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MLeake · October 10, 2010, 11:08 PM

BillCA raised this point earlier in the thread. I know of at least two cases in my family where it has come into play.

Case 1) Massachusetts, 1980's. My dad's cousin was home alone, kids in school, husband at work, in rural, central Massachusetts. A floral delivery van pulled into the drive. Delivery guy rang the bell, said he was trying to find an address, but couldn't find the road. Could he please come in and use the phone?

My dad's cousin let him in the door. Immediately, her German Shepherd, "Pup" (the name should tell you just how aggressive the dog usually was) began growling. The man asked, "does she bite?" My dad's cousin, the light bulb now coming on over her head, said, "do you want to find out?" The guy left.

My dad's cousin called her husband and told him what happened. Her husband told her to call the cops. Cops came out in some numbers, 20-30 minutes later. They told her a serial rapist had been hitting their area, using the ploy of being a lost flower delivery man. They had a task force looking for him.

The officers also told her that since she lived out far enough in the sticks to expect response times over 20 minutes, she really should get a gun. She followed that advice.

Case 2) My ex had interrupted a domestic battery in progress at a public beach bathhouse. The female (victim) ran away. The male (assailant, puncher/choker) made a move to threaten my ex, but my ex was at the beach with some USMC friends of ours. (I was deployed at the time.) The guy backed off, for the time being.

My ex rode with the jarheads back to where they'd met up, at a local biker bar we tended to frequent. They all hung out at the bar for a while. She then got in the 4Runner and drove up through the mountain pass, down the other side, and to our house. She went to let our dog (Rottweiler/Shepherd mix, around 55lbs) out, and opened the gate to the backyard, which was below the level of the front yard.

As she and the dog started down the staircase, Bella (the dog) started growling and bristling, and moved against my ex's leg, staring down into the backyard. Looking where Bella's attention had fixed, my ex saw the guy from the beach, plus a friend of his, in our backyard and moving toward her.

They froze when they noticed the dog. My ex ducked quickly into the house, and grabbed her Beretta Brigadier 9mm from its hiding place by the door. She came back out off-safe and cocked. Between the dog and the gun, the two guys tore off, and jumped the back fence, leaving some denim from one's jeans snagged on the fence.

Note: Bella loved people in general; we used to take her to off-leash parks all the time. She'd let unknown little kids climb on her back. She NEVER reacted to people the way she did on that occasion.

October 10, 2010, 11:08 PM	#39
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	Dogs and the stink of fear... BillCA raised this point earlier in the thread. I know of at least two cases in my family where it has come into play. Case 1) Massachusetts, 1980's. My dad's cousin was home alone, kids in school, husband at work, in rural, central Massachusetts. A floral delivery van pulled into the drive. Delivery guy rang the bell, said he was trying to find an address, but couldn't find the road. Could he please come in and use the phone? My dad's cousin let him in the door. Immediately, her German Shepherd, "Pup" (the name should tell you just how aggressive the dog usually was) began growling. The man asked, "does she bite?" My dad's cousin, the light bulb now coming on over her head, said, "do you want to find out?" The guy left. My dad's cousin called her husband and told him what happened. Her husband told her to call the cops. Cops came out in some numbers, 20-30 minutes later. They told her a serial rapist had been hitting their area, using the ploy of being a lost flower delivery man. They had a task force looking for him. The officers also told her that since she lived out far enough in the sticks to expect response times over 20 minutes, she really should get a gun. She followed that advice. Case 2) My ex had interrupted a domestic battery in progress at a public beach bathhouse. The female (victim) ran away. The male (assailant, puncher/choker) made a move to threaten my ex, but my ex was at the beach with some USMC friends of ours. (I was deployed at the time.) The guy backed off, for the time being. My ex rode with the jarheads back to where they'd met up, at a local biker bar we tended to frequent. They all hung out at the bar for a while. She then got in the 4Runner and drove up through the mountain pass, down the other side, and to our house. She went to let our dog (Rottweiler/Shepherd mix, around 55lbs) out, and opened the gate to the backyard, which was below the level of the front yard. As she and the dog started down the staircase, Bella (the dog) started growling and bristling, and moved against my ex's leg, staring down into the backyard. Looking where Bella's attention had fixed, my ex saw the guy from the beach, plus a friend of his, in our backyard and moving toward her. They froze when they noticed the dog. My ex ducked quickly into the house, and grabbed her Beretta Brigadier 9mm from its hiding place by the door. She came back out off-safe and cocked. Between the dog and the gun, the two guys tore off, and jumped the back fence, leaving some denim from one's jeans snagged on the fence. Note: Bella loved people in general; we used to take her to off-leash parks all the time. She'd let unknown little kids climb on her back. She NEVER reacted to people the way she did on that occasion.