In conceal/carry legal communities, is it legal to shoot and kill another dog to protect your own? What if your’s is a bull mastiff, and the agressor is a chihuahua?
Realistically, if you’re out walking your pooch, and somebody’s dog attacks, can you legally protect your’s? Or do have to let the “best” dog win? The only way to stop some dogs would be to kill them.
I think conceal/carry only allows you to carry the weapon on your person; it does not carry any special dispensation to the carrier. The laws still apply. If you can claim the dog was attacking your person, then you may get away with it. It’s illegal to discharge a firearm in this municipality, regardless of whether or not you have a permit. The test is, ‘could you have gotten away from the danger?’
Dogs, and other pets, are still considered property in most places. I guess I want to know if shooting would be any different than using a pointy stick to protect your property.
Discharging a firearm in defense of person or property is not generally illegal.
Defense of property is not reason enough to shoot someone or something. If that was the case, I would shoot all the damn moose that munch on my crabapple tree every fall. Defense of your life is a different story. If you shoot someone who is stealing your couch, you’re probably going to go to prison. Now, if the person picks up the couch and tries to turn you into mashed couch potato with it, that’s a different story. Shooting someone in your house becomes your word against his, though, and you may convince a cop or a court that you were being attacked. A dog on the street? Unless there are no witnesses of any kind or anyone to turn in the sound of a gunshot, I wouldn’t advise it.
get between the dogs
get the bad dog to bite YOU
then shoot its owner; dogs deserve to be well-trained
That’s not very defensive of the “good” dog, who’s getting it’s ass whipped. Anyway I don’t have a gun. I’d have to use the pointy stick, which can get pretty messy.
There are bad dogs, folks. Dogs who are mean from the beginning, and don’t respond to any amount of training or gentling.
Try this:
Get behind the attacking dog. Grab him by the hind legs and lift and hold. Dogs are unable to clamp down when their hindquarters are elevated in this manner. Dog mushers do this all the time.
You really don’t like me, do you Chefguy?
I did say to get between the dogs; and I expect most people desirous of killing a viscous attacking dog to use a gun (on the irresponsible owner, of course).
To be serious, I love dogs; I’m not certain I believe there are any beyond training (they have evolved with humans to be trained).
But to address your original problem, how about a nice long walking stick to push at the other dog with? (S)he should bite the stick before your dog (or you) while you holler for the owner.
Oh, and dropping the leash so the dogs can circle each other freely can relieve the tension between the dogs, but that doesn’t sound like the situation your in.