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Old 05-29-2012, 05:51 PM
mikedanton mikedanton is offline
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Default What would you do if a strangers dog was mauling your dog?

I got myself in a bit of a situation today whilst walking a neighbor's Lab "Rufus".

The dog was on the lead as I walked through a nearby wood. I could see a pitbull terrier off the lead with a man and a woman far behind.

As we got closer I sensed trouble as the pitbull began to veer slowly into our path. As I tried to walk past it went in close to Rufus and then without warning attacked. I tried to pull the lead off to the side while putting the stick I was holding (and my foot) between them but the pitbull was relentless and was now biting my dogs neck.

Without thinking anymore about it I grabbed it by it's collar and hit it over the head with the stick. After a few hard blows it finally let go of Rufus by which time it's middle aged owners had caught up and were shouting on it. It retreated over to him where he leashed it.

He then told me "don't ever hit my dog you expletive", my retort was "if I'd had a gun I'd have shot it". A few more insults were hurled at me by him and his wife before they continued walking (I was still holding the big stick).

My neighbor took Rufus to the vet where he got some stitches in his neck.

He was grateful that I managed to stop the attack but now I just feel bad about the whole thing.


What would you have done in this situation??
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:03 PM
SkippyX SkippyX is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikedanton View Post
I got myself in a bit of a situation today whilst walking a neighbor's Lab "Rufus".

The dog was on the lead as I walked through a nearby wood. I could see a pitbull terrier off the lead with a man and a woman far behind.

As we got closer I sensed trouble as the pitbull began to veer slowly into our path. As I tried to walk past it went in close to Rufus and then without warning attacked. I tried to pull the lead off to the side while putting the stick I was holding (and my foot) between them but the pitbull was relentless and was now biting my dogs neck.

Without thinking anymore about it I grabbed it by it's collar and hit it over the head with the stick. After a few hard blows it finally let go of Rufus by which time it's middle aged owners had caught up and were shouting on it. It retreated over to him where he leashed it.

He then told me "don't ever hit my dog you expletive", my retort was "if I'd had a gun I'd have shot it". A few more insults were hurled at me by him and his wife before they continued walking (I was still holding the big stick).

My neighbor took Rufus to the vet where he got some stitches in his neck.

He was grateful that I managed to stop the attack but now I just feel bad about the whole thing.


What would you have done in this situation??
You did right.

You're lucky the pit bull didn't attack you.

The people who own the pit bull are fools. AFAICS, you'd have been within your rights to bash him with a stick while you were at it.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:04 PM
LindaW LindaW is offline
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This guy is a JERK. Don't you waste one moment feeling bad. Pit bulls will not let go unless they are forced. This situation was handled well by you considering.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:06 PM
pottski pottski is offline
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Wow. What kind of careless owners let an obviously aggressive dog walk off leash in public!? I would have done the same thing you did, but the pit bull would have been in worse shape than rufus when I was finished. Then I would have tried to detain the owners while I called the police and filed a report against them. They should be responsible for the injuries to your friends dog!

Having been attacked by two unprovoked, off-leash pit bulls when I was just a teenager, I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to dogs that attack. I would not think twice about using a knife or firearm to stop an aggressive dog if it would not endanger others to do so. Owners need to take responsibility for their pets and acknowledge that they share the world with other people. Sorry to hear about your experience and I hope your friend's dog heals quickly.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:11 PM
Health Freak Health Freak is offline
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Since I am almost always carrying a concealed handgun, and it is legal in my state for me to do so in that situation, I would have shot the attacking dog dead if I had a clean shot. There is no excuse for that kind of poor pet ownership.

You did the best you could do given the situation. That is one of the many reasons my wife also carries - especially when walking our daughter in the stroller.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:15 PM
HHP HHP is offline
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Sad fact of life. I've had a couple of close calls with my dog with unleashed dogs coming up, sometimes aggressive. Not planning on sticking my hands in the melee to break it up so I've taken to carrying a 10" tanto on walks. Figure if they attack another big dog, they'll attack a small kid.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:20 PM
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Since I am almost always carrying a concealed handgun, and it is legal in my state for me to do so in that situation, I would have shot the attacking dog dead if I had a clean shot. There is no excuse for that kind of poor pet ownership.

You did the best you could do given the situation. That is one of the many reasons my wife also carries - especially when walking our daughter in the stroller.
what he said.....


lack of responsibility for an aggressive animal and the audacity to tell you not to hit his dog. What a maroon....

I love animals, so I wouldn't have shot it (it's not the dogs fault)....I would have done what you did, meaning whatever it took to get him off your dog.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:41 PM
mdunn mdunn is offline
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I have a neighbor who would walk his dog on the lanes out here holding a baseball bat in his free. I ask him one day why he needed the bat and his reply was, "to fend off the coyote's" that we occassionally have. He told me one day they (a pair) came out of the woods after his dog. My neighbor behind me watch the pair take their Pug right off the back deck. The Pug never came back.

Since I have 3 cats and don't walk them I don't have any skin in this one but, I think you did the right thing.

Or, you could have given the dog owner Michael Vicks cell phone number and told them their precious little puppy has a future!

Oh boy here comes the hate mail.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:59 PM
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I would have shot it. And yes I have the means usually.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:59 PM
deltoid deltoid is offline
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If you had a cell phone, you should have called the police and reported the attack. If you county has leash laws like mine does, the owners would have been charged and the attacking dog would have been siezed and quarantined for a period of time. Your friend probably could have sued them for the vet bill as well.
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Old 05-29-2012, 06:59 PM
StringFive StringFive is offline
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You were totally justified. You (your dog/family) were attacked. Plus, you used reasonable restraint in not critically injuring/killing the attacker.
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Old 05-29-2012, 07:04 PM
unimogbert unimogbert is offline
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Old 05-29-2012, 07:04 PM
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Mike, I think you absolutely did the right thing. I'm an animal lover and proud pet owner, having 3 dogs and more cats than I care to admit. The people that you encountered are not responsible pet owners. If your efforts, such as they were had not been successful I think the use of deadly force against the attacking dog would have been justified.

I believe reporting this attack to the police might help to at least bring to the attention of the dog's owners that their attitude is not acceptable. Might even help to prevent a repeat of your experience with some other innocent victims.
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Old 05-29-2012, 07:32 PM
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If the couple's dog had jumped on my dog, I might have gotten a really big stick. I have a couple of pit bulls and don't walk them or take them out of the yard. I don't know what they were thinking. Some people can train pit bulls to be in public, but not many. The dogs are really gentle, playful and even 'sweet' if you can believe it, but they are strong as the hulk and should never be out walking around for exercise ( my opinion), plus their background with other dogs is to fight without an bravado. Other breeds will posture, maybe bluff, etc. but not a pit bull usually.

Hopefully someone has talked to the couple about this. Some people are fooled by pit bulls because they are clownish, even goofy, like to play, love to please their masters, but they have the 'turbo' switch and you don't want them out around other dogs. As much as my dogs are 'nice' , I would not trust them enough to walk them around the neighborhood.
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Old 05-29-2012, 07:41 PM
bluesbassdad bluesbassdad is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikedanton View Post
I got myself in a bit of a situation today whilst walking a neighbor's Lab "Rufus".

The dog was on the lead as I walked through a nearby wood. I could see a pitbull terrier off the lead with a man and a woman far behind.

As we got closer I sensed trouble as the pitbull began to veer slowly into our path. As I tried to walk past it went in close to Rufus and then without warning attacked. I tried to pull the lead off to the side while putting the stick I was holding (and my foot) between them but the pitbull was relentless and was now biting my dogs neck.

Without thinking anymore about it I grabbed it by it's collar and hit it over the head with the stick. After a few hard blows it finally let go of Rufus by which time it's middle aged owners had caught up and were shouting on it. It retreated over to him where he leashed it.

He then told me "don't ever hit my dog you expletive", my retort was "if I'd had a gun I'd have shot it". A few more insults were hurled at me by him and his wife before they continued walking (I was still holding the big stick).

My neighbor took Rufus to the vet where he got some stitches in his neck.

He was grateful that I managed to stop the attack but now I just feel bad about the whole thing.


What would you have done in this situation??
I happen to be a pit bull owner. I cringe when an irresponsible owner adds to the bad rap that the breed already suffers from. The couple in question should be arrested on any available charge. Disturbing the peace? Reckless endangerment? Whatever it takes to give them a legal roughing up.

***

I never trust a dog that is off leash. If an ankle-biter attacks my dog and suffers injury as a result, I know I'll have to overcome the prevailing bias to avoid being blamed and, in the worst case, to preserve my dog's life.

If I can't get the so-called "handler's" attention and get him/her to leash the dog, I will go a different direction to avoid the possibility of confrontation. A few years ago I bought a book called The Gift of Fear. I never got past the dust jacket, but the message sank in anyway. Don't be afraid to give in to fear. The need for self-preservation should always trump concern about overreacting and looking cowardly.

If I were ever faced with the task of getting a pit bull to let go of another dog, I would hope to have at hand a so-called "breaking stick". The idea is to straddle the pit bull, firmly grasp the collar, insert the stick into the dog's mouth behind the molars, and then twist. In 2004 I bought a breaking stick and hung it on a peg near my Brewski's crate. It has done nothing but collect dust, even as six other dogs have come and/or gone through this household.

At the shelter back in California where we volunteered my wife successfully disengaged a pit bull by grabbing its tail and inserting her finger into the orifice thus revealed. This was after others had tried squirting the dog with a hose and beating it with aluminum chairs.

As a Life Member of the NRA I try to discourage threats regarding use of a firearm. However, I can certainly understand your anger in that situation. What I don't understand is how someone who was clearly in the wrong could have the bills to criticize you for trying to protect your friend's dog.
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