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Protection from Dog Attacks

TomH

New member
Joined
May 4, 2012
Messages
1
Location
San Diego, CA
The area I live in, San Diego, CA, has the second highest rate of dog attacks on postal carriers in the nation. Only the Houston, TX, area has a higher rate, that’s according to the USPS. Of course, the aggressive dog problem is not limited to postal carriers. It just happens that they keep statistics on the problem.

I notice angry dogs every time I go for a walk through my neighborhood. I have been threatened by large aggressive dogs many times. In suburbia, people like having large dogs to deter burglars. The trouble is, dogs don't know who is or isn't a burglar so they threaten everyone they see.

Front yards are small in San Diego, so you get the feeling you can't walk down the sidewalk without infringing on what somebody's dog considers his territory, personal space or protection zone. So, on a daily basis I'm under threat as I walk to improve my general health.

If I lived in another state, I would carry a small pistol for personal protection, but here in California that is against the law. I carry pepper spray and a knife but would rather carry a pistol. I'm also considering a taser, but again I would prefer a small pistol. I don’t want to harm anyone’s dog, but I don’t want to be mauled either.

Here is a related article about a woman who died recently in San Diego County due to a dog attack. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...after-being-attacked-by-dog-in-escondido.html
Here in San Diego all you can do is sue the homeowner after the fact, assuming you survive the attack. Any thoughts? Comments?
 
Last edited:

mark-in-texas

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2010
Messages
319
Location
Richmond, Tx
OC-moto beat me to it, but I was going to say that with their hightened sense of smell, pepper spray does work well on dogs. I don't know about Cali law on the matter though; they've banned just about everthing else!!!
 

rushcreek2

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
909
Location
Colorado Springs. CO
A word of caution before relying on pepper spray to defend yourself from a dog attack. I am a retired USPS letter carrier myself. I experienced one trip to the emergency room back in 1975 following a nasty attack by 2 Brittanys, and I have successfully warded off attacks by Doberman's, German Shepherds, and one St Bernard without pepper spray- only body language. I made the mistake of turning my back on the Brittanys because I perceived them as "friendly's".

You set yourself up for a bite whenever you behave like "weak" prey. Never discount the approach of a strange dog. Stand your ground as best you are able, and SLOWLY back out of it's zone.

Probably not legal in San Diego - but a canister of "Bear-pepper spray" would be my 2nd choice if I was bound & determined to walk into the path of dogs. A 6 foot long hickory walking stick isn't a bad idea either.
There's a man in our neighborhood - we call "Moses" because he regularly walks with such a "staff" at hand.

I believe it was brought up on a recent episode of " The Dog Whisperer" - that pepper spray should not be relied upon to stop a full-blown Pit Bull attack.

All of this aside - I reserve my right to be the one who decides precisely HOW to best arm myself for self defense against 4 legged or 2 legged vermin. I do my best to travel and visit only those jurisdictions that respect my free exercise of that reserved right. That's one important reason WHY I am a Colorado resident.
 

M-Taliesin

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2011
Messages
1,504
Location
Aurora, Colorado
Howdy!
There is pepper spray, then there is pepper spray. As might be expected, the stuff comes in various strengths and blends.

I'd suggest carrying law enforcement strength pepper spray.
The type I prefer uses a combination of very hot pepper spray with tear gas and mace blended in.
That being said, you must be wary of wind direction when deploying that sort of weapon, because it can do more to incapacitate you than the attacking dogs, depending on how the breeze is blowing.

For about $70 bucks, you can buy a stun gun that kicks out 1 million volts of electrical power to incapacitate the largest attacking dog, but the downside is you're going to need to apply it directly to the animal, which is too close to be comfortable.

Finally, I'd recommend a citizen's taser. It will take down an attacker, whether dog or man, extremely effectively. Assuming, of course, it is properly deployed. Tasers will fire off two probes that stick into the skin or clothing. If one misses and does not secure on the body, the device becomes ineffective. This, too, is a close range device. You have maybe 15 feet of line from the taser device to the target. Both probes must hit and stick. The cost of such device is around $300 bucks.

A walking stick, as suggested, might be useful, but I'd likely choose an ASP baton. They average about a foot long and with a flick of the wrist, throw out to their full length. They come in 16 inch (too bleeding small), 21 inch, 26 inch and 32 inch length. They are made of steel and when extended, tend to lock in place and are effective when used to strike against nerve bundles (ganglia). You might consider learning about such devices and how to use them effectively before bothering with that particular option.

Using a handgun in a place like California can be much more trouble and far more costly than you are prepared to handle.
A much more simple suggestion might be to find a local park near your home where you can walk without as much concern for dogs, and perhaps fewer of them to deal with. That's another whole can of worms, however.

Personally, based on your details, I'd go with law enforcement pepper spray with combination tear gas and mace.
You might find an odd dog that can attack despite pepper spray. They won't likely overcome mace or tear gas used in combination with pepper spray. An ASP baton as backup likely would not hurt either.

Just a few suggestions as came to mind reading your question.

Do not walk with fear! Dogs can smell fear on you like bacon frying in the skillet. They'll be much more likely to try their stuff on a fearful person than one what projects an air of power. The same goes for 2 legged animals. They can sense fear and apprehension and view it as a victim they can pounce upon with confidence! They can sense fear, and view it as weakness, and an attack will be much more likely. Get rid of fear, and you eliminate much of your likelihood to be chosen as victim.

Then again, you could move to a state where you are free to carry a handgun and solve the problem of all manner of vermin real effectively!

Best of Luck!
Blessings,
M-Taliesin
 

ALOC1911

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2011
Messages
70
Location
Troy, AL
A small spray bottle full of amonia or straight clorox works well too. No animal on earth can withstand amonia to the face.
 

Robin47

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2008
Messages
545
Location
Susanville, California, USA
The area I live in, San Diego, CA, has the second highest rate of dog attacks on postal carriers in the nation. Only the Houston, TX, area has a higher rate, that’s according to the USPS. Of course, the aggressive dog problem is not limited to postal carriers. It just happens that they keep statistics on the problem.

I notice angry dogs every time I go for a walk through my neighborhood. I have been threatened by large aggressive dogs many times. In suburbia, people like having large dogs to deter burglars. The trouble is, dogs don't know who is or isn't a burglar so they threaten everyone they see.

Front yards are small in San Diego, so you get the feeling you can't walk down the sidewalk without infringing on what somebody's dog considers his territory, personal space or protection zone. So, on a daily basis I'm under threat as I walk to improve my general health.

If I lived in another state, I would carry a small pistol for personal protection, but here in California that is against the law. I carry pepper spray and a knife but would rather carry a pistol. I'm also considering a taser, but again I would prefer a small pistol. I don’t want to harm anyone’s dog, but I don’t want to be mauled either.

Here is a related article about a woman who died recently in San Diego County due to a dog attack. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...after-being-attacked-by-dog-in-escondido.html
Here in San Diego all you can do is sue the homeowner after the fact, assuming you survive the attack. Any thoughts? Comments?


I would go for the "ZULU Spear", and 18" blade & about 6 foot long can protect you even
from a mountain lions. :) Google it !
There around $70.00, but you can hunt with them to.Wild Boar comes to mind.
Just tell people if asked, "Its my walking stick"
Tell them the truth, wild dogs, ans snakes of all kinds.
People might just start to get the IDEA you need to " defend yourself " ! Robin47 :)
 

robert1970

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Messages
111
Location
idaho
Howdy!
There is pepper spray, then there is pepper spray. As might be expected, the stuff comes in various strengths and blends.

I'd suggest carrying law enforcement strength pepper spray.
The type I prefer uses a combination of very hot pepper spray with tear gas and mace blended in.
That being said, you must be wary of wind direction when deploying that sort of weapon, because it can do more to incapacitate you than the attacking dogs, depending on how the breeze is blowing.

For about $70 bucks, you can buy a stun gun that kicks out 1 million volts of electrical power to incapacitate the largest attacking dog, but the downside is you're going to need to apply it directly to the animal, which is too close to be comfortable.

Finally, I'd recommend a citizen's taser. It will take down an attacker, whether dog or man, extremely effectively. Assuming, of course, it is properly deployed. Tasers will fire off two probes that stick into the skin or clothing. If one misses and does not secure on the body, the device becomes ineffective. This, too, is a close range device. You have maybe 15 feet of line from the taser device to the target. Both probes must hit and stick. The cost of such device is around $300 bucks.

A walking stick, as suggested, might be useful, but I'd likely choose an ASP baton. They average about a foot long and with a flick of the wrist, throw out to their full length. They come in 16 inch (too bleeding small), 21 inch, 26 inch and 32 inch length. They are made of steel and when extended, tend to lock in place and are effective when used to strike against nerve bundles (ganglia). You might consider learning about such devices and how to use them effectively before bothering with that particular option.

Using a handgun in a place like California can be much more trouble and far more costly than you are prepared to handle.
A much more simple suggestion might be to find a local park near your home where you can walk without as much concern for dogs, and perhaps fewer of them to deal with. That's another whole can of worms, however.

Personally, based on your details, I'd go with law enforcement pepper spray with combination tear gas and mace.
You might find an odd dog that can attack despite pepper spray. They won't likely overcome mace or tear gas used in combination with pepper spray. An ASP baton as backup likely would not hurt either.

Just a few suggestions as came to mind reading your question.

Do not walk with fear! Dogs can smell fear on you like bacon frying in the skillet. They'll be much more likely to try their stuff on a fearful person than one what projects an air of power. The same goes for 2 legged animals. They can sense fear and apprehension and view it as a victim they can pounce upon with confidence! They can sense fear, and view it as weakness, and an attack will be much more likely. Get rid of fear, and you eliminate much of your likelihood to be chosen as victim.

Then again, you could move to a state where you are free to carry a handgun and solve the problem of all manner of vermin real effectively!

Best of Luck!
Blessings,
M-Taliesin

i stoped a dog attack once with a 10 gauge browning bps
 

sawah

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2011
Messages
436
Location
Virginia
I'd like to see Caesar Milan's (the Dog Whisperer) take on dog attacks. But what I'd do is walk with an umbrella with a quick open button. I've seen a site touting this as an effective dog repellant, stopping an attack easily. Failing that, take a walking staff, or walk elsewhere. If you can't walk elsewhere, wear sturdy shoes and thick long pants and a video cam. If you can get a good vid of an actual attempted attack you might be able to get Animal Control involved. It seems like a lot of work, but consider if you effectively solved the problem you could make the neighborhood safe for kids and females to walk.

Good luck.
 

rscottie

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
608
Location
Ashland, Kentucky, USA
I'd like to see Caesar Milan's (the Dog Whisperer) take on dog attacks. But what I'd do is walk with an umbrella with a quick open button. I've seen a site touting this as an effective dog repellant, stopping an attack easily. Failing that, take a walking staff, or walk elsewhere. If you can't walk elsewhere, wear sturdy shoes and thick long pants and a video cam. If you can get a good vid of an actual attempted attack you might be able to get Animal Control involved. It seems like a lot of work, but consider if you effectively solved the problem you could make the neighborhood safe for kids and females to walk.

Good luck.

I went to see my dad one day and found him walking up the road to his house.

He was carrying a cane!

Now, I did not know that my dad needed a cane but yeah, he has had 4 stints put in his heart and is 76, but this was the first time I had seen him with a cane.

I stopped and asked if he wanted a ride and he shrugged me off and said he was almost done with his exercise.

I did not mention the cane as my dad is very proud and I was not sure what to say.

I went ahead down to his house and waited for him.

He gets back and we go in. He does not mention the cane until he notices me looking at it.

To my relief he laughs and says, "So you never have seen an old man with a cane?"

I just laughed and said, "It's no big deal dad, it is good that you are out walking."

He laughed and said, "I don't need a cane son..." as he picks it up and pulls it apart. "I need this!"

This freaking thing had a dagger inside that was probably 2 feet long!

He explained that there was a big dog that had threatened him and his wife on a walk and he wanted that just in case.

I asked where is Chiefs Special was and he said, "Right here", as he showed me it was in his jacket pocket.

He then said that the cane was backup to the revolver. He figured he would try and whack the dog first, stab it second, and finally shoot it as a last resort.

I laughed and told him that he was always the dog lover and would do anything to not shoot one. I told him he should shoot first if attacked!
 

ConsideringOC

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
51
Location
San Diego, California, USA
A walking stick, as suggested, might be useful, but I'd likely choose an ASP baton. They average about a foot long and with a flick of the wrist, throw out to their full length. They come in 16 inch (too bleeding small), 21 inch, 26 inch and 32 inch length. They are made of steel and when extended, tend to lock in place and are effective when used to strike against nerve bundles (ganglia). You might consider learning about such devices and how to use them effectively before bothering with that particular option.

Carrying an ASP in California and not being a peace officer or an on duty guard...... is a FELONY! (22210 pc "Billy Club")
 
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