Pit Bull shooting, Will the police seize my gun?

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One huge misunderstanding about the breed is that they are unstable. They are very predictable, for the most part only abused, or neglected pitbulls are hostile to humans.
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A dog which has been left alone long enough to select someone else's porch to 'guard,' and whose owner hasn't come looking for it over the course of several hours, and which recognizes the dogcatcher's uniform, is very likely going to be one of these.

That's probably why the general public perceives pitbulls as unstable. The ones running around unsupervised ... are.

pax
 
This thread seems likely to be taken off topic by the competing views of "pit bulls are the sweetest dogs and would never harm a soul" to "pit bulls are the work of the devil and kill anything in sight".

The real story is that any individual pit bull can be either. The problem is there is no way for anyone to know which type of temperament the dog is likely to have.

Your problem is protecting the lives of people who cannot protect themselves. You need to decide if the dog is a threat to those people. If he is, then you deal with the threat, in a way that is safe for you. The safety of the dog is not an issue in these kinds of decisions.

If the dog presents a threat and the only safe means you have to deal with him is to shoot him, then blast away. Try to kill him with one shot. No need to inflict extra pain on the animal.

OTOH, he may well be someone's pet that got loose, and he is just scared. You might be able to convince him with a treat and some water to allow you to put a leash on him and hold him for the animal control people.

HOWEVER, regardless of any desire to save the dog, you know nothing of his temperament. Take no chances with amateur dog behavior advice off the Internet. Protect yourself and those you feel you have some obligation to protect. The dog is not even on the list of things you have an obligation to protect.
 
Given the circumstances, I wouldnt shoot.

If you do shoot it, expect for the police to take your handgun at least untill they finish thier paperwork. Beyond that is a shot in the dark.

I shot a raccoon here (Asheville NC) a while back. Since I live in the suburbs, I called to let them know what happened, rather than the local LEOs getting a call about "shots fired in a residential neighborhood." They didnt even send a car out. Animal Control never made an appearance either. I dont know if it would be any different with a dog, and to be honest, I'd rather not find out.
 
It seems that this may not be the place for me. I thought the idea was saving the old from a pit bull that he didnt want to shoot. Someone said to smash its head with a hammer in a post before so I thought I would post another method. I am pretty sure smashing ones head with a hammer would also be on the other side of the law as well is shooting them with bb guns, But sense that fits into the manly thing to do its ok and didnt meet with the disapprovel that I got. I dont have time to sit and watch the chickens or new born calves all day and all night with whatever varmit gun is ok with all of you so I did what I did. You feel free to judge me but recall that I got judged and none others.
 
Yup. I lost my 20 year old Whippet-Lab cross a year and a half ago to anti freeze. It wasn't a pretty way to go.
I found the culprit.
He payed a tall price for my dog's life.

Biker
 
Nope, none of that would've been alright either although that wouldn't be possible for someone to do because I'm always with my dogs and could have stopped those actions. I can't stop some cowardly, heartless SOB from throwing poisoned hamburger over my fence during the night.
Just ain't right...

Biker
 
ARKIESTEEL

Legal or not, I agree that antifreeze is a despicable method of getting rid of pests. There are better poisons out there, that can often be legally planted if you read your state laws concerning them. Along with perfectly legal methods involving wounded rabbit calls and high powered rifles.

I am not a dog hater, I have my own dogs that I love to death. But many times mans best freind starts becoming an issue for rural people with livestock. They do have to be dealt with. My post is not intended to denigrate this thread into another dog killer/dog lover thread.
 
"Just skip it!! someone tell a mod or admin to cancel my login and delete me I have started off on the wrong foot and will not recover"


Yup see ya, Slick!

Dont let the door hit your ass on the way out!
 
I’m not one of these fanatical dog lovers, but I doubt shooting your stray is warranted at this point. Some human had better be bleeding first, or you may find yourself in a world of trouble. Let your animal-control officers earn their keep.

~G. Fink
 
Bowl of dog food, chew toy, some sort of treat in one hand; choke collar and lead in the other. Be the alpha dog, take control, give him a treat and collar him, secure the lead. Sounds like the worst aspect of this dog is that he, and the people around him, are confused.

May be some pepper spray in your pocket...
 
Since it is a lone pit, if you must kill it, use a break open 12 ga. Enough gun, you won't mind losing it and it appears benign. Don't be swayed by the BS, the family of any of your "residents" will HAVE YOUR ASS if their loved one gets attacked at your facility. Shoot the dog with the first threat. Joe
 
There are legal and humane ways to deal with the problem,Find one.As for poisioning or shooting my dog,pray to god I would never catch up with you!
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Yup.

Never mind the dog. Beware of owner.

Besides, this dog is hardly a threat. Look up a local breed-rescue organization. There are many. I'd happily rescue the dog myself, if I were near you; others will, too, just to keep what seems like a good-natured but confused dog from being shot or put down by the pound.

Start here:
http://www.pbrc.net
http://www.badrap.org

I'm not so paranoid, because I'm used to dogs now. Before I knew them, I, too was more easily made apprehensive about their intentions.
 
Thank you for all of your viewpoints on this volatile issue.

Several of my staff have been able to get friendly with this animal, but when they go to the next step of trying to place a rope/chain on the dog's collar, he reacts negatively.

I am certain that it IS someone's pet, and I do not wish to destroy it, but my first responsibility is to my residents.

I do have the pepper spray, and a broom, and a commanding voice, and unpoisoned meat and a .357, and a 12guage. I do consider things a great deal prior to acting on anything. Each of these tools are available to me for the proper use in the particular situation that arises.

I was simply asking if, given the circumstances, I needed to bring an inexpensive gun, just in case the police wish to impound the one that I use, should the need arise. Merely a procedural question.

The route that we are currently pursuing involves a canine trap that the dog-catcher is going to provide. Also, one of my employees thinks that she knows where this dog's owner lives. So I plan to go to his/her home in a few minutes and explain the situation to them.
 
Hobbeeman

There are two things to be concerned with if you do have to shoot the dog.

1) is the a city ordanance against discharging a firearm in city limits.
2) can you prove beyond any doubt, someones life was in danger and after you shot the dog, that it did not suffer.

Those two issues will decide if the police take your gun. If the officer wants to be an ass, then the yes he will.

We deal with this issue all the time. However, we only handle unincorporated areas. Very rarely have we ever had to take a firearm for someone shooting a dog. When we have had to, it was becaue the shooter acted in a criminal manner. ( ie fired in reckless manner, missed the dog and put a bullet in the neighbors trailer.)
 
Dog is around nursing home, this is ok
Dog is if owned unsupervised and acting "confused", not ok
Dog has taken to considering a porch as his, not ok
Dog has growled and shown other threatning behavior to residents, not ok
Said residents are elderly or otherwise less then capable of fending off an attack, not ok

Personally (depending on local law*) I'd shoot the damn thing. Dog shows threatning behaviour and isn't properly supervised and is a threat to people under my charge who aren't exactly in the best physical ability, to bad so sad if it's little timmys dog. Maybe the next one will be better taken care of and trained.

*If local law will cause issues such as discharging in city limits, rules specific for shooting a problem animal, etc I would give the dog catcher some more time untill there was an immediate threat and I would be legally justified.
 
i think i can agree with moderator Justin regarding the use of pepper spray first, before resorting to a firearm.

i use about 2 cans of pepper spray a month on all dogs, not just pit bulls. spray them right in the nose and they'll run and wipe their nose on the ground for about 5 minutes. i used a pepper fogger on a pit bull attacking another dog in someone's house (the pit bull somehow ended up in a neighbor's house and attacked their animal) - it turned the pit bull into an instant piece of luggage....just closed its eyes and didn't move.

there are times when a bullet isn't exactly smart, be it in the city or out in the country. cranking a round off at a moving object, with other persons in the background, can be a recipe for an accidental shooting. the last thing you want to do is shoot someone when you tried to shoot a dog.

pepper spray isnt permanent and generally the dog will leave, or at least, leave you alone until the dog catcher arrives.

shooting a dog is always a last resort for me. if you're in city limits they may be an ordinance against it, if you're in the county you're probably okay. but always remember, that dog might have an owner and that owner might sick his lawyer on you. be it right or wrong, just the thought of having to be dragged into civil court and waste a day or two defending yourself civilly may be reason enough not to pull the trigger unless all other resources are exhausted.

from personal experience i always use pepper spray first on a dog.
 
Heavy barrel

I am assuming this remark is aimed at me. I made my post for ARKIESTEEL about dog control.

I live in rural oklahoma. I raise cattle. The primary intended use of the land I live on is to raise livestock. Most of my neighbors for the surrounding few miles raise livestock.

If you are a close neighbor of mine and I recognize your dog, I will not shoot it unless it is running cattle. If it is running cattle and I recognize it, trust me, your dead dog will be the least of your worries. I will ring your doorbell and hand you the remains of your dog, and I will have a deputy in tow. You definately will not like the damage assessment. Odds are, I am going to make a claim for every piece of livestock I have lost in the past year against you. The silly thing is, it will probably fly.

I do not poison dogs for amusement, nor shoot them for thrills. I am trying to start a herd. That little calf that a loose dog can maim or kill is worth about three months of what I can get ahead by working if I could have gotten it to market at weight. Are you willing to throw away three months of your work every time some idiot cant keep his dog under control?

If you do not like it, keep your dog at home, not at the tender mercies of a jerk like me.

Consider that I have the law absolutely on my side when I shoot a dog, and the original poster does not and is trying to find a solution. I already posted that I did not want to take this OT before you replied. We are in two totally different situations.

I do like dogs, do not get me wrong. In the case of the pit bull in question I have already stated to use other means before shooting the dog if possible.

In other words, step away from the keyboard until your testosterone level falls to normal levels.
 
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