Fired my pistol in SD tonight...

[Nate1778]

Shoot the dogs, tell the cop it was fun, have the city pay for the defense, tell them you have a long fear of dogs due to family abuse, walk after a week with less then a smack on the wrist.


Tell them you were defending yourself, your going down sucka.............

[ws6_keith]

Well, I read most of the thread. To the OP - you did what YOU felt was right, so you did right. No one was hurt in the incident, so +1 there.

To Jacobi - you obviously have never been seriously injured by a dog, or have ever seen anyone injured seriously by a dog. When I was nine, the loveable 90# (breed omitted) dog next door ran by while I was playing with my next door neighbor and gave me a love tap on the leg. Cost me 70 stitches, then a skin graft, plastic surgery and 3 months out of the 3rd grade.

[ECHOONE]

Reading Minds,Or Reading Signs,, To all the people that think there the dog whisperer a word of advise,I too handled,cared and trained dogs for well over 20 yrs,Yes you can read most dogs by the signs and body language,but never feel that all will give you either.Point in case.After meeting a Rotty and his owner I sat with both talking for a good 10-15 minutes,the dog was well trained,he wasn't stressed,seemed very calm and had excepted my trust as he licked my hands as I scratched his chin and was petting him,after ending our chat I slowly stood up took one step back then turned to walk away. It was then that I heard his chain snapping,thank god his owner had control and was antentive! with no sign, body languag, or provocation this dog lunged for the back of my neck once I had turned around! So one never knows,Murphys law ALWAYS applies.You never take a chance with an animal even if you think you know him!
I do however feel in this case shooting his revolver was overreacting! 3 warning shoots was total overkill!

[Farmland]

I probably have a little more experience with animals than most people. I sorta of raise them. Though cows are a little larger than most dogs they for the most part a little more gentle. Except for those Bulls that after a certain age you better carry a nice size bat and never trust that it is going to leave you alone.

Seriously I have had the most gentle cows for one reason or another get a little disturbed with my presence and trying to avoid a couple thousand pounds of an animal that has its mind set on one thing isn't fun. And the important part is that even though you think you can read their minds you really can't. Most of the time they will lesson to commands and be the most docile animal you will ever know.

Thus I'm not afraid of animals, when you work with them you can't be, though I have learned to respect them. I sure know when I feel threaten by one and sadly to say when that happens it is time to cull them.

Dogs aren't much different if one shows teeth I am threatened. Dogs should be good natured animals however if they rush you in any way but a wagging tail and that stupid grin they get when they want to be hugged your probably in danger. Even though I'm a country boy we still don't let dogs like that run off a chain. maybe that is why I have never owned a dog like that, not much sense having one that needs to be chained.

If I feel threaten by a dog and I have a gun I would probably skipped the warning shots and eliminated the threat when they reach a certain point. I had a friend killed by a bull two years ago and then the neighbor was seriously hurt trying to save him. The bull just wanted to do his own thing and my friend was in the way, there was no warning at least you had a warning first.

Even though we all try to say animals are human we forget one thing they are made a little different than us and they don't know when they are doing wrong and I certainly wouldn't want to be the one on the wrong side of the teeth.

[Tater.40]

Thats the way the laws are around here you shoot a dog or someone pet your can count on going to jail for a long while .

[Senator Vitaman]

I think some people here are being a bit over-the top. A dog is an animal. This means that you don't have as high of a standard for using deadly force (I think, though check your laws, that you can use deadly force if an animal's causing significant harm to your property) and they are also to be treated differently for self-defense. While a human can 20 yards away might not be too much of a threat, an animal is a bit different. They run faster and probably take more time to stop if they are shot. (Like when deer run 100 yards after being shot) They are also more dangerous. If I get in a fistfight with someone about my size and skill and get cut I'm not as likely to die as if an animal bites me. The animal is also less likely to stop before killing me and while a human might just punch your face, an animal will bite and shake, seriously hurting you, or maybe even go for the throat.

Some people have said they would rather be bitten that shooting a dog. If you have other people in the group, I question how ethical it is to allow a human, a person, to be bitten by an attacking animal just to save said attacking animal.

Shooting a dog or someones pet is 10 years in prison where I live they concider it a crime here.It,s some kind of animal controll law here.

Would that law really apply to cases of self-defense? If laws against shooting people don't apply in self-defense cases, how could that apply?

[jon_in_wv]

Some people have said they would rather be bitten that shooting a dog. If you have other people in the group, I question how ethical it is to allow a human, a person, to be bitten by an attacking animal just to save said attacking animal.

Common sense, I like it. Almost forgot what it sounded like. Good job my friend.

[Shane Tuttle]

Originally Posted by Tater.40

Thats the way the laws are around here you shoot a dog or someone pet your can count on going to jail for a long while .

There have been several members questioning your claim as well as me. After reasserting the statement I must ask for specific sources of the law by which you speak.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Here would be the SC law in question, I believe:

§ 47-3-530. Penalties for stealing or killing identifiable dog.

Any person stealing any positively identifiable dog is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction must be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not less than thirty days nor more than six months, or both.

Any person killing any dog when owner may be identified by means of a collar bearing sufficient information or some other form of positive identification is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction must be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not less than thirty days nor more than six months, or both. This paragraph does not apply to the killing of a dog threatening to cause or causing personal injury or property damage.

I believe that the bolded sentence would quite handily except the OP from prosecution...

[MLeake]

IE don't take a stray and put it down before checking tag and microchip.

[B.N.Real]

Never fire a warning shot.

Shoot to stop or kill the animal.

Discharging any firearm in any neighborhood can lead to a stray bullet killing a child or someone else.

You are very lucky the home owner has'nt called police and had you arrested.

It does'nt matter at all that I personally approve of what you did.

It is blatently illegal to fire a handgun in a neighborhood unless you are in imminent personal danger and every shot you take has to be justified soley to stop that deadly threat.

You are three times guilty of endangering the entire neighborhood you were in and in Northern Virginia,you would be arrested and jailed and your handgun would be taken away.

You would also likely never be able to own a handgun again.

Only fire your handgun when you are responding to a deadly threat and fire it directly at and into that deadly threat.

Also,if you were convicted of a felony endangerment of that neighborhood,it could affect your ability to get a job for the rest of your life.

All of this is why I am thinking very seriously of getting one of those bear pepper foam cans and wearing it everywhere I go.

Especially when I cannot legally carry.

[Brian Pfleuger]

That SC law reads like it's intended for pounds and shelters...

"Any person stealing...."

"Any person killing..."

[MLeake]

.... the part about killing. Nice sarcasm, PeetzaKilla, but note the following:

"any dog when owner may be identified by means of a collar bearing sufficient information or some other form of positive identification"

Why else would the ability to identify the dog matter, in that paragraph?

I don't think they're saying it's ok to just go around killing collarless dogs in the neighborhood.

Obviously, the bolded portion in your post exempts self-defense.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Not the part about stealing...
.... the part about killing. Nice sarcasm, PeetzaKilla, but note the following:

"any dog when owner may be identified by means of a collar bearing sufficient information or some other form of positive identification"

It wasn't sarcasm. It says "any person". It doesn't say "read the tags first" it says "identifiable". In other words, if the dog has a collar and tags. The law has other sections dealing with pounds and such and it uses the exact phraseology to indicate such. I'm no lawyer but "any person" seems self explanatory.

[MLeake]

That would include microchips and tattoos, since they are positive ID forms. These would apply at vet's offices, shelters, and pounds.

I looked up the statute you quoted, PK. It's from SC's animal control laws. Guess what: this part of that statute probably pertains to animal control destroying a dog without making reasonable attempts to find an owner.

Where should your sarcasm be directed now?

[Brian Pfleuger]

No one expects a "civilian" to be able to identify a dog using RF tags and there is NO mention of such, while "collar" is specifically mentioned.

As for the purpose of the law:

"Title 47. Animals, Livestock and Poultry. Chapter 3. Dogs and Other Domestic Pets."

No mention of shelters, animal control officers or other specifications.

Once again "any person"....

How is this even a disagreement? Tuttle8 asked for the law, I obliged.

[MLeake]

And my mood is just fine. However, I misread your meaning behind, "it wasn't sarcasm."

But your cite is from Article 9, Registration of Dogs.

Yes, it says any person. However, some of the language ties in with the subsection that addresses responsibilities of animal control officers. My guess is they wrote this statute as all-inclusive, to include both abuse and other types of killings of dogs.

[5whiskey]

Never fire a warning shot.

Shoot to stop or kill the animal.

Discharging any firearm in any neighborhood can lead to a stray bullet killing a child or someone else.

You are very lucky the home owner has'nt called police and had you arrested.

It does'nt matter at all that I personally approve of what you did.

It is blatently illegal to fire a handgun in a neighborhood unless you are in imminent personal danger and every shot you take has to be justified soley to stop that deadly threat.

You are three times guilty of endangering the entire neighborhood you were in and in Northern Virginia,you would be arrested and jailed and your handgun would be taken away.

You would also likely never be able to own a handgun again.

Only fire your handgun when you are responding to a deadly threat and fire it directly at and into that deadly threat.

Also,if you were convicted of a felony endangerment of that neighborhood,it could affect your ability to get a job for the rest of your life.

All of this is why I am thinking very seriously of getting one of those bear pepper foam cans and wearing it everywhere I go.

Especially when I cannot legally carry.

Funny how the Sheriff Deputy who shoots with me in the back yard has never arrested me. Don't apply arcane laws that apply in your area, and the layout of your area, to mine. ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY I SHOT INTO THE DITCH BANK AND NOT SHOT THE DOGS IS BECAUSE ENGAGING THE DOGS WOULD'VE BEEN MORE DANGEROUS BECAUSE THEY WERE DIRECTLY BETWEEN ME AND A HOUSE.

You are three times guilty of endangering the entire neighborhood you were in and in Northern Virginia,you would be arrested and jailed and your handgun would be taken away.

You would also likely never be able to own a handgun again.

Yes I'm quoting you again. You're very quick to try and scare me into thinking I'm going to jail when you don't even know where I'm from or the laws in my area. Excellent legal advice. I'll keep it in mind

[pax]

Good thread, but after 7 pages there's little left to be said that hasn't been said already. Since there are some signs that tempers are beginning to wear thin, and since the thread has pretty much run its course anyway, I'm closing now.

Thanks for the discussion everyone!

pax