OK, I finally gotta say a few things...
I respectfully disagree with pretty much everything Arc Angel has had to say... From WHAT WE KNOW of the facts in this case, putting myself in Fish's shoes, I'm not sure I would've done any different.
D-MAC, your dog has no right to lick me, and if I can prevent it, it isn't gonna happen. I happen to be a person who finds being licked by animals revolting, and I've read about some really horrific diseases that can be spread that way. So you DO NOT have my permission to allow your dog to lick me. I don't care how friendly your dog is, I don't want it jumping on me, licking me, humping my leg, whatever. I respect YOUR personal space, and I require you and yours to respect mine.
I don't know you or your dog, and if your dog were to run towards me, I would yell "NO!!! STOP!!!" while drawing my telescoping baton. If your dog failed to stop when commanded, it would get rapped on the snout or head. I don't want to hurt ANY animals, but my wife's safety and mine come first.
I started carrying my telescoping baton on walks after the last irresponsible dog owner failed to keep his dog on a leash and it charged me and my wife barking and snapping. THAT ******* had the gall to tell me, "it's only a puppy!". It may have been a puppy, but that didn't make it any less fast, aggressive, or sharp of tooth. Thankfully "puppy" stopped when my wife yelled at it, because I was ready to kick the living $h-t out of it if it tried to bite either of us. I have no patience for irresponsible dog owners. What are they thinking when they let their dogs $h-t in the neighbor's yard or run loose in public?