Is it okay to pepper spray a dog?

[lukevan]

What hawing said.

 

Also, though, acting dominant will help. Mean dogs are no match for a human that is not afraid. Does it nip at you? Or your dog? Like Homer said, I'd give it a little "nip" with my fingers in the neck, stand stout, shoulders forward. It works unless the dog is foaming-at-the-mouth angry.

 

I also wouldn't worry about liability concerning pepper spraying a dog.

[Getpaddled]

I am a mailman (in traning to be a postmaster) I do have pepper spray.... need any? http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Reading that post about a mailman spraying a dog on a leash and then getting hit by a car is hard to understand? If I was on a leash how did it get hit. As mailmen we are instrusted if there is a dog in the way of a mail box (tied up or not) we do not deliver mail and don't until the problem is taken care of.... the ONLY way we ever spray a dog is if we are attack. My 2 cents, don't get mad at the dog get mad at the owner. The dog is just protecting its "space" Im sure if you do something to their dog they wont care anyway. Only way they will care is if they could find a way to sue you. As pissed off as your are, be the better person and call the police asking for advice and your rights... or make a deal with your mail man http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif They have more power then you think depending on where there mailbox is located. hahaha (evil laugh)

[Tedaldtada]

Not that I have tons of experience with pepper spray but I know that even if you do not receive a direct hit in the face or body, pepper spray can still effect the target. Try just spraying on the ground 5-10 ft in front of you as a sort of barrier as the dog runs up. Even the smallest sense of pepper spray should send a dog in the other direction.

[Menotti80]

would a dog whistle stop the dog or attract it more???

[1992casey]

The flaw with the dog whistle idea is that it would affect Principessa21's dog, too. That's also my biggest concern with the pepper spray idea.

[TooLiveBrew]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. We contacted the local animal control branch of the police department. The officer asked us to please *not* use pepper spray on the dog (http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif), and told us he'd pay a visit to the owner. We've been out of town this weekend, so no idea what happened or how things will go. I just hope the crappy dog owner was cited for violating the leash law -- if the dog were kept on a leash, roughly 99% of the problems here could be avoided (the woman can't really control the dog even on a leash, but at least the dog doesn't have free reign to just take off running).