Urban Trekker
Brown Belt
I'm primarily a "preparedness" type of guy, and I just remembered an incident that happened to me about 8 years ago.
I used to drive taxis as a second job, back before rideshare was a thing.
On one particular late evening, I was finished with my shift. Turned in the cab, paid my lease, and out the door I went. As I stepped outside, there were a few pitbulls running around the parking lot. I remember there being at least three. Likely escaped from the yard of someone who lived nearby. I tried walking to my car, but the dogs were being "aggressively friendly," if that makes any sense to you. Jumping all over me, wanting to me play with them... but doing it in such a way that I feared any consequence that might come as a result of me trying to shoo them away.
Then I had remembered something. I was less than 10 ft away from the door, and inside the lobby, there were gumball machines. One with candy, one with M&M's, and one with assorted nuts. I immediately went back inside, and popped enough quarters in to get two handfuls of nuts. As I walked back outside, I threw the nuts around, and the dogs immediately started grazing on them. I was able to walk to my car, having completely lost the dogs' attention.
As a result of this, I now keep dog treats in my backpack, just in case. And I don't even have a dog.
Were it not for my quick thinking in that situation, who knows what could have happened.
I'm curious to know: does anyone else have a plan for self-defense against non-human attackers?
I used to drive taxis as a second job, back before rideshare was a thing.
On one particular late evening, I was finished with my shift. Turned in the cab, paid my lease, and out the door I went. As I stepped outside, there were a few pitbulls running around the parking lot. I remember there being at least three. Likely escaped from the yard of someone who lived nearby. I tried walking to my car, but the dogs were being "aggressively friendly," if that makes any sense to you. Jumping all over me, wanting to me play with them... but doing it in such a way that I feared any consequence that might come as a result of me trying to shoo them away.
Then I had remembered something. I was less than 10 ft away from the door, and inside the lobby, there were gumball machines. One with candy, one with M&M's, and one with assorted nuts. I immediately went back inside, and popped enough quarters in to get two handfuls of nuts. As I walked back outside, I threw the nuts around, and the dogs immediately started grazing on them. I was able to walk to my car, having completely lost the dogs' attention.
As a result of this, I now keep dog treats in my backpack, just in case. And I don't even have a dog.
Were it not for my quick thinking in that situation, who knows what could have happened.
I'm curious to know: does anyone else have a plan for self-defense against non-human attackers?