I had an encounter this weekend that turned out ok, however it got me think about if I could have gotten myself in some trouble had things gone down a little differently. So... I had to run to a local dump to dispose of some trash from a recent remodel I did on my house. The layout is such that you have to back up to this large dumpster to offload. They have several lanes marked out so you end up side by side with several other trucks doing the same thing. When I backed into my spot I noticed the guy to my left had two Rottweiler and his 4-5 year old son in the bed of his pickup. A dump trailer was hooked up to the truck and the guy and a buddy where in the trailer unload their crap. I assumed that if an owner is going to leave a dog unsecured in the bed of his pickup around other people and unsecured, that the dog does not have an aggression issue (My mistake.) So as I am exiting my truck I have my back to the dogs and hear one of them growling. I turn around and come face to face with a 100+ lb Rottweiler that has climbed up on the bed rail and is growling at me. A moment later this 100+ lb Rottweiler is jumping out of the bed of the truck and lunging at me. As a reflex yell HEY!! and punch the dog in the neck mid flight knocking the dog to the ground landing on its side. I immediately back myself into the triangular area created by my still open door and truck and put my hand on my gun waiting to see if this big boy is going to take another stab at me. FYI I did not draw or expose my weapon and kept my gun side hip protected by my truck and truck door. Fortunately the owner was quick on his feet and corralled his dog before he could do much more than growl and square off with me again. He apologized profusely and put both dogs in the cab of his truck. I assume that the dog was being protective of the son that was in the bed as well and just let the guy know that most people probably wouldn't be as understanding as I am. Please keep in mind that I am a dog lover and have no notions that all Rottweilers or Pit Bulls or any other breeds are born killers or blood sucking demons or anything like that. After the encounter I did some thinking and was wondering what would be the outcome if the owner hadnt wrangled his dog and he attacked again and I had to draw and fire on the dog. I thought that I would ask greater mind than mine to weigh in on this situation. Would I be protected by the law or would I be arrested for discharging a firearm in public? Please let me know what you think. Thanks OSA.
IMO you would have been justified in defending yourself against a threat of great bodily harm. The law does not specify that the threat must be human in nature.
I agree. Police officers do it all the time in the course of their duties... it's sad, but stuff happens.
LL
Well I don't know what the laws are like where you live or where your encounter took place, but Tulsa has an ordinance that protects you if you have to fire your weapon to defend against a deadly or dangerous animal.
Charges would have been the least of your worries. The dog owner might have sued you for killing his poor sons dog so violently and brutally in front of the kid who is now permanenty scarred and needs therapy.
Dogs are the main reason I CC when i'm on a walk in the neighborhood with the family.
I guess your right. It would have been far less scarring for him to see his beloved dog violently and brutally kill me.
Thank you guys for all the feed back.
The Animal Control guy here in Ponca told me that it was ok to shoot a dog if you have to ,to keep from being bitten.
An owner should never allow a large Rottweiler out in public unrestrained. "Imminent threat" can easily be a Rottweiler coming at a person. I always carry when I jog just for this reason. The story reminds of when Rick perry shot the coyote with his LCP.
I had a rottweiler charge me while walking. I heard him bark and seen him running towards me and gripped my gun but didnt draw. I said to the dog M-f-er if you bite me i'm gonna shoot you. He stopped in his tracks and turned around.
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