bigb

I'm not certain how much you know about dogs. I happen to be a "dog person" with a feel for dogs and they are all about body language. When a 100 pound plus dog barks at you in a certain way and comes at you not in an open gate, but in a low attack mode, you are actually under attack. Since I am a dog person I froze, drew my gun, talked quietly to the dog and strongly suggested that he stay 9-10 feet away from me or he would die. This isn't the first time BTW. I was attacked by a BIG feral dog in Alaska but when it saw the look in my eye and the barrel of a rifle pointed at it, it ran the other way. Dogs are very sensitive to peoples body language and frankly I stand a bit straighter when I'm behind my .44.

I am proud to say that I haven't killed a dog yet, though I have had at-least 6 in my sights and my finger in squeeze mode.

All that said. I take my dog up the road into the national forest and go down a dirt road until I find a spot a couple miles in, then I let my dog out of the car. I can see/hear bikes and other vehicles quite a bit better than she can and if anyone is coming up the road I hold her by the collar. I accept full responsibility for her when off leash and I don't let her get out of my sight as this is lion country and letting my dog have her head in lion country could get her killed.

Peace. I know yer just sh******g us mostly.

So anyway back to the subject, yes I think people who consider their dog to be a personal weapons system are sort of carrying a concealed weapon with an uncontrolled dog.

Further, there are very dangerous dogs, mostly those trained for defense purposes, and they also are not bad either, just showing a phase of dog that is sort of shunned in a polite society. I live in Bend Oregon where we have more dogs that people and I can pet any dog on the street without fear of being bit. Deschutes county would put down any dog that bit or threatened someone. Its the law. Pet owners here have very disciplined animals.

This thread was about undisciplined dogs and owners who don't consider how much of a threat there sweet little dogs are. My neighbors sweat little pit bull bit me through the fence one day while she and I were having a polite talk.

Unless you are a hunter with a legitimate reason to have trained hunting dogs ranging off leash, you should never let a dog run loose. While not especially friendly, hunting dogs leave people alone as they are after game.

Soap box off.
Jim