|
Seems to me a call to animal control is the best first response if you know there's a problem dog(owner) in your area.
Until the situation is resolved, and for unexpected situations that may come up, the ammonia bottle is worth a try next. Generally, dogs do what works and don't do what doesn't work. They excell at pattern recognition. If some dog comes after you, and you blast ammonia into his face, I'm guessing he probably won't do that anymore, or will do it once more at most. Now, no one is hurt and there's no risk of using your gun in a way that might get you into trouble.
No homeowner is going to say, "I saw you with an ammonia bottle and felt threatened, so I shot you in self-defense." Well, maybe there is a homeowner out there who will do that, but that person would be insane and would probably do something no matter what you did or didn't do. And that's a different topic entirely.
Oh, and as a general rule, I never make any threats to people with whom I have problems. Giving them my own words to use against me later is giving them an advantage I don't want them to have. I will PROMISE them that I'll call the authorities if their aberrant behavior continues, but I won't threaten to kill their dog and dump the body on their porch. They might, however, discover their dead pooch on their porch, and will then have to wonder what happened.
|