You wouldn't want a stun gun, you would want a stun BATON -- And the debilitating effect is NOT supposed to transfer from the attacker to the victim, but you do need the highest powered model to incapacitate a dangerous dog (!)

Because of this link I purchased some buckshot rounds for my 38 and now carry it on walks. As posted by me earlier we have tons of loose dogs and I've never even came close needing the pepper spray I carry. The thought of a purposful and immediate attack is something this thread has made me realize I need to be prepared for. We walk every day with no problems but should the pepper spray not do the trick I would have no problems what so ever in discharging one of these buckshot rounds. Little to no danger of injuring any unintended person or property and probably not lethal to the dog unless fired at the head from very close range. Anyway that was the best solution I could come up with that works for me.

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Hi Hayley!
I too am afraid of certain dogs. When I see a loose dog I feel a great deal of anxiety. I own two large GSD's and when I was younger I worked in a few dog kennels. I had no fear of dogs until my male GSD was attacked by another dog and has since had fear aggression towards ALL other dogs. Now on walks, loose dogs seem to sense his fear (and mine I'm sure!) and come right over. We had been attacked many times before I finally started carrying a stick. Just knowing I have it seems to make me feel more confident. I just want my dog to know that I will protect him now (as at times I wasn't able to since I was getting bit as well! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
I am looking into getting a stronger stick/bat/baton though as I don't know if mine will stop a bully dog from attacking.
Also, I don't know if your a fan of "The Dog Whispherer" on TV, but there are some good episodes which explain how to behave around certain dogs.
So I can understand some of what your feeling but certainly the advice to talk out your fears with others (like us!), carry a small weapon, walk in safer areas, and read about the breeds that cause you the most anxiety are excellent!
Samantha

Sam, so sorry to read about your dog and YOU getting bitten too! It's always so high adrenaline during these things that we owners are at great risk of being mauled or bitten ourselves. I know I only had a momentary fear of being mauled by Zeus' attacker and that's when he turned to Zev and attacked her. Frankly, there was something seriously wrong with that dog - males who're wired wrong attack females, not normal dogs. But whatever, dogs fighting is a very good way to be bitten.

And it's not always big dogs who attack. The little ankle biters are the worst over all. Dachshunds really stick out in my mind. Every single Doxie we've seen, goes into barking over-aggression mode. And not one owner has corrected their dog. They seem to enjoy it going off. I'm waiting for the next one, because I'm going to ask them if they'd like me to let my dogs come over there and 'correct' that behavior if they won't. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Hayley,

While you have my sympathy and undoubtedly what you're feeling is very real, I can't say I think your fear of bull breeds is justified. You've described equally disturbing attacks involving other breeds yet you harbor no lingering mental/emotional trauma from those incidents, did you have a fear of or ignorance(lack of better term/no disrespect) of bull breeds before the attack on your dogs?

I myself was mauled by a neighbor's APBT as a boy. It was a dog I knew VERY well but it was also one which had been handled extremely poorly by it's owners. The dog had little or no obedience training, veterinary care, and lived it's life on a chain. The owners failed to supervise their children and myself when the dog was present and I am left with a permanent reminder of the results. However, I grew up without any reservations towards APBT's because I knew where to correctly place the blame...with the owners.

I would suggest you talk to your doctor and pursue some type of counseling as a way to work through your anxiety. I would also recommend you educate yourself about bull breeds(with regard to the APBT especially), and hopefully given enough time to recover, you could seek out responsible breed fanciers and someday realize what incredible creatures they are.

As for arming yourself against further attacks, I would suggest learning how to choke a dog using it's collar. It's very effective and does not require a lot of strength. Hot sticks are also a great idea. I'm not so sure about pepper spray being reliably effective against bull breeds, so I would ask what your local Police department uses and what their experiences have been.

An example of a hot stick/stun baton:

http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.e...2Fresults%2Etam

Andy.

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As for arming yourself against further attacks, I would suggest learning how to choke a dog using it's collar. It's very effective and does not require a lot of strength.

How big are you, Andy? I think Hayley and I are the same size and I am pretty positive there is no way I could get a pit off of its target by choking it. I handled a friendly pit at the shelter where I volunteer. He was throttling himself with the choke collar and still hauling me all over the exercise yard in his quest to smell everything. He was a real sweetheart but I did feel somewhat ill at ease because I was not in complete control. First time I felt that way and I am not afraid of dogs by breed.
Also, what if the dog is collarless?

I am not trying to attack your advice. Just wondering in case my Bella and I ever get into a nasty situation. Thankfully people are pretty good in my neighborhood.

Hayley,

For the record, the CDC statistics are inaccurate and unreliable, and that's pretty much the reason why they stopped tracking DBRF's after 1998. Also, pitbulls were credited with almost double the bites as the next nearest breed(Rottweiler) because they were labeled as "type" instead of a single, standard recognizable breed. As most people know(or don't), there are no less than a dozen breeds which are commonly(although incorrectly) mistaken as APBT.

http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/CDCReport/CDCReport.htm

"(after 1998, the CDC stopped tracking which breeds of dogs are involved in fatal attacks; according to a CDC spokesperson, that information is no longer considered to be of discernable value) (Pit Bulls in the City, Indy Tails July 2005)"


I vividly remember the initial headlines which broke from the Whipple mauling in San Francisco: "Two 100lbs Pit-Bulls Kill Woman." As everyone can recall, it wasn't until much later that the dogs were identified as Presa Canarios. Sadly, this type of thing happens ALOT and is one of the reasons why BSL is on the rise(of course there are other reasons attributing to it as well, namely BAD OWNERS).

http://www.understand-a-bull.com/Findthebull/findpitbull_v3.html

http://www.understand-a-bull.com/BSL/MistakenIdentity/WrongId.htm

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I tried to pull him off my dogs with his ridiculous little novelty nylon collar.

LOL, I don't mean to laugh but I understand how that would make it difficult.

In all seriousness though, as long the collar can be cinched/tightened and does not break, it's pretty easy to put a dog to sleep without having to struggle against or pull the dog off of your dog. When done correctly, it takes just a few seconds.

My friend's fiance is a small woman (5'4) and she had no trouble doing it.


Andy.

Leah,

I'm a large man but my suggestion was made with a woman in mind. It can be done, but much like anything else, it requires a calm mind and steady hand, which isn't always easy to possess in the sudden chaos of a dog attack.

I will point out however that there is a big difference between the choke chain you described and using the common 2 inch collar a lot of pit bulldog people put on their dogs. I'm hesitant to post pictures here of what I'm talking about, but you can pm if you're interested.

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Also, what if the dog is collarless?

That's when the hot stick comes in to save the day. <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />


Andy.