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Another Post-SHTF Worry

walking-the-dog

From regular contributor Corey Naughton

This article will start with a story. I had a little incident this weekend that brought about this realization and I’d like to share it with you all.

I took Friday off work in order to make sure I had some extra time this weekend to build a barn. Of course we had high winds all weekend so that plan went to … poop. So on Friday I was sitting around with little to do and decided to take the dog for a long walk. We got a new puppy recently and she needed a work out.

Meet Cinnamon

cinnamon5

I decided we’d walk all the way to our mailbox and back (several miles). On the way, as I was about 300m from my driveway, I heard a quick movement in the gravel behind me. I quickly wrapped Cinnamon’s leash up in my left hand to draw her close, spun on my heel, and drew my sidearm.

It’s a good thing I did.

A pair of vicious local dogs, whose irresponsible owners allow to run free, had snuck up on us from behind and sprinted the last bit as they were intent on attacking myself and Cinnamon.

Upon turning around the closest dog stopped short just 8 or 9 feet (3m) away. Hackles raised, head low, ears back, and growly/barking ferociously.

Keeping my gun drawn but at my side I yelled at the dogs to go away. They didn’t care. After a tense minute I sharply kicked some gravel at them. Finally, they back away a little but stayed low and growling. I was able to slowly move away from them and get back to the house even though they stalked us at a distance for the next 100m or so.

And now we come to the realization …

After the first few weeks of any SHTF scenario it will become impossible for people to take care of their pets. Many will be let free to scavenge and fend for themselves. Being pack animals by nature this will lead to an epidemic of attacks.

It is EXTREMELY important that you keep your situational awareness high. Animals will have a much easier time sneaking up on you than the average person. You’ll also need a handy weapon that can be implemented quickly.

You don’t want to turn around and see this …

angrydog

Now, if you’re not the “prepping type” you should still realize that this happened just a little ways from my house THIS WEEKEND in a non-shtf scenario. Please be safe when on foot as something like this can happen anywhere and anytime.

14 Responses

  1. I live in the country, walk my dog daily without a leash.(training makes a difference) I do always have a stout 6′ walking stick with me as well as treats in my pockets for dogs. And yes I do carry. Have never had to resort to more than using the stick for separation. Usually followed by tossing them a treat. While I know that this will not always work, so far it has.

  2. If things ever went truly sideways Id eliminate the threat. No use leaving opening where there dont need to be. In the mean time, if I chose to walk my pup in that direction then thats what I chpose. And if those dogs choose to come after me because their owner chose to be an idiot … Sorry puppers

  3. A topic that is widespread and becoming more probmatic as people look to dawg’s for guard/proteection but allow them to over agress toward human’s, neighbor has 4 mid-large dog’s that he allowed to roam free, one day I was looking under my wifes car and heard a growl and there were 3 of the 4, I carry while on the property due to ruralness, snakes and other critters show up at the most inoppurtune time. So I called the sheriff who talked to the owner and told him I had the right to shoot his dog’s for tresspassing alone, since that talk the dog’s no longer roam freely plus the owner has put up a fence which they have learned to jump, but he panic’s when they do as he know’s there is a consequence for their actions along with a lawsuit. Alway’s log in an animal complaint with your local law enforcement, get it on the book’s, they have to keep record of it, it will back you up in the event you have to take measures beyond complaining. No bad dog’s just bad owners but that saying doesn’t mean squat when your being mauled. One man’s opinion.

  4. I would have shot the scum , now they are free to attack another person , and maybe the next time will be an unarmed woman with a young child . We need to think about those things . Just sayin

  5. We already have made plans for the vicious dogs in our neighborhood. Keeping abreast of new neighbors and new threats will make it easier when the SHTF. Agressive dogs and people will not be tolerated.

  6. I drive a horse and wagon. Think of all the dog problems we face. If you want to let the owner know in a way they can’t not notice…. put nasty smelling stuff in a paint ball. then hit them with the paint and whatever. works the animals don’t like the smell and the owners see the color.

      1. I would say that it is not cruel to tag an aggressive animal with something that smells nasty, I would have no problem doing that, it’s also not cruel to shoot (to kill) an aggressive animal, especially one with a history of being aggressive. Unfortunately all of this rests squarely with the owner, I don’t think most people purposely train their dogs to be aggressive or behave badly, BUT by letting them roam and not teaching them manners and not socializing them, that’s when there will be problems with dogs.

        I had that problem with a neighboring dog, this dog while not aggressive to humans, he would run from anyone to looked cross ways at him, he did chase other animals, he was destructive to property and trash, and he did roam, far and wide… I talked to the owners multiple times about the problem, my next step was to get some pepper spray, the kind that would spray a hard stream pretty far and shoot the dog with that, hoping the dog wouldn’t come back and the owner would not be happy with how the dog smelled for a few days… fortunately the owners got a clue before I was able to do that and they got rid of the dog themselves, and no, the dog didn’t become a problem for someone else. It’s a shame that it had to happen this way, I fully blame the owner.

        Wretha

  7. The sad part is that way out in the middle of of the boonies where I live the laws are only lightly enforced. This is a benefit in some ways but when it comes down to animal control … Not such a benefit. I haven’t taken the dog on a long walk since that day. Not because I’m worried about the dogs but because we have enough property that we don’t have to. What really bothers me is that I have no problem shooting a dog … But it’s not the dogs fault it’s the owners … Why should the dog have to die because the owner is a … butt.

  8. Some people have no idea how to train their dogs. I was attacked a few weeks ago. The owner heard the barking and came and pulled the dog off …. and then petted and praised it. They thought they were calming the dog, but there were rewarding it’s bad behavior instead. Lawsuit waiting to happen.

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