The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Four-Legged Threats

Single Six · October 3, 2011, 03:07 PM

In the course of my LE experience, I did have one eye-opening experience with a pit bull. On a weekend day shift, with no dog catcher on duty [yeah, I know, the PC term is "Animal Control Officer", but I don't do PC], I got dispatched to pick this animal up. The dog was very friendly and gave no problems...right up until I got him to the pound, where he was greeted at the door by a cat that was roaming free. The dog went from Lassie to Cujo in an instant, and to make a long story short, all nine of that cat's lives were rendered null and void. This was before we had TASERs, and the pepper spray I hosed the dog down with in an effort to save the kitty may as well have been water. Later, I got to thinking: If that dog had been mauling a person, shooting would not have been an option due to the obvious fear of hitting the person. So, to that end, the pocketknife I now carry on duty is a Cold Steel 6" Voyager. If shooting an attacking dog isn't in the cards, and you don't have a TASER, a large knife might just be the better option.

October 3, 2011, 03:07 PM	#4
Single Six Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2010 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,522	In the course of my LE experience, I did have one eye-opening experience with a pit bull. On a weekend day shift, with no dog catcher on duty [yeah, I know, the PC term is "Animal Control Officer", but I don't do PC], I got dispatched to pick this animal up. The dog was very friendly and gave no problems...right up until I got him to the pound, where he was greeted at the door by a cat that was roaming free. The dog went from Lassie to Cujo in an instant, and to make a long story short, all nine of that cat's lives were rendered null and void. This was before we had TASERs, and the pepper spray I hosed the dog down with in an effort to save the kitty may as well have been water. Later, I got to thinking: If that dog had been mauling a person, shooting would not have been an option due to the obvious fear of hitting the person. So, to that end, the pocketknife I now carry on duty is a Cold Steel 6" Voyager. If shooting an attacking dog isn't in the cards, and you don't have a TASER, a large knife might just be the better option. __________________ Seen on a bumper sticker: "Exercise. Eat right. Take vitamins. Die anyway."