First Time to Pull My Gun

[TLynnHughes]

I don't have any issues with shooting a dog that attacks, but holy cow, I'm not absolutely certain I could hit the darned thing and I'm a reasonably ok shooter. It's not going to sit still with an X on its head and at night even! Bringing up events like this in the forum sure get a person to thinking. I'm so glad everything turned out ok for you and your dog.

T.

[quidni]

I carry a flashlight in one hand and the dog leash in the other, I don't have another hand for a club.

A 3 D-cell or 4 D-cell MagLite can serve double duty as both flashlight and club, if need be. It will also survive being dropped or thrown, if you need to free a hand for any reason.

As mentioned, OC spray can be a very effective deterrent if you can hit the dog where he's not protected by fur, i.e. nose leather, eyes, mouth, inside of ears.

Glad it turned out OK for you and your dog. You handled it well, IMO.

[suthdj]

I carry a flashlight in one hand and the dog leash in the other, I don't have another hand for a club.

A 3 D-cell or 4 D-cell MagLite can serve double duty as both flashlight and club, if need be. It will also survive being dropped or thrown, if you need to free a hand for any reason.

I saw what had to be a 6-12 Dcell Maglite style in a truck stop up in Wisconsin wanted to buy it so bad but was $$$$$$ the thing was around 2-3 feet long would have made for one heck of a club.

[TheArmedFarmer]

Take it from me, shooting and killing a dog is grim work and you never feel good about it. It completely ruins your day and you still feel rotten for several days afterward. I adore dogs and I hate it that some dogs are unfortunate enough to be owned by owners who mistreat them and/or let them run at large, wreaking havoc wherever they go.

The civil suit aspect is something that I'd be very concerned about. As for protecting your livestock, Texas law grants immunity against civil suit (thankfully). Such immunity is NOT given in the case of defence of humans or other property, AFAIK. Doesn't make sense to me, but that's the law.

[pdubyoo]

A 3 D-cell or 4 D-cell MagLite can serve double duty as both flashlight and club, if need be. It will also survive being dropped or thrown, if you need to free a hand for any reason.

I had to use my 3 D-cell Maglite on a dog's head last year. I was walking my dog, and an agressive mutt (approx. 60-70lbs) came from nowhere and confronted me and my dog. It was in front of me, and was lunging at my dog's head like it was trying to get a neck bite. Without really thinking, I beaned it right on the top of the head. It was a solid blow, and about knocked it out. It stumbled for a few seconds, then slowly walked away. I looked around to see if the dog's owner was around, but nothing. My heart was pounding really hard, and my dog was giddy. We walked home slowly to give me a chance to calm down, but my chest was still pounding when I got home. I was armed, but since the flashlight did the job, I didn't give a second thought to my gun.

I felt so bad about hitting the dog so hard that I got onto our neighborhood blog site and posted what happened, but nobody ever responded, so I guess it was either a stray, or the owner didn't read the blog...or didn't care.

I told a Constable's Deputy about it later at a neighborhood watch meeting, and he said that I could have shot it, then smiled and said that he was glad I didn't...it saved him from writing a report.

[Tireshred]

Wow, great story pdubyoo, I haven't used a Maglite in years since the high intensity stuff came out in really small packages, but I may have to rethink that even though I get more light from them (we're plagued with skunks and I use it to scan for them even though my dog seems immune to the spray ) I did get a Kimber Pepper Blaster and carry it now, thankfully haven't needed it.

I'm glad you or your dog didn't get hurt too.

[Mithras61]

Wow, great story pdubyoo, I haven't used a Maglite in years since the high intensity stuff came out in really small packages, but I may have to rethink that even though I get more light from them (we're plagued with skunks and I use it to scan for them even though my dog seems immune to the spray ) I did get a Kimber Pepper Blaster and carry it now, thankfully haven't needed it.

I'm glad you or your dog didn't get hurt too.

The 6 D-cell Maglite is available at Amazon for about $27. The high output lamp for it (it comes with a standard lamp) is about $3, and throws out over 200 lumens.

May have to get me one of those...

[blackdog8200]

I carry a flashlight in one hand and the dog leash in the other, I don't have another hand for a club.

A 3 D-cell or 4 D-cell MagLite can serve double duty as both flashlight and club, if need be. It will also survive being dropped or thrown, if you need to free a hand for any reason.

I saw what had to be a 6-12 Dcell Maglite style in a truck stop up in Wisconsin wanted to buy it so bad but was $$$$$$ the thing was around 2-3 feet long would have made for one heck of a club.

Best thing about the flashlight is that it is not a "club" in the illegal weapon sense.....I keep one in the door of my truck for just that reason.

It has always bothered me with a CHL I can carry and use a handgun (Read deadly force here) in my defense yet if I carry the police ASP Baton, I am breaking the law. As a cyclist, dogs and drunks always give me concern. I would like to have the option to use less lethal force if possible.

The Idea of the pitbull going after me or one of my dogs may very well end up with the use of my gun (one of the reasons I carry) but in the case of the OP here, a concealable baton could be the first line of defense and possibly keep from using my gun on a residential street....The dog might also recognize the "stick" and back off as well.

[Abraham]

Don't try to club an attacking dog while riding your bicycle - you'll very likely lose control of your bike, crash, and then...

How do I know this?

I've done it more than once...fortunately I didn't crash, but came this close...wobbling all over the road and finally recovered. If a car had been anywhere in my vicinity I'd been toast.

That's when I went to pepper/OC spray for attacking dogs.

Plus, the spray doesn't injure the dog, just causes massive, temporary pain and perhaps the dog will reconsider attacking any other cyclist in his future and you don't have to feel guilty for injuring or killing the dog or face a legal problem.

[amber]

Take polo lessons.

[Ashlar]

It has always bothered me with a CHL I can carry and use a handgun (Read deadly force here) in my defense yet if I carry the police ASP Baton, I am breaking the law.

Agreed. I wish ours were like Florida, where it's a concealed weapons license. Batons, long knives, saps, blackjacks- all are legal there with their analog of our CHL.

[marksiwel]

It has always bothered me with a CHL I can carry and use a handgun (Read deadly force here) in my defense yet if I carry the police ASP Baton, I am breaking the law.

Agreed. I wish ours were like Florida, where it's a concealed weapons license. Batons, long knives, saps, blackjacks- all are legal there with their analog of our CHL.

I wouldnt mind being able to carry a taser in dallas without breaking the law.

[lrb111]

Take polo lessons.

good answer!

[tqu9047]

My dad used to t get attacked while riding his bike to work. He just filled up a squirtgun with ammonia. Worked every time. These were not wild dogs that attacked, but back in the day nobody kept their dogs in. He didn't want to hurt the dogs or kill them. Once they got sprayed, they would stop at the curb when they saw it was him riding by.

Tim

[rmoraes]

A 3 D-cell or 4 D-cell MagLite can serve double duty as both flashlight and club, if need be. It will also survive being dropped or thrown, if you need to free a hand for any reason.

Glad it turned out OK for you and your dog. You handled it well, IMO.

B”H
Although never had the problem, I always think about my possible reaction in the same circumstances. My dog is 14 so he cannot fight back, and IF I take my beloved from my holster is to use. So I carry a 15-in flashlight (3 D-cell) when walking at night. During day hours, I try to stay aware of surroundings to avoid problems. Glad nothing happened to you or your dog.