Kythas wrote:To justify the use of deadly force against a person you must feel threatened with the loss of life or bodily harm. I don't see why the threshold would be lower with a dog, and from what you're describing, I'd have felt threatened not only for myself but for my family.
Personally, had I been carrying and the dog moved towards my baby stroller, that decision would have been made then and there - and this from a huge dog lover.
Pit bulls are naturally very friendly animals. They're trained to be aggressive that way. It's a shame.
This situation had the potential to go very badly very quickly.
In most towns it is illegal to let a dog loose like this.
At the very minimum this should be reported as an aggressive dog encounter and be on record.
"My family's safety was at risk Officer"
I believe you would have been right to end this situation.