Mace and dogs

[Pax Jordana]

I was 'fighting' with my mighty 8 lb pup today, and the thought came to me that chemical sprays are often touted as a nonlethal solution versus dogs for postmen, bicyclists, etc.

So I was wondering if anyone's ever had to use a chemical spray on a dog, or owned a dog that's been sprayed, as I'm definitely not trying this out myself.


First off, could you catch the darned thing?

Second, how the heck do you go about decontaminating him?

Third, for those that have maced in self-defense, if a dog is committed to the attack, is it enough to slow him down?

 

[sm]

Postal Lady said she used hers once, and this growling snarling stray , turned into a whimpering wimp.
Dog Catcher found this dawg.
I have no idea what the Postal Folks used then, or now.

My mace had dye that showed under Black-Light (UV)
I sprayed a rabid dog from a partially opened truck door and kept going.

Dawg showed up later on the property after nightfall and was dispatched.
Sounds dumb, still stuck a Black Light in a work light, and sure enough the dye works.

 

[Gustav]

Pepper spray works better from what I have seen than mace.

 

[hso]

Pepper sprayed the neighbor's dog and mine several years ago. Both dashed off to the greenest grass they could find and face scooted so fast neither of us could catch them for half an hour. After that it was no tears shampoo in the lake for them.

 

[coelacanth]

21 years as a letter carrier have resulted in the . . . . .

conclusion that nothing is 100% regarding chemical sprays and dogs. The Postal service issues us a relatively weak oil based pepper spray and when the cans get a year or so old the damned stuff only shoots about 5 or 6 feet so it's pretty worthless. That said, I've only had 2 occasions when I was pretty sure I was about to be lunch and both of those ended up favorably so the dog menace is somewhat overblown IMHO. Nothing beats awareness of your surroundings( and getting to know the neighborhood beasties ). If I were in a truly bad area with lots of strays and generally surly residents ( 2 legged and 4 legged ) I'd feel a lot better with an aluminum T-ball bat in the old satchel than any chemical compound in a can.

 

[One Man]

the OC sprays work GREAT on most animals, except birds. (I have a friend who had occasion to spray an Emu, it didn't work. And yeah I know, don't ask!) I've used it on dogs and cattle, (Rural law enforcement, gotta LOVE it!) and it sure does take the vinegar out of em. (as an aside, if you DO spray a cow, be ready for at LEAST a quart of snot, it was truly amazing to see)

 

[copaup]

It works ok, provided you hit them on the muzzle and they aren't already commited to an attack. Zap em right on the nose during the pre charge snorting and posturing routine and they will USUALLY back down and go try to find some cool grass to use to get that crap off. Once commited to the charge the odds of the spray disuading them drop quickly. Best decon is the same as for people: air and time. I kept a angry Rottie at bay in the corner of a yard for nearly an hour and a half waiting for animal control once. Took nearly my whole can as every 10 minutes or so he'd decide that surely the bag of meat in the police uniform wouldn't be able to set him on fire AGAIN and make another attempt. I was really happy when the truck finally pulled up, as I was running out of options and was still waiting to hear back from the city attorney on my adventure with the pit bull and the 12 ga.

 

[Chuck Perry]

Never had to pepper a dog. Last updates class I went to the recommendation was, if available, to blast 'em with a fire extinguisher. Scares the crap out of the dog for about 20 minutes, but leaves him physically unharmed.

 

[Pax Jordana]

face scooted

seen it, my dawg's too short to stay dry on wet grass. I always laugh til I'm about ready to cry.

Thanks all for the info.

 

[zxcvbob]

A meter reader attacked our German Shephard with pepper spray when I was a young teenager. (the dog just barked when he came in the yard, like a dog is supposed to do) If we weren't there to tell the dog to stand down, I think the dog might have killed him for that. The dog was temporarily blinded; he stopped barking and started growling, circling where the guy was, getting closer and closer.

My dad told the meter reader that next time he attacked our dog, we weren't gonna call the dog off. And we started reading our own meter after that.

In other words, OC is just gonna piss off a good watchdog. It might work against a stray or feral dog, I dunno.

 

[duckjihad]

I pepper sprayed several and it worked like a charm. Lived in one of those neighborhoods where people had a habit of not controlling their dogs a few years ago. Had several take in after me and my lab while out walking. I found you have to hit them in the eyes with the stream, but if they're close enough to deserve it, it's not that difficult. Every dog I pepperred turned and ran back into their yard and hit the ground pawing at their eyes. These dogs seemed very determined as they closed the distance on me and mine, but they changed their minds in a hurry. Pepper spray is awesome.

 

[.44walkersabot]

I threw turpentine on one one time. He lit out of there squalling with his tail between his legs. Never saw him anymore..

 

[p35]

How about the old spray bottle of ammonia? I've heard that's great for dogs but never tried it myself.

 

[nalioth]

Y'all keep in mind that Mace or 'tear gas' or whatever else they call it, was designed to be used on healthy young men and women. If you've got a cold or sinus problems, mace may not work on you. If you are a dog, mace may not work on you.


Pepper spray works on anything with mucous membranes.