So... Almost had to kill a dog today.

[winstonsmith]

It gets within 6" of me before the owner regains control.

Two LEASHED dogs lunge at you and are pulled up short. You pull a knife.

There is a difference between thinking "HEY! THAT DOG GOT TOO CLOSE TO ME!" and pulling a knife, and being afraid for your life because the owner looks alot weaker than the dogs. I dont know if you have heard about all the dog attacks. I sure have. That was one of the reasons I decided to carry a knife.

You also seem to have the order of it wrong. The dogs were pulled up short AFTER I pulled a knife.

The owner had lost control of the dogs. They weren't just barking and lunging at me from a distance, held at bay by the owner. The owner was being pulled by these two collies. He had lost control.

Frankly, I would have rathered my instinctual reaction be to move away before the dogs come close, or just jump away very fast when they begin to get agitated. But it didn't happen that way. Next time, if there is one, it will.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

"Gee officer, I was just walking my dogs when this crazy looking guy pulled a knife on me. He was less than ten feet away, so I had no choice but to draw my weapon and shoot."

Gee, you better hope that there aren't any witnesses, because if I am on the jury, and the witness says "Gee, the guy was just walking down the street, and all of a sudden the defendant's dog goes all Cujo on the guy, he pulls a knife to defend himself from the dog, and BANG! The defendant shoots him dead."

In a case like that, I would happily convict the shooter of Murder 2.

As to telling someone to cross to the other side of the street. Hear this, if you know that your dog sometimes lunges at people, KEEP IT LOCKED UP AT HOME! Otherwise, YOU cross to the other side of the street. And while you are at it, pray that your rotten mutt doesn't break loose from you, because if it lunges for me it won't ever lunge at anyone again.

 

[45R]

You did good!

 

[Archer]

If you really need a weapon to handle a COLLARED dog, you are handling the situation incorrectly. Generally, a dog wearing a collar is as good as a dead dog if you handle it correctly. Definitely applies to collies.

No collar, then a knife or blunt instrument is fine. But a collared dog is as good as dead if you know what you are doing.

 

[Horsesense]

Are you saying choke the dog, or pick it up and slam its head into something heard? Killing one dog “can at times†if you got the right dog, be easy (I almost killed one with a kick to the ribs once) some dogs, like some people, can be heard to kill. Two dogs, working together and you really got trouble.

 

[Coltdriver]

Winston for what its worth I will walk from a confrontation any time rather than get into somthing where no one can win.

You were smart to back off and keep going. It has nothing to do with pride, it has everything to do with brains.

Talk about being intimidated, I had a little terrier out hunting with me last fall and four pit bulls off leash spotted us and surrounded me and my dog (which I had picked up). I pulled a 9 mm and was about to commence dispatching with pit bulls when the owner came up the trail and called them off and took them in the opposite direction. Whew!

 

[Black92LX]

my girlfriends neighbor lets his dog run loose. and it is by no means a friendly dog. the first time it came after me and grabbed onto my leg. luckily i was carrying a full recycling bin and smashed it on the top of it's head. i now carry my knife over there all the time with my hand at my pocket. i love dogs but if one is about to attack me or my family i won't hesitate to end it's life. much like if any person tries to hurt me or my family i would have no problem sending them to hell!

 

[cordex]

Winston,
I know Lastryghts and others bristle at the thought of changing your appearance to lubricate your path through life, but to me it is simply a good idea.

Lastryghts mentions comfort as the primary reason for his appearance and no doubt it is important to you as well.
I'll buy that when it comes to comfortable clothing (BDUs/jeans, t-shirt). So how do you moderate your appearance and still be comfortable? If you look, you can find slacks that are as comfortable and nearly as tough as BDUs or denim. Instead of T-shirts with the latest hardcore punk band's picture (you know, the one where the lead singer is flipping off the viewer while burning a stack of Bibles, Talmuds and Qu'arans and wiping his rear with a blood-soaked dollar bill), or solid black, maybe add some subdued colors.

Nothin' wrong with wearing boots, but it helps if they're clean and not too scuffy (when out in public, mind you). Also, for general use, don't tuck your pants into the sides. No need while walking around town, and they give a less desirable image.

As for the look on your face ...
It seems to me that this is something you're proud of. You like looking determined and "tough" ... well, sometimes it is best to turn that off. It has its place, but it sure sounds like you're working to intimidate those around you by a certain mode of dress and general apperance of attitude.

Harder for me to buy the "Yeah, these little bits of metal embedded in my face are for comfort" bit, Lastryghts.

 

[Lastryghts]

Here we go again....

"I know Lastryghts and others bristle at the thought of changing your appearance to lubricate your path through life, but to me it is simply a good idea."


As I stated befor the job I'm at I make a very comfortable living and I have evan been offered a higher paying office position. I was evan told that I wouldn't have to change my apperance for the job. I turned it down only for the fact that I love being on the machine floor.

Yes BDU's and T shirts are my normal dress, but the t shirts are usually just hanes pocket t's what ever color I grab. I do wear/ own kacki shorts and pants, but with work and all my fun little projects around the house they usually look pretty dingy after a week or two.

When I do go out my normal dress is my good(riding style) boots black kackies and a button down dress shirt. Which I will say is a lot better than what most of the other people around here wear with their ripped "designer" jeans ant their "designer Tshirts.

"As for the look on your face ...
It seems to me that this is something you're proud of. You like looking determined and "tough" ... well, sometimes it is best to turn that off. It has its place, but it sure sounds like you're working to intimidate those around you by a certain mode of dress and general apperance of attitude."

First I'm going to say if you don't have an body peircings you just won't understand. I'm in a major city where it is not out of place to see a mid thirtys business person with a peirced eye brow or nose. It is just one of those things around here. As for me I have both my ear lobes peirced once, My tragus(small peice of ear cartalige next to where sideburns would be) and a doubl lebret (half inch under lower lip each one about 3/8 inch off the center of my face) The earings stay in at all times and I usually wear clear retainers in the lebrets which you can't see with the facial hair.
What I don't understand if I go out with friends and we are all in a good mood and having fun I am dressed up and have th peircings out I will still have people tell me that I'm intimidating. When I ask them why the normal responce that i ger is I have such a strong, confident presance that they are intinidated by it. So what should I do go slouch in the crner so others can feel more comfertable? I am not going to stop having a good time and feeling good about my self to make strangers more comfertable. I have worked hard to get to where I am and I'm not ashamed about it.