Man shoots at dog

[DryCreek]

http://www.abc4.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=bdbc213e-0f04-4886-b01c-b86f9ed25426


Man shoots at dog on Salt Lake City street

Last Update: Mar 22, 2007 9:03 PM
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A man got a scare while walking down a quiet Salt Lake street Thursday morning--he was attacked by a pit bull.

It happened near 130 East Herbert Avenue. Witnesses said the dog saw the man, got out of his fenced yard and chased him. The man pulled out a gun when the dog got within a few feet and shot at the charging animal. The shot missed and hit the sidewalk. The sound of the gunshot startled the pit bull and he turned around and went back into his yard.

The police were called as well as animal control. The pit bull was taken to the Salt Lake County Animal Shelter. His owner will be cited for the dog running loose and attacking. He will have to pay a fine, impound and license fees, a rabies vaccination, and a deposit for neutering at a cost of around $200.

The owner of the dog told ABC 4 his pit bull is not aggressive and usually runs up to people because he is friendly. The animal control officer said because this is the dog's first offense, he will be returned to the owner once all fines and fees are paid. She said neutering will help the six-month-old pup to be less aggressive.

Police say the man who discharged the weapon has a concealed carry permit and was justified in his actions and was not hurt.

Anyone else see anything wrong with a grown man pulling a gun on a street. I also thought that an attack included something called CONTACT between the attacked and the attacker.

When will people ever learn. They need to keep their animals contained whether they are aggressive or not? Some people are afraid of dogs and if, like this guy, they are carrying a gun ( But don't miss ).....your dogs dead

[coolhandjean]

well, I do agree that the owners were in the wrong. You don't just let your dog run free, just because you feel safe around it, doesn't mean everyone will...
I don't have a problem with the guy carrying the gun, either, though if he really felt he was in danger, he should have taken time to aim, and make sure his bullet wasn't going to fly somewhere that could harm someone else. it seems as if he did make sure it went down, since it hit the sidewalk, at least.

[DryCreek]

The man pulled out a gun when the dog got within a few feet and shot at the charging animal.
Unless he's Quick Draw McGraw, he had no time to aim.

Being Canadian there are very different laws about handguns.

Just thinking that a man panicking and pulling out a gun is a dangerous situstion.

[coolhandjean]

I agree that a paniced man with a gun can be dangerous, but I have no problem with any other person walking around with a handgun.

[MIKA]

I have a problem if the 6 month old PUPPY got out like escape artist's they are and was running up to greet the idiot. Were talkin about a pup here. People are just looking for a reason to kill our breed and that idiot could have killed somebody walking in their yard or something!

[JuckingFerk]

Dont start any anit-gun BS please. I love my dogs, but I love my guns more. Here in America guns=freedom. Our ownership of guns is one of the freedoms that this great country of ours is based on.

Ferk out

[LegendsMami]

I have a problem if the 6 month old PUPPY got out like escape artist's they are and was running up to greet the idiot. Were talkin about a pup here. People are just looking for a reason to kill our breed and that idiot could have killed somebody walking in their yard or something!
I agree. What if the bullet ricoched off the ground and hit someone or a child? And how big was this 6 month old puppy that this guy just HAD to run from? Blah! What a freakin' dumba$$!

[YoungLion]

TYPICAL CRAP the part that pisses me of was the end with the ANIMAL CONTROL officer making the dog seem so so dangerous. instead of trying to kill every pitbull they should focus more on educating owners of proper care and containment. but i guess breed specific legislation, gassing, and forced nutering makes more sense than EDUCATION. just the other day someone called the animal control on me when they got there they said SOMEONE was afraid my dogs were not contained good enough and wondered about thier health. before the officers got close to the dogs they said "oh yeah they look real good and the set up was more than adaquate" they said that "people" get scared when its a pitbull. THATS An UNDERSTATMENT. my dogs were not bothering anyone but i bet someone would have liked to see my pitbulls hauled away also and for no other reason execept its breed.

[DryCreek]

http://cdn.dayport.com/ktvximg/img/thumb_1174614810671_0p3742964739877411.jpg?


Here is a pic of the dog.

[ABK]

That is a BIG puppy. Looks more like an AmBulldog than a pit bull.

[laurajean]

There seem to be two separate issues here.
1. The owner apparently didn't have the dog licensed, didn't have shots for his dog(like rabies for example), and obviously did not contain his dog properly if it got out and ran down the street.
2. The idiot with the gun firing it on a residential street in the presence of children (the young niece chasing the dog.)
In my opinion the owner should be fined, he is giving all "pit bull" owners a bad name by being irresponsible with his dog. I agree the dog doesn't look like a "pit bull"(more like an American bulldog as ABK says), but what is that to the public? What with the media frenzy about vicious killer "pit bulls" roaming about attacking every living creature they see..ya'll know what I mean. This dog's owner is no friend to our favorite breed. The owner is totally irresponsible and just "feeding the fire" of the "pit bull" frenzy.
Some people are scared of all dogs. Of course if a "pit bull" type dog runs at someone ..."it is attacking". If a Yorkie or Chihuahua runs at someone it is just "playing." Boy, the media will make hay out of this. I think people in our country should be allowed to posess guns, but firing them on residential streets? Hmmph! I dunno what to say. Except if the owner of the dog had contained his so-called "pit bull" we wouldn't be watching this on the internet. I'm sure if the dog had been a Yorkie or Chihuahua instead of a "pit bull" the onus would all be on the guy who shot at the dog and missed.

[Chef-Kergin]

I exercise my right and have a CCW in OH that has reciprocity with 17 other states (last I checked). I keep my glock 19 next to my cell phone; never leave the house without em ;). the 1911 is in the car (I deposit cash from work at the bank nightly after we close).

I can defend myself and property, if threatened. Deadly force can't be used in all situations. Even if you end an attacker's life legally, chances are you'll lose your weapon and the civil suit from the dead person's family soon to follow.

When it comes to animals/critters, I don't think I'd hesitate to defend me or the dogs if we were out in a heartbeat. Hasn't happened yet, but I've changed walking routes due to a dog that constantly gets loose. I now go out a few blocks to the edge of town and walk along the country roads. You can bet a charging dog would be a dead dog outside of the city limits.

But if it was a puppy, I can't really see it being bite crazy and trying to go after random folks. *shrug* He might've gone overboard discharging his weapon in a residential area. But like I said, if it was me, and I truely felt my well-being was threatened, I wouldn't have missed.

[laurajean]

Yeah, well, Kergin, I defend your right to own all the weapons you want and to use them, but you do NOT know if you might miss your shot at a crucial moment when the adrenaline is pumping through your system because you are feeling threatened.
That is just hypothetical and not worth debating. So far as I know, no one who fires a weapon is 100% a perfect shot, all the time, in all circumstances. Life isn't just black and white no matter how much we should like it to be.
God willing, you will never have to use your weapons in self-defense.
PS. If you want to discuss whatever you seem to take issue with in that which I said previously, PM me.

[YoungLion]

If it was not a "Pitbull" the story might of read man kills family pet shots fired in residential area. the word Pitbull changes everything. ive been chased by dogs before and i have jumped on cars and that worked well for me. in most peoples eyes the pitbull is like Public Enemy #1. with this mindset and a fear of dogs fueled by media lies topped with a gun things could have been much worse.

[Michele]

good post Kergin

[Chef-Kergin]

Laurajean- i see your point. i won't debate it; you can't simulate high adrenaline situations. that's why I put over 1000 rounds a month through each pistol, and practice target acquisition with both eyes shooting left and right handed to try and stay consistent. I consider myself a good shot, actually, a very good shot and I got a hell of a quick recovery after firing the 9 or 45, but like you said, you can't always be sure. I had replaced my guide rod with a laser sight a few years back, but that only made my target skills get rusty relying on a dot to do my aiming. So I stick with my eyes now :eek:

No one/no animal better come in the house though, because I'll bust out my Persuader and do the drywall patches later after I paint over the blood stains on the wall ;)

[jaybird]

dog could not have been too vicious to let some one other than its owner pick it up like that and shove it in a box, with out taking a bite out of them.

[ABK]

Yea, but that guy didn't know that as the dog was charging him. I've been charged by an AmBull & it'll make you think twice.

[laurajean]

I can't really criticise the man who was "charged" by the "pit bull" for defending himself.
Still it is scary to contemplate where the bullet "could have gone." Like into a neighborhood kid.
It actually makes me feel glad to be in this country to know that there are fellow Americans who are owning weapons and practicing with them Kergin. You are probably the first line of defense we have against a tyranical government.
It's not the "crooks" who scare me so much as the demagogues who want to eliminate all differences and dissent. I like difference and dissent. It's what make the good ole USA a good place to be.

[chloesredboy]

That is a BIG puppy. Looks more like an AmBulldog than a pit bull.i agree ,thats one huge six month old pit-bull,hell that dog looks bigger than my three year old dog!

[laurajean]

So we are back to like- the totally irresponsible owners who let their dogs terrorize the neighborhood. It's all human error...and the humans are making the dogs the scapegoats.