to have splinters removed by raking the sharp blade perpendicular to the skin where the splinter is to remove it painlessly. They all freak out from the splinter but they love daddy's sharp pocket knives to rid them of their "Owees". I cannot leave the house without my edc's. Yes I am a pluralist, need at least 2 or feel out of balance.....This irrational behavior keeps me sane!
 
Good thing you had a knife. I would have felt very awkward asking someone for a cutting implement if I happened to not have a knife on me at the time. And glad your dog is ok. Would have sucked if it was anything bad.
 
Good story, glad to hear everything turned out ok. A quotation that I quite like is:

“My good reason to carry a knife is that God gave me rather weak teeth and rudimentary claws in an evolutionary trade-off. The hairy-armed person who figured out how to put an edge on a suitable rock made it possible for us to be recognizably human in the first place. I wear a wristwatch whether or not I have an appointment to keep, and I carry a pen and/or pencil because I am a literate person whether or not I have a specific writing task ahead of me, and I carry a knife because I am a human and not an ape.

A knife comes in handy for all sorts of random tasks that involve separating matter. Like cutting a string, or making a sandwich, or opening a package. It can also come in handy in an emergency, which need not involve a human assailant, and emergencies are by their nature unforeseen, so one should carry a knife all the time.

And in a perfect world where nobody needed a weapon, I'd probably carry a slightly larger knife, because it wouldn't scare people.”
- James K. Mattis

The bold part especially.
 
Another exhibit of evidence that Bayden Powell did in fact know what he was talking about when he decided to make the Scout Motto:

"Be prepared."

:thumbup:
 
I carry a 5-inch bladed Cold Steel Gunsite because of dogs, too, only it's because I was accosted by two fairly large dogs acting in tandem. They approached me together and then split up as they closed. One was on one side, and the other dog was on the other. If I moved towards one dog, the other dog would move in. Clearly, each was looking for an opening. I finally figured out which dog was the dominant one and I concentrated on him. It was clear the other one wouldn't make a move as long as the other was kept at bay. So I began to make aggressive moves towards the lead dog and finally he broke and ran with the other one close behind.

Since then, I've had at least a 4-inch knife with me anytime I go walking. I also have a retractable baton. The only animal that gnaws on me is my cat, and sometimes he gets carried away. But I'm bigger than he is and the worst problem is when he yawns. He could use a kitty breath mint. Anyway, I'm glad Rover is okay. For cutting things like seat belts, bandages and other things, a good knife is always handy. But make mine a double grind blade, please.

ZonkedOut_2.jpg
 
i lived there for about 15 years but just recently moved down to phoenix. nice to see fellow arizonans on the forums!:D
 
My kids coat was caught in an escaltor, used a Tempest to free her.

Looked like a goose swallowed a grenade in the mall. Happy to have the knife.

For the dags I carry a sap. Sap sorts dags real well.

Egg
 
Better to not have it and not need it, then have it and need it.
Also a very good reason to keep your knife sharp
Glad to hear the mutt is going to be okay.
 
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