Your Dog is ALWAYS Mean! (My fall into paranoia)

[Deer Hunter]

Alright guys, I messed up.

I live on a not-so-nice street (or as they say, one that is "getting better"). Over the years a lot fo the drugs have left, but I'm still not so neighborly with the streets behind my house. A lot of college kids (like me) are moving in on my street, and they all seem fairly nice. However, I let my guard down today.

I've always been worried about getting "marked" by someone who wants to bust into my house when I'm gone. Sure, I've got a roommate who stays here most of the time (online college courses), but she's got a job two days of the week. Thankfully, if I'm ever gone it's usually on my bike. My car stays parked in my driveway.

My house is the one on the end of the street. Right on the corner of a road that leads to other streets. Looks like all the other duplexes on the street, but it's got a much bigger yard because it's on the end.

As I said, I have been really worried about becoming a target if anything were to happen. I've got a gun safe that I keep all my guns in, which is good. It's also bolted into the walll, which is always a plus.

So today I was walking my dog. After the park, I was on my way home. I was on the street that is perpendicular to mine, about to cross onto my street. A truck was moving up from behind me. I looked, and two "ethnic" (Damn PC agenda...) men, one older and one somewhat younger, called out to me.

I own a 90 pound Labradoodle, male. They asked me if he bites.

Stupidly, I said "Naw, He's a friendly dog!" :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

They told me it was a pretty dog and wished me a good day.

Now, usually women or other dog owners will compliment me on my dog. Not two rough lookin' dudes in a rattely old pick-up.

As soon as they drove off, I cursed myself out for being so stupid. I believe that I was just "marked".

Either that or I'm being paranoid.

In either case, I'm going out on a date tonight with my girlfriend. My roomie knows how to use the pistols in the house and the AR. I'll leave the AR in her room for her to use. She's already agreed to it. She called me stupid as well for being so blind to the question.

So, moral to the story...

If anyone asks, no matter your breed of dog, the answer should always be the same...

"YES! My dog is a vicious killer that goes for the groin in any stranger it meets!"

Or maybe I'm beingn paranoid......But hell, no reason not to be ready for anything.

Edit: One of the things that made the entire situation odd was the fact that I heard the truck honk when it turned into the street. I was the only person on that street, and the street they were coming from was completely unoccupied. That just was weird. Why would they honk? To get my attention?

 

[Smithiac]

That is kind of odd, usually the only reason someone would want to know if your dog bites is if they are about to pet it. Not driving up in a pick up truck just to make conversation. I would not let your guard down but don't change your lifestyle.

One thing I would do is log evry gun in your house with make model and SN just in case you do get robbed you can have record of it and you can prove the gun was yours in the event that it does get recovered. Take it from someone who has had the unfortunate experience with a theft of a gun.

Hard to say if your a mark or not but that is suspicious.

 

[bruss01]

We lived in an urban neighborhood where most folks were neighbors, and a few were "hoods". When we were asked if our dogs bite, rather than answer "No, he's friendly" we answered, "Not if I let him know everything's all right... "

We didn't want the neighborhood kids telling older brothers who tell friends who happen to be petty thieves. Word gets around. Don't let it make you paranoid... it's just good "information discipline" these days. You are careful with your social security number, credit card numbers and so on, aren't you? It's just the next logical step to keep information about your assetts and your defenses confidential. Sure, you've got nothing to hide, but it's not about "hiding" it's about your right to privacy.

 

[Zoogster]

If you said your dog was mean and aggressive and there was ever a problem, that would be proof that you knew you had a dangerous dog, and you could become criminaly liable (instead of just civily liable) for anything that happened. Even if your dog only bit some kid that taunted it and created the problem. If you told people or implied it was a dangerous dog in the past, you are more at fault for knowingly having a dangerous dog that harmed someone.
So telling people your animal is dangerous when it is normaly harmless could set you up for greater financial loss than the value of almost anything a criminal would walk away with, or loss of your freedom.



If you said your dog is a blood thirsty killer, and someone then shot and killed your dog when it got loose and harmelessly was venturing into a neighbor's yard, you would have only yourself to blame.
It was after all a blood thirsty killer, and when you told neighbor A that, it got around to neighbor D, E and F, and thier families as well through gossip.
They knew it was dangerous, even the owner said so themselves, and when it got loose they were taking no chances.


So there is no perfect answer.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Deer Hunter. Besides logging the serial numbers get a digital camera and take good pictures of your guns and down load to your computer then down load to a CD and store it in a safe place away from your guns. Now you have a record in two places. Your computer and a CD. Makes for easy updating if you use a Re-writable CD.

 

[protolith]

Keep an eye on your dog too, They might be looking to steal your pooch, not unheard of in some urban settings.
Dogs are stolen all the time around Vegas, its kind of a sick way to make a buck, but some people will steal almost anything.

 

[ladykilla]

For always owning bully breeds my adult life, I always got asked that question. And I always anwsered with "only if I tell him/her to". I walk my dogs at all times and I want people to know they are big, hear them bark, and know they are always at the house.

 

[yeti]

"Does she bite?"
"Not yet she hasn't"

 

[Deer Hunter]

Good replies.

I've been in the process of getting all my gun information saved on my computer.

Now, my dog has never bitten anyone. That's not the same thing as letting me know if someone is coming up to my house. He lets me know whenever someone shows up. He barks if he doesn't know them (He knows most of my circle of friends).

They may be after my dog. It's a labradoodle after all. My family raises dogs, and I got to keep one out of a litter.

Turns out I'm staying in tonight. I doubt anything will happen tonight, but I keep the doors locked at all times while I am in my house, so I doubt anyone could enter too incredibly quietly.

 

[Fred Fuller]

I get asked the 'does she bite' question occasionally about our Fila.

My usual answer is to smile really big and say, "Every time she eats!"

lpl

 

[Byron Quick]

My horn honks occasionally by accident when I inadvertently hit the button. Could just be that.

I once had a customer who bred, raised, trained, and sold coon dogs. Top of the line. He was getting $1500 for one of his puppies back in the seventies. Much more for a dog he had trained. Older man but he looked 'rough.' And drove a rattlely old pickup.

Didn't keep him from loving all dogs.

You might be getting checked out and you might be paranoid.

 

[Byron Quick]

My usual answer is to smile really big and say, "Every time she eats!"

"And she likes meat that's alive, that wriggles and screams as she eats it. Any meat, species doesn't matter."

 

[Fred Fuller]

No, I just let it go at that.

But our favorite breeder has a sign on her gate that says:

TRAVELLING SALESMEN WELCOME

Dog Food Is Getting Expensive...

lpl

 

[Girodin]

For always owning bully breeds my adult life, I always got asked that question. And I always anwsered with "only if I tell him/her to". I walk my dogs at all times and I want people to know they are big, hear them bark, and know they are always at the house.

I have a rottie and that is pretty much how I play it. I'll say things like she's real protective of the house and the family but she's okay if I'm there. The advantage of the the media hype "killer dogs" is that most people are some what naturally afraid of them and don't really want to risk finding out if they are nice or not. I have a boat load of stories of people backing all the way off the porch when I answer the door with her and similar type of incidents. She is well trained and walks calmly by my side but it is not uncommon for people to cross the street when I walk her.

My dogs temperament is exactly as I like it. She tune's into how I am acting and follows suit. If I am aloof of someone she usually acts more that way. If I open the door and welcome them in she just goes an lays down. Dogs are not for everyone and require a lot of time and attention to train and properly care for but I'm sold on the deterrence factor of a large intimidating dog.

 

[ilbob]

Could be they just like dogs. When I see dogs out walking their humans, I always wave at the dogs. I am sure some of their humans think it odd, but the dogs seem to understand it is just a friendly gesture.

 

[gunseller2]

Does your dog bite?
No.
AGHHHHH..I though you said your dog didn't bite!
That is not my dog.

 

[Odd1]

I have three dogs (130lbs, 100lbs, and 40llbs).
When out with them I am often asked if they bite.

My standard answer is always "they don't bite me".

Now when it is a woman with her kids, I always smile and add in "most likely n not you either", some kids love dogs and really do want to pet them.

Otherwise, let everyone wonder.

Just because a dog is friendly on a leash in a public area does not mean they would not be more aggresive in thier own home.

I know, it depends on the breed and dog, but some dogs are pretty smart.

 

[CWL]

"My dog is very protective."

That's what I usually say to strangers if they ask about my border collie. If they are kids wanting to pet her (or young ladies at the coffee shop ), I can follow-up with "but she's real friendly when I'm around".

 

[mbt2001]

I like dogs... So I look at them.

Paranoia isn't a bad thing. The founder of Akido wrote a poem:

Even when called out by a single foe,
Remain on guard,
For you are always surrounded
by a host of enemies.

When people ask me "Does he bite" I say "he's trained" and leave it at that. Trained to do what? To bite? Trained to attack? To pee outside? So, like any person, the assume that he is trained to do what they fear he will do or not do.

Do not ignore your gut in an encounter, that is how horror movies start.

A similar story:

A guy came to the door, my wife thought it was the Pizza delivery guy and answered the door. Usually I have a piece within arms reach 90%... except this time. Anyway, I was kind of hidden from view and surprise with worth 1000 guns so I just stayed put. By this time I figured out it wasn't the Pizza guy. My dog, a 80lbs boxer, was looking at the door and then heard the guy's voice. Boxer's are independent and have their own ideas, so he ran up to the door and poked his head out. The guy immediately keyed on the dog with "Whoa, that's a big dog, does he bite", by that time I came to the door and saw the dude, in shorts and a regular shirt, he saw me and started saying he was raising money for the hockey team (notice jail house tats, notice no literature or uniform or anything) I said we are not interested, shut the door on him.

Paranoid? Doubtful. The guy told wife he was "a neighbor" but we had never seen him before. Told me in front of her he was doing something for "the aero's hockey team", tats, no literature, no uniform. When I shut the door on him, I watched him from a window, when he got out of sight of the window, I went outside to "smoke" when he saw me, he changed directions and walked the other way. Obviously, he didn't want me to see his "car / bike" or whatever.

Maybe, maybe it was all a misunderstanding, maybe he was telling the truth, maybe he was an ax murderer, but the Dog didn't like the situation and I didn't like it either.


Another old saying

Truth suffers from too much analysis

Sun tzu says war is serious. Life is serious. Know they enemy and know thyself and you need fear a thousand battles. No one has ever lost a battle by over-estimating the enemy. But many have lost under-estimating the enemy. In lieu of intelligence, assume the worst.

 

[GrannySyl]

Dogs bite

Having had quite a few dogs in my 60+ years (currently have 5), I've been asked the "does he/she bite" question many times.
The answer that has worked best for me: "most dogs will bite, the question is, under what circumstances".
Usually this brings a slightly puzzled look before they move on.

 

[Fifteen+1]

Say no, he doesn't bite, but I have a Colt that does.

 

[fireflyfather]

So there is no perfect answer.

Wrong. The perfect answer is one of the following:

1. No answer.
2. "Why do you want to know?"
3. "Forget the dog; I bite."

Etc...give no real information one way or the other. Make it clear that you are aware of being cased/questioned, without being overly hostile (an immediate threat).

 

[loandr.]

I Stick with....

A calming smile and ...."Thank you...I assure He's Trained Properly" always works for us......but honestly though, we don't get asked much


LD

 

[Fifteen+1]

1. No answer.
2. "Why do you want to know?"
3. "Forget the dog; I bite."

I laughed really hard at that last one.

 

[Lonest@r]

probably just paranoid.. I'm the same way, always watching unfamiliar vehicles or odd behavior. I followed a guy around the neighbor hood on my way home last night after he stopped in front of 2-3 houses and then turned around, apparently he was just looking for a house number.

I kinda got side tracked on

Sure, I've got a roommate who stays here most of the time (online college courses), but she's got a job two days of the week.