Had to kill a dog yesterday with my 642 ....

[PcolaDawg]

Not happy about it, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

We've had a pack of dogs (not pets - no collars, tags or anything) running around our neighborhood for a while and in the last couple of days they decided they liked my back yard (about 4 acres with a barn, a couple of ponds, and right next to a swamp). I think they're responsible for killing two of my geese, but I never did catch 'em in the act. The geese were killed very late at night or very early in the morning.

Anyway, my wife was out walking our greyhound yesterday, and they came out of the swamp and barked at her, then one of them advanced growling. When my wife sped back to the house the dogs set up shop in our barn.

So I got home around 7:30 PM and decided to check it out. I was carrying my S&W 642 at the time, and if I had taken the time to go to the house first I would've gotten a more appropriate weapon. Anyway, I walked back to the barn and noticed three of the dogs sleeping in the grass behind the barn. I whistled them up and gave them a chance to leave quietly. Unfortunately, one of them advanced at me barking. So I decided that's the dog that would die.

It was actually a much longer shot than I would've preferred for a snub-nosed .38, but the gun has a Crimson Trace laser grip and it was just getting dark enough to use it. Plus I had it loaded with +P hollow points.

One shot and it was over, and the other dogs have not been seen or heard from since. Hopefully, I won't have to do that again, but it was nice to know that the little 642 can definitely get the job done if needed.

And, yeah, I've called animal control before, but they always tell me I need to take care of the problem on my own, so I don't bother calling them anymore.

 

[DAdams]

One Shot

One kill.




I got to the point I had to carry on dog walks, mine on a leash and pack dogs living in the woods. I would probably carry bear spray now, effective but not deadly. Now on my own property....I would do what you did.

Diplomacy is the art of saying, 'nice doggie,' while you're looking for a rock.

-Will Rogers

 

[JoeMal]

That's a crazy story man....sounds like they were more wild though than tame...I don't blame you for doing what you did, especially when it involves the lady

 

[tydephan]

I live out in the country and live right by the river. Folks like to drop off their dogs down at the river, so I'm always having to call Animal Control on strays.

About 4 months ago, we had a pack of 4 wander up in the middle of the night, break through the screen of our front porch and attack our cat. I'm not sure how she did it, but she evaded all 4 of them and made it to a safe spot. My cousin's cat, about a half mile up the road, wasn't so fortunate.

As a parent with small kids, I actually went hunting for these dogs. When dogs become predators like that, they need to go. Fortunately my cattle-farming Uncle found them before I did and had animal control pick them up.

And I'm a card-carrying dog lover. And I'd never harm a tame animal.

I'd say you did good with what you had. I know you hate it and it's a sucky thing to have to do, but you can't have that threat around your place.

And as far as animal control goes, call your county commisioner (assuming you're outside city limits) and ask him how much you can deduct from your taxes since the department is unwilling to help.

 

[Quoheleth]

There are dogs, and there are DOGS.

When in high school, we had a pack of feral dogs drag down 4 200+ pound calves and kill 3; the 4th had to be put down because of the damage done to it. That was over $1000 worth of beef that was destroyed by those mongrels.

The next three weeks, my best friend & I were dog hunters after getting the green light from the county sherriff's deputy who attended our church: exercise extreme dispatch. One Saturday, I managed to pop one - the longest shot I've ever taken at an animal, over 200 long steps. The .270 130grain was well up to the task. My friend got another one the next week at about half that distance. They seem to have gotten the message at that point and we didn't see the dogs again.

After that morning, though, I always carried a gun to the barn - sometimes a .22 rifle, but more often a .22 single-action. Had rat-shot in the first chamber (anti-snake/rat) and Stingers in the next 4.

I say "good shoot." An unfriendly dog on your property is neither welcome or needed.

Q

 

[saturno_v]

I may have a similar problem (I hope it will never come to that)

There are 2 BIG dogs around where I live that are a bit out of control....one where the owners are gone for days (and when they are around they do not care about it anyway) and another where I told the owner several times, he acknowledged the problem and he's building a fence very slowly (and stopped recently)


They almost attacked my dog twice and almost snapped at one of my neighbours when she was pickign up the mail..

I usually do not pack when I walk my dog aroudn here. it is a very safe and quiet place, but recently I'm bringing my Kel-Tec P-11 9 mm in my pocket with 115 gr. HP Remington on my walk just in case...

Animal Control is basically useless...

Tydephan


Do you mind me to ask you what kind of effectiveness and damage your 38 did?? How big, give or take , was the dog in pounds??

 

[Birdmang]

What kind of dogs are they?

Just crazy mutts or something?

 

[earlthegoat2]

I wouldnt feel too bad about it.

If you killed the last passenger pigeon though....

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Any dog can turn feral when abandoned. While such dogs should be shot (they damage wildlife and can be dangerous to humans), it would be better if we could shoot the people who dropped them off in the country.

Then, of course, there's always the guy who says, "My dogs never leave my property." Riiiight. And the check's in the mail.

 

[oneounceload]

I would still keep calling animal control - it establishes your due diligence should a dog's owner, or a LEo want to give you some grief about ding it. If you can show a repeated pattern where AC did nothing, despite repeated calls, it could easily work in your favor

 

[Reid73]

S&W 642 ... the 21st century's Velo-Dog?

 

[atlanticfire]

I live in a small community in the woods. There are several hundred acres of nature conservatory across the street and at night I have seen small packs of dog emerge just enough to see then in my lamp post light out in my yard. Some nights its just pairs of eyes from across the street in the woods. My humane society told me the same thing, basically do it yourself. When I have to let my dogs out at night to do their business I’m also armed. Never had to shoot one, but would in a heartbeat.

 

[TCOV]

Usually best to shoot and shut up. Laws are a little fuzzy about shooting dogs in some areas. Didn't see me do it, I didn't do it.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Remember the "Three Ss," "Shoot, shovel and shut up."

 

[G. Freeman]

Usually best to shoot and shut up. Laws are a little fuzzy about shooting dogs in some areas.

If you did that in California, you'd probably end up in jail. Gun forum members would be sympathetic to what you did, me included. But if I were you I'd have this thread deleted just to protect yourself.

 

[HoosierQ]

When I was a kid we had wild dogs after the calves. My father, not much of a marksman by any standard, had his Universal M-1 Carbine and I was there as "backup" with my Ithaca saddle gun.

He rested the thing atop a fence post and took 3 shots and a moving dog. Missed the first two but the third hit and killed the wild dog on that shot. I was 13 and ready to deliver the coup de gras but it was dead as a doornail when we got over to it. Best shot my dad ever made on anything...again a marksman he was not. About 60-75 yards maybe.

Wild dogs are, if I am not mistaken, the most dangerous mammal in North America in terms of injuries to humans, pets, indiginous wild species, and livestock. There are just so many of them and unlike wild predators, humans are fostering their reproduction by not spaying and nuetering, and abandoning. Once a puppy isn't cute anymore, it has had an un-natural headstart in life (unlike say a wolf cub) and if abandoned, will be big and strong or whatever.

I am on record on this forum for "leave the snakes alone", "don't kill a skunk or a possum just because", etc etc. I have never taken that position on feral dogs. They are a man made problem and it is up to man to fix it.

You did the right thing man. And let's face it, feral dogs do not have a good life at all. Scrounging, skulking around, often dying from eating poisoned food out of mixed garbage. At least this one died quick. Wolves and coyotes are out there living as God intended them...most of the time.

PS My bestest buddy in the whole world is good old Chet the Golder Retriever but he's been fixed and ain't nobody gonna abandon him. He is a danger only to one's breakfast toast...although he did savagely attack a whole pan of cinnamon buns once.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

If you did that in California, you'd probably end up in jail. Gun forum members would be sympathetic to what you did, me included. But if I were you I'd have this thread deleted just to protect yourself.

That's the third of the "Three Ss" -- shut up. Do it and don't say a word to anyone.

Here in Arkansas, the law says I can destroy any animal that is "depredating or about to depridate" on my property. But it still pays to just to do it and keep quiet about it.

 

[george29]

Any dog can turn feral when abandoned. While such dogs should be shot (they damage wildlife and can be dangerous to humans), it would be better if we could shoot the people who dropped them off in the country

A-f*ing-men!

 

[ArmedBear]

Any dog can turn feral when abandoned. While such dogs should be shot (they damage wildlife and can be dangerous to humans), it would be better if we could shoot the people who dropped them off in the country.

True.

I think that people need to understand what "feral" means, too. At this point, you're dealing with a wild predator, not a pet.

Some abandoned or lost dogs act like lost pets. It's pretty obvious.

When they've really gone feral, they're not acting like pets. They're almost a different animal.

That said, chasing a cat doesn't exactly indicate that a dog has gone feral.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I think that people need to understand what "feral" means, too. At this point, you're dealing with a wild predator, not a pet.

Feral, n. That which was once tame and useful but which has since become wild and dangerous. Example: The Feral Government.

 

[cleetus03]

killing dog threads..........never end well

 

[TIMC]

A feral dog is no better than a coyote, just another pesky varmint to me an treated the same (shot on sight).

 

[skoro]

The only time I've ever had to fire a weapon in self defense was against a pack of feral dogs in a remote rural area. I would have been in serious trouble that day if were unarmed.

 

[TCOV]

If you don't brag it no one will know. I know a local guy shot two dogs chasing deer on his property which was legal. Couldn't keep his mouth shut and had to spend several thousand dollars defending his action in court when dog owner sued him. Just shut up and no one can prove anything.

 

[DAdams]

Mr.Vern

That is Classic.

Feral, n. That which was once tame and useful but which has since become wild and dangerous. Example: The Feral Government.