Defending yourself or others against animal attack..

[HoughMade]

Did you shoot from cover? Did you need to reload? Did you apply first aid after the shoot? Details, man, details.

One of us ran away. I won't say which one.

 

[rhino]

I can't believe humanity has gotten to the point where this is even a topic for discussion. An animal showing material aggression towards me, much less my family, will no longer be allowed to continue using oxygen.

Agreed. I have no emotional attachments to animals and I won't let one hurt me if I can stop it.

 

[Old Prof]

Looks like using pepper spray would be a better option if a large angry dog gets a bit too close.

Way less legal ramifications compared to using a gun.Plus you will save your hearing as well.
You can't just shoot a dog that is following you.
If it's not self defense you could get in trouble for discharging a gun within city limits, possibly getting sued by the dog's owner or any bystander hurt by the shot (noise or ricochet).

You can spray some condiment in the air between the dog and you to create distance.That's legal anywhere.

I used to bike in rural Kentucky, and packs of dogs would decide to chase me. A blast of pepper spray did wonders. Plus, since it is quiet and non-lethal, you can be more aggressive in its use.

I would have no trouble killing a dog that seriously threatens me, my family, or my dog. I would be heartbroken to shoot a dog that I thought was going to attack me and that turned out to be some kids pet. Pepper spray allows me to do the former while avoiding the latter. And having a gun as backup isn't a bad idea. I have no idea how a trained attack dog or rabid animal would react to pepper spray.

 

[Alpo]

Wait - where does this idea come from (in Indiana)?

Pets (and any domesticated animal, really) are basically chattel. If I damage yours, I owe you the cost to replace. If you are in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury, you can take whatever steps necessary to defend yourself (while avoiding switching over to being an aggressor of your own). If that's a dog, a bear, or a parrot, you do what you gotta do.

In fact, its pretty clear that Carmel is probably the only place you could use a firearm to shepherd a wayward dog back to its yard.

I was once in this exact situation with a parrot. He was verbally abusive. Rather than drop him off his perch with a .357, I exited the building with most of my ego intact.

 

[Sylvain]

I used to bike in rural Kentucky, and packs of dogs would decide to chase me. A blast of pepper spray did wonders. Plus, since it is quiet and non-lethal, you can be more aggressive in its use.

I would have no trouble killing a dog that seriously threatens me, my family, or my dog. I would be heartbroken to shoot a dog that I thought was going to attack me and that turned out to be some kids pet. Pepper spray allows me to do the former while avoiding the latter. And having a gun as backup isn't a bad idea. I have no idea how a trained attack dog or rabid animal would react to pepper spray.

It's also probably easier to hit a dog with a fog of pepper spray than it it with a bullet if the dog is charging at you.
Also if the dog is already on you and trying to bite your legs do you really want to use a gun and potentially shoot yourself in the leg or foot?

 

[AndersonIN]

Sylvain, saw your tag. I was once attacked by a turtle. It ran after me! I was ready to shoot it but it stopped. Lucky for it!

 

[Sylvain]

Sylvain, saw your tag. I was once attacked by a turtle. It ran after me! I was ready to shoot it but it stopped. Lucky for it!

Lucky for you! Turtles are bulletproof, not much you could have done besides running faster.

 

[HoughMade]

Lucky for you! Turtles are bulletproof, not much you could have done besides running faster.

Bullet resistant​. Don't ask.

 

[singlestacksig]

Other than the odds of a stray dog attacking you, do we have any wild animal problems in NWI that we need to be concerned about?

Fox, groundhog, raccoon, deer.. I have seen them all be very aggressive... especially if they have distemper or rabies ..
Deer will attack you if you get between then and a fawn..

 

[rhino]

Fox, groundhog, raccoon, deer.. I have seen them all be very aggressive... especially if they have distemper or rabies ..
Deer will attack you if you get between then and a fawn..

And for coyotes, well, they always shoot first. That's my story.

 

[rosejm]

And for coyotes, well, they always shoot first. That's my story.

Damn right! Have you seen the slingshots those coyotes use?!?

[video=youtube;A8JqycAn0hY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8JqycAn0hY[/video]

 

[actaeon277]

Defense is defense.
I understand a lawyer has to give his client the best defense... but "only for defense against people, and not animals"? WTF?

 

[Lelliott8]

Defense is defense.
I understand a lawyer has to give his client the best defense... but "only for defense against people, and not animals"? WTF?

To translate: You have to let the animal kill you or you will go to jail.

 

[actaeon277]

To translate: You have to let the animal kill you or you will go to jail.

Couldn't we just put the lawyer in jail for contempt of court?

 

[Flagg]

I'm sure the legality is the same as if you were defending against a human.

That being said, I always carry mace (as does my wife) and an ASP when walking our dog for this very reason. I've had way more potential self defense scenarios against big stray dogs (esp. downtown Indy) than against people. It's nice to have options.

 

[Benp]

Sometimes an animal will attack when it has a lead deficiency.

 

[JDimitri]

The sad thing is how public opinion comes into play. People will see a shot dog and try to spin the story that the person was the aggressor and garner sympathy for the animal in question. Case in point, in a town near where I used to live in Texas, a man had a chicken coop. His neighbors had dogs that would wander onto his property and kill his chickens. Guy warned the neighbors about their dogs killing his live stock. Well, it kept happening and the guy had enough so when the dogs came to the chicken coop again, he shot the two dogs killing them. Word got out fast and the neighbors were trying to play victim so the guy in question was receiving death threats from all around the U. S. for protecting his property. People did not want to hear the truth of the situation. Which is usually the case now days. The worst part is the general public basis their decisions on emotion and not fact.

 

[EPeter213]

The sad thing is how public opinion comes into play. People will see a shot dog and try to spin the story that the person was the aggressor and garner sympathy for the animal in question. Case in point, in a town near where I used to live in Texas, a man had a chicken coop. His neighbors had dogs that would wander onto his property and kill his chickens. Guy warned the neighbors about their dogs killing his live stock. Well, it kept happening and the guy had enough so when the dogs came to the chicken coop again, he shot the two dogs killing them. Word got out fast and the neighbors were trying to play victim so the guy in question was receiving death threats from all around the U. S. for protecting his property. People did not want to hear the truth of the situation. Which is usually the case now days. The worst part is the general public basis their decisions on emotion and not fact.

Good reason to own a backhoe

 

[Thor]

Or a smoker.

 

[rhino]

Good reason to own a backhoe

[STRIKE]Or[/STRIKE] and a smoker.

Fixed it for you.