Dog attacks

S&Wfanatic · #1

Not sure where to post this but looking for a Texas law on this.

Let's say, hypotheticaly of course, that you and your kids are walking down the road or over at a neighbors house and someones dog starts running and growling at you and your kids. Your a CHL and are carrying. You see the dog is not backing down even though you and your kids are backing away. Then the unthinkable happens, the dog lunges and attacks you or your kids. You draw and fire killing the dog. Is there a Texas law that protects you from prosucution?

Thank you for any and all replies.

RiverRat · #2

My neighbors were recently walking and bitten by the neighbors two pit bulls. They called the police, who issued a citation for not controlling his animals, a manditory court appearance because of the bites, animal control took his dogs for a 10 vacation in isolation to make sure they didn't have rabies. The judge promised they would be put down on any future occurence, he was found guilty and fined. He has controlled his animals since.

To answer your question, if you were in fear for your life, or the lives of others, a shooting might be justified. I would also expect it to be expensive in defending that reaction.

boomerang · #3

When all else fails there's § 9.22.

dicion · #4

RiverRat wrote:animal control took his dogs for a 10 vacation in isolation to make sure they didn't have rabies.

... I'm glad they cared... considering Rabies has a 48-hour or less treatment period from the bite, so if they found out they did 3 days later, its already too late for the people bitten.

Also, the only conclusive way to test for rabies is to kill the animal and take a sample from the brain. So this 10 days thing is useless.

If you get bit by an animal, and there is even the slightest chance they might have rabies, get the shots. They suck, but you can't be too safe.
I haven't personally had to have them, but a friend of mine did when I was a kid, when he got bit by some woodland creature in the woods.

Just a friendly reminder from someone who grew up in the northeast countryside, where it seems that rabies is a lot more common then down here.

RiverRat · #5

dicion wrote:
RiverRat wrote:animal control took his dogs for a 10 vacation in isolation to make sure they didn't have rabies.
... I'm glad they cared... considering Rabies has a 48-hour or less treatment period from the bite, so if they found out they did 3 days later, its already too late for the people bitten.

Also, the only conclusive way to test for rabies is to kill the animal and take a sample from the brain. So this 10 days thing is useless.

If you get bit by an animal, and there is even the slightest chance they might have rabies, get the shots. They suck, but you can't be too safe.
I haven't personally had to have them, but a friend of mine did when I was a kid, when he got bit by some woodland creature in the woods.

Just a friendly reminder from someone who grew up in the northeast countryside, where it seems that rabies is a lot more common then down here.

The neighbors went through the rabies shots in the stomach series because of the bites. That part wasn't funny.

Maybe the 10 days were for doggie psychological evaluation?

Frost · #6

Pepper spray

dicion · #7

Frost wrote:Pepper spray

My belt is already crowded, I'm gonna need a police duty belt soon enough, and now you want me to carry pepper spray too?

No thanks.. I'll just carry my Lead spray.

If a 'large breed animal' that is capable of causing me serious injury is running at me, unleashed, with an obvious intent to attack me, I'll let it see the business end of my lead sprayer.

If a dachshund is waddling it's way towards me, however, I'll just give it a light kick to the side :P

TexasVet · #8

Actually the 10 day quarantine is not useless. If bitten by an unvaccinated animal that can carry rabies you should always start on treatment, if you have not gotten the prophylactic vaccines. The 10 days is 10 days because an animal has to be shedding the virus in its saliva to be infective. If shedding, the neurologic symptoms are quickly noted (within a day or two) and the human can continue treatment. If the animal bites someone and it shows clinical signs of rabies on day 11 then it is next to impossible to have been shedding the virus when it bit the person on day 1, so that person would not have to go through all the shots.

dicion wrote:
RiverRat wrote:animal control took his dogs for a 10 vacation in isolation to make sure they didn't have rabies.
... I'm glad they cared... considering Rabies has a 48-hour or less treatment period from the bite, so if they found out they did 3 days later, its already too late for the people bitten.

Also, the only conclusive way to test for rabies is to kill the animal and take a sample from the brain. So this 10 days thing is useless.

If you get bit by an animal, and there is even the slightest chance they might have rabies, get the shots. They suck, but you can't be too safe.
I haven't personally had to have them, but a friend of mine did when I was a kid, when he got bit by some woodland creature in the woods.

Just a friendly reminder from someone who grew up in the northeast countryside, where it seems that rabies is a lot more common then down here.

dicion · #9

Ok, good to know texasvet! Thanks for the info!

I guess my point was, either way, you're getting a shot in the gut, at least to start, quarantine or not :)

TexasVet · #10

dicion wrote:Ok, good to know texasvet! Thanks for the info!

I guess my point was, either way, you're getting a shot in the gut, at least to start, quarantine or not :)

Actually they don't do the shots in the gut anymore, there have been some advances and if I correctly recall they have gone from chick embryo to recombinant human. So I think it just goes in any muscle (arm, butt) and should not hurt nearly as much as in the old days.

joe817 · #11

S&Wfanatic wrote:Not sure where to post this but looking for a Texas law on this.
Let's say, hypotheticaly of course, that you and your kids are walking down the road or over at a neighbors house and someones dog starts running and growling at you and your kids. Your a CHL and are carrying. You see the dog is not backing down even though you and your kids are backing away. Then the unthinkable happens, the dog lunges and attacks you or your kids. You draw and fire killing the dog. Is there a Texas law that protects you from prosucution?
Thank you for any and all replies.

That would be a good question for an attorney. But IMHO, given that scenario, I would have done the same, without hesitation, as most of us here would. My take is that lethal force is justified, as you and your child are indeed threatened with bodily harm, and possible death, if you did not. And I would gladly face any consequences of my actions.

frazzled · #12

If a 'large breed animal' that is capable of causing me serious injury is running at me, unleashed, with an obvious intent to attack me, I'll let it see the business end of my lead sprayer.

If a dachshund is waddling it's way towards me, however, I'll just give it a light kick to the side :P

Purplehood · #13

What if it is a young, lithe Daschund in the prime of its life?

dicion · #14

Purplehood wrote:What if it is a young, lithe Daschund in the prime of its life?

Then maybe it can hit 5mph top speed, instead of just 4?

dewayneward · #15

Quote dicion Re: Dog attacks
by dicion » Wed Jun 24, 2009 7:12 am

Purplehood wrote:
What if it is a young, lithe Daschund in the prime of its life?

Then maybe it can hit 5mph top speed, instead of just 4?

What purplehood was getting at was the cop that whacked the dog and didnt get in trouble.