Post by galactapuss on Jun 24, 2009 22:15:04 GMT -8
So the neighbors have a couple of pit bulls, one of which got loose and decided that my front gate is part of its home territory. It was after dark when I got home and animal control was closed. My wife was out of town and her friend was coming over to tend to a very pregnant dog. If you can't get animal control, the next step is the police. Called Riverside County Sheriff's Department, explained that everyone was safe, either inside the fence or in their car, but there was the pit bull. I thought this would be a fairly low-priority call for them since no one was in immediate danger, but within about 15 min or so 3 cars showed up. Guns out, plus one officer with dog mace. The pit apparently went back in its fenced yard, the deputies had a chat with the neighbor, all done for the night.
However... The pits, though not as aggressive, have been out before and I have every reason to expect they will get out again some time. So I went to my local Petsmart to ask about buying dog mace. They don't sell it, saying i'd have to get it through animal control. Animal control says they have it for their people, but not for the public. They did say there was nothing wrong with buying it off the net. I looked around online and found most options fall into the category of dog-pepper-spray or mixing vinegar plus water or ammonia plus water in a squirt gun. It's not as cheap, but from a cya standpoint i'm inclined to stick with a retail product.
What animal control had to say about using it is this: If I come home, i'm still in my car, and the pit is out loose, I can get out of my car and spray the pit in order to have the free and unfettered use of my property. If, on the other hand, I was armed and, arriving home, I saw the pit out loose, I could not then get out of my car and shoot the dog in order to access my property. But, if I had already got out of the car to open the gate and only then did I see the pit, which was moving to attack, I could then shoot the dog. My right to come and go as I please trumps the pit's right to be comfortable, but not the pit's right to live.
Animal control said it was good that I was creating a paper trail (police this time, animal control the previous time), in case there are any future problems with the same dog / neighbor.
Next episode coming soon.
However... The pits, though not as aggressive, have been out before and I have every reason to expect they will get out again some time. So I went to my local Petsmart to ask about buying dog mace. They don't sell it, saying i'd have to get it through animal control. Animal control says they have it for their people, but not for the public. They did say there was nothing wrong with buying it off the net. I looked around online and found most options fall into the category of dog-pepper-spray or mixing vinegar plus water or ammonia plus water in a squirt gun. It's not as cheap, but from a cya standpoint i'm inclined to stick with a retail product.
What animal control had to say about using it is this: If I come home, i'm still in my car, and the pit is out loose, I can get out of my car and spray the pit in order to have the free and unfettered use of my property. If, on the other hand, I was armed and, arriving home, I saw the pit out loose, I could not then get out of my car and shoot the dog in order to access my property. But, if I had already got out of the car to open the gate and only then did I see the pit, which was moving to attack, I could then shoot the dog. My right to come and go as I please trumps the pit's right to be comfortable, but not the pit's right to live.
Animal control said it was good that I was creating a paper trail (police this time, animal control the previous time), in case there are any future problems with the same dog / neighbor.
Next episode coming soon.
