# Two vicious pitbulls are coming towards me. What's my best plan of action? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 9, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258 "2018-01-09T19:02:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/121 "2018-01-19T04:14:09Z")
I’ve never had two aggressive dogs coming at me, but I’ve often faced one aggressive dog. Usually, they are aggressive either because they are defending their territory or because they are afraid of you. > [@nelliebly](#): > > …I stood my ground, legs wide, hands on hips. I did not make eye contact. I spoke in a low, calm, firm voice. Dog stopped in its tracks and after barking a few times to show he meant business, left… This is more or less the approach I’ve always taken. If I am on the dog’s territory, I walk sideways to the dog, but away from it’s home. If the dog is afraid of me, I tell it it is a good dog. Most dogs understand that, and find it calming. If the dog is afraid of me, I also sometimes yawn. I read somewhere that dogs yawn as an expression of friendly dominance. “I’m the boss, but I bear you no ill will.” I don’t know if it’s true, but sometimes it seems to help. Of course, if it was just two big dogs ambling towards me, I would not expect them to attack. I’d still try to look large and dominant and non-threatening, but I’d also invite them to sniff my fist, which seems like a good general-purpose way to greet a dog. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/122 "2018-01-19T16:16:12Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > K-9bfriender, we agree on some points. One point is that pit bulls are not generally bred to be human aggressive and the great majority are fine with humans. The point where I think we disagree s that pit bulls have been bred to have a very specific mindset when they go into fight or attack mode which is unique to several of the fighting breeds. Once they go into this mode it doesn’t really matter what species it is directed at. There attacks are generally more intense and they are much harder to stop. This along with being very strong dogs makes a vicious one or even an enraged on particularly dangerous. I am not even sure if enraged fits the description, as they seem to be more machine like in an attack than vicious or enraged. You will see this when trying to separate them, they will have a deep bit an their opponent that they will not release even when held, no growing, no shaking, they just won’t release. They don’t even appear to be in the red zone, they just seem to be in kill mode the same way an auto mechanic might approach a car he wants to fix. I have quite a few years working with dogs myself and have spent more than my share of time with pit bulls, I can’t say I have ever had a bad experience with one but I have witnessed some. Sounds like the husky that tried to eat me the other day. Had a real nice grip on my arm, and it was quite a bit of work to get it to let go. I got some pretty serious lacerations from it, first time i’ve visited urgent care over a dog encounter since we started. My forearm is still bandaged. What you describe is a dog attacking. Pit bulls are dogs, so sure, that describes a pitbull attack too, but it is not exclusive to them. In my job, I expose dogs to the worst day of their life, a bath. And nail trimming, and running a 700 mph high velocity dryer in their face. > [@Magiver](#): > > Question in court, “Did you feel threatened”, answer “yes”. > > That’s pretty much then end of the case. The dogs can’t testify and your what-if witness is incapable of assessing the shooter’s state of mind. You do need to be in a reasonable fear of your life. What you are claiming is that you could just walk around shooting people’s dogs in their own yards, out of a fear. If the witness says that the dogs were not near you, were not showing any signs of aggression, then you’re not going to have a leg to stand on. And, if you do get away with it, it is because you lied, committed perjury, because you killed dogs for no reason and had to lie to justify it. If what you are saying is that you can come up with a convincing lie to tell the court to get out of trouble, you are correct, it is hard for a court to tell when you are lying. But that can be said for any crime. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/123 "2018-01-19T18:21:36Z")
> [@jonpluc](#): > > Because pit pulls were also bred to be guard dogs. (Rottweilers more so than Pitt bulls but no difference between the two breeds behaviors imo) As others have stated, this is incorrect, ‘were bred to be guard dogs’ in any traditional sense. No they were not. And anyway your point doesn’t agree with the one I was answering, which seemed to claimed ‘trained to fight to the death’ (against dogs in a fight, or to bait bulls or other violent use) was what made ‘pit bulls’ uniquely dangerous. It’s also typical of the pattern of these debates of a bunch of different, sometimes contradictory, often demonstrably incorrect arguments. None of which ever include scientific evidence. Since there is none, of breed as a causal factor in dog aggression toward humans. But this statement like some others on the same general side stumbles close to the actual truth in a sense. One reason for the hysteria about so called ‘pit bulls’\* is that bad owner behavior, like amateur training of random dogs to be guard or attack dogs, tends to victimize that type of dog disproportionately in recent times. But APBT/AST/SBT guard dog breeds? That’s clearly incorrect. \*it needs to be repeated every time that what people call ‘pit bull’ and the actual breeds strictly considered so, APBT, AST, SBT, varies much more widely than it does for say Rottweilers or say Irish Wolf Hounds (which are bred to fight and kill a big wild version of canine, so why doesn’t that make them ‘dangerous because bred to fight to the death’?). ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/124 "2018-01-19T18:40:48Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > … Doubt all you want. Police shoot dogs all the time. … Police shoot people too. Regular citizens are held to a different standard than police in the line of duty. It’s an immaterial bit. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/125 "2018-01-19T21:12:56Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > As others have stated, this is incorrect, ‘were bred to be guard dogs’ in any traditional sense. No they were not. And anyway your point doesn’t agree with the one I was answering, which seemed to claimed ‘trained to fight to the death’ (against dogs in a fight, or to bait bulls or other violent use) was what made ‘pit bulls’ uniquely dangerous. It’s also typical of the pattern of these debates of a bunch of different, sometimes contradictory, often demonstrably incorrect arguments. None of which ever include scientific evidence. Since there is none, of breed as a causal factor in dog aggression toward humans. > > But this statement like some others on the same general side stumbles close to the actual truth in a sense. One reason for the hysteria about so called ‘pit bulls’\* is that bad owner behavior, like amateur training of random dogs to be guard or attack dogs, tends to victimize that type of dog disproportionately in recent times. But APBT/AST/SBT guard dog breeds? That’s clearly incorrect. > > \*it needs to be repeated every time that what people call ‘pit bull’ and the actual breeds strictly considered so, APBT, AST, SBT, varies much more widely than it does for say Rottweilers or say Irish Wolf Hounds (which are bred to fight and kill a big wild version of canine, so why doesn’t that make them ‘dangerous because bred to fight to the death’?). Not sure how familiar you are with dog breeding but in most cases extreme traits whether it be pointing birds or herding sheep has to be carefully maintained in the breeding lines. Only the best are usually bred. Most of your guard and fighting type dogs have been relegated more toward show lines and the fighting instinct although still there is very much bred down. Pit bulls in most cases are the same but there are still large amount of fighting dog breeders keeping these more extreme aggressive traits prominent in a good share of the breed. To a large degree this sets them apart. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/126 "2018-01-19T21:36:39Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Not sure how familiar you are with dog breeding but in most cases extreme traits whether it be pointing birds or herding sheep has to be carefully maintained in the breeding lines. Only the best are usually bred. Most of your guard and fighting type dogs have been relegated more toward show lines and the fighting instinct although still there is very much bred down. Pit bulls in most cases are the same but there are still large amount of fighting dog breeders keeping these more extreme aggressive traits prominent in a good share of the breed. To a large degree this sets them apart. Pit bulls are not, and never were, bred to be aggressive towards humans. Dog and human aggression are wildly different characteristics, and APBT and similar breeds would make terrible classic guard dogs. They’re too small and the opposite of territorial. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2018, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/127 "2018-01-19T22:47:50Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Doubt all you want. Police shoot dogs all the time. [Here’s an article talking about a court case.](https://qz.com/870601/police-killing-dogs-is-an-epidemic-according-to-the-justice-department/) > > the judge found, the killings were considered justifiable under the circumstances as officers testified to feeling imminently threatened by the animals, after one of the dogs lunged and the other barked during a drug sweep. That doesn’t mean cops are allowed to shoot any dog that makes a sound or moves—only if the officers feel threatened. So, they shot a dog for barking. At a stranger. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/128 "2018-01-20T16:05:31Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Not sure how familiar you are with dog breeding but in most cases extreme traits whether it be pointing birds or herding sheep has to be carefully maintained in the breeding lines. Only the best are usually bred. Most of your guard and fighting type dogs have been relegated more toward show lines and the fighting instinct although still there is very much bred down. Pit bulls in most cases are the same but there are still large amount of fighting dog breeders keeping these more extreme aggressive traits prominent in a good share of the breed. To a large degree this sets them apart. Two big holes in your original argument: 1. ‘_were bred_ to fight to the death’ applies to all kinds of big strong hounds and other types that were bred to fight and kill all kinds of animals. You answer this with special pleading based on your supposed authority on breeding ‘no but with other breeds they don’t really do this anymore but for a “good part of the breed” with “pit bulls” they do, believe you me’. However AFAIK plenty of dogs are still used for hunting, including fighting and killing animals very capable of fighting back (feral hog hunting for example is getting more common, often using dogs). Those dogs aren’t typically ‘pit bulls’. They need to be very aggressive fighters against other animals. So why doesn’t your theory apply to them? Is there any guidance you could give except ‘according to my expertise no, “pit bulls” are different’? 1. You are conflating or assuming no difference between dog aggression toward other animals and dog aggression toward humans. You haven’t even tried to answer this point, though it’s been put out a few times. But if you do I suppose it will be again ‘but _I_ know, that with “pit bulls” aggression toward other animals implies or causes aggression to humans’. ‘Or in does sometimes, maybe not that often, and I can’t document or quantify how often\*, I just know it does based on my expertise’. \*You seem to have changed the assessment yourself as the thread has progressed. At one point you said ‘pit bulls’ were less likely to be aggressive to humans than other dogs, just more dangerous _when_ it occurred. Now it seems to have changed to ‘a good part of the breed’ is highly aggressive, with again the somewhat fuzzy connection you draw, based on your expertise, between dog aggression toward other animals v toward humans, a connection actual science doesn’t establish at all. Actual science has established no causal connection between breed and dog aggression toward humans, the central actual fact in this debate. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/129 "2018-01-20T16:08:12Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Police shoot people too. Regular citizens are held to a different standard than police in the line of duty. It’s an immaterial bit. No, the legal standard doesn’t change. Police can’t shoot people without cause and fear for one’s life is the standard the court uses. 2 dogs of pit bull size, working together, represent a serious threat to people.. Pit bulls are an added level of danger because they have a breeding history of fighting for the sake of fighting. I can introduce you to people who were seriously injured or their other pets injured by their OWN pit bull. We’ve had 2 people mauled to death by pit bulls in my area. They were both killed by 2 pit bulls working together. They weren’t killed by German Shepherds or any other breed. They were killed by pit bulls. Once the dogs started the attack they didn’t stop. whether there are individual pit bulls that appear to lack the fighting instinct is irrelevant. Whether the breed has the same propensity to bite as other dogs is irrelevant. What is relevant is nature of the attack. Once engaged, pit bulls represent a serious threat. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/130 "2018-01-20T17:18:37Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > No, the legal standard doesn’t change. Police can’t shoot people without cause and fear for one’s life is the standard the court uses. > > 2 dogs of pit bull size, working together, represent a serious threat to people… Pit bulls are an added level of danger because they have a breeding history of fighting for the sake of fighting. I can introduce you to people who were seriously injured or their other pets injured by their OWN pit bull. > > We’ve had 2 people mauled to death by pit bulls in my area. They were both killed by 2 pit bulls working together. They weren’t killed by German Shepherds or any other breed. They were killed by pit bulls. Once the dogs started the attack they didn’t stop. > > whether there are individual pit bulls that appear to lack the fighting instinct is irrelevant. Whether the breed has the same propensity to bite as other dogs is irrelevant. What is relevant is nature of the attack. Once engaged, pit bulls represent a serious threat. Right, we get it. If you lie to the court, and there are no other witnesses to contradict your lies, then you will get away with crimes. That’s nothing new or unique to killing dogs. In other news. [This isn’t all that recent](http://lite987.com/debate-rages-over-pit-bulls-after-cny-dog-trainer-facebook-post/), but recently came to my attention. > [@](#): > > ATTENTION: Anyone who gives up their Pit Bull and gets another breed, we here at Piazza’s K-9 Services Unlimited will TRAIN that dog Free of charge. That’s right you heard it here. We want to help keep our communities safe therefore, you have a Pit Bull and can’t afford training, bring it back to where you purchased it or adopted it, and we will train any other dog you get free. No questions asked. Just show proof that you surrendered the Pit Bull. Call if you have any questions. Then he is surprised that people were a bit upset. (If you take a pitbull back to a shelter, unless it is specifically a no-kill shelter, it is a death sentence the vast majority of the time) ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/131 "2018-01-20T20:25:26Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > Two big holes in your original argument: > > 1. ‘_were bred_ to fight to the death’ applies to all kinds of big strong hounds and other types that were bred to fight and kill all kinds of animals. You answer this with special pleading based on your supposed authority on breeding ‘no but with other breeds they don’t really do this anymore but for a “good part of the breed” with “pit bulls” they do, believe you me’. > > However AFAIK plenty of dogs are still used for hunting, including fighting and killing animals very capable of fighting back (feral hog hunting for example is getting more common, often using dogs). Those dogs aren’t typically ‘pit bulls’. They need to be very aggressive fighters against other animals. So why doesn’t your theory apply to them? Is there any guidance you could give except ‘according to my expertise no, “pit bulls” are different’? > > 1. You are conflating or assuming no difference between dog aggression toward other animals and dog aggression toward humans. You haven’t even tried to answer this point, though it’s been put out a few times. But if you do I suppose it will be again ‘but _I_ know, that with “pit bulls” aggression toward other animals implies or causes aggression to humans’. ‘Or in does sometimes, maybe not that often, and I can’t document or quantify how often\*, I just know it does based on my expertise’. > > \*You seem to have changed the assessment yourself as the thread has progressed. At one point you said ‘pit bulls’ were less likely to be aggressive to humans than other dogs, just more dangerous _when_ it occurred. Now it seems to have changed to ‘a good part of the breed’ is highly aggressive, with again the somewhat fuzzy connection you draw, based on your expertise, between dog aggression toward other animals v toward humans, a connection actual science doesn’t establish at all. Actual science has established no causal connection between breed and dog aggression toward humans, the central actual fact in this debate. Cory most of the hog dogs you describe do not kill the hog they hold it at bay until the hunter comes in for the kill. They do have kill dogs they use which are usually pit bulls mixed with curs or Rhodesian ridge backs and several other breeds. I never said pit bulls were the only breed bred to kill. You must have imagined that. All dogs that are bred for killing and the breeding has been maintained have this potential, very few of them are human aggressive but if for some reason they go on the attack they are more dangerous because of their breeding. There are a lot of pit bull owners who specifically seek out the meanest strongest dogs they can find to breed to. This can make for a dangerous dog regardless of what you have read or heard someplace. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/132 "2018-01-20T20:34:56Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > There are a lot of pit bull owners who specifically seek out the meanest strongest dogs they can find to breed to. This can make for a dangerous dog regardless of what you have read or heard someplace. This part of your post I will partly agree with, with caveats. I don’t know what defines “a lot”, but if you are implying that it is the majority, or even a significant minority, or even a significant fraction at all, I think you are overestimating drastically. I would also add the caveat that when you say, “pit bull owners”, I would change that to “dog owners.” So, if you changed the first 7 words of your quote to “There are some dog owners…” then I would be in complete agreement with you, on what I’ve quoted here. If you went on to say that there should be things put into place to prevent such people from owning and mistreating their dogs to make them aggressive, then I’d go even further in agreement. I’d love to see tougher licensing on dogs. In Ohio, your only requirement for a dog license is to demonstrate the ability to fork over $19. I would at the very least, require a seperate and harder to get license in order to keep unaltered adult dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/133 "2018-01-20T21:03:19Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Right, we get it. If you lie to the court, and there are no other witnesses to contradict your lies, then you will get away with crimes. > > That’s nothing new or unique to killing dogs. That’s nothing but an emotional rant. I said nothing about lying. The thread is about two vicious pit bulls coming towards you. Any rational jurist understands how much fear 2 vicious pit bulls can generate. > [@k9bfriender](#): > > In other news. [This isn’t all that recent](http://lite987.com/debate-rages-over-pit-bulls-after-cny-dog-trainer-facebook-post/), but recently came to my attention. > Then he is surprised that people were a bit upset. > > (If you take a pitbull back to a shelter, unless it is specifically a no-kill shelter, it is a death sentence the vast majority of the time) Yes, we agree, there’s no surprise when a vicious animal is returned to a shelter that it will be destroyed. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/134 "2018-01-20T21:19:28Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > That’s nothing but an emotional rant. I said nothing about lying. The thread is about two vicious pit bulls coming towards you. Nothing emotional about it at all. Just observing that your plan after shooting dogs that you admit are not threatening you from across the field is to lie to the court and tell them that you felt in fear of your life. This thread is about two dogs coming towards you from across a field. The OP added in the vicious part in the title, but in the subject, just says “they don’t look happy.” Not looking happy!=vicious. If you start shooting dogs that are not on your property that are not threatening you in any way, then you are the one who is liable. You are the one who is in the wrong. You then said, > [@](#): > > Question in court, “Did you feel threatened”, answer “yes”. > > That’s pretty much then end of the case. The dogs can’t testify and your what-if witness is incapable of assessing the shooter’s state of mind. Admitting that if the dogs could testify, or that if the witnesses knew your state of mind, that that would not be the end of the case would not be closed indicates that you know that the words you are giving to the court are fabrications. > [@](#): > > Any rational jurist understands how much fear 2 vicious pit bulls can generate. Now, that’s an emotional rant. > [@](#): > > Yes, we agree, there’s no surprise when a vicious animal is returned to a shelter that it will be destroyed. Why would you think that all pitbulls returned to the shelter in order to take advantage of this idiot’s offer are vicious? Did you know that dogs that are not pitbulls, are also very often killed when they are returned to shelters? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/135 "2018-01-20T21:38:13Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > If you start shooting dogs that are not on your property that are not threatening you in any way, then you are the one who is liable. You are the one who is in the wrong. This thread is about vicious dogs approaching you. You don’t get to throw in your what-if’s as a basis for argument. Nowhere did I suggest lying about being afraid of 2 vicious dogs. That’s all in your head. That you cannot understand someone would be in fear for their life if 2 vicious dogs were approaching them is beyond comprehension. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/136 "2018-01-20T21:48:23Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Why would you think that all pitbulls returned to the shelter in order to take advantage of this idiot’s offer are vicious? I didn’t say pit bulls, I said vicious dog. > [@k9bfriender](#): > > Did you know that dogs that are not pitbulls, are also very often killed when they are returned to shelters? And this is why I said vicious dog and not pit bull. Common sense dictates that animals returned to a shelter for viscous behavior will be destroyed rather than released to harm another family. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/137 "2018-01-20T21:53:11Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > This thread is about vicious dogs approaching you. You don’t get to throw in your what-if’s as a basis for argument. Nowhere did I suggest lying about being afraid of 2 vicious dogs. That’s all in your head. > > That you cannot understand someone would be in fear for their life if 2 vicious dogs were approaching them is beyond comprehension. No, this thread is about pitbulls approaching you that “don’t look happy” at worst, whatever that means. It does not mean vicious. The OP in no way established that these were vicious dogs. You are just assuming that because they are pitbulls, they are vicious, as indicated by your statement that of course if a pitbull is returned to a shelter, the vicious dog would be put down. As there was, in the OP, no indication that the dogs were attacking or posing any actual threat, it is only in your head that they are such. That you think that any time that 2 dogs are in the same vicinity as another person that that person should fear them enough to kill them without provocation is what I find rather difficult to understand. And yes, if it played out as in the OP, and you shot those dogs, then you would either have to convince the court that two dogs that were not in any way threatening you were causing you to fear for your life. In order to do that, you would have to lie about their actions. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/138 "2018-01-20T21:58:11Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I didn’t say pit bulls, I said vicious dog. > > And this is why I said vicious dog and not pit bull. Common sense dictates that animals returned to a shelter for viscous behavior will be destroyed rather than released to harm another family. Well, you are respond directly to this person’s ad that if they return their pitbull, not their vicious dog, to the shelter, then they get free training. Pit bulls that are returned to the shelter in order for the owners to receive the training will likely be put down. And it will have nothing to do with them being vicious, only to do with them being pitbulls. When I said that if you take a dog back to the shelter, it is likely to be destroyed, you replied saying, yes vicious dogs will be destroyed. You assumed the vicious part, where there was none to be found. Just in case you forgot, this is how that exchange went Me:“(If you take a pitbull back to a shelter, unless it is specifically a no-kill shelter, it is a death sentence the vast majority of the time)” You:Yes, we agree, there’s no surprise when a vicious animal is returned to a shelter that it will be destroyed. Can you parse that in a way that doesn’t make you claim that all the pitbulls taken back to shelters to take advantage of this guy’s offer are vicious? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/139 "2018-01-20T22:33:12Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > No, this thread is about pitbulls approaching you that “don’t look happy” at worst, whatever that means. It does not mean vicious. that would be incorrect. > [@k9bfriender](#): > > The OP in no way established that these were vicious dogs. You are just assuming that because they are pitbulls, they are vicious, as indicated by your statement that of course if a pitbull is returned to a shelter, the vicious dog would be put down. The op set down the premise of the thread. It’s a theoretical premise. The premise itself is not up for debate. You don’t seem to grasp this. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2018, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258/140 "2018-01-20T22:35:24Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > that would be incorrect. > > The op set down the premise of the thread. It’s a theoretical premise. The premise itself is not up for debate. You don’t seem to grasp this. The OP’s premise was “they don’t look happy”. That is not up for debate. If you go to a court, and they ask, “why did you shoot those dogs?” and you reply, “Well, they didn’t look happy.” do you think that you will get off of destruction of someone else’s property, along with any other animal cruelty or abuse charges the local area may have? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-vicious-pitbulls-are-coming-towards-me-whats-my-best-plan-of-action/806258.md?page=8)