shooting a pitbull not on my property

[DontBurnMyFlag]

My neighbor (ex-con) has a really mean pitbull. Its always barking and growling. I petted it once while the owner had it out, but Im not falling for it. There are little kids around my block. My neighbor behind me and to my 7 o-clock. The dog is behind a big privacy fence but sometimes stands on a pool deck and puts his front paws up on the neighbors fence. He can easily jump over. The cops have been called several times and since the only thing the dog injured was another dog, no one has ever done anything.

IF, for some reason the dog got out and cornered or attack a child neighbor of mine, what would be the appropiate means of action. I could easily use my SKS to shoot him, however, even with my hollow point ammo I fear that in that situation I may miss or over penetrate and harm someone else. I could grab my Ka-bar or baton or baseball bat and go at it. Or I could bayonet him with my SKS. The cops wouldnt be able to arrive until after the kid is maimed or worse.

And say I did shoot and kill/wound the dog with no injuries to neighbors or property, what type of charges would i be looking at? discharging a firearm in public, endangering the public etc etc? Nothing has happened yet, but regardless of consequences I would do anything to save the lives of the little girls behind my house. but i would still like to know what would happen if I followed through with my action. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[HighVelocity]

Before somebody gets hurt you could file an official complaint with the appropriate agency claiming the dog is a menace. If nothing comes of that, find out who the owners homeowners insurance is with, call and tell the insurance co. that they have a pit. A lot of insurance companies will not cover property where a known dangerous animal is kept as a pet.

 

[Greg L]

I could easily use my SKS to shoot him, however, even with my hollow point ammo....

Uh your location says NJ, you may want to check out the laws before shooting anything with such eeeeeevil ammo.

Normally I would say you would be justified shooting if the dog was menacing a child. As you are in NJ though it is possible/probably that YOU would be the one arrested & not the owner of the dog.

 

[The_Antibubba]

If...

If he got loose (and you almost seem eager for that to happen) you would be justified in shooting him. Ixnay on the ollowpointay-I think Joisey lists mere possession of it as a felony. Try some soft point. Anticipate losing the SKS for a long time, if not forever (evidence , y'know). Have something else on hand, too, after you obliterate your neighbor's "baby".

Geez, all the totalitarianism of California, without the great weather, beaches, and mountains. Sounds nice.

 

[shortydog]

And say I did shoot and kill/wound the dog with no injuries to neighbors or property, what type of charges would i be looking at? discharging a firearm in public, endangering the public etc etc?



you would be taking a trip to the hospital if it was my dog.

 

[scott.cr]

Here's another angle. Let's say you will go to prison for five years if you do kill a dog that's menacing a child. Is the child's life worth five years of yours? How about having your "privilege" of legally purchasing firearms revoked for life?

Yes that is a tough scenario, but if you want to talk "worst case," then it's something you should consider.

 

[abaddon]

Let's say you will go to prison for five years if you do kill a dog that's menacing a child. Is the child's life worth five years of yours? How about having your "privilege" of legally purchasing firearms revoked for life?

Yes, the child's life is worth five years of prison. And because the answer is yes it's not even worth considering the possibility of not taking the shot, regardless of the legal consequences. We need to be willing to take risks - we would still be subjects of the crown if our founding fathers hadn't risked their lives and freedom for the sake of ours.

edited for clarity

 

[Phoenix_III]

Ugh, I hate misinformation

NJ = Hollowpoint FRIENDLY, you just are not allowed to
a) Hunt with it (Deer, etc)
b) I BELIEVE use it for CCW, which you cannot even get.


It is perfectly viable for target shooting and ownership.

Secondly, you SKS... You are only allowed TWO evil features (NJ still has its own AWB)

No more than two of

pistol grip
bayonet or bayo LUG
Detachable magazine (SKS can have this)
flash suppressor
collapsable stock

=)

Best bet is a .22 pistol, or .380 auto. Do you envision that you would arrive BEFORE the dog was doing it's deadly attack, during, or after?

Range? You would not take a shot at the pit while it was chewing on a kid. Not only could it swing and put the child in the way, but the bullet could ricochette off a bone and hurt the child.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

People a few houses down from us (the shame of the neighnorhood) just got a new pit and these people aren;t especially reliable or responsible, and with so many kids of the block I have been thinking the same thing.

First off, ditch the SKS, AK, or AR rifle, use a pistol that will not make the newsman's vagina hurt. Using a military rifle in any situation like this is likely to only cause problems.

 

[steveno]

shoot , shovel and shutup

 

[DontBurnMyFlag]

good advice from what i read. I am not eager for this to happen as someone stated earlier. I just like being prepared. If I did ever go to court I would be hoping that the jury would go easy as I did save someones life....however this is NJ and im guilty till proven innocent. Hollowpoint ammuntion is legal in NJ as long as I dont carry it in a CCW or hunt with it. Any military firearm I own is legal in NJ as well. Thats the last thing I would want to hear on the news

"local militia terrorist gang member shoots puppy with military assault machine gun for the fun of it. It was reported that he yee-hawed while doing so."

I could see that happenening. And I guess I could use this quote in this situation, "I would rather be judged by 12 than have a little kid carried by 6"

Once again thanks for the advice guys.

 

[Hardware]

I'd try to explain again how dog aggression and human aggression are different but frankly it's just too annoying to go over it again. :banghead:

However, assuming the S does HTF and you have to intervene, use a Ka Bar. Not actually the best tool, a parting stick is the preferred method, but it takes experience to use one and I can tell by your language you don't have it.

I recall a story where a cop shot his partner trying to shoot a pit bull at close range. Assuming you have a human aggressive dog clamped onto a person and thrashing, the person is screaming and your adrenaline is pumping it's too easy to put that bullet where it's not supposed to go. You're already exposing yourself to all kinds of civil and criminal legal trouble using lethal force in a residential neighborhood. Do yourself and favor and try to contain the mayhem. The knife will do the job just as well as the pistols mentioned or the SKS. The news won't get much public reaction showing an "Evil Black Knife".

 

[shermacman]

If the situation that you anticipate is going to happen, you are not going to solve it with a rifle. The dog has attacked a child, you are not going to shoot anything, not a rifle, not a handgun, not pepper spray. You are going in, hand to paw, foot to jaw.

If you are not ready for that, then you are not going to save the child. You are not going to fire a gun in a dog fight with a child.

Period.

 

[Blue Jays]

Hi All-

A firearm isn't the correct tool for this job. If one sees a vicious dog with its jaws clamped on a little kid one should slug it with a baseball bat or section of heavy iron pipe. Crushing blunt trauma would be the ticket.

My second piece of advice would be to not go "looking" for trouble where it doesn't exist. Don't taunt the dog or "lead" it to areas where it could clear the fence. Good luck with this situation.

~ Blue Jays ~

 

[DontBurnMyFlag]

im sorry if you guys percieved that I would shoot the dog if he had a hold of the child. I already stated in my first post that I would be afraid that I would miss. I would only shoot if there was no other option and the dog did not have contact with the child. Thats why I brought up the use of the bayonet, ka-bar and baton. Regardless of how my post is worded and how well my grammar is, I am not an idiot. I do not intend on putting a child in more harm by opening fire at the dog. I have enough trouble hitting a 200 yd target, I dont think I would be able to shoot a super fast dog while theres screaming barking and sweating going on.

 

[Imaginos]

Tomahawk

Keep a tomahawk or small hand ax close by.
It will make a real mess out of man or animal, and is more or less legal in PRNJ.

 

[JamisJockey]

Document, document, document. Everytime the dog so much as growls at someone, write it down. Date/time/circumstances.
If the dog leaves his property off leash, call animal control. If the dog corners/growls/threatens anyone, call the police (911).

you would be taking a trip to the hospital if it was my dog.

If your dog attacks or menaces a person (especially a child) it deserves to be shot. If you're not okay with that, then you do as well.

 

[haole_boySS]

A neighbor 3 houses down has a Chesapeake Bay and its a very agressive Male that I would guess is about 100-110 lbs. It came in my yard 1 time and growled at me when I was with my black lab. Thats all it took. With my neice and my friends daughter over the house often, I will not hesitate to take care of that problem. Other neighbors have spoken to this woman about her dog but I have not and will not. I will only take care of it if the problem arises.

Like Steveno said "shoot, shovel, and shutup" x800

Shortydog.....you must be sub-human for making a comment like that.

 

[MikeIsaj]

you would be taking a trip to the hospital if it was my dog.

The most ignorant thing I've read here this week. We're not impressed.

 

[Working Man]

If it has a hold of a child, take a baseball bat to the top of the hind legs,
right above the hips. They have less dense bone and less muscle mass
there. The breaking of the hips and spine will make the Pit release and
unable to pursue you. Grab the kid quick it may try to bite again.

A good friend of mine had a hell of a time getting one off of her 13 year old
daughter (she looks like she's 8 years old). She was attack in her back ally
driveway. She had to get many stitches, had a 2" puncture wound at the
base of her neck, lost some hearing, has nerve damage in her hand, scars on
her face, head, side, arm, hand, and leg. It had her pined against their gate.
It had also gotten out before and complaints had been made in the past.
The dog was destroyed.

Don't get me wrong... I do not dislike the breed and I do blame the owners
for the behavior.

Once the child is safely away from the dog, put it (*the dog) out of it's
misery... it will be in a great deal of pain.

....then do the same to the owner.


*Edited for MrTuffPaws

 

[Sean85746]

Neighbor with a knife ONE, pitbull ZERO

My former neighbor had a NASTY pitbull. This dog was the archetypal pitbull. It had killed a neighbor's sheetzapoocaokamamie little dog when it had broken it's chain and got out of it's yard. The small dog was in it's own yard and a danger to nothing but Kibbles and Bits.

The dog got out again one day and latched onto the left arm of my other neighbor who was walking down to the mailbox, he was wearing a leather jacket. The dog held on trying to shake my friend down to the ground.

My friend, protected relatively well by the leather, took his old, trusty Buck folder out with his right hand, and sliced the pit from his 'nads to its breastbone.

The owner of the pit sat on his porch and said nothing until his dog was gutted.

Police were called, my friend was not charged and the owner of the pit got a serious butt whuppin' when he later started making threats to my friend who had gutted his dog.

All I can say was I wish I'da been there to see it (both the cuttin' and the whuppin').

 

[MrTuffPaws]

Once the child is safely away from the dog, put it out of it's misery... it will be in a great deal of pain.

The dog or the child? yuck yuck yuck, I kill myself.

 

[Rufus Pisanus]

I also have a problem with a neighbor and his two pitbulls who often get out of his fence. I have called animal control twice and so have other neighbors. Once they threatened my mother in law but didn't bite her (may be they were afraid she would bite back... ).

I am not planning to do anything bad to the dogs but I want them behind the fence as I have two small kids. If the dogs threaten the kids on my property they are history but I could still encouter them during a walk in the neighborhood and if they attack it would be messy...(I don't have a CCW permit, it's Maryland...). oh well, I'd rather risk that than have my mother in law around for protection...

 

[Taurus 66]

Shooting the dog to save the child from serious injuries or death is the right thing to do.

File a report with the police (actually several reports as needed), and get your neighbors in on it too. That way if the worst case scenario ever did erupt, you'd have some legal papers, and other concerned citizens backing you.

There probably aren't any sane people anywhere who would take the side of a nasty old pit bull and its dirtbag owner. Remember: Pits have a really bad rap and for good reason. So after your acquittal, yes, your rifle would be tied up for awhile, but maybe you would only have to pay the fine for breaking the noise ordinance, if this law is enforced in your community.

 

[shortydog]

The most ignorant thing I've read here this week. We're not impressed.

some people must not be able to read.he said "And say I did shoot and kill/wound the dog with no injuries to neighbors or property"
so, its all right to shoot somebodys pet for no reason?
what a moron.
yes, try that with one of my pets and see what happens.