Dangerous Dogs and Use of Deadly Force

[Cedar Park Dad]

So you have 2 pits, twins, 1 raised to be mean and the other loving. Your out walking with your 5yo and wife and one of these dogs is running at/to you are you going to wait for it to bite/lick you to deterimine your course of action, so by its very action of not being restrained it is a threat even when it might not be. Hate to say it to all the excuse makers if your dog is loose and gets shot or hit by a car look no further than the mirrior for someone to blame.

Exactly.

[cb1000rider]

Hate to say it to all the excuse makers if your dog is loose and gets shot or hit by a car look no further than the mirrior for someone to blame.

What excuse makers?

[anygunanywhere]

Back in the mid-1980s we lived in rural Chambers County on a street with large lots. My wife and two young sons and our female lab were chased inside by a roaming pit bull. I fetched my 20 gauge 18 inch barrel shotgun and killed the dog in my from yard. Took the top of his head off as he charged me. His owner heard the shot and drove to my house, parked in the driveway and got out, very angry. He told me he just bought the dog and brought it home and that I owed him for the dog. I cycled another round into the chamber and told him to get his dog off my lawn and try to collect the money.

I keep hearing of these sweet pit bulls. All dogs will turn on anyone for multiple reasons.

If you want to keep your dogs, keep them at home or on leash. I have shot many dogs on my properties over the years and will not hesitate to do so again if I feel they are a threat. I place no animal's life over that of any person.

[Cedar Park Dad]

If you want to keep your dogs, keep them at home or on leash. I have shot many dogs on my properties over the years and will not hesitate to do so again if I feel they are a threat. I place no animal's life over that of any person.

Unless its a wiener dog of course, God's only perfect being.

[joe817]

If you want to keep your dogs, keep them at home or on leash. I have shot many dogs on my properties over the years and will not hesitate to do so again if I feel they are a threat. I place no animal's life over that of any person.

I agree. Several years ago, we had this same discussion:

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=30616&start=30" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The statutes on these issues can be found in the Health & Safety Codes, particularly Chapter 822:

"Sec. 822.005. ATTACK BY DOG. (a) A person commits an offense if the person is the owner of a dog and the person:

(1) with criminal negligence, as defined by Section 6.03, Penal Code, fails to secure the dog and the dog makes an unprovoked attack on another person that occurs at a location other than the owner's real property or in or on the owner's motor vehicle or boat and that causes serious bodily injury, as defined by Section 1.07, Penal Code, or death to the other person; or

(2) knows the dog is a dangerous dog by learning in a manner described by Section 822.042(g) that the person is the owner of a dangerous dog, and the dangerous dog makes an unprovoked attack on another person that occurs at a location other than a secure enclosure in which the dog is restrained in accordance with Subchapter D and that causes serious bodily injury, as defined by Section 822.001, or death to the other person.

(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree unless the attack causes death, in which event the offense is a felony of the second degree."

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/D ... tm#822.005" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[winters]

I can guarantee you any dog you shoot the owner will be many times more aggressive. From what I have seen the owners are way worse and you may end up having to deal with them in ways you may not want to. Pepper spray works VERY well on a large majority of animals. If you shoot someones dog they will take it as you shot their child and act accordingly. It wont matter to them if you were right or wrong either. These are the same people who always say "my dog would never be aggressive" " My dog would never hurt someone". Which is total bull. Hose them down with pepper spray and be done with it if they come up to you.

On the other hand. I would shoot on the spot any dog I caught already biting or mauling anyone in my family or pets.

[gljjt]

So you have 2 pits, twins, 1 raised to be mean and the other loving. Your out walking with your 5yo and wife and one of these dogs is running at/to you are you going to wait for it to bite/lick you to deterimine your course of action, so by its very action of not being restrained it is a threat even when it might not be. Hate to say it to all the excuse makers if your dog is loose and gets shot or hit by a car look no further than the mirrior for someone to blame.

the ultimate responsibility is on the dog owner, they need to be responsible and not let their dogs roam and try to keep them confined to a house but even the most careful dog owner might have a dog get out at some point for one reason or another.
Every situation is different I would just hope people have enough training and ability to properly asses a situation.

^^^^^^ This

[The Annoyed Man]

10 most dangerous breeds, based on biting statistics: http://puppytoob.com/dog-breeds/the-10- ... tistics/2/

10. St Bernards
9. Great Dane
8. Chow Chow
7. Doberman Pinscher
6. Malamute
5. Wolf-Dog Hybrid
4. Husky
3. German Shepherd
2. Rottweiler
1. Pit Bull

Other links:
http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statis ... istics.php
http://www.dognotebook.com/15-dangerous ... ir-owners/

On the other hand, I have heard that Chihuahuas and Labs bite more people than any other breed, it's just that Chihuahuas never perform fatal attacks, and the number of bites is probably correlational with the popularity of the breed.

The thing is, I've only ever been bitten a few times in my life. The one that required medical attention was a bite to my hand when I was a small child. The dog was a German Shepherd. But I've been bitten a number of times by lapdogs of nearly every breed over the years. "Nipped" would be a more accurate word.

[Abraham]

As a cyclist, most days, I'm almost always attacked by loose dogs while out in the country on fitness rides. Currently, I've upped my milage to 28/30 miles per outing so I come across even more dogs than I used to.

I carry very strong pepper spray, a large Spyderco serrated edge clip it knife and a Glock 19 with a spare mag.

Most of the time, when attacked, the spray (if I spray effectively...) will stop the dog/dogs in their tracks, but if I'm ever dropped to the ground (hasn't happened yet...) because sometimes they'll run in front of me while I'm doing best do get out of their territory and if my front tire goes over one, I'll probably spill to the ground.

If that ever happens, my Glock will be accessed, if I'm physically able to that is...

Today, was an exception. I did my milage while passing 2 German Shephards who were only interested in playful activity with each other and 1 Doberman Pinscher who also had no interest in me. Lucky me.

I love dogs, but recognize that some are threats. I harbor no general ill will toward them.

Those that own dogs and let them roam free are idiots.

Why do I say this?

Not only because I'm attacked by the free rangers, but the hideous number I see dead by the side of the road, obviously hit by vehicles.

Don't let your dog run free.

It's certainly not in his/her best interest, but not in humanitys in general.

[TVGuy]

10 most dangerous breeds, based on biting statistics: http://puppytoob.com/dog-breeds/the-10- ... tistics/2/

10. St Bernards
9. Great Dane
8. Chow Chow
7. Doberman Pinscher
6. Malamute
5. Wolf-Dog Hybrid
4. Husky
3. German Shepherd
2. Rottweiler
1. Pit Bull

Other links:
http://www.dogsbite.org/dog-bite-statis ... istics.php
http://www.dognotebook.com/15-dangerous ... ir-owners/

On the other hand, I have heard that Chihuahuas and Labs bite more people than any other breed, it's just that Chihuahuas never perform fatal attacks, and the number of bites is probably correlational with the popularity of the breed.

The thing is, I've only ever been bitten a few times in my life. The one that required medical attention was a bite to my hand when I was a small child. The dog was a German Shepherd. But I've been bitten a number of times by lapdogs of nearly every breed over the years. "Nipped" would be a more accurate word.

FYI, your source material is unscientific and incorrect. There is no source info on puppytoob.com, dogsbite.org is a website created as propaganda by one woman that was bitten by a dog, and dognotebook.com is another unscientific site with no source info.

There are a number of scientific studies to the contrary of these points and using these mentioned above as fact is as bad as what Moms Demand Action uses for source material.

[Cedar Park Dad]

Those that own dogs and let them roam free are idiots.

Why do I say this?

Not only because I'm attacked by the free rangers, but the hideous number I see dead by the side of the road, obviously hit by vehicles.

Don't let your dog run free.

It's certainly not in his/her best interest, but not in humanitys in general.

[rotor]

In my youth I was a mailman. Attacked by many dogs. I most feared Dobermans and had many ankle nibbles by Chihuahuas which worked in pairs or worse ( worked in a Mexican area) but never bitten by any other dogs. I don't know why the uniform seems to make a difference to a dog but it does. I am a dog lover and I would be hard pressed to kill a dog but I would if need be. Incidentally, some dogs seem to like the uniform whereas some hate it. As a mailman we could not really "defend" ourselves but we could shut off delivery to the whole block and when you stop delivery of the welfare checks to everyone on the block that does the trick. We had one carrier really get it bad when a dog came right through the screen door and got him. I carried a special whip with me, a leather strap about 30" long, the first 15" had a rubber support built into it and the last 15" had 2 straps that slapped together. Essentially shapped like a Y with the top being 15" each and the bottom 15" with a rubber mold in it. Snap the top part on something and it was extremely effective and made a loud snap as well. Folded together it was 15" long or so. Non lethal, effective, easy to carry. Don't know if they still make them. I have 3 dogs now, one is part Chihuahua and pound for pound he is the meanest of the bunch in my house.

[JSThane]

We have dogs that are accidentally free-roam. I put up a fence. They jumped it. I raised the fence. They knocked it down. I reinforced it, and they broke the gate instead.
My dogs aren't dangerous. They listen and mind, except when being yelled at to leave the fence alone. They're gentle enough to trust with an infant, and animal-safe enough that not only are our cats safe, but they don't even try to hurt the field mice they play with. They just like to roam.

If a neighbor shot them, then that neighbor better hope his dogs never got out. I've had one that tried coming onto our property to challenge/attack us and our dogs, but I just ran him off. That dog's never been back. Other dogs have come by, but they get run off too. The neighbors do the same for us and our dogs.

Legally, if someone shot our dogs for coming onto their property, there's nothing we could do. Likewise, if I shot their dogs on our land, they're without legal recourse. But this isn't a good way to win friendly neighbors.

For what it's worth, the only dog to challenge/attack on our own property (and the street, etc), is a big Golden Retriever from up the road a bit. The pit mixes, shepherds, rottweilers, etc., have just wanted to play, but that retriever was the only one I'd classify as "dangerous." So much for dangerous/safe breeds.

[ronin]

If you shoot someones dog they will take it as you shot their child and act accordingly. It wont matter to them if you were right or wrong either. These are the same people who always say "my dog would never be aggressive" " My dog would never hurt someone". Which is total bull.

Like the parents outraged when their "sweet baby" is shot in the act of robbing a convenience store.

[suthdj]

Hate to say it to all the excuse makers if your dog is loose and gets shot or hit by a car look no further than the mirrior for someone to blame.

What excuse makers?

The ones that blame somebody else for their dogs death.