Dog attack....ALMOST

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Jaybird78

Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2007
Messages
334
Location
Peoples Republik of Illinois
My wife, 15 week old daughter and I go for walks while the weather is still nice. We stay in our neighborhoods mostly. We are one street over from our home and are walking up a slight incline in the road. I'm looking over at a house and my wife says my name in a worried voice.

I whip my head back around and notice a dog (breed unknown, size of a German shepard) heading towards us full bore from about 100 ft away. I told my wife to get back (daughter in stroller). I stepped forward and started to draw my pocket knife and as the dog was about 15 ft away I yelled, "NO DOG, NO". Sure enough it stopped. By this time the owner is yelling at the top of her lungs for the dog to return. It does turn around and head back.

I have passed this dog before and it is usually chained up in the front yard. It always barks (normal). The owner never said a word to us and headed inside.

As we head back to the house my wife asked, "Where you going to kill that dog?" and I said, "If it got within arms length I was sure going to try."

Be careful out there. It makes me wonder what would have happened if I wasn't there with my wife and child.
 
Pocket Knife / Dog

Pocket Knife vs a full sized dog. Yikes indeed.

Assuming the dog was determined, that is one encounter that I would not enjoy having. You're not likely to come out a whole and healthy person by the end of it.

Many dogs false charge, so this scenario repeated a hundred times may never have actually resulted in an attack. However, having been on the end of a couple Big Bad Dog charges and one attack, I can say the possibility exists. Even a false charge makes you acutely aware of that.

If it came to it, just remember that Mindset carries the day. I can think of no Anti-Dog-Kung-Fu in which to practice. You have to win extremely quickly. You're going to sustain some pretty grievous injuries if/when that dog gets a hold of you, and you need to successfully end the encounter before the adrenaline leaves you. You will never tire out any canine species. Having sustained some bite related injuries, I can say that having a firearm or OC spray is better than Hand vs Tooth combat.

Please note that 'non-lethal' pepper spray can lead to lethal circumstances for a dog. Keep that in mind before you mace some dog that just wanted to sniff your crotch.

More importantly: Have you spoken to the owner, or perhaps discussed with your wife the carrying of some sort of ranged defensive weapon?
 
Many years ago I was visiting my sister who was living in Santa Monica, CA when I drove up to the Mt Wilson observatory by myself while she was at work. While walking along, from about a 100 feet away a big black dog charged me. I did not even have a pocket knife! I grabbed a small rotten stick and turned and faced the dog as if I were going to attack it. Fortunately my bluff worked and the dog went back to his owner who never said a word!
 
Well, you use what you can...it beats biting the dog.

As a kid I remember a similar incident with a woman who refused to chain her dog up.

Most times just being aggro right back to the dog will make them turn around, but in the cases it doesn't work, they'll just get even more agitated. So always have that plan B.

Jaybird, maybe next time you should go walking with a hiking stick or something...it may be handy if that dog gets out again.
 
Most charges are thankfully bluffs and you did right in not running. But if it isn't a bluff the knife is really pretty pointless. A trained dog will bite and hold your arm, an untrained one is more likely to "corn cob" your arm and hands. Having done a fair amount of training and helper work, if you're going to thrust your hand and arm out towards a dog, go ahead and put some ketchup on it. A little knife is meaningless to a dog that's actually keen to attack you. I've seen a GSD with a piece of rebar rammed through his tongue and cheek who still wanted to play fetch. Later on at the vets he was pretty unhappy, but when his blood was up he felt nothing.

If the dog is leaping at you, it's counter-intuitive to tuck your arms in but that is the best measure if you don't have a firearm or suitable club. They can't get your arms and hands as easily, and you can kick and body check them. Of course a much better measure is to keep a walking stick/club with you.
 
Having 2 little girls myself that is a scary story. That is why I always have a gun with me...always. Be careful out there
 
some dogs are weird about strollers on a sad note we had a 23 month old killed yesterday by a dog
Click to expand...

Sad indeed. Our local paper reported that the dog was chained to a tree. A lot of emphasis was placed on the dog's breed and not the circumstances leading to the child's death.

I'm noticing more and more free roaming dogs when I go for my evening walks and I've been aggressively approached on more than one occasion. A firm voice has been all that was required to dispatch them-as others have mentioned, the owners just don't seem to care. No apologies and no acknowledgement of the occurrence. Pathetic.
 
At most Home Depots, in the garden section, you can find various lengths of skinny bamboo rods, about .5 - 1" in diameter.
Home Depot sucks though (gun policy) so I'd shop around at other places first.


These are light, and very handy, but they hit like a lightning bolt.


P.S. this isn't just opinion, either.
I went running with my brother, who didn't want to fork over the cash for a Sjambok, and purchased said home depot bamboo.

We were about 2 blocks from my house when we hear a snarl and 4 feet making a mad dash at us.
It was a mutt that looked Labrador-ish, and was about the same size.

Anyway, it was approaching my brother, to my right, from the right flank.

As he was closer, he swung that bamboo rod like Jackie Chan on crack and connected with the dog's side.


It went from charging down the street with teeth bared to wimpering and running the other way.
 
Last edited:
Sticks

Consider the following in regards to a stick:

1.) It gives you a distance and power advantage. Provides a great deal of deterrence against the dogs that are bluffing or are just interested.

2.) Many professionals train protection dogs to ignore the stick. Most successful protection dogs get mentally encouraged to continue the attack when struck by a stick. Amateurs and neighborhood tough guys use this training tactic as well. I've seen decoys (dog trainers) bring out an entirely different level of drive (aggressiveness) just by waving a stick in a dog's face. The kind of drive you really could not even hope to be able to fend off with a stick.

I think it is a reasonable assumption that the type of dog that may be an actual attacker as opposed to a bluffer is more likely to be one of these 'trained' (or abused) dogs. In that event, you should be aware of the fact that you're woefully under-armed with a stick, cane, or even baseball bat. I'd rather have a pocket knife if a dog got a hold of me.

As with Cosmoline, I've seen GSD's and Belgian Malinois do things you would not think reasonable or possible while their drive is up.
 
Last edited:
I hate irresponsible dog owners.

Some poor clueless dog dies because an imbecile master.

Dogs are found in the trails here in Albuquerque.

That was reason #1 for buying a firearm on the first place.
 
The chances of facing down a trained personal protection dog or police dog in these situations is about as high as getting your house raided by a mistaken SWAT team. Yeah, it happens...but most owners of such dogs are sufficiently aware of their responsibility and don't want litigation.

So in the real world you are very unlikely to face a bite-trained, defensive-trained, aggressive dog for no reason. That isn't to say a dog can't do damage to you though.
 
If you think of it, hitting a running dog with a pistol from concealment is a difficult shot.

Most dogs are domestic, so the chances of running into a trained / truly vicious dog are not high.

Dogs are territorial, ask my neighbors black lab, he thinks that he owns up to my front porch (also why my son doesn't play with his toy shovel, its used for the return service) but he is a mostly harmless crotchety black Lab that loves my son (but still hates me).

The bluff charge is used to scare off intruders and some dogs are just genuinely friendly and want to play with everybody, and get there by running.

My point is that you should get to know your surroundings and probably the neighborhood dogs, or at least some idea of their temperament.

And nobody thinks twice about a walking stick, something like a bamboo pole or blackthorn walking stick with a good knurl.
 
BTW, I would use the two-hand perpendicular style grip on the stick, because you're primarily going to be blocking if you have a seriously attacking dog. Baseball bat swings will be futile unless you get lucky. Your best bet would be to block and surprise the dog (they aren't really going to anticipate being knocked back), then if possible take the initiative and swing.
 
A friend of mine killed a dog with a pocket knife. He was a meter reader--the dog blindsided him while he was bent down reading the meter and bit him pretty good. He managed to get up but the dog backed him up against a fence and wouldn't let him get away. He said it took him a long time and was a lot of work.

The dog finally gave up but by that time it had already been hurt badly enough that it died shortly thereafter. He didn't say how large the dog was, how many times nor how badly he was bitten in the process--in fact he wasn't all that keen to talk about it much...

I'd rather have a stick initially but if the stick didn't work and things got really close I would think a big knife would be really helpful. It can be hard to get a good swing on something that's chewing on you--it would be a lot easier to cut it or stick it.
 
I was stationed in Berlin 3rd Bn, 6th Inf. Guard dogs on the russian side of the wall on overhead slip wires. We trained to kill dogs with and without weapons. A dog in the air has great difficulty regaining balance. Step in and grab at almost anything on dog in air and he will hit hard on the way down. Close with dog and stomp or kick before he can recover. If dog attacks low stomp and kick. once again close in, don't back away.

blindhari
Sgt. Ranger
Berlin Brigade
 
Instead of carrying a stick/cane (which may be a bit imposing to the neighbors...if you care), perhaps a collapsible baton would be the ticket as they are fairly concealable, easier to carry, deploy quickly, and are less obtrusive...oh and they work pretty good too. Take care, Mav. :)
 
I run almost daily. I've had this same sort of situation happen several times. Only once has someone come out to take control of their dog. And he never apologised or even made eye contact.
 
Maverick223 said:
Instead of carrying a stick/cane (which may be a bit imposing to the neighbors...if you care), perhaps a collapsible baton would be the ticket as they are fairly concealable, easier to carry, deploy quickly, and are less obtrusive...oh and they work pretty good too. Take care, Mav.
Click to expand...


Gotta be careful with this piece of advice. Collapsible batons are illegal in some areas so make sure you're legal.

+1 on the walking stick/cane. Personally, I like walking sticks made of aspen .... very straight, easy to make, no cost if you can find them, and once seasoned are incredibly strong.


Kris
 
Gotta be careful with this piece of advice. Collapsible batons are illegal in some areas so make sure you're legal.
Click to expand...
No idea about Illinois, but they are legal in NC, however in hindsight, I believe that they are not concealable. :)
 
Upon further research batons are a gray area...and may not be advisable even if not specifically forbid by law. :)
 
:)I carry a walking stick. With the electronic fences now it can be scary to see large dogs closing at speed. They can be there in seconds.

One reason domesticated dogs chase cars, trucks , people is they always run away. Its a game for some and its a territory thing for others. I''ve had two LARGE German Shepherds now and there are fences made to contain and they usually do. Recently a I gave a Shepherd away to a farmer that would run through the fence after people. Neighbor told me about it one day and it was gone within the week.

I've trained and been around trained professional dogs mostly LE. There's always a chance but usually they don't make much noise before they get ahold of you. The are predators, not even Tarzan yelled before he jumped on the latest lion:)



Jim
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

W
  • Locked
Today's festivities
Replies
7
Views
430
Black Adder LXX
B
R
  • Locked
In praise of little barky dogs
2
Replies
45
Views
2K
The Deer Hunter
T
W
  • Locked
So... Almost had to kill a dog today.
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
Lastryghts
L
M
  • Locked
My First Post! - Protecting 'property'
2
Replies
36
Views
3K
Q-Lock
Q
mrblenderson
  • Locked
Best Gun For Dog Attack
2 3 4 5
Replies
114
Views
8K
Kleanbore
K
Back
Top