Time to Get a Stun Gun

Vaughn McMillan

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I took my dog Sasha to the park across the street Tuesday night for her nightly walk, and within minutes of getting there, she got jumped by a pit bull. (He was off the leash, Sasha was on.) He trotted up, sniffed her a few times as he body checked her a time or two, then with no warning (other than body language) clamped down on her neck and the side of her face. I kicked him a couple of times with no effect, then I grabbed him by the rear flanks and lifted him completely off the ground and was starting to lift Sasha (about 60 pounds) off the ground, too. (He was wearing a spiked collar, so I wasn't real interested in grabbing him by the neck.) His owner came running up yelling at the dog (I was also yelling at him to get his dog off mine) and he immediately started slugging the dog on the side of the head like a UFC fighter. This guy was bigger than I am and he was hitting so hard you could hear the pop every time his fist hit the dog. After a dozen or so blows, the dog finally let go and we got the two dogs separated. The guy was apologizing profusely and didn't hesitate to offer his name and contact info in case Sasha needed to go to the vet. I checked her out closely with a flashlight and found no blood, so I told him I didn't need his info. He explained that the dog was his son's, and he was taking care of it for a few days while the son was out of town. (He was as mad at the dog as I was.) He was carrying a leash and said the dog had gotten away from him...I suspect he was letting the dog roam in the empty park, and when we showed up at the park the dog took off on him.

When I got back to my apartment, my first thought was that I was going to start carrying a gun when I take Sasha on her walks. New Mexico is an open carry state...I can legally walk down the street with a loaded firearm on my hip as long as it's clearly visible. Upon further thought though, I realized that if I were to discharge a pistol in a city park I'd probably have worse problems on my hands than a dead dog. I also suspect I might have some problems with the neighbors if they were to see me walking around the apartments wearing a gun. But an electric stun gun like this can be legally carried in my back pocket, and would turn a dog into a quivering puddle of protoplasm in about five seconds. I've felt the effects of a very short burst from a stun gun in the 100,000 volt range, and in a demonstration have seen the same gun lay a 240 pound martial arts fighter on his back in seconds. I suspect a 5 million volt gun would be even that much more intense. ;)

So the stun gun will be my Christmas present to my dog.

Well, that's how my week's going. :rolleyes: How's yours?
 
How's the back after this adrenaline rush and vigorous workout?
Sasha okay once back in the light of the apartment?
If the dog has your dog, will the stun gun stun both?
My week started off horrible, not wanting to share at this time. But good for Sasha all turned out well. I'd say a nice pocket knife to slide between the ribs of any more attacking dogs.
 
That's a scary story Vaughn. There's a pit bull in our little neighborhood that gets loose every once in a while. I've been afraid I'll run into him when I'm taking out the trash some night so I started carrying a mulch fork just in case. Been told there are only a couple of ways shy of a bullet to get them to turn lose-- fingers in their eyes or fingers up their butt. Think I'd try the eyes first :)
 
I'd agree with Dan, that is a bad situation waiting to happen. I'm not against pit bulls, but obviously that one has some issues.

Glad Sasha is ok, might pickup some pepper spray until the new gun comes.
 
Jon, my back's OK, but my neck was pretty tight from the tension that night. Sasha was real tender and sore Wednesday, but by Thursday evening, she was pretty much back to her normal self. To answer your other concern, stun guns work on a localized area...the shock doesn't travel to anything (or anyone) touching the shockee. I've seen a demo done by a friend of mine where there were two guys holding up the test "victim" by the bare arms. My friend gave him a shot in the chest with the stun gun, and the victim went down so hard and fast that he pulled the other two guys down to the wrestling mat with him, but they didn't get shocked. And a stun gun is more immediate (yet less damaging) than the pocket knife.

Ted, since this happened I've read the same thing about gouging the eyes or the backside, although apparently that can also cause the dog to turn and attack you instead of your dog. I'd rather go the night light approach that Dan M mentioned. The initial shock from a stun gun causes the muscles to become uncontrollable, and after 3 to 5 seconds, it ends up turning the blood sugars into lactic acid, causing the shockee to collapse and have no strength for 5 to 15 minutes. I've had a couple people suggest pepper spray, but that would likely hit my dog as well in this type of situation.

Dan G, you're right...I probably should have reported it, although I did kind of feel sorry for the guy with the dog, since it wasn't even his dog. The guys son had only recently gotten the dog, much to the dad's chagrin. I suspect the dad learned a valuable lesson, though. I'm also pretty sure he'll pass the lesson on to his son. I've met some pit bulls that were well-behaved, but I also think anyone who owns one needs to never let their guard down. I grew up in a household with very friendly dobermans that thought they were lap dogs, but in public we still treated them as potentially dangerous animals.
 
Glad all seems to be OK Vaughn.

A similar situation occurred to me about 20 years ago in Garden Grove, CA. A pit bull attacked another dog at my business. The pit bull wouldn't let go after it's owner and others had tried several things to get it to break it's grip. I took the oppotunity to plant my foot between it's hind legs into it's private areas. That did the trick much like it would to you or I. It took the pit bull a couple of minutes to want to even walk and it had no interest in attacking anything while it was around me.
 
Bad scene. I'm not sure about the stun gun. You have to get close to use it and could get bit in the process. Plus, as soon as the juice is turned off the pit could go after you. I would choose pepper spray. It might also get your dog but the attacker would be disabled for a while until you and your dog got away. I have a friend with a gentle pit but a lot of "gentle" pits often suddenly go mean do do great damage. They are bred for fighting and killing.
 
sorry to hear of your troubles vaughn and i too think pit bulls can be good dogs but they have amazing jaw power and thats what usually does more damage then the teeth.. good deal on the stun gun and hope this doesnt happen again to you and sasha or any of your furry freinds..
 
I guess I have seen that, two guys holding one and only the one getting zapped. Thank goodness I left the Sheriff's Posse before they went to those. I can't stand being shocked, seems to really mess up my system. I guess after you get done zapping him, if he comes after you, zap him again and again and again and etc!!!!!!
Was hoping you hadn't torn anything in your back. Glad to hear it was a horrific time but ending well. Carry a 357 also, in the event the stun gun don't do its job, the 357 will!
 
Sorry to hear this story Vaughn, and very glad Sasha and her human are ok. Looks like you've got a solid plan. Maybe a small handgun for backup though....I see the stun gun can't be shipped to NY - are they legal for carrying [concealed or open?] in NM?
 
Was this a male dog attacking a female? That would be pretty unusual, wouldn't it? If it was a male I can think of something that you could have grabbed and twisted off that might has ended his aggression.

I have had three Dobies and they all have been the best dogs I have ever had. 100 percent family, but like you when out in public, leashed up with a harness. Not so much that I am the a least bit concerned about what they would do, but because most people fear them and feel better if I had they totally controlled. Truth be know, unless trained otherwise, Dobies are whimps. I love them.
 
Pit bulls are sweet lovable dogs right up to the point there NOT and they will reach that point no mater how they are raised. People who have them are just in denial. They were breed to do just that.

Sorry to hear about Sasha and glad she is OK Vaughn. It could have been a whole lot worse and usually is. Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown is full of cases about the sweet lovable Pit Bulls. :gonnagetit:
 
Bad scene. I'm not sure about the stun gun. You have to get close to use it and could get bit in the process. Plus, as soon as the juice is turned off the pit could go after you...

I wouldn't plan to use it until the dog was close enough to touch. In this case I was touching the dog within seconds (holding the hind legs). As far as it coming after me when the juice stops, if the shock is more than about three seconds, it's physically impossible for an animal to move for several minutes. That's long enough to get away. (Or stomp its fool head, which I think I'd be unlikely to do.)

...I see the stun gun can't be shipped to NY - are they legal for carrying [concealed or open?] in NM?

Yep, fully legal concealed or not. I ended up ordering one that's shaped like (and works as) a flashlight, about 6" long, so it won't look out of place either way I happen to carry it.

Was this a male dog attacking a female? That would be pretty unusual, wouldn't it? If it was a male I can think of something that you could have grabbed and twisted off that might has ended his aggression.

I have had three Dobies and they all have been the best dogs I have ever had. 100 percent family, but like you when out in public, leashed up with a harness. Not so much that I am the a least bit concerned about what they would do, but because most people fear them and feel better if I had they totally controlled. Truth be know, unless trained otherwise, Dobies are whimps. I love them.

Yes, it was a male on a female. She tends to try to be the alpha when she's with other dogs, but she's old and he could sense it. I could also see she was nervous when he approached, so he surely took advantage of that. He was neutered, so there wasn't as much down there to grab on as could have been, but still, it probably would have distracted him enough to make him let go. (Although from the time I started kicking him, I was concerned about getting bitten myself.)

And I agree with you wholeheartedly about dobies. :)
 
SOOOO glad Sasha, and you, are ok. I agree about the Pits, you just can't tell when they will turn. But that's true of several of the breeds. The bad thing about grabbing the little hangy-down-parts, is that puts your face on their level...if they let go and turn on you you're in deep do....well, you know what. The stun gun sounds like the perfect answer.
About 15 years ago when Glenna and I were heavy on the dog show circuit with our dogs, a friend with her 8 or 9 month old Irish female pup were walking down the isle. Typical Irish, she was going from side to side "visiting" with everyone...our friend's fault. A Mastiff took exception to her antics, reached out and grabbed her side, drug her down and wouldn't let go. Our friend's male companion started kicking the dog, the handler froze as I remember or started screaming at the dog but wouldn't touch it. The handler was told to get his dog off of their dog, or it was going to be dead. I don't remember how they got the dog to turn loose, but our friends filed a complaint with the AKC. They were talked out of carrying through with the issue. They even found witnesses that said this dog had done it before. That should have immediately excused the dog from the dog show grounds and banned it for life. AKC rules. The unfortunate thing is our friend's pup lost that Irish happy-go-lucky attitude and never showed well after that. Such a shame.
Vaughn, something for you to watch for, though she may have learned something from this incident, is if Sasha is alpha, she may have made a noise that humans can't hear, or may have sent a signal otherwise that only another dog would understand, that set the Pit off. Alpha animals can do that, and bitches (female dogs) are the worse. Our second show dog, a truly alpha bitch, was this way. Glenna and I were entering the building in Lubbock TX for a show. I had a crate and grooming equipment in hand following my wife and Portia (Portia is the Grand Dam of the girl in my avatar). At a 90 degree corner to the left through the grooming area, there were 2 handlers standing and talking. A guy by himself, and a lady with a Chow on a leash. The dog was the farthest away from Portia as she turned the corner. Portia turned her face to the chow, then made the left turn for the corner. The Chow almost pulled the lady off her feet trying to go the other way!!! The lady even said, What the?????? But if it had been another alpha dog, the fight would have been on.
So be mindful of her attitude when another dog approaches. Not saying it was her fault, but her attitude may have added fuel to the other dog's existing problem. And as has been alluded to, there are many things that can set a dog off, so may not have been anything she did either. One will never know.
Always be on guard and have the stun gun for a back up. Jim.
 
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Was this a male dog attacking a female? That would be pretty unusual, wouldn't it? If it was a male I can think of something that you could have grabbed and twisted off that might has ended his aggression.

I have had three Dobies and they all have been the best dogs I have ever had. 100 percent family, but like you when out in public, leashed up with a harness. Not so much that I am the a least bit concerned about what they would do, but because most people fear them and feel better if I had they totally controlled. Truth be know, unless trained otherwise, Dobies are whimps. I love them.

When I lived in Calif.. I had a friend that had a pair of Dobies... his didn't have their ears or tails docked, so they really didn't look that much like Dobies... but they were his babies... he drove an El Camino with them in the back... they loved to ride.

We had a Pit living on our front porch last year.... my neighbor down the road had him and let him roam the neighborhood... he had a bad rep for killing cats and a couple of little dogs... When my neighbor was killed in a bar fight, his wife moved away and just left the dog... he first moved into the barn across the road, then came across the road with my dog... mine is a female and she played with him... I wouldn't let him go hungry and no one was feeding him.... so he moved onto my front porch and slept on the rattan sofa we have out there.... he had a few scars, but when my wife or I would walk out onto the porch, his whole body would start to wiggle... especially if it was my wife... he loved her and was always happy to see her... he stayed with us almost a year, then just disappeared.
 
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