Dog Walking With Weapons

[HoundHeavenAZ]

We live across the street from the desert in a reasonably nice neighborhood. We've been surprised by a loose pit bull twice since we moved here, seen coyotes and foxes walking near us and we always keep an eye out for the snakes and javalinas as well.

I have imagined an attack and my possible reactions many, many times. I've spoken with Animal Control and have settled on a nice length of PVC pipe and a charged cell phone. The pipe is handy as a cane too I use a coupler so I only have to contend with one leash.

My VOG startled the charging pitbulls, but if that fails I will clobber the snout of any critter that threatens my kids, then go for the front leg, then the phone.

 

Best wishes for a speedy recovery for Chevy and his Mom.

[RaineysMom]

Pepper spray here too (and a squawker in case one gets loose). Although I don't know that I could get it out in time or open it to use it.

 

when our neighbor's 2 dogs came across the street onto our lawn and attacked Nube and Larry (the one is maybe 20 lbs and the other a Pom weighing maybe 5 -- small but they still have teeth -- and both of mine do NOT like other breed dogs) the thought to pull it out never even crossed my mind. Now, since it was our neighbor's dogs, and we really like our neighbors (except that they let theirs out unleashed all the TIME), I don't know if I would have used it regardless. I didn't even want to kick them, I would have for sure hurt the littlest one doing that. It was a tough 30-40 seconds.

[kamsmom]

Ya'll scare me. While I am very, very sad for Chevy I don't want a bunch of "vigilante justice" going around. I think the Halt spray or just a stick would do.

 

About 10 years ago I was watching my now husbands lab. I took him out for a walk and he pulled and got away from me with his leash on. He ran to a guy that was walking a small doxie, the lab rushed in and to the other owner it did seem threatening. Imagine my shock as he pulled a gun out. Scared me to death. He stood there pointing it and shaking and yelling at me to get the dog. I was so scared and started to cry and no way did I want to reach down and grab the dog with him pointing a gun. I called the lab over to me and then quickly walked away. About 10 minutes later I had pounding knocking on my door and a man yelling. I sat in the kitchen on the floor and called 911. The guy left and I never saw him again.

[EnzaFerrari]

This is the most insane conversation ever

Yep.

[a_daerr]

You know . . .I don't know. Bailey and I were talking about this because, even though it wouldn't be his intention, he'd probably end up killing any attacking dog just because of instinct/ adrenaline combined with his strength and combat training. I think dogs are considered personal property, so the legally the charge would be 'destruction of personal property'. Now if it were a person and he killed them in self defense the law would hold him to a higher standard, but I don't think it applies to personal property . . .

 

Right, I don't think you'd go to jail or anything. But I think they could sue you in civil court for damages and maybe pain and suffering? God knows how much they would get. How can you really put a pricetag on a dog's life?

[Busderpuddle]

Personally I don't think this is an insane conversation at all. It's about being prepared in case you need to be.

Appreciate all the replies and I think I am going to look for a heavy stick or shock stick of some sort.

Ruby has been attacked so it does happen and I want to be prepared.

Hugs to Chevy. How is he doing ?

[rallyp]

This is the most insane conversation ever

Yep.

Seriously! Now all I can imagine is every person I've seen walking a greyhound carrying knives, tasers, guns, and medieval torture devices... all concealed in their fanny packs and disguised by scented poopbag adornments. I don't think I'll ever look at people at a greyhound gathering the same again. I'm surprised there hasn't been an apocalypse at the Dewey Reach the Beach event

[GreyTzu]

[GreyTzu]

Even better...

 

[Guest WhiteWave]

I used to carry Halt pepper spray. I have used it before (a long time ago) on 3 small terrier type dogs that ran loose all the time and would charge my dogs. One time they did attack them and I managed to spray one of them, but Scrappy my Doberman I had grabbed one and slung it into the road where it was hit and killed by a speeding car. Never had much of an issue after that. He kept the other 2 up.

 

After I moved, for a long time, we had no loose dogs and now they are everywhere. Casper ended up ripping his leg open a few nights ago trying to get one that was in my driveway. He busted thru my garden fence and when he bent the metal fence post, it sliced the front of leg. But he was being a bit of an a$$ since it was a Yorkiepoo and not much of a threat to his territory.

 

So I rarely walk my dogs in my neighborhood. I take them hiking and I do carry a hunting knife.

 

Also I rarely if ever walk my Greyhound by themselves, one reason I will always try to have a Dogo or similar dog. Not many dogs (or people) are going to willingly take on a Dogo and if they do, they will regret it. Any time a loose dog comes at us, Ronon gets behind Casper right away. He knows where he is safe. Very few if any loose dogs will actually come all the way once they realize Casper means business, most bark and back up.

[Time4ANap]

That's true... Halt! is on a little clip that you can connect to your leash or your belt loop, which helps matters a little bit.

Do not clip it to the leash. if your dog pulls hard oryou have to let go of the leash, the Halts is gone. The can is not that big and will easily clip to a belt or pants pocket. All you have to remember is that the clip goes in the back (against your palm) when you are spraying it. Very easy to use.

[kelseysmom]

Ya'll scare me. While I am very, very sad for Chevy I don't want a bunch of "vigilante justice" going around. I think the Halt spray or just a stick would do.

 

About 10 years ago I was watching my now husbands lab. I took him out for a walk and he pulled and got away from me with his leash on. He ran to a guy that was walking a small doxie, the lab rushed in and to the other owner it did seem threatening. Imagine my shock as he pulled a gun out. Scared me to death. He stood there pointing it and shaking and yelling at me to get the dog. I was so scared and started to cry and no way did I want to reach down and grab the dog with him pointing a gun. I called the lab over to me and then quickly walked away. About 10 minutes later I had pounding knocking on my door and a man yelling. I sat in the kitchen on the floor and called 911. The guy left and I never saw him again.

This is exactly what could go wrong. I'm horrified that you went through this, Beth. Sadly, I've read all too often on GT that dogs who come running up to GTer's greyhounds are automatically seen as a threat. People on other threads have actually been proud to say that they have or would not hesitate to kick even a small dog in the head if they run up to their greyhound. This is normal dog behavior. Is it sometimes scary? Absolutely!

 

There are a lot of off leash dogs in our neighborhood and not having a yard in the city requires us to leash walk the dogs several times daily. I've had dogs come charging at Bixby from across the street and I was lucky that it turned out well although they were barking their heads off. We've witnessed Lima Bean being attacked by two pit bulls (who live upstairs) on my back patio. I totally understand the concern now more than ever. But if Bixby ever got loose and someone harmed him because he ran up to them and their dog, I would be devastated. It's sometimes very difficult to gauge another dog's intentions until the last moment. I understand that folks don't want to take that risk but there simply has to be a better answer than seeing every off leash dog as a moving target for guns, knives and tasers.

 

Seriously! Now all I can imagine is every person I've seen walking a greyhound carrying knives, tasers, guns, and medieval torture devices... all concealed in their fanny packs and disguised by scented poopbag adornments. I don't think I'll ever look at people at a greyhound gathering the same again. I'm surprised there hasn't been an apocalypse at the Dewey Reach the Beach event

Edited March 13, 2013 by kelseysmom

[Remolacha]

My goal is always to head off the other dog and prevent contact. Even friendly contact, because one of my dogs is leash aggressive and does not like other breeds. If a loose dog runs up to us and I can't head it off, there will be a fight, Fletcher will see to that. I am sorry if it offends or scares some of you, but I really need to do whatever I can to prevent contact. Scaring the crap out of the other dog is my first choice, with non-lethal (hopefully) harm a last resort.

 

I think I will stop reading this thread now

[Yamaha_gurl]

. Sadly, I've read all too often on GT that dogs who come running up to GTer's greyhounds are automatically seen as a threat.

 

I hear ya. My greyhound has much more um, how do I say this...grouchiness than my italian mastiff. No question, if they were loose and would run up to a dog or person...I'm positive they'd worry more about my mastiff, than greyhound. Based only looks, very sad.

Edited March 13, 2013 by Yamaha_gurl

[Guest Adrianne]

Interesting read. I have some thoughts, but they'll have to wait til this evening since I'm headed out the door for work.

 

Chevy is doing well, resting & healing. Thanks for asking. He's hanging out with hubby today, so fingers crossed all goes well.

[EnzaFerrari]

Seriously! Now all I can imagine is every person I've seen walking a greyhound carrying knives, tasers, guns, and medieval torture devices... all concealed in their fanny packs and disguised by scented poopbag adornments. I don't think I'll ever look at people at a greyhound gathering the same again. I'm surprised there hasn't been an apocalypse at the Dewey Reach the Beach event

From now on, I'm walking Enza with a trebuchet.

[GreyTzu]

Non-trained personnel are never good at skills they have not practiced.

[a_daerr]

From now on, I'm walking Enza with a trebuchet.

 

I got the throwing stars.

[winnie]

I already stated that I don't carry any weapons when walking my dogs - but I don't condone those that feel safer doing so for whatever reason.

 

When walking my dogs this morning, I was reminded that my Big, Barking Bonny is my best defense. She is leash aggressive with non-greyhounds. It drives me nuts, but perhaps its a good thing. I do try to be aware of my surrounds at all times and be on the lookout for other dogs. Bonny has developed a bit of a reputation in our neighborhood. Usually I'm the one crossing the street when I see other dogs coming. This morning, a lady walking her two dogs crossed the street to avoid us. That didn't stop Bonny from barking her head off.

[racindog]

Also I rarely if ever walk my Greyhound by themselves, one reason I will always try to have a Dogo or similar dog. Not many dogs (or people) are going to willingly take on a Dogo and if they do, they will regret it. Any time a loose dog comes at us, Ronon gets behind Casper right away. He knows where he is safe. Very few if any loose dogs will actually come all the way once they realize Casper means business, most bark and back up.

Same here except our guard is a Belgian Malinois. And I found out the same thing you did. The other dogs rarely if ever will challenge a dog such as Casper or my Reba. They do seem to hone in on greyhounds for some reason though. They can obviously tell that typical greyhounds are easy prey. My soulmate Slim of course was the exception-"greyhound" or not they knew they didn't want any of him. And Reba, well if any of the loose dogs are stupid enough to bring a maligator into the fight then they deserve the fur coated chain saw on meth they turn on. She was added to the pack specifically to provide security services for her k-9 and skin family. I don't care what anybody thinks about my being protective of my greyhounds. I will protect them to the best of my ability using any and all means as I have been trained to do and I don't care about the outcome for the aggressors either.

[RedHead]

I have to say, I have never thought about carrying anything with me while walking. The only legal thing I can carry is a stick anyways, so I figure the metal leash end and my boots could go just as good a job if my adrenline was pumping and I had to do something. I don't let it prevent me from walking, my dogs can get hurt in a lot of ways, and luckily, it isn't a big issue where I walk. I feel for those people who have had bad experiences, or live in areas where this is common though.

 

I have seen 2 or 3 coyotes this week walking, and I am more worried about them than dogs. I doubt they would attack, they always run away, but if we ever surprised one or caught it off guard and it attacked, it would really freak me out. I would probably rather face off with a coyote than a large, powerful dog though!

[greyhoundlady]

So easy to see the love and affection we all have for our greys. I know it also applies to any of the breeds that are owned by 'us' because it seems to be a very special personality that brings these guys into our homes. I just hope that anyone reading this topic who doesn't yet own a grey, or is a recent adopter, doesn't get frightened that they must hire an armed guard to accompany them on their walks with greys :-). I live in a woodsy area, safe, with many dogs. All the owners love their dogs as much as I love mine, and if I had to do deathly harm to any of them, I could not live with myself. I carry Direct Stop in my pocket, which is citronella based, and have used it when a Jack Russell got out of his garage and came charging at my greys. I saw him coming, stood my ground (never run as they will just chase) and when he got in range, I sprayed him full in the face. He ran back home, the owner apologized, and said 'he' deserved it. Oh, my, if I did anything worse, I can't imagine what that reaction would have been. They are nice people. If I can avoid a loose dog situation, I will as I am always watching. If I can't then I will judge it for what it is.

 

That being said, everyone has different scenarios, and although I don't think I need to fully arm myself, others feel different.

 

I am so glad Chevy is doing okay. When I first read the post, tears were running down my face for all involved. Sadly, it is usually the owners that create the bad dogs. Totally understand the emotion this brings out.

 

Continue to improve, Chevy :-)

[Time4ANap]

There's a big difference between an accidentally loose dog who wants to see your dog, and a charging angry dog or pack of dogs. Last year, one of the neighbors rat sized dogs got out while we were walking by their house, and it charged Rocket. It did break the skin on his legs by nipping him, and the neighbors were horrified and offered to pay any vet bills. DW didn't use the pepper spray, just tried to keep them separated while the owner was coming to get the dog. It was purely an accident..

 

On the other end of the spectrum, we have a moron on the next street with a pit bull that his "ex-girlfriend stuck him with." That poor dog is unwanted, not socialized, spends it's days tied outside or in the garage, and is walked using a fricking flexi-lead. That flexi-lead, even though very heavy duty, is going to fly apart one of these days when that dog is trying to charge another dog. I honestly think that the pit bull is so lonely that he just wants to play when he sees another dog, but most people here have little white designer mutts and will think that dog wants a meal because he's barking and running toward them.

 

The pit bull is the reason I carry the things that I do, mostly because his version of play could critically injure Rocket or another dog quickly. The owner has absolutely no control over his dog, and I don't expect that I would either if an incident occurred. The things I carry would be used as a last resort, but I feel it's better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them.

[Roo]

At my house, we always carry something when we go on walks - usually a walking stick (made from river cane so it's not really heavy but is still pretty durable) or a hiking-walking-stick. Occasionally I'll tuck a pocket knife in pocket before leaving, which wouldn't do much good against an attacking dog, but could probably inflict some pain in a human should the need arise (and if I was able to get the knife part open in the first place). Failing that, I have my keys - stuck out between fingers and gripped in a fist, could be effective. Having my black belt in Taekwondo (rusty though I am, I still remember the basics) also helps with peace of mind.

 

I walk in the woods near my house - big woods, but they back up to a busy street and a college, so we get all sorts of people wandering around. We had a man many years ago who walked around naked (I was young, so I was forbidden to enter the woods alone). Luckily most of the dogs walking with their people are either well-trained, friendly, or leashed.

 

Really, anything can be a weapon. A leash could even be a weapon if you got creative enough with it. I carry my Canon T3i on walks on a regular basis and while I'd certainly hate to break it, I would not hesitate to swing it at an attacker - canine, human, or otherwise. Better a busted $800 camera than serious injury or death. Though I know how to use a gun, I cannot imagine walking around my neighborhood or the woods (where it's technically against the law) armed with one - I would be jumpy and constantly looking over my shoulder. That's just how I am. I'm sure I'd feel differently if I saw a coyote charging me, but fortunately for me the coyotes around here tend to only come out at night, and I'm not usually out at night anymore.

 

I remember when I was young and we had our first grey, Regis, there was an aggressive black lab that lived up the street. Well, maybe he was less aggressive and more territorial, but he still barked and growled and snarled, running out into the street. I was only around for a couple of the walks when he charged. At first, Dad waved his walking stick and screamed at Elvis (the lab) - things like "HEY!". This worked very well. It definitely wouldn't work in all situations, and especially not the ones where the attack happens out of no where and in the blink of an eye, but if you see a dog advancing and have a stick or zappy-stick (complete with electric noises!) or airhorn or something similar, it may be enough.

[Guest zombrie]

I don't walk my dogs with a weapon but there was a dog fight in our house between 2 of our dogs and I can tell you as someone who was kicking my own dog as hard as I could and he still wouldn't let go, any kind of spray would not have done any good at all. A spray may work for a dog who is running over for a visit like Time4anap was saying, but not a dog who is truly attacking IMHO.