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MLeake · July 5, 2009, 10:14 AM

... about owners being sensible enough not to allow vicious dogs to run loose. Where I grew up, most dogs ran loose. Probably wasn't legal, but it was the norm. Semi-rural Maine was pretty dog friendly, at the local level.

However, I can tell you from firsthand experience that there are a lot of idiot dog owners out there. I've run into them in parks, on trails, on streets. They either don't know how to control their dog, or don't care how their dog acts. Some of the worst ones seem to think that an aggressive dog reflects cool points on the owner. Interestingly, most of this last group seem to be in their late teens to early 30's, and favor wife-beater tanks, sleeve style tattoos, and Fast and Furious style cars, at least at the parks I used to frequent in Florida.

In the OP's case, you probably have a point. The "pause" may have indicated the end of a bluff charge. For that matter, the property may have an invisible fence. (Not all dogs running loose are actually running loose, at least not if they don't like electric shocks...)

The warning shots in this case may have been overkill. Then again, given that the OP was trying to ensure the safety of a group that included kids and a grandmother, I won't fault him for erring on the pro-active side, since he seems to have ensured a safe backstop for his warning shots.

July 5, 2009, 10:14 AM	#34
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	One would hope you are correct... ... about owners being sensible enough not to allow vicious dogs to run loose. Where I grew up, most dogs ran loose. Probably wasn't legal, but it was the norm. Semi-rural Maine was pretty dog friendly, at the local level. However, I can tell you from firsthand experience that there are a lot of idiot dog owners out there. I've run into them in parks, on trails, on streets. They either don't know how to control their dog, or don't care how their dog acts. Some of the worst ones seem to think that an aggressive dog reflects cool points on the owner. Interestingly, most of this last group seem to be in their late teens to early 30's, and favor wife-beater tanks, sleeve style tattoos, and Fast and Furious style cars, at least at the parks I used to frequent in Florida. In the OP's case, you probably have a point. The "pause" may have indicated the end of a bluff charge. For that matter, the property may have an invisible fence. (Not all dogs running loose are actually running loose, at least not if they don't like electric shocks...) The warning shots in this case may have been overkill. Then again, given that the OP was trying to ensure the safety of a group that included kids and a grandmother, I won't fault him for erring on the pro-active side, since he seems to have ensured a safe backstop for his warning shots.