Who here carries for dog defense?

I carry more for doggie threats when out walking for exercise than human threats, as I walk at 0500-0600.

My weapon is a Taurus 651 Total Ti .357mag snubbie stoked with 180gr Winchester Nosler Partition Supreme hunting rounds. They move at 1000fps outta the Taurus's 2" bbl.

I usually have my toddler with my in a jog stroller & I would think it irresponsible not to carry.

While I feel that you have every right to defend yourself and your family from a potentially dangerous dog (I have been bitten by several dog when out running), I feel that shooting a dog should be your last option. Pepper spary works well against dogs and is less likely to cause problems with the dogs owner.

Of course you should still carry your .38, but use the same logic on shooting a dog that you would on shooting a man. Not all dogs that run out to defend their territory are rabbid attack dogs, and that dog may be someone's friend

My sister-in-law carries a S&W 65 in .357 when she walks her dog. Where my bro and her live, they've got bears, ******* dogs and lots of coyotes.
Going after some of his coyotes on Sunday....

We live in what could be considered a very safe area. I carry for threats, period, but dogs are very high on my threat index. I consider a strange dog more of an immediate threat than a strange person. If I encountered both on the sidewalk in front of my house I'd be more in tune to the dog's actions then the persons.
BTW my carry is a PT145 .45cal double stack. That oughta be enough to make any dog reconsider its course of actions.

cookekdjr said:

Respectfully, I'm not going to use pepper spray anywhere near my kids. Wind, overspray, and difficulty in aiming the stuff make it too difficult to use...not to mention how mad my wife would be for pepper spraying our five-year-old and three-year-old. BTW, the dog crossed the street the street and the side-walk to come growl at us.
-David

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No disrespect but pepper spray would be a little less traumatic to the 5 year old then blasting the puppy. Wind direction is certainly and issue but you have better accuracy or shall I say more forgiving accuracy with pepper spray than with a gun under stress. But I totally understand your concern. Our kids come first!

I had a similar situation while walking with my 3 year old we encountered this huge pitbull that was just walking down the middle of the road. When it saw us it bee-line toward us at full speed. I drew my S&W 442 and was taking up the slack on the trigger when it was about 6-8 feet from us. It suddenly dropped to the ground, stuck it's tongue out and rolled over like it wanted us to scratch her belly. It turned out she was a sweet, stray dog but you can never be too careful. Had I had pepper-spray I would have hosed her without hesitation.

I fully agree that you should carry a pistol and take every step to protect you children, but we all know how even the nicest dog can appear agressive just to challenge people on it's territory. My only point is a bullet has a certain finallity to it, where pepper-spray is a little more forgiving.

In the end, a dogs life should take the back seat compared to the life of your child. I'm just suggesting a little hesitation before being a "pooch puncher".

Thefabulousfink said:

I fully agree that you should carry a pistol and take every step to protect you children, but we all know how even the nicest dog can appear agressive just to challenge people on it's territory. My only point is a bullet has a certain finallity to it, where pepper-spray is a little more forgiving.

In the end, a dogs life should take the back seat compared to the life of your child. I'm just suggesting a little hesitation before being a "pooch puncher".

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Screw that. Any dog that is not restrained and comes towards my children in an agressive manner is an immediate threat. Since I might only have one free hand (holding/shielding child), I feel that I only have once chance to get it right. Sorry I had to shoot Fido...

What if a person came running down thier driveway swinging a machette? Would you say "oh they are just challenging people on thier territory"

JamisJockey said:

What if a person came running down thier driveway swinging a machette? Would you say "oh they are just challenging people on thier territory"

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Dunno what I'd say to that kind of activity, but you can bet I'd sure be relieved if they suddenly dropped to the ground, stuck their tongue out and rolled over like they wanted us to scratch their belly.

"Whew! Close one," I'd say!

When I walk my dogs at the river near my home I always carry....part of that is protection against dogs, the main problem around here being IMO pitbulls....before all the pit fans jump on me(I realize there are probably alot more good ones than bad ones) I have seen two different dogs attacked by pits at the aforementioned riverwalk.....this is basically urban woods, and some folks just let their dogs run free......I won't let my dogs be killed or injured, it's gonna be my vet bill, and I've talked with local LEO about the legalities.....we have a dangerous dog law here and you can protect any person or dog from a viscious dog.
You do of course have to use the usual discretion before you start shooting dogs(or humans!). I too had a pit run up on me once and the dog turned out to be a big friendly baby!!!
Awhile back we had a police dog attacked by two pits while tracking a suspect.....the handler and two other officers pepper sprayed the dogs and the pits didn't even slow down, one actually turned on the officer....he shot one of the pits, and the owner arrived on scene and somehow stopped the other dog(who was later destroyed)....the shepherd seemed more affected by the spray than the pits, who knows why, but my faith in spray diminished some after hearing this story(I heard it from one of the cops involved BTW).
The LEO canine was not seriously injured, apparently his vest helped him alot.
.....tom

pepper spray doesnt always work.i have seen people get hurt by dogs,20 years of it,dogs that bite should die,if yu want protectoin buy a gun.

huh... I'd carry for threat's. The gun is used for killing things that can be killed by guns that need to be killed.

I have dogs, and 6-8 coyotes, I see 3-4 times a week. Even with a .357 and a speedloader it does raise a few hairs when 6-8 coyotes start to howl.

Kevin

I carry whei I walk my dog plus I bring MY dog. She's got my back!

crofrog said:

huh... I'd carry for threat's. The gun is used for killing things that can be killed by guns that need to be killed.

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Sounds reasonable.....

I carry for predators: 2, 4, or zero legs.

Normally not much dog problems out here in the country, because stray and/or problem dogs just get shot as a matter of course.

I did hear about a couple in the next valley over that quit walking for a while because of loose dogs ... well, that ain't gonna happen to me!

But I don't bother the occasional stray dog that roams through our place, unless it is being an active threat.

Dogs are one of the reasons I carry while riding my bicycle. In my experience, dogs seem more prone to chase people on a bicycle than while walking. Usually, I can speed up and out-distance the dog.

As a long-term dog owner and lover, I would be exceedingly sad if I ever had to shoot a dog. To do that, I would have to be convinced that I or someone with me was going to get a serious chomping.

a tool to cover every degree in the continuum of force

I don't want to pick on Thefabulousfink , but fink's suggestion hit a sore spot with me: the "have a tool to cover every degree in the continuum of force" advocates. To satisfy some you have to carry:
a gun
ASP baton
lead-filled sap
taser
pepper spray
kubotan
combat light
harsh language

C'mon folks, I'm already going out of my way to get the snubbie outta the bedside safe. Also, if I wanted to wear a Bat Belt, I'd become a superhero on nights/weekends and buy a new set of pyjamas & a cape for my costume.

Well,my boy is nudging the 190lb mark,comes with me everywhere and likes me a bunch so I don't worry much about dogs bothering me but I carry OC for any threat with a nose and eyes that doesn't warrant a Gold Dot.He's well socialized with other dogs but is protective of us and I would not ever want to see him harmed in a fight with another dog or dogs.I'd rather have him deal with a little snort of OC than stitches or in the worst case scenario,an errant shot.Roving packs of mongrels and thugs with pitbulls aren't much of a problem around here though,I'm more concerned with him making friends with skunks again -and no,I don't OC or shoot them!

C'mon,any doggie that can take down a Great White deserves respect

Nice look'in dog.
My first carry is a gun. After that I might carry something else. I actually need to get some pepper spray. I don't have a real good holster to carry while jogging yet. Peper spray might be a little easier.

All macho posturing aside ( and there will be more coming) if you are going to use a gun for dog protection in an area where there will or may be bystanders a revolver would be my choice.
There is a very good chance that it will be a contact shot. Having a revolver eliminates the chance of forcing the gun out of battery when/if you get a little panicky and push too hard.
Trying to shoot an small animal quickly moving towards you isnot always easy. If he gets past you and to one of the kids a shot from a safe distance will be nearly impossible

Had to break up a dog fight last night . . .

. . . between my miniature dachshund and my small terrier.

You can't stop a dog fight. They will not let go. My two little devils caused us to break a door frame and a lamp, and to literally rip a phone cord apart in the middle. Neither dog was hurt, but two people had bruises.

Years ago, my gentle Lab attacked an Irish Setter. I pounded him solidly with a 6-foot 2x4 with zero effect.

If it looks like a dog is about to eat my child, the nice little doggie goes down.

concern about dogs is what is most likely to eventually get me to start carrying. right now, my primary anti-dog tool is a pair of steel toed boots. i'm pretty confident that i can dissuade or kill a dog with them; however, that sorta requires that i not be the one the dog is after.