I am in the service industry, (lawn services) and one of my customers now has a Pit Bull that he adopted.
Yes, I am afraid of these dogs in general. THIS TREAD IS NOT ABOUT HOW IT IS ALL HOW THEY ARE RAISED.
All I am wondering is…Will a stun gun stop the dog IF by chance it were to attack??? Dogs don’t seem to like a mower rolling around their property.
Or, any other suggestions just in case something were to happen. Bear spray, pepper spray, etc.
Thanks.
They work on Rottweilers (fast forward to 0:27). Probably would work on pit bulls just fine, too.
Muscles react to electrical current. As I understand it, a stun gun basically causes all of your muscles to go “on”, overriding whatever your brain is telling them to do. Since your heart and lungs also operate via muscles, this has a greater effect than simply making you clench up for a few seconds.
I believe that when you stun something, the “something” acts like a capacitor, taking the charge and spreading it out through the whole body rather than just acting as a conduit for the charge to travel from one node to the other (i.e. the charge doesn’t just travel along a shortest path of a few inches, from one of the needles to the other, it floods your whole body). So I would expect that the smaller the animal, the greater the punch. But that also means the greater the probability that you might kill it.
Animals read body language, so if you act weird around them because of your own fear, you’re more likely to prompt something to happen. Unless you’re fond of the idea of killing your employer’s dog, I’d suggest figuring out another strategy than getting yourself a weapon. A device that makes an annoying sound, or something, might be better.
Squirt gun filled with Tabasco sauce. Dogs find capsaicin in the face very discouraging.
Some. I shot an entire bottle of OC spray into a Pitbull that was trying to break through a door to get at a family. It sneezed a couple of times. That’s about it.
The thing about stun guns is the effect is very temporary. A person has the capacity to think “I don’t want that to happen again” and stop their aggression. A dog’s reasoning abilities leave much to be desired. You have a really good chance of pissing off the dog and making him more aggressive when the effects wear off. Maybe he will run away. Maybe he will attack what he thinks is what caused the pain.
True. I had a dog that got its hind paw caught in the screen door, which bent enough to latch closed even though it had a dogleg wedged between it and the frame. The pain put it into fight or flight mode, so I had to take a few bites on the arm to try and help free it.
I would be a little worried that a device meant to take down a 200 lb man might be a little much for a 60 lb dog. There’s stopping the dog, which may tick off the owner but leave little recourse in your protecting yourself, and then there’s killing the dog which may cause a long term headache what won’t be worth it.
Easiest thing is to tell the owner to make sure the dog is locked up on days you’re on the property. Dog not put away, you come back another day.
I think the most effective way to ensure the pitbull never gets a chance to be near you is to speak to the client. Inform him or her that you are scared of the dog and that you intend to arm yourself against the dog with whatever level of force you deem necessary to deter an attack. Tell them you are considering a stun gun, just in case. Ask that they ensure the dog is never at large on the property while you are working.
I’m pretty sure they will take steps to protect their dog from a potential threat. As a dog owner, I know I would.
I would use bear spray myself. Anything that can deter a grizzly bear should be able to handle a pissed off pit bull that’s charging you…
If my lawn man told me he was going to start carrying a stun gun specifically to use on my dog, “just in case,” I would have a new lawn man the next day. I’m not sure saying that to them is a great idea.
I agree completely. If he asked me to take the dog in the house while he was working I would understand that, but arming himself? That’s a deal breaker.
Yes, this. I would, of course, keep my dogs out of the (hypothetical) yard guy’s way. But you’re on my property? And you hurt, or threaten to hurt, one of my dogs? Huge problem.
The op was looking for a nice way to protect his life without killing the dog.
In the event of a dog attack the huge problem would be the lawsuit that follows.
Given the concern people in this thread have shown for their pets over the welfare of people I would recommend the op find a safer lawn to mow.
The OP didn’t say anything about the dog’s behavior. He/she just said that a dog exists, and asked for recommendations for weapons that would take the dog down “if” he attacks.
Try this substitution:
"The client has a two-year-old child. Yes, I am afraid of two-year-olds. THIS THREAD IS NOT ABOUT HOW THEY ARE RAISED. What weapon will take down a two-year-old IF by chance it should attack? "
Of course that’s not completely analogous. Two-year-old humans are substantially more likely to attack, and humans in the US kill tens of thousands of people every year. All dogs combined kill about 25 people a year in the US; over a 40-year span computed a few years ago, it was 17 people per year (the population in general has grown since the start of that period).
If my lawn worker was so afraid of my pet (for rational or irrational reasons) that he felt the need to arm himself even though the dog has no history or aggression then I’d feel uncomfortable with him working on my property. It just doesn’t seem like this is a good fit for the OP, and as the hypothetical dog owner it would make me very uncomfortable.
Thanks for the suggestions and comments.
I have to clarify one thing that wasn’t mentioned (didn’t think it mattered, I guess).
The building is a house with 3 rental units. It’s actually the tenants dog. He seems like a good guy, and I will mention to him to keep it in the house on the scheduled day.
Still a little nervous. Like mentioned, I DON’T WANT to hurt or mame any dog. Just want to be safe in case it were to get loose. Like mentioned, dogs in general
don’t seem to like a guy with a big mower going around the property.
Bear spray…heck, even a loud air horn to scare it maybe. Was even thinking to bring some type of food and let it see me place it on the ground. (with owners permission)
I had a Pitbull, He lived to be ten. He was a beautiful animal, but very powerful and tenacious … and very protective of me. I was uncomfortable having him unsupervised near anyone else. I think the owner of any potentially dangerous animal owes it to the rest of the world to control the animal at all times.
I would knock on the tenant’s door and make it clear that the dog must be inside the building (not just on the other side of a fence … my dog could easily jump a six-foot wall), when you come to work on the yard.
Many years ago I had a job delivering catering machinery. Many customers were small lock-up shops (butchers, fish and chips etc) and they kept a dog in the back yard for security.
I am nervous of dogs, especially the ones with big teeth, but the little yappy ones aren’t much better, and usually insisted that they were shut away when I went in. Most owners were OK with it, but frequently I would be told “He won’t hurt anyone/bark worse than bite etc.” “Put the dog away or your goods stay on the pavement” was my response - some of them settled for that.
No. If you are nervous around the dog you will be nervous even if you put down some food and he happily ignores you and goes to the food. And you will be nervous when he comes towards you to get more food. And you’ll be nervous when he sniffs you and there will be a lot of tension and even though you swear you’re not provoking the dog you might just provoke the dog and there could be an incident.
If you’re nervous around a dog, just don’t be around the dog. If you are coming at a scheduled day and time it’s a no-brainer to require that the dog be inside. Tell them it’s company policy and your hands are tied.