I drew my weapon in self defense: Gun owners & Dog Walkers

Growling from a dog in this instance is like the OP drawing his gun. If the dog pulled his own trigger it could have been bad for the OP.

All I have to say is to the people that are so against guns, if guns ever get taken away from people in America I hope y'all notice how many shootings and deaths happen because the true criminals will still have guns and will have no fear in breaking into peoples houses or anything because they know responsible law abiding citizens will no longer have anything to defend themselves from a criminal with a gun.

 

Are you one of those psycho pit-bull owners? I hope not. I have seen some pits that seem fine, and most bully-breeds won't go after people, although they like to attack other smaller dogs. That's just what they were bred to do. 9 times out of 10 it's breeding and the dog owner at fault.

That being said, sometimes you see one of these pitbulls that is so clearly aggressive and has the crazy eyes something fierce that you would be a fool not to be afraid of it. And yet, that's what they always say when blaming the victim in dog attacks.."He sensed your fear, so it's your fault your face was ripped off.."

 

Never happening, so moot point and argument.

 

I have definitely seen the crazy eyes in a pit bull, and the feeling isnt warm and fuzzy. However, I have seen those crazy eyes in a small percentage of every breed of dog that ive ever worked with (I have a dog grooming/pet supply store, and I also do training after business hours.)

No, I'm not a psycho pit bull owner. That was an ignorant statement, and slightly alarming, coming from a LEO who will see and deal with lots of dogs through the course of his career.

 

This is exactly this post. It was just a situation, this was in how I handeled it and the result. I don't care about getting shit.. I have not read any post here and thought this guy is giving me shit. I have read a lot of different oppinons and some that made me think.. Yeah that would have been much better. I learned.

Thank you for understanding.

Thanks

This is a terrible thing not to be supported by the institutions and local you pay for. I am sure being a puppy mill this guy makes sure his W2 is filled out every year. They could have at least looked into it. I am very sad you are in this situation. I would have a hard time not confronting / video taping my neighbor and posting very were I could if I saw some one abusing any animal like that.

I hope law in Maryland change enough for you to be able to protect your self.

Exactly you have the choice to shoot. It seems some people forget that.
At 6' away any dog can cover that in less than a second.. That is a ponce and a lung away.

 

I'm not sure the exact laws here in GA, but I think it allows you to shoot or otherwise stop a loose dog that's is believed to be about to bite, even if it is obviously too small be life threatening.

We have this spitz about 25 pounds or so, with a bad habit of bolting after a passing car or a jogger if he accidently gets out the door. He's never bitten anyone because he always stops and turns away, especially if they shout or gesture at him. But he makes a very obnoxious noise and speed in the process, so you sure think he is going to attack. So we take every precaution possible to keep him away from the front door.

But this one time a couple police cars and ambulance came to the house due to a medical call. In all the confusion, somone let the dog bolt and he headed straight for one of the cops getting out of the car (a female). She shouted and then someone got control of the dog and went back in.

The officer informed me, she had her hand on the gun and if he had kept coming he was about to be gone.

(I was silently thinking, I wish she had, but that is a whole other story.)

 

Can defend myself from being attacked, and a rushing snarling dog could very quickly turn into a dog with teeth sunk into a leg. You wait until the dog takes a bite outta you then try to draw and or maybe give the pup a treat and a "good dog" and he'll just let go. I'm not going to be hurt and then try to cash in on it.

There is no way to know what detered the dog from biting - His turn to face, the gun, the shouting - but this is the reason to carry for self defense. He did not do anything that warranted the aggressive approach of that dog, other than be in the area. And was likely a second or two away from being injured. Luckily, he did not have to deal with that because of the preparation and decisions he has made.

It's bullshit that the OP even had to deal with this at all - so trying to say he made it worse by responding in a way that allowed him to ensure his own safety from other people being neglegent is just daft.

 

Ok, I understand you have to protect yourself, and you were feeling threatened by this dog to the point that you were afraid of being mauled, or whatever.

With that in mind,

You enabled the situation to come up by breaking the law by carrying without a permit (stated above.) So had you fired, not only would that just be stupid (people around) it breeds the question of could you get out of shooting a barking dog, when you're illegally carrying? The reason I say that, I would think the cops would put two and two together as in 'OP doesn't break the law illegally carrying - situation doesn't come up.' 2ndly, say the dog owner doesn't jump on his dog, and pulls his own gun and tells you stand down or he shoots you (he is properly licensed)? Situation escalated.

I feel you are using your ends to justify the means of carrying illegally, and I imagine a court scenario going something like 'well if the dog was on a leash this wouldn't have happened'....true that, on the other side being a german shepard, what if it rips the leash outta the owners hand and same thing plays out. Which their (dog owner's) response will be 'he was illegally carrying a firearm, and shot my dog.' Which is a more serious offense, and who do you think the court will side with?

Just my 2 cents, and offering a different view. I wasn't there, so I don't know. However, I've been bit many a times, and its not fun by any means. Glad it worked out and everyone is safe. If I misread/interpreted any of the OP's posts, I apologize.

 

If the dog attacked the "illegal carry" might simply be charged with the violation, the "legal" CC guy doesn't have more rights because he bought with the permit, so if he shoots the illegal carry guy, he has to show justification..... if illegal carry didn't draw on him its likely manslaughter or murder. Each development has to be weighed.

"I shot an illegal carry, who shot my loose dog, that bit him" wont fly as a defense.

 

your a better man than i am, if a dog would have tired to attack me it would be bad news for the dog i dont care whos dog it is. i got bit in the face last year, the next day it felt like i went 12 rounds with mike tyson it hurt so bad.

 

Point I'm making here, is the situation could have escalated much worse. It wouldn't be on the grounds of 'illegal carry or not', but people tend to not be cool when guns come out. I was just stating that because he pulled a gun, the dog owner may then perceive HIS life is being threatened, and pull his own weapon. With that in mind, say dog owner pulls a gun (after OP is drawn) and shoots OP. Cops show up, dead OP, gun in hand, drawn, makes for a decent self defense case for dog owner, in my opinion. Maybe I'm just ignorant.

EDIT

 

And I will agree, each situation is different, and must be weighed.

 

a while back i read you laws and it looked to me that you could carry a black powder pistol openly without any license in MD...because the BP pistol doesnt meet the definition of a handgun so you dont need a license????????

 

You're not ignorant, I just wasn't sure where you were coming from. What you just said is why I don't really trust too many people here in town, especially in groups.
I see a lot of people who practice their stories here and just say " your word against mine". Good documentation on some (vehicle) accidents and decent witnesses keep the liars at bay.

 

In AZ we do not have to have a license to carry open or concealed. So I am not illegally carrying a weapon. It is an interesting fact that a lot of people don't know they are breaking the law when they go by a school with a fire arm. Addressing this is Arizona specific. I am not shure what your state fire arms laws are.

I was away from the school when his happened, the school property is across the street from the park separated by a football field. The letter of the law is school property. Not the school building. The rout I take in the park takes me past the park. There is realy no way to avoid me going past the school win less than 1000 feet of the school, Technical I live with in 1000 feet So a loaded gun in my home is in violation of the law. The law here in AZ sees that as a gray aria. I don't know what the court would say.

Had the dog slip his lead an not been off leash I would have done the same I did above.

So.. IF the guy had produced a firearm him self this changes the whole scenario. There is no question in my mind what I would have done.

I still maintain it was more than a just barking dog.

 

This is the whole reason I own guns. Some people are content to live their lives hoping for the best and coping with whatever happens to them. Having a gun is like wearing safety glasses and a hard hat when working. Some will think its silly, others will respect the preparedness, but when something happens, it may not save you, but you will at least have done everything you could do to deal with the risks. When there are no dangerous animals, people or rights being infringed and no more danger to myself and loved ones, I will give up my defense guns, but never my hunting weapons.

 

If shooting barking dogs were ok then that yappy little waste of air across the street would have been shot about 8 times on Saturday 10-12 times on Sunday and 9 or ten times yesterday. The owners know about it and when I come out and set on my porch they quickly come out and grab the dog and drag it inside. I guess I have a mean glint in my eye while sharpening kitchen knives.

 

With this you can not use lethal force to protect property in Arizona. In Arizona dog is property.

I drew on the dog protecting my self. If he dew on me to protect his dog that is his property. Now if he shot me dead, It is his word agents mine.. and if I am dead I don't have much to say. And I am sure his defense would be I was a running mad man with a gun.

If some one is breaking into my home I can protect my self. If some one is breaking into my truck and I am not in my truck I can not protect my truck with lethal force. I am strictly talking letter of the law.

Now.. If some guy is breaking into my truck and I give him an order at gunpoint and he does not comply or runaway. The then becomes a treat to my person. Please read up on your local laws.

 

I don't even understand the appeal of having pets off their leashes. Why do some people think its "cool" or "neat" to have their dogs walking beside them without a leash? They're animals with animalistic instincts! Plus, in most places where people do this its against the law.

I would argue that most "house trained" dogs will run after whatever it wants to; whether its a squirrel, a bird, another dog, a person, a car, or just for the the fun of running around. People that buy dogs and "train" them to sit, shake, roll over, and go to the bathroom outside rarely train them to know the difference between a guy that's robbing you and a guy running on a path through the park. Leash laws are put in place for a reason: to protect the citizens of the community. I get mad every time I see someone breaking that law. Yeah, most of the time nothing happens when dogs are off their leash at parks. But if my dog was off leash and bit a guy running, a kid playing, or even another dog I would be completely responsible.

You may have a "good" dog, but you never know how other people or animals will respond to your dog. If a kid is afraid of dogs and runs away, your "good" dog may think its a game and chase after the kid. And what do a lot of dogs do when they're playing with kids? They circle around the kids and jump up on them. Have fun apologizing to that kid's parents as the kid is crying in terror.

I'm not a gun owner, but I'm not against gun ownership. I think the OP did the right thing. I think pepper spray might have been a better option in this situation, but a gun wasn't the wrong option. If the dog attacked him, he would have had a much better time explaining the story to the police if pepper spray was used. However, he had a gun and it was drawn. He was protecting himself. If the dog lunged to attack, then he likely would have fired. But the dog never lunged to attack so he never fired.