Just read a post about one of our own getting attacked by two pit bulls (@LoveCheese45). As someone who's dog has been tracked and nearly assaulted by another pit bull, I can agree with how scary it can be to be in that kind of situation. We all want what's best for dogs and, of course, we don't want to get hurt either.

It's such an unfortunate event when dogs get killed. While it was in self-defense and most definitely lifesaving (for Juno) and prevented Juno's father from getting seriously seriously hurt, not all of us may be comfortable carrying a loaded gun on our walks/runs.

But what do we do when a massive aggressive dog attacks? What are our options in protecting ourselves when it comes to stray aggressive dog attacks?

In researching this topic, I found that stun guns are a great alternative to firearms. I found that they are even made specifically to protect against dog attacks. As a petite woman, I'd definitely feel more comfortable with one of these on me, for both scary aggressive dogs and scary aggressive men.

Protect yourself! If you don't have a gun, a gun carrier's license, or if you're just not comfortable with the idea of carrying a gun, I would definitely suggest carrying a stun gun.

Be proactive. Protect yourself and your pooch.

http://www.stunguns-usa.com/stun-guns-for-dogs

This is fairly interesting, being a minor I'm not allowed to carry any sort of long ranged weapons around so maybe this would be a nice alternative; however in CT you do need permission from the police to have one on hand which could also be tricky for me. Although I'm not too worried about running into a super aggressive dog since there aren't that many around here and I think I could handle myself anyways...

Good idea! Wonder if pepper spray would work as well.

Lynn.Karpati wrote:

Good idea! Wonder if pepper spray would work as well.

There is a product called "Halt" that is supplied to police and postal workers to ward off a dog attacks.  It is available only through a dealer, they are listed on there website.  Painful but non-toxic pepper extract.

Hughie wrote:

Lynn.Karpati wrote:

Good idea! Wonder if pepper spray would work as well.

There is a product called "Halt" that is supplied to police and postal workers to ward off a dog attacks.  It is available only through a dealer, they are listed on there website.  Painful but non-toxic pepper extract.

You can actually buy it through Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Halt-91427-Dog-Repellant-Spray/dp/B001AZMH46/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1373203886&sr=8-2&keywords=dog+spray+repellent


I've been meaning to get some spray for when I walk Mishka. I've never encountered an agressive dog, but there are LOTS of huge labs that will come barreling down their driveway to "meet" us and it's freaked him out before. It's only a matter of time before one is not so nice.

I have had multiple instances of aggressive dogs charging me and my dogs, including pit bulls. A few weeks ago I had a terrier mix actually try to bite my larger mixed breed, but he was not hurt. I have called Animal Control but they do not care. I live in a rural area where the attitudes about how to treat dogs is very different from my own. People here think it is ok to let dogs run around where they please and no one thinks they need to train their dog at all.
I have used a spray specifically designed for aggressive dogs that is available at Petsmart. It has citronella and is not as harmful as a pepper spray. This is ok for dogs that are charging but it might be too mild a deterrent for an extremely aggressive dog. I have a more harsh pepper spray that is made for self defense, but I am afraid to spray it near my dogs since I wouldn't want it to blow into their face accidentally and hurt them.
I carry a self defense baton that I could use to hit a dog that was close enough to bite my dogs. But I like the stun gun idea. I'm going to have to look into our local laws about carrying that.