Lethal force in defense of pets

[Sesamee]

Wow, what a loaded question. I have two dogs and they are like my children. First off, I spend a lot of time training and socializing them and they are not barkers. Sure they bark every so often, what dog doesn't, but leaving them out in the yard to bark for hours is irresponsible, IMO.

That said, if someone is so deranged as to jump my fence and intend to pound my beloved dog's head in with a shovel....a horrible painful death...I would not hesitate to do whatever I had to do to stop them. Including shoot them. I own a gun and I know how to use one. I wouldn't shoot to kill although pointing and firing a gun at someone always brings the risk of that outcome.

I don't think a dog's life, even my dogs who I am bat sheeet crazy about, is worth more than a human's. However, someone capable of beating a dog to death is a psychopath. A psychopath in my yard, part of my home, is not only a threat to my dog but to me as well.

[Makoes]

But for now here is your question.
Your evil neighbor is tired of your dog barking, so he climbs the 6 foot fence surrounding your house with a shovel to kill your dog. You see him chase your dog and try to kill him. You have a handgun you know how to use and know you can take the shot with no colateral damage. It is legal to shoot in this situation according to your state. Do you take the shot?

Without any hesitance I would take the shot. There are enough legal actions anywhere that that neighbor could have taken against me or my dog, but if they chose to kill an innocent animal that is only doing what comes naturally to it, then I have no compasion for such monsters. Especially if they're weapon of choice is something as barbaric as a shovel!

[Tahlian]

It's a difficult decision to make. I'd have to say, though...in defense of my dog, I'd pull the trigger, if I couldn't get the attacker to stop on a warning. That being said, let me explain.

This is Huckleberry, the dog in question.



We adopted him from the pound in January when our elderly border collie mutt passed away. Huck weighs 20-something pounds on a good day. He lives inside with us, sleeps on our bed, and only goes outside for supervised play/potty sessions several times a day. He's not a barker, really, unless my brother's dog just gets him incredibly stirred up, and even then, quiets when we tell him to. So if someone were to break into the shared back yard between my house and my brother's, and come after my little white scruffy dog that doesn't bark and isn't a physical threat to a full-grown human, trying to kill him with a shovel, you bet your ass I'd intervene. I'd also be on the phone with 911 when I did so, but if the assailant wouldn't take the hint and lie down quietly...yeah, I very likely would shoot. My health is not what it once was, and I know full well I'm not strong enough to wrestle with another adult and win. I also wouldn't want Huck, or my brother's dogs, Jordan and Shadow, to see that kind of altercation and think that they need to defend me. Jordan and Shadow are both far larger dogs than Huck...but the only thing that could come out of that scenario, even if they managed to drive the intruder away by going for him, is that they would likely be labeled "dangerous" dogs. Or the intruder could sue and attempt to have them euthanized, all three. We don't live in the best part of town, so I know my brother does have a gun. I certainly can't speak for him or what he might do, but given that his two dogs are in that yard as well, I can't help but thing he'd do something. Fortunately for us, he also has security cameras that tape the back yards and the area in front of the house, so there would be a record of what happened.

As to why? That little dog and his Siamese compatriot are my sons, the both of them. You don't mess with my son or any kind of youngling under my care.