I mean this in all seriousness.
There have been many threads on MT about how to defend one's self against dogs, and in my chosen profession, Home Meal Replacement Specialist, this is something I find very important, but these threads almost always devolve into pointing out that there is no real defense against a highly trained, rabid, super-killer attack dog. My question is, what do I do if I'm attacked by a small dog? Say, one of the toy breeds. Like a toy poodle or shitzu? Or maybe a chihuahua? How about a chihuahua puppy? Yah, a viscious, highly trained, rabid, super-killer chihuahua puppy. With knives in his teeth. Seriously now. I knew a kid growing up who defended himself against a frightening chihuahua attack by punting the dog over the roof of his house to his brother in the back yard. That was effective, but would that be considered reasonable force in case of a jury trial? How do you determine whether or not the dog had lethal intent? If he attacks me with his claws, are those weapons? Can I respond with a rolled up newspaper, or would that be considered escalation? This is not a joke. What if he was drooling, but I couldn't tell if it was because he had rabies or was drunk? What if he's under the influence of PCP or having a Methanphetemine induced psychotic episode? Are there any lawyers here who have been involved in such a case or have any case histories they could site? I'm really worried here and I take this issue very seriously. Sometimes I see these little dogs eyeing me from old ladies purses. Would pre-emptive self defense be warranted if the dog growled at me, or in some way threatened my well being? What if he just seemed fussy? If it is hard to strike a large attack dog in such a way as to do significant damage, I can only assume that it would be exponentially more difficult to defend one's self against a dog one tenth the size. Should I try to offer it my arm if it jumps at my throat? If I'm confronted with a feral toy poodle, should I stand up tall, wave my arms, and scream gibberish at it to try to scare it away? I'm afraid if I run, the poodle will chase me down and visciously assault me from behind because of the chase instinct. Does anyone have any real life experience defending against puppies? What worked for you?
Seriously.
-Rob
There have been many threads on MT about how to defend one's self against dogs, and in my chosen profession, Home Meal Replacement Specialist, this is something I find very important, but these threads almost always devolve into pointing out that there is no real defense against a highly trained, rabid, super-killer attack dog. My question is, what do I do if I'm attacked by a small dog? Say, one of the toy breeds. Like a toy poodle or shitzu? Or maybe a chihuahua? How about a chihuahua puppy? Yah, a viscious, highly trained, rabid, super-killer chihuahua puppy. With knives in his teeth. Seriously now. I knew a kid growing up who defended himself against a frightening chihuahua attack by punting the dog over the roof of his house to his brother in the back yard. That was effective, but would that be considered reasonable force in case of a jury trial? How do you determine whether or not the dog had lethal intent? If he attacks me with his claws, are those weapons? Can I respond with a rolled up newspaper, or would that be considered escalation? This is not a joke. What if he was drooling, but I couldn't tell if it was because he had rabies or was drunk? What if he's under the influence of PCP or having a Methanphetemine induced psychotic episode? Are there any lawyers here who have been involved in such a case or have any case histories they could site? I'm really worried here and I take this issue very seriously. Sometimes I see these little dogs eyeing me from old ladies purses. Would pre-emptive self defense be warranted if the dog growled at me, or in some way threatened my well being? What if he just seemed fussy? If it is hard to strike a large attack dog in such a way as to do significant damage, I can only assume that it would be exponentially more difficult to defend one's self against a dog one tenth the size. Should I try to offer it my arm if it jumps at my throat? If I'm confronted with a feral toy poodle, should I stand up tall, wave my arms, and scream gibberish at it to try to scare it away? I'm afraid if I run, the poodle will chase me down and visciously assault me from behind because of the chase instinct. Does anyone have any real life experience defending against puppies? What worked for you?
Seriously.
-Rob