Question about dogs

[XDS45]

I used the search feature and couldn't find an answer so I will explain the situation.
Me and my daughter went to the range today and when we came home,the neighbors pitbull was loose again and came at my daughter and growling like it was going to attack.
She yelled and the dog ran the other way. This isn't the first time this has happened with this dog. Anyways,I don't have a loaded gun when I leave the house or when I return since I shoot it all at the range.
I took my gun inside and put it in the safe and went over to talk to her about her dog.She was very rude and said her dog won't bite.(yeah right that's what they all say) so I told her I will have the police come out and see what they say.
I do that and she is warned that next time she will get fined for her dog running loose.
I asked the 2 cops if the dog latches on,am I allowed to shoot?He said there is a law about firing in city limits but that in this case,I would be defending myself or whoever the dog latches on to. Pretty clear on that part. What I don't know is if the the dog is on my property and is in attack mode if I am allowed to shoot it before it does latch on. I do have smaller kids and they are not able to defend a dog of that size. The last thing I want to do is put a dog down and it would make me sick to my stomach having to,but I also don't want one of my kids or myself hurt by this dog.
So what am I allowed to do if it is on my property charging at me or the kids? I don't want to get in trouble for making the wrong choice.
When I did confront the owner,I did not tell her I would shoot the dog or make any kind of threat or comment stating that. I really hope I don't have to ever do that,but will to protect myself or kids.
I am not anti pitbull.I have friends who have them and they are mostly nice dogs and they never try to attack anyone. I truly believe it is how they are raised that makes them either mean or not. I have been around to many nice ones and came to this conclusion.
Also this woman has 3 other dogs in the house another pitbull and 2 boxers. The other dogs I never see out unless in back in the fence,but the white one I am talking about gets out. Not sure why they don't watch the dogs knowing it gets out.
I do have a dog of my own and I or someone always goes out with him even though he is small and harmless. I don't trust the neighbor dogs.

 

[swany11]

When I did confront the owner,I did not tell her I would shoot the dog or make any kind of threat or comment stating that. I really hope I don't have to ever do that,but will to protect myself or kids.

Smart move not telling her that you would shoot to protect if necessary. That's the first thing she would say if something happened...."premeditated".

And smart to actually talk to her about it first.

 

[jwh20]

The laws about using a firearm in defense of yourself or others do NOT specify that the threat needs to be human and a pitbull is able to inflict severe injury and death to a human without any trouble at all.

In my opinion you have possibly made an error in discussing what you might do in advance of actually doing it. So I suggest you contact an attorney and get sound legal advice.

 

[MrsGungho]

in our situation animal control was called, said owner paid all vet bills for our dog that his dog attacked and fined by animal control. Once the AC officer left his home she told us if we see the dog out and ready to attack anything again, shoot it.

hubby was OC'n, as normal, when the lady arrived.

 

[mkgr22]

It's not exactly an answer to your question, but I would think that trying to shoot a dog that was latched on to your daughter would be dangerous for her.

 

[JetGirl]

Earlier this week, Mr.Jet stopped where I work and waited for the shop to close up so he could follow me over to a co-worker's house to look at some remodeling they had done to decide on whether to hire the same installer to do the same for us.

We caravan over there and Mr.Jet parks behind me on the street. I get out and start walking back to his car...two big dogs with Pit-like heads and stocky bodies (but really long legs making them really tall pit mixes of some weird sort) came running out of some yard, around his car, and straight at me. They weren't menacing or acting all ticked like they were gonna bite...but as stated above, you never know!!
The one closest to the car jumped up on the driver window and had front paw nails hooked in that crevice where the window meets door. The window was up, but JL looks up and is nose to nose (through glass) with this dog...who then starts losing his paw grab and nails are sliding down the door. Good thing that car is already a piece of crap...
The second one (at the same time) bee lined to me and was wagging tail and head butting me and swinging his butt around to my side like "pet me, scratch me" and did little front hops and pawed on my jacket sleeve/shoulder...
These dogs didn't SEEM like they were wanting to kill kill kill, but again as stated upthread, you never know!

The owner came lumbering out of his front door as JL was trying to open his car door without A) deeper scratches and B) dog trying to fit himself in the car... and the guy who came out for them really acted weird when he came to call them back into his yard.

Never said sorry, never scolded the dogs for running out into the street, never said two syllables to us about anything.
All that being said, I don't want to shoot somebody's pet dog...Don't don't don't, like EVER.
But...All it would take would be one or the other snapping out of playful pup mode and turning into Cujo and...well...I'm sure the owner would be a little more interested in what his dogs were doing jumping on strangers in the middle of the street.

 

[Denny347]

If you are on your property or neutral property where a dog runs up on you and bites/or tries to bite you and you are in fear for your safety, do what you have to. Remember this, unless it's a contact shot, moving dogs are VERY hard to hit. If you have to shoot it, it will likely have to be close enough that you will likely get bit first. I have dealt with vicious dogs before, many times during the course of my duties. Thankfully I have not had to shoot any. I've choked out one with a Ketch-all, and sprayed a couple with OC/CS spray. The OC/CS worked very well at changing their channel from attack to retreat. Thankfully, the VAST majority of "vicious dogs" are quite friendly when I grab my bag of dog treats out of the trunk .

 

[XDS45]

I know it would have to be a close up shot,very close. If one did latch on to the kids,I'd find a way to shoot without putting the child in danger. It may take a few rounds to the torso or at least 1 to get the dog off,but I'd try to find away to safely do it.
My dog is the same way Denny,he tries to act like he is going to bite when new people come in,but cheerios always calms him down.But we are talking a smaller ankle biter compared to a much bigger dog.
Like I posted,the last thing I'd want to ever do is have to shoot the animal and it would be a last resort to do so. Hopefully the police scared her enough yesterday that they will take care of it and make sure it doesn't get out of the fence again,that'd be my idea fix to the problem,keep the dog where it belongs.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I used a Buick Park Avenue. (Rottweiler on the attack, lucky for me I had a Buick Park Avenue hit it before the dog got to me).

Remember a couple of things when it comes to dogs, 1) they are nimble forest creatures and tough to hit on the move, your background will likely involve other humans and asphalt and other ric prone material, 2) people are VERY attached to their dogs. As well, people who were not there will get VERY animated about an individual who shoots a dog (they call those people "the jury pool").

Keep the kids away. Carry spray as well as a pistol. Use the spray first.

 

[JetGirl]

people are VERY attached to their dogs.

Problem is, not "attached" enough to want to keep them safe 24/7... fence, leash, underground barrier, etc..
FluffyFang gets the run of the neighborhood without much control nor care, unless/until something bad happens. NOW the owners are all interested in its fate.
/DayLateDollarShort

 

[Snapdragon]

Problem is, not "attached" enough to want to keep them safe 24/7... fence, leash, underground barrier, etc..
FluffyFang gets the run of the neighborhood without much control nor care, unless/until something bad happens. NOW the owners are all interested in its fate.
/DayLateDollarShort

This, unfortunately. A-holes.

 

[VERT]

It's not exactly an answer to your question, but I would think that trying to shoot a dog that was latched on to your daughter would be dangerous for her.

This is my concern as well. Like Denny said moving dogs are hard to hit. I have had to shoot one very aggressive pitbull like dog before. In that case it was "SSS" (shoot, shovel and shutup). I have practiced drills simulating hitting a moving dog, never as easy as it sounds. I would definitely not want to shoot at a dog that was moving and had hold of my child.

My neighbor has a rescue dog (might be part horse) that gets out. This thing must weigh 120 pounds! It was beaten by its previous owner and does not like men. She claims it is friendly with children. My wife tells me to take no chances, especially since our 40lb daughter would stand little chance. We also have a problem with people dumping dogs out by our subdivision. Honestly getting dog bit is more of a concern for me then other threats. I have talked with several neighbors, one of which has dispatched more then one hungry and aggressive stray, and shooting dogs is certainly an option where we live. One reason he built a large privacy fence.

 

[45fan]

This is my concern as well. Like Denny said moving dogs are hard to hit. I have had to shoot one very aggressive pitbull like dog before. In that case it was "SSS" (shoot, shovel and shutup). I have practiced drills simulating hitting a moving dog, never as easy as it sounds. I would definitely not want to shoot at a dog that was moving and had hold of my child.
.

Not doubting your drills at all, but please explain your simulated running dog drill. You have peaked my interest. Not that it takes much, anything involving shooting and a drill I am unfamiliar with usually does get my interest peaked, lol.

 

[Bunnykid68]

If you are on your property or neutral property where a dog runs up on you and bites/or tries to bite you and you are in fear for your safety, do what you have to. Remember this, unless it's a contact shot, moving dogs are VERY hard to hit. If you have to shoot it, it will likely have to be close enough that you will likely get bit first. I have dealt with vicious dogs before, many times during the course of my duties. Thankfully I have not had to shoot any. I've choked out one with a Ketch-all, and sprayed a couple with OC/CS spray. The OC/CS worked very well at changing their channel from attack to retreat. Thankfully, the VAST majority of "vicious dogs" are quite friendly when I grab my bag of dog treats out of the trunk .

You transport prisoners in your trunk?

 

[VERT]

Not doubting your drills at all, but please explain your simulated running dog drill. You have peaked my interest. Not that it takes much, anything involving shooting and a drill I am unfamiliar with usually does get my interest peaked, lol.

Tie a 2 liter pop bottle onto a long piece of rope. Have a partner who is behind you take the other end of said rope and run away from you. The bottle will bounce across the ground towards you. Shoot the the bottle. No it is not perfect but it is about the right size and it is moving/bouncing towards you. I have shot this drill as part of an instructors course. I have some LEO buddies who practice it as well.

 

[45fan]

Actually sounds like it could be a bit more challenging in some ways. Bottle is a little small for the average "threatening" dog, and I am sure that it bounces quite irregularly. If you can hit that, you are doing better than I would guess the average person to be. Kudos, sir.

 

[TB1999]

how do you say "stop resisting" in k9?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Problem is, not "attached" enough to want to keep them safe 24/7...

Yeah, well, you know how that goes, EVERYONE is a responsible dog owner, just ask them. EVERYONE is safe with guns, just ask them. EVERYONE respects property rights, just ask the guys parking in my parking lot.

 

[VERT]

Actually sounds like it could be a bit more challenging in some ways. Bottle is a little small for the average "threatening" dog, and I am sure that it bounces quite irregularly. If you can hit that, you are doing better than I would guess the average person to be. Kudos, sir.

Dog is larger then a bottle, but how large is the target that a person actually needs to hit? In other words where is all the good stuff in said dog that a bullet would need to actually make contact. Same can be said about larger two legged animals, they are relatively large but the spots that might need to be targeted are smaller.

 

[Bandsaw]

I want to point out virtually every time a pit bull kills a child, the owner moans about what a"gentle, loving creature" the beast was. There have been several maulings and killings by pit bulls this spring. I don't live in the city, but the next pass the dog made at me or my kids would be his last.
I lost a calf to a pair of pit bulls last spring, and of course, when confronted the owner replied that "it couldn't be my dogs!" I explained that indeed it was his dogs, and further explained my "shoot on sight" policy. He agreed that it was reasonable, and to his credit, has so far kept his dogs off our farm. Perhaps our using our farm lane a quarter mile down the road as our shooting range has reinforced the idea.
We are not surprised when a herding dog instinctively herds, nor when a hunting dog instinctively hunts. Why, then, would anyone not expect a dog that is bred to fight and kill to do exactly that. I have no patience for pit bulls or their owners. I consider crossing my property line ample reason to use a lead injection device and turn a pit bull into a "good" pit bull.