When have you come the closest to shooting someone?

[Irving]

Since we're discussing what level of threat is acceptable to draw on a PERSON, what about an animal? If you are out running or out on a hike with your family and a dog shows aggression towards you, how do people handle that?

I've thought about it before a few times. For instance, if I were running on a street and there was a vehicle I could jump up onto when confronted by a dog, I'd try that option first.

[Jer]

Since we're discussing what level of threat is acceptable to draw on a PERSON, what about an animal? If you are out running or out on a hike with your family and a dog shows aggression towards you, how do people handle that?

This is the one that I lose sleep over. The reason being is if I shoot some thug piece of shit he made his decision and have an opportunity to make another decision. If a dog charges me, my wife or our dogs then that's something the dog is doing out of instinct and it's actually not HIS fault but the owner's fault. He just doing something because he doesn't know any better and that's why there's leash laws and owners aren't allowed by law to let their dogs run free. That doesn't negate the threat presented unfortunately and if I had to shoot someone's dog because of the owner's irresponsibility I would be crushed and would likely look to whoop the shit out of the owner for putting me into that position of having no choice. I hate irresponsible pet owners because whatever had happens to their dog generally won't affect them.

[Irving]

As much as I like dogs and other animals, I'm pretty sure I'd have less bad feelings about putting down a dog when threatened.

I'd kind of like some input about how the police would respond to shooting an animal though. If I guy attacks you with a knife and you shoot him. Cops will probably show up and pat you on the back. But if you shoot a dog that was just trying to saw your leg off at the knee with his teeth, are you going to be given a ticket for unlawfully discharging your fire arm in city limits? Public endangerment? etc?

[sniper7]

I have no issue with shooting a dog that is threatening me or my family (dogs included). I love my dogs like they are children. If another dog attacks it will be all over. As for the police if they try to bring charges against you a lawyer could win that pretty easy.

[Irving]

Something tells me that you wouldn't get a pass as easily if you shoot a dog that is attacking your dog.

Anyone seen that youtube video where the 5 drunk guys are running around in the street hitting people's cars and trying to start a fight? At one point, one of the drunks reaches in and tries to punch some random guy driving by. I can't tell how I would react to that (another guy walks up the hood of the car and onto the roof), but I'm pretty sure that if I were advising another person, I'd tell them that it'd be a bad shoot because the driver of the car could just drive away.

**What actually happens is that the driver of the car pulls down the block, gets out with an aluminum baseball bat, and cracks a few of the guys in the head before he drops the bat, runs back to his car, and has his window smashed out with the bat he drops. **

[BigBear]

Something tells me that you wouldn't get a pass as easily if you shoot a dog that is attacking your dog.

I think you would. Here's a story I don't think I've told on here. Check out the pictures I posted of my dog Buddy. Look specifically at his right ear and find the scarring on his face and right flanks.

Several years ago when I lived up in Ft. Collins I was at a dog park with Buddy. Two guys in a pickup drive up with a pitbull in the bed. The passenger gets out, picks up the pitbull and just throws him (literally) over the fence into the dog park. The dog immediatly goes on the offensive, running after other dogs and starting fights. People are yelling and scrambling.

Luckily, I don't like to be in big crowds and am not very talkative with people to whom I'm not aquianted, so Buddy and I are on the far side of the park. The pit eventaully gets around to seeing Buddy (only one gate in and out and the fence was too high for me to climb over and then hoist Buddy over) and charges him. I try to put myself in front of Buddy but both dogs are just too quick (or I'm too slow). The pit latches on to Buddy. I'm wearing steel toes due to work and am kicking the ever living crap out of this dog (and I'm not a small dude), even in the face but it has no effect. I back off, draw and fire while yelling and warning the supposed owners what I'm doing.

3 shots. 2 hits, 1 miss. 1 front left chest, 1 left side head.

Then all hell breaks loose. People stop screaming about their dogs and they are like "@#^$&, there's a GUN!!!" Cops show up not SECONDS after I finished firing, so someone was quick in calling them thankfully. (Think I was either in disbelief that they threw a dog over the fence or thought maybe the dog would behave itself....) They draw on me, put me on the ground, handcuff, blah, blah, blah. Witnesses step up, things are sorted out. Decided it was a good shot, gun was not taken, they didn't shoot my dog, etc. Got a nifty little piece of paper for court if I needed it. Cops loaded my dog and two others into their cars and drove us to the vet.

The two guys in the truck must've taken off pretty quick as they were no where to be found. Unlikely they ever will be as they were spanish speakers from reports...

Anyways, vet bill was over a grand with no recourse (again, when it rains it pours)... but I love my dog. To this day he's still the sweetest most loyal dog I've ever owned. He doesn't suffer with any emotional trauma and gets long wtih all other animals great.

[Irving]

That's quite the story and am happy to hear it turned out semi-well for you (sorry to hear about Buddy). I think that all those witnesses certainly helped your case.

[BigBear]

That's quite the story and am happy to hear it turned out semi-well for you (sorry to hear about Buddy). I think that all those witnesses certainly helped your case.

Buddy is better than ever. The witnessess certainly were the key, along with the great cops getting everyone to the vet so quickly, etc.

[Irving]

It really makes me happy to hear that you were able to defend your dog in such a public area and you were not treated as a criminal. I'll have to rethink my position on using lethal force against an animal.

[BigBear]

It really makes me happy to hear that you were able to defend your dog in such a public area and you were not treated as a criminal. I'll have to rethink my position on using lethal force against an animal.

I don't know. I'm still a little confused too with the different laws, etc.. This happened in a "dog park" and not on a common or public street. And I had a bunch of witnessess...

I'm assuming if I had been walking my dog down a public street and something like this happened, I would've caught hell and would probably be missing a gun and my dog right now...



If I shoot a cat (lynx, cougar, mountain lion, etc) while hiking, the Rangers can say good shoot as I was protecting myself. If I shoot a cat while in a neighborhood, I can be taken to jail for killing the animals because I should've contacted animal control, yadda yadda... So at this point I just consider myself lucky.