off topic (mostly) - dogs
 

So I get home from work today and take my 2-yr-old girl out to play on her playhouse while I work in the garden 30-40 yards away. After awhile I saw her leave it and head for the front of the house where she plays on the porch, so I left the garden to follow and keep her in sight -- but I was still 30-40 yards away.

My spaniel went around me and took off, but angled to the right and away from her, drawing my attention to whatever he'd seen. There were two of the trashy neighbor's dalmations, loose, and running out of my orchard and straight for my little girl. My heart dropped as I realized that despite my best efforts -- which are pretty damn good considering I almost made the olympic trials a few years ago -- I could never beat those dogs to her.

Fortunately my spaniel was faster, and he cut them off 10 feet before they got to her. They both jumped him, and while he out-weighed either of them by 20+ lbs 2-1 is never an easy fight. My girl ran away, so I set at beating the dogs but it accomplished nothing. I grabbed one and flug it as far as I could, but it jumped right back in the fight.

I sprinted the few strides to the house, headed for the gun safe under the master bed but luckily I'd left my unloaded Glock on the kitchen counter. I grabbed it and slammed the clip home, ran back outside and drew a bead on one of the dogs. Some sense (or hesitation anyways) crept into me, and instead of plugging it I fired three warning shots into the ground 6 inches in front of it and sent some sod flying. They took off.

The trashy neighbor and I had a little heart to heart afterward. I was a LOT nicer than I felt like being, but made it clear that there would be zero leeway in the future when I felt my daughter was in danger. I would have shot the thing but I didn't want my spaniel eating a rat poison-laced steak tomorrow.

To bring it back on topic, when the neighbor's son answered the door he was cleaning the breechplug from a Traditions Lightning LD... ;D

Never had to have that papa bear feeling before...guess I flung that stupid dog pretty far for a skinny distance runner.

My oldest daughter was bitten by a Dalmation several years back. I didn't know until then but a lot of Dalmations are aggressive. Glad everything turned out good for your daughter. It always makes me think when something like that happens how a day can go from great to horrible in a few seconds.

I first want to commend you on the over all personal control you displayed. I know the feelings of seeing a child in danger. And sometimes you want to do something that inside your mind it screams, not to. So you did the right thing. As for the incident, it should be reported to the police. That way in the event this occurs again, there is documentation of the on going problem. It would be that much more of a reason to take final steps (if they should be necessary) if this occurred again. Also society attitudes have changed about dogs running loose. What used to be a "neighbor squabble" is not the case anymore. The dogs need to go on record.


I went through the same thing with a neighbor many years ago. I owned all the woods on this man's farm. The farmer needed money, and I wanted land. So I purchased his woods. Although a child was not in danger. Instead it was friends and I. The neighbor had a LARGE German Shepard that was not friendly. When he thought no one was around, he'd let the dog run loose. Fine, I have no problem with that. But I had warned him over and over, not to let the dog loose when I was back in my woods. I also did not want the dog running through my woods as it chased deer.

Well a friend and I were bow hunting one afternoon. A deer came screaming by and the neighbors dog in hot pursuit. Twenty minutes later I hear my friend yelling at something to go away. Go home. Get out of here. ETC... I start walking over there to where he was, and here he is, up a tree with the dog under the tree. He'd dropped his bow. So I pull up and took a bead on that dog and was all ready to shoot it, but instead shot under the dirt next to it. The dog turned and saw me and began his growling, so I notched up another arrow. I could hear a whistle blowing and the dog took off home.

We headed out right away. On the way out, I stopped at the neighbors and told him what happened. He denied it of course. So I told him I was glad it was not his dog, as the next time I saw that dog in my woods it was dead. He then pleaded with me not to shoot his dog. I then fied a report on the dog and the deputy went out there to take a report. The farmer's dog about took his leg off he told me. He suggested I carry a handgun after that when I hunt. Which I started doing.

While I'd like to report it, the issue I have is MY dog's safety. He typically stays home but when theirs run over it encourages him to follow them back, and apparently a couple weeks ago this happened and one of theirs was in heat. Turns out he'd then go over there most of the day while I was at work, and they never told me, so it took me a couple days to figure it out and start punishing him (and turn on the invisible fence). So I'm afraid that the one time he screws up again and goes over they'll take it out on him.

The neighbor lady tried to run over a cop a few years ago I'm told. Typical local politics, they know enough other cops in the area so she somehow got out of it. They are the type of people to do stuff like poisoning dogs.

They already have loose dog complaints from others on the record and the whole neighborhood would testify to it, so I think I'm going to leave it where it is but if they so much as scratch my dog or anything it'll be time for a dirt nap.

I dont give a $hit what the out come would be, if ANYONES dog even looked like he was going after one of my kids, it would have lead in its head.

I'm glad no harm came to your daughter spaniel. Is your dog alright?

Give your dog an extra treat or two, spaniel.

There were a few drops of blood, but we couldn't find where it was coming from, most likely a small puncture or two. He's due to the vet soon for shots/checkup anyways. Good thing springers have so much hair on their neck. He seemed perfectly fine this morning except being really unhappy until I let him into my girl's room to see she was still ok.

Underclocked, that was my first instinct and a hard one to overcome with a clear sight picture in front of me...but everyone is ok and the immediate danger was over by then, they have had a warning and will have no recourse if I need to plug them later.

Spaniel:

Thank God everything turned out OK!

I have a two year old daughter and a neighbor very similar to yours, so I totally understand where you are coming from.

My neighbors dog has twice challenged me on my property. The second time I got out the Mossberg and some turkey shot. Had a bead on him, safety off and finger starting to squeeze the trigger when the dog backed down and headed home. This caused me to build a brick wall around my property to keep the dog out.

Just wondering, do you live in the country? I live in a "residential area." Not suburban, but not country either if that makes sense. The rule as I understand it, if a gun goes off, a crime has been committed. So its shoot to kill or don't shoot at all. Warning shots could put you behind bars since it could appear to a judge/jury that the situation was not truly life threatening if you had the time to fire warning shots.

Glad everything worked out for you though!

~Robert

I'm zoned farm, though the frontage on my road is houses. I have a full shooting range built out back. I just need to be conscious of which direction I shoot and where the bullet will end up. No crime unless you are in the city limits of a municipality.