I’m 73 years old and have been walking 3 miles or more most days weather permitting. I will cross the street if I see large dogs coming my way. On February 2nd I was on my way home from the park and rather pleased with myself because I had done 2 extra laps around the park, I didn’t immediately see the dog all I heard was, “ Stryker come back.” I jerker my head up and saw a pit bull on the other side of the road cross the street and coming right for me. The owner had the dog off leash and was on her cell phone . I froze and yelled to her to please get her dog. Too preoccupied with her phone conversation she said oh he’s alright.
It was like a dream, I was frozen in terror as the dog first barking, then growling came toward me. The dog latched onto my hand while I continued to beg for the owner to help me. Finally she called to the dog and the dog took off down the street. It took a few minutes to realize I had actually been bitten when I saw the blood dripping from my hand.
When I got home I called animal control but we never found the owner of the dog so I had to get the full set of rabies shots. Now I am afraid when I go for a walk and admittedly am going less frequently. I bought pepper spay but some have told me that would only make the dog more aggressive.
Pepper spray won’t make a dog more aggressive. It works. Be sure to get the kind of spray made for humans, because the sprays for animals are made more mild. Animals have more sensitive mucous membranes. But you need to spray the dog, before it bites. It might not make the dog release after biting.
Some people go the route of buying a pistol, getting self-defense insurance (like USCCA) and spending many hours on a range before carrying. If you do that, be sure to check your state’s law in regards to defending against dog attacks. A study of dog anatomy is also necessary.
Also remember that you might receive some flak from the weirdo political animal worshipers, if you defend yourself against a dog. But you’re in your seventies, so I doubt that they would have much of a chance against you.
The younger generations have handed us a messed-up society for sure, but the libertines in our generation had something to do with that, too.
bought pepper spay but some have told me that would only make the dog more aggressive.
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What you should be prepared to do is make the dog DEAD, and for that you need a handgun. Think about that next time you vote.