So... Almost had to kill a dog today.

[winstonsmith]

So I'm walking home from school. And I see these two dogs coming up on my side of the street. They are both beautiful collies. Both on leashes. The owner looks kind of scared of me. (Guy in all black walking very determinedly with an ugly look on his face) So one lunges at me and starts growling and barking. It gets within 6" of me before the owner regains control. In that time I had my knife out and I was in defensive stance. (I guess practicing before the mirror pays off )

So once he restrains the attacking dog, he starts yelling at me for drawing a knife. I had of course put it away. So I express my dipleasure at him very vocally for letting the dog get so close. I could see he was spoiling for a fight, and I could definitely beat him, but the dog was an unknown element. So I just start walking backwards. (My house was about a half block away)

I have to swallow my pride and walk away. Very hard for a young man to do, as I'm sure some of you know/remember. Anyway, I know I should keep a friendlier demeanor, but I was in a bad mood and I guess it showed, now that I think about it. Otherwise than that, any tips?

 

[Art Eatman]

Well, didn't y'all have a recent case wherein a dog was the deadly weapon? The owner is responsible for the behavior. You merely prepared to defend yourself as necessary.

A trick I worked out, years back, is to "compartmentalize". That is, if I'm leaving the scene of some aggravation, i try to forget about it when I'm out on the street. I "close the closet door" and look at the world in my usual happy fashion. That way, if I see a couple of neat-looking collies, I can grin and offer some friendly comment...

Helps if you see a good-looking lady, too.

, Art

 

[Valkman]

I like that, Art! That's a great way not "carrying" stuff with you. I ride my bike alot and the same is true there - if something is bothering you and you're not paying 100% attention to riding it can have dire consequenses. When carrying I don't need to be in a bad mood before I even run into a "situation". Thanks.

 

[Soap]

I was walking to my brother-in-law's down the way and a dog ran up to me in the dark...my hand was immediately on my ASP. I hate when owners can't control their animals in public

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

"Well, didn't y'all have a recent case wherein a dog was the deadly weapon?"

Yes indeed; unfortunately we've had a rash of dog attacks lately it seems. The case I believe you're refering to was particulary grusome.

winstonsmith- good situational awareness; dogs can be so tricky, one moment they're just sniffing your hand and the next they're trying to rip your throat out.

"I have to swallow my pride and walk away. Very hard for a young man to do, as I'm sure some of you know/remember."

Dude, in the famous words of Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man, "with great power comes great responsibility." If you've made the descison to be responsible for your own self-defense and carry a knife or a firearm, restraint and discretion are going to become something you are going to be very familiar with. I can't even begin to tell you how many situations I've walked away from because I was armed, when in my younger days I might not have.

 

[abaddon]

Sometimes cheap knives really are just fine

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35896

Jeff

 

[Hk Paul]

Thats scary bro. Dont worry Im sending a "care" package.

 

[gunsmith]

what park?

not alamo park is it? thats near where Diane Whipple
was killed by savage lawyers,uh,dogs...

 

[10-Ring]

SEveral months back, I was attacked by 2 dogs (defended myself from one, but the other was more than I was prep'd for ). Anywya, since then, I carry a pepper spray specifically formulated for dogs & another surprise in my fanny pack if the dog juice doesn't work.
I think you did the right thing. You may also want to consider a call to animal control re: those unruly animals.

 

[winstonsmith]

No sir, it wasn't Alamo. I was in between the L Taraval bus line stop and my house which is on Quintara.

 

[clubsoda22]

fox labs spray is all purpose. Makes doggies cower.

 

[Waitone]

I have to swallow my pride and walk away. Very hard for a young man to do, as I'm sure some of you know/remember.

Learn to swallow you pride. It doesn't taste bad, but it will keep you out of trouble. There will come times when you have no choice but to indulge. Save those times for when no alternatives exist.

<Grizzled old coot mode on>

When I was growing up I was ALWAYS the tallest kid on the playground. Playgrounds being what they were I was constantly being challenged. Seems the old west gunfighter ethic was solid. People would try to pick fights for no reason. After a while I figured out it was smarter to talk my way out of trouble. Skills I developed in avoiding trouble has paid many times over in business. Avoiding mindless trouble is admirable, avoiding trouble to keep from standing on principal is a different animal.

<Grizzled old coot mode off>

 

[bogie]

If the owner was scared of your appearance, the dogs sensed it, and behaved accordingly. They were not in the wrong. In fact, they had good situational awareness.

Suggest that you moderate your appearance somewhat.

 

[Lastryghts]

Quote
"Suggest that you moderate your appearance somewhat."

Why should someone have to change their apperance to satisfy someone else. I'm sorry I thought I lived in America where we are free to express ourselves!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes you hit a nerve with that coment

 

[Horsesense]

Sure you are free to express yourself. If you express to the world that you are a thug, expect to be treated like one.

 

[Lastryghts]

So what your saying is because I choose to wear black, have a goatee that is about 5 inches long and have several facial peircings I should expect people to look down at me??

 

[Duncan Idaho]

If the owner was scared of your appearance, the dogs sensed it, and behaved accordingly. They were not in the wrong. In fact, they had good situational awareness.

Utter nonsense.

Attention all dog owners! Despite the fact that I am the world's biggest softy for dogs (I like them more than I like most people), I will kill your dog right in front of your eyes if you do as bogie suggests.

No one gets to walk down the street and use their dog(s) as an offensive weapon of intimidation because they are "scared of your appearance".

Nobody.

Train your dogs to protect you, encourage their instincts to protect you, BUT KEEP CONTROL OF YOUR DOG(S) AT ALL TIMES!!!!

"scared of your appearance" Ptui!

Understand?

 

[Horsesense]

" So what your saying is because I choose to wear black, have a goatee that is about 5 inches long and have several facial peircings I should expect people to look down at me??"


Sorry but that’s the cold heard facts of life.


Let me guess your dressing just like all the others to express your individuality? I'm not downing you or anything; just talking striate is all.

 

[Lastryghts]

"Sorry but that’s the cold heard facts of life."

Yes I relize that this is a fact of life. I just don't understand how so many people can be so small minded and Steriotype people? I mean think about it isn't steriotyping people just another form of racism? To assume that someone is "bad" because of how they dress just isn't right.



"Let me guess your dressing just like all the others to express your individuality? I'm not downing you or anything; just talking striate is all."


Yes I might currently dress like everyone else, but I have dress this way ever since highschool. In fact I remember getting in fights several times a week because the "bangers" didn't like the fact that I didn't want to dress or act like them. My normal dress in highschool and now is combat boots BDU'S or jeans and band/sleeveless t-shirt. You see I was dressing this way befor the "goth" fad.

So don't you think everyone would get along a lot better if we could just get these preconceived notions out of are heads?

 

[gino]

Lastryghts,

Like it or not, that's the way the world works. If you dress "differently" than the perceived norm, you will be viewed differently. If we took a poll here on THR (and amoung law-abiding CCW people at large), I'm pretty sure you'd find that most of us dress in a fashion that does not make us stand out in a crowd. Lots of good reasons for it.

Everything in life is a compromise. You decide if it is the correct compromise for you. I'm not saying that your choice of personal appearance is wrong, just pointing out that you do pay a price for being different.

There is a nationally known shooting instructor that preaches about living a "stealth lifestyle". Lots of positive to say about not drawing attention to yourself.

 

[Ringer]

In the case of the original post, I think it's more than just "appearance".

Guy in all black walking very determinedly with an ugly look on his face

directly at a person walking two large dogs. I'm not sure I would expect any different response from the dogs.

I know I should keep a friendlier demeanor, but I was in a bad mood and I guess it showed, now that I think about it. Otherwise than that, any tips?

How about just cross the street and avoid the whole confrontation? I frequently walk in my neighborhood with and without my dog. Either way if someone is approaching me with two large dogs I side step them.

 

[vmi93]

A little overkill...

"Gee officer, I was just walking my dogs when this crazy looking guy pulled a knife on me. He was less than ten feet away, so I had no choice but to draw my weapon and shoot."

Two LEASHED dogs lunge at you and are pulled up short. You pull a knife.

WHY??

If the dogs were running loose with their owner in pursuit, you might have been reasonable in pulling a weapon, but not in the case you described.

 

[Waitone]

Lastryghts, you may not at this stage of your life think dress is anything to be concerned with, but that will change. You see, people who hold paychecks in their hands tend and can be picky about who they extend jobs to. You may not a bad guy in reality but the only indicator anyone who does not know you has is your dress and grooming. The next stage is how you conduct yourself and how you answer questions. In a job setting you will not get to stage two if you flunk stage one.

Years ago I had to hire an assistant. Human resources conducted a search on my behalf and developed a panel of 4 candidates. Three of the four were ruled out on dress alone. Why? Because those three were recent graduates of a college and members of a sorority. All three were dressed in a completely inappropriate manner for today's workplace. I was not going to assume the personal legal risk implied by those candidates. I hired the fourth candidate. Was the fourth the best available? Maybe so maybe not. I do know the personal risk to me was significant lower with #4 than it was with #1-3.

And all based on personal dress.

 

[DigMe]

Lastryghts,

Hey man...I understand where you are coming from to an extent. When I was in high school and early college I was very concerned with how I dress and trying to look "different" than everyone else. I'm not downing that but one thing I do want to say is that sometimes this contributed to me having a very defensive "me against the world" attitude that would cause me to react extremely to small things or things that did not call for extreme reactions.

My point is that you should be very careful about your attitude and demeanor. If you want to continue dressing and looking the way you do that's fine but just make sure that you are acting and treating people in a way that is admirable. Don't be too quick to react to small situations, take steps to make sure you aren't put into confrontations etc... If you don't behave like this then you cannot complain about people's stereotypes of you because you reinforce those. Also be prepared to not get jobs and so forth if you dress like that. It's just a fact of life that in most businesses people have an idea of what "professional" is and you will not fit into that idea.

In my opinion this is not akin to racism. I realize that it's not fair but racism is based on something that a person cannot change. You CAN change your appearance and thus you are handicapped by choice. Again man...let me say that you are free to look how you want but people are free to think what they want.

Lastly, one thing that I realized in early college was that I had previously been under the impression that clothes and appearance define who I am. I realized that it just isn't true. My spirit and my being are much stronger than that and trying to define myself but what I wear is a shallow action that I had been using to seek some kind of fulfillment in some obscure way. Maybe you're completely different but that's just what I found in my own life.

Stay safe.

brad cook

 

[Lastryghts]

"Lastryghts, you may not at this stage of your life think dress is anything to be concerned with, but that will change. You see, people who hold paychecks in their hands tend and can be picky about who they extend jobs to."

Ok let me alaberate more I'm 23 I never went to collage, never could stand just sitting at a desk listening to someone tell me what the real world is about. To remove any doubts about my intellagance I graduated fourth in my class of 300 mainly because I didn't care about my grades and became a MENSA member after I took my ACT's/ SAT's. Last year I made over 50k(remember I'm 23) I paid off a 30K dollar car in two years and I bought my own house last year. Now how many people can say the same 5 years out of highschool.

Personally I dress this way because this is what is comfortable to me. I'm not tring to make any kind of statement.


"My point is that you should be very careful about your attitude and demeanor. If you want to continue dressing and looking the way you do that's fine but just make sure that you are acting and treating people in a way that is admirable. "

Actually anyone that has been able to look beyond their initial reaction has found that I'm a very careing and helpful individual. I will do anything to help out my friend when it is needed, evan if it means putting my life on the line. I don't go around with a screw everyone attitude infact I usually go out of my way to help anyone that is around me.

"Don't be too quick to react to small situations, take steps to make sure you aren't put into confrontations etc... "

So what in highschool I should have stepped back and thought about the sitiation when I would have 4 Latin Kings jump me just because I didn't and would not join a gang? I mentioned that I wuold get into fights several times a week,but I was never suspended because they were all self defence. I never have started a fight and I never will I would much rather walk away. I am not concerned about my ego. The last fight i was in was about two months ago when I was leaving the bar. Three guys decided to go after someone else while his girlfriend looked on. Several people looked on, but did nothing so I interveined. If it would have been two guys going att it I don't know if I would have done the same. After the three guys took off I made sure the couple were ok which is when I found out the three guys had tried to force his girlfried into a car with them.

See I relize that yes I will be judged on my apperance and if they are not going to take the time to get to know me then as far as I'm concerned it's their loss.