Re: [at-l] Bad Dog Advice (take with salt)

Joyce Haines wrote:

> What about using mace or pepper spray on an attacking dog?

Against your typical untrained dog that's merely putting on a show,
it'll probably work finest kind. The USPS seems to have some success
with the stuff, though their carriers still get bitten over 1000
times each year.

But against a trained or hardened dog? If it's already muckled onto
you, pepper spray likely won't do any good. If you use it before
he strikes he *may* become disoriented, but I wouldn't count on the
threat being neutralized at that point -- you'll need a follow-up
plan, like Teel's suggestion to kick its jaw out.

Whatever you do, don't hold your spray at arm's length and/or lean
toward the dog; you're inviting it to take your arm (better than
your groin or throat, I suppose). I'd also suggest that you train
yourself to employ spray with your non-dominant hand, so as to keep
your more dexterous hand free. That applies to use against two-legged
threats as well. Some self defense classes teach you to hold your
spray at arm's length with both hands, but that strikes me as a
stunningly bad idea for a number of reasons.

Carry on with style,
--
mfuller@somtel.com; Northern Franklin County, Maine         $
The Constitution is the white man's ghost shirt.  }>:-/> --->


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