Minimum caliber for dog protection

[Wade Wilson]

I would consider a new jogging route, if you are willing to run in a crazed dog infested area with a pistol and fire off live rounds in a neighborhood full of families instead of just running somewhere else then I dont know that to tell you. I am all for conceal carry and personal protection, but if you know you are literraly going to run into trouble, then why wouldnt you run someplace else?

But to answer you question I would probably carry a six shot .327 or a can of mace, the dog that is most likely going to bite you is a small dog that you can punt away.

 

[Lunie]

Wish I had taken pictures of what a dog can do to an 800 lb steer...

Functionally removed the muscle from the left rear leg and the associated hide. If you can picture slicing off all of your calf muscle below the knee, and yanking it out so the muscle drags the ground behind your ankle... you'd have an idea of what I mean.

Luckily, the steer did survive, just never did much walking after that...

Knowing that dogs can and have killed humans, why not carry something that offers the same defensive qualities you'd use for stopping human attackers? As with human predators, you never know what kind of bad animal may end up in a "good" and "safe" place.

JMHO

 

[Justin Holder]

A 32 magnum should be plenty gun, just use quality hollow points, stay away from lead wad cutters. I think Federal makes a good 85gr. JHP load.

If you want to use pepper spray because you are afraid of the repercussions from using deadly force on a dog that is your prerogative. But I see it this way, when the moment of truth comes who are you going to be more afraid of? The 60 pound pit chewing on your leg or the pits owner?

I'd feel safer carrying a long strong stick than a can of mace.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

Jim ne--no clue if they are available. I have only seen them used on shark-TV.

 

[Guillermo]

that is your dog was more important than your 357 for defense

maybe you are right and my dog acted as a decoy...allowing me time to draw

but maybe the shepherd would not have attacked me

no way to know

I do know that the whole thing sucked

my dog got hurt, had a big vet bill, had to shoot a dog

it was all bad

 

[Ben86]

.32 will probably be fine, supposedly .22 LR works good as well. If it was me I'd prefer to carry the .38sp though. It's a more substantial caliber that is good for other threats if you catch my drift. Pepper spray also works good on dogs. Except pitbulls on PCP, gotta watch those.

the dog that is most likely going to bite you is a small dog that you can punt away.

This is so true, small dogs bite way more often.

Also, research dog behavior and you will get a better understanding of when they are just trying to intimidate or they mean business. Often when they mean business they don't do much barking, mostly biting.

 

[macadore]

I would consider a new jogging route, if you are willing to run in a crazed dog infested area with a pistol and fire off live rounds in a neighborhood full of families instead of just running somewhere else then I dont know that to tell you. I am all for conceal carry and personal protection, but if you know you are literraly going to run into trouble, then why wouldnt you run someplace else?

I can tell you don't jog or ride a bicycle much. There are irresponsible dog owners everywhere. I ride on a trail built and maintained by the city for walking, jogging, and bicycling. I ride every day because my cardiologist said I would be facing bypass surgery in the near future if I didn't start exercising. I am also taking blood thinners to keep the blood from clotting around the stints he put in my heart. Because of this, I bleed and bruise easily. If a dog rips my calf open and jerks me off my bike, I can easily bleed to death. I don't intend to lay there passively while this happens. That's why I carry a Glock 32 and a tourniquet. I will remove the threat, or threats, call 911 to request an ambulance and police, and then try to control the bleeding.

I know dogs real well and have become quite agile on my bike. I have been attacked several times and have always managed to avoid being bitten. However, one never knows. Finding a place in the world without irresponsible people acting irresponsibly is unrealistic.

 

[DM~]

IF my dog comes to your house, is trying to bite you or your family, and you shoot it... I'll come get it and burry it. IF your dog comes to my house and tries to bite me or my family i ASSURE you i WILL kill it, and i think MY neighbors are smart enough to NOT try to come over and kick my ass for doing so.

ANYONE who thinks they will kick someones ass for protecting another human being from a dog, is a nut case and at least here, they will not be treated any better than their dog was.

Like i said before, i was hired to clean out some dog packs, and although it was a dirty job, i did it and shot more dogs than i'll admit to. If anyone thinks a 32 H&R mag. with full power loads won't do the job, then THEY need more practice with that weapon!

DM

 

[joed]

An air horn.

Really. I've spoken to people who work in dog boarding and doggy daycare places about what they do in the event of a dog fight that can't be settled by a person simply yelling at/tugging on one of the dogs.
Unanimously, the answer has been that a simple air horn is the most effective thing and is universally used around such facilities.
The sound is so sudden and at such a pitch that it just stops dogs right in their tracks.

My father taught me this one when I was in my 20's. Use the right air horn and you can stop any dog attack, I don't care how vicious they are, unless they're def.

 

[Jim NE]

Would this be a legitimate application for a Taurus "Judge"? Would a .410 blast put a large aggressive dog down at point blank range? Or are Judges, being part shotgun, even legal for concealed carry?

I don't know, I hate aggressive dogs, but I hate their owners even more. I think a person who establishes a pattern of owning animals like that should spend some time in the clink. Some people (I said "SOME") who own huge aggressive dogs are ex-cons who can't own guns because of their previous criminal record. They're compensating.

 

[Karl Hungus]

They're compensating.

Agreed, but the exact same thing can be said about somebody who instead of doing the rational thing and choosing a rabid bull-mastiff free jogging route decides to go Dirty Harry on every pup who barks at him from behind it's Invisible Fence.

On a weekly basis I'm around a couple dogs who have put people in the hospital. I've never felt the need to strap.

THR has no shortage of hyper-sensative types who complain about people using the term "sniper rifle" or posters who say that anybody who shot their dog would get a knuckle sandwich. "You're making gun owners look bad!!!" they whine. Those guys aren't making gun owners look half as bad as the myriad of "What gun for bear/coyote/skunk/Lassie/chickadee protection?" threads choking this forum.

Trust me - non gun culture people who happen upon threads like this laugh and consider that maybe the anti-gun loons are right - that all gun owners are paranoid freaks. Get a grip people.

 

[Ben86]

Would this be a legitimate application for a Taurus "Judge"? Would a .410 blast put a large aggressive dog down at point blank range? Or are Judges, being part shotgun, even legal for concealed carry?

They are legal for CC, in most states anyway. I don't have any experience with .410 or that gun, but I have heard that they spit out shot in more of a donut pattern than a closely clustered group like you get out of a smooth bore barrel.

 

[Cosmoline]

I've had run-ins with a lot of dogs on the roads and trails. It's a problem, but it's one problem I'm not sure a firearm is a good response to.

Let me ask you this--what caliber gun are you comfortable shooting down towards a fast-moving attacking dog while you're kicking at said dog? What if the dog lunges up at your shoulders, are you comfortable shooting across your own chest with your other arm in the field of fire? Are you comfortable shooting TOWARDS the owner who may be running to get the dog? Certainly you can shoot earlier, but that means killing dogs that may present no threat, and it means some very uncomfortable confrontations, allegations and police involvement. Not fun! People get weird when you shoot their dogs. You could end up getting shot and killed yourself over it. Obviously things are different on big tracts of rural land you own, but that's not the scenario here. We're talking about discharging firearms on public roads and trails which is not a minor matter.

Thinking back on the various charges and confrontations, as well as the various bites I've taken, I can think of few where any firearm would have been of use. And as it turns out I haven't needed one. I picked up a collapsing baton to smack and ward off the hunds. That's something I can wield and use without the risk of blowing my own leg off.

If it comes down to having no choice, I'd want a long gun. Even a .22 rimfire long gun is better than a handgun. The target is moving fast, it's pretty small as animals go and it's prone to changing course. And you need headshots to make any caliber count when the dog's blood is up.

 

[Wade Wilson]

I can tell you don't jog or ride a bicycle much

I jog everyday, so obviously you cant tell.

In your situation which is somewhat uncommon I can completely understand. Ive been bit by dogs while running and had to pull dogs off my dog while on walks, i get it they exist.

 

[MCgunner]

There is a little keltec PF9 I think in 9mm parabellum. It is a nice little package with 7+1 hollow points you can take care of any dogs and crocks
if they show up.
it is a 9mm in a 32ACP type of package.

The gun I defended myself with against the chow was a kel tec P11, 11 rounds on tap of 115 grain +P at 1263 fps avg for 10 shots. It only took one round on a 70 or so lb chow. He turned and ran howling off to die at his owner's, later, the one who called the law on me. I figured I was in the right and TOLD the cop I shot the dog to which I was disarmed, arrested, and booked. I later got the gun back after the case was thrown out.

See, thing is, you kill a man, you get a grand jury to rule whether the case is even worthy of going to court. You kill a dog, you get arrested and have to prove your innocence, which I did, just sayin'. If you're going to kill something, kill a human. You can get away with that. Dogs have more rights than people. I mean, we had a leash law in that town, that dog came into my yard and attacked MY cats and when I started kicking the snot out of him, he attacked me. I didn't have a ball bat or anything handy, only my daily carry. Now, I have the pepper spray along with my two carries 24/7. Yeah, I learned the hard way, I guess.

BTW, it's legal to defend live stock from dogs and I grew up in the sticks where we had lots of feral dogs I've had to shoot. Shot every one of 'em with a .22 rifle and don't remember any getting away. It don't take a cannon to kill a dog. It's the Indian, not the arrow. A .22 works fine if well placed. If you can't shoot a handgun, maybe a Taurus Judge???? Pepper spray in town against attacking dogs, though, is ALL I'll recommend from my experience.

 

[Remo223]

In my opinion, the only shell that makes sense in a taurus judge is one in which the shot is so large the lead balls are stacked in there single file and barely fit. I think that works out to be triple ought. But I don't have a judge and have no desire to get one. So that should tell ya how experienced I am with triple ought out of a judge. The thing about shotgun shells fired from pistol length barrels is that they are extremely underwhelming...as in not very impressive. Ballistically speaking that is.

 

[jim goose]

Its those little dogs that scare me the most. The Dachshunds and Jack Russell's. Razor sharp teeth on those guys. I'd rather just hit them with buckshot and skip the cleanup and burial. Less problems with the owners too.

 

[Kendal Black]

The Dachshund is, pound for pound, the meanest dog of all. I think it is from hearing the Oscar Mayer Weiner song all their lives.

 

[Ironclad]

I'd say that if you're really in Boulder like your profile says then that's way to urban of an area to go around pullin a gun just for a dog. Plus, I'd say that about 90% of the cases where somebody thinks a dog is going to attack it ends up just being a show of aggression and nothing happens. Heck I've been around dogs that bark and snarl like they want to tear out your liver, but 15 seconds later you can be scratchin their ears. Shooting someone's pet under those circumstances would be unforgivable. Just get some pepper spray and call it good.

 

[jim goose]

I dont know. My ex wife had a dachshund. And the kennel housed it with a jack russell and i think it was the fight of a century. Dachshund lost, big time.

That being said, take no chances. Sub-2000 in your camel back. Extra Hi cap mags in case thos e little devils break lose form their minivans and go on THR man killing spree.

 

[Ironclad]

A little off topic, but I heard about a company once who trained packs of guard chihuahuas. The idea being that it is harder to put down 100lbs of chihuahua than 100 lbs of mastiff. Can you imagine?

 

[J_McLeod]

7.62x39mm. Need a good AK with some 30 rounders.

 

[ActionJax]

A little off topic, but I heard about a company once who trained packs of guard chihuahuas. The idea being that it is harder to put down 100lbs of chihuahua than 100 lbs of mastiff. Can you imagine?

100 lbs of "Yo Quiero Taco Bell ??"

ugh ... (he shudders in disgust)

 

[webfox]

We're all discussing so many variations...

Feral dog could be killed, of course. Is it a dog that has an owner? Once you do something to that dog, you have to worry about every time you pass the property. Non lethal would be the best way to go with a family pet.

I have been nipped in the heels by a german shepherd and after turning to yell at the owner, the guy denied that his dog was ever in the street. The dog even took a stalking pose on its front lawn before coming after me and chasing me down the road. Some people are jerks. (I can use that phrase right? Because the real word I wanted to use was a little more intense.)

You have to consider whether or not the dog has an owner, if it's big, if you might get rabies, and if you ever want to be able to pass that way again.

They sell pepper spray suited for bears. Buy some.

If you run through the woods, get something that will take down the big bad wolf.

 

[matt_borror]

i think most guns above .32 would do a good job. PLZ use good judgement though as this is most likely somebody's pet and it's easy to be justified in killing a "dangerous dog", but not always the right thing to do