TexasCHLforum.com

txinvestigator wrote: Can you show me the law that prohibits a person from suing?

You quoted it here. Can't imagine a suit would get too far with this:

http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... attack+law

§ 822.013. DOGS OR COYOTES THAT ATTACK ANIMALS.
(a) A dog or coyote that is attacking, is about to attack, or has recently attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowls may be killed by:
(1) any person witnessing the attack; or
(2) the attacked animal's owner or a person acting on behalf of the owner if the owner or person has knowledge of the attack.
(b) A person who kills a dog or coyote as provided by this section is not liable for damages to the owner, keeper, or person in control of the dog or coyote.
(c) A person who discovers on the person's property a dog or coyote known or suspected of having killed livestock, domestic animals, or fowls may detain or impound the dog or coyote and return it to its owner or deliver the dog or coyote to the local animal control authority. The owner of the dog or coyote is liable for all costs incurred in the capture and care of the dog or coyote and all damage done by the dog or coyote.
(d) The owner, keeper, or person in control of a dog or coyote that is known to have attacked livestock, domestic animals, or fowls shall control the dog or coyote in a manner approved by the local animal control authority.
(e) A person is not required to acquire a hunting license under Section 42.002, Parks and Wildlife Code, to kill a dog or coyote under this section.

FIFTY wrote: What kind of civil or criminal repercussions could you expect if you decided to discharge your firearm in order to protect your dog on public property (ie: the sidewalk as in this video)?

I assume that the owner of the attacking, and now dead dog, could initiate a civil suit, but would this be illegally discharging your firearm if inside city limits?

No. State law prohibits them from suing. Unsure about the discharge inside city limits...

Molon_labe wrote:The officer in my CHL course laid it out "NO bull"

1. Have you ever tried to kill a dog..its darn hard
2. Have you ever seen two dogs fight, they are all over the dang place
3. How would you explain to the lady down the street that your richochete trying to defend your animal killed her little Suzy playing in the front yard, or to the grand jury?
4. Is that dog worth the risk of killing innocent bystanders?
5. What the heck were you thinking just blasting rounds off like that?

If it was a child heck yes, a dog...its hard to determine, however some people treat their dogs as thier children

It would be very difficult to handle..but would a jury find you negligent and put you in prison?

Tazer/pepper spray would be much much more effective than blasting away, but yes...the movie makes my blood boil something fierce

I agree with you that many times pepper spray is a better option than shooting. Pepper spray is a great first option when only one dog of reasonable size is attacking. But I've got quite a bit of experience with dog attacks and I just don't agree with your instructors advice.

1. Dogs are fast moving and can be very difficult to hit when in a furball; this does not mean that they are hard to kill. Dogs are significantly LESS likely to survive a gunshot wound than people.

2. If you're going to hit 'Suzy' down the street you almost certainly need more practice... the difficulty in dog attack is hitting the dog you're shooting at and not hitting whoever/whatever the dog is attacking. That's your main issue. You may need contact shot. It can be easier to shoot a dog early rather than wait till the attacking dog is fully engaged.

3. Accidentally hitting an innocent bystander is more of a risk of a lawsuit than jail time. Did you instructor give you any examples of somebody who went to jail in such a case? I can't think of anybody.

4. IF a dog is on the loose and attacking my dog... I would assume that I'm next. There are millions of dog attacks each year and several people die each year from dog attacks. There's no time to waste in protecting MY safety. You can't outrun a healthy fullsize dog.