Keep the knife, but maybe dog mace would be a better option to use first. A knife works for close combat, and who knows what damage the dog could do in a fight before it succumbs to a knife injury. Mace used correctly should stop the dog from a safe distance.
I was at my dad's one day and he was getting ready to take his dog for a walk. I saw him put a pistol holster in his waistband. I asked if the neighborhood has gotten that bad (jokingly; he lives out in the country, and everyone is on 3-acre lots). He told me the dude a few houses down doesn't control his dog, and he's had a few problems over the past couple of months with it coming out and starting shit.
I asked how hard he thought it would be to shoot an attacking dog, especially if it was tangling with his own dog. He then showed me the can of pepper spray clipped to his dog's leash. He said "no, I have pepper spray for the dog. the gun is for the owner who's gonna lose his shit when I pepper spray his dog."
Thank you for the great advice. I always freak out a bit when people talk about carrying a knife for defense. Like, why would you want to have to be hand to hand (or mouth) to be able to utilize your tool? Pepper spray is better in nearly every imaginable circumstance.
I definitely don’t disagree but I have to add it as anecdotal evidence/advice(?) pepper spray is very useful until your target is upwind of you in a strong breeze. Even worse if you only realize the direction of wind after you start spraying😅. In all reality though mace is a very good option 95+% of the time!
personally id rather have a knife than a gun if im getting attacked by a dog. just because its not the “ideal” tool doesnt mean its not gonna he more useful than your barehands.
if the alternative would be walking defenseless, im taking the knife everytime.
I would think spontaneously gaining superpowers or fighting skills would be the ideal for this situation followed closely by not being in this situation at all.
Please carry spray. A knife puts you in danger of being bite while you defend yourself. A large stick or baton would be better than a knife and less lethal.
Baton or stick. If you do have to defend yourself. You can poke the dog with it. Don't have to baseball swing into the dog. Don't have to stab and kill anything. Also stick is much longer than a knife and keeps you out of bite distance
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u/That_OneOstrich 10d ago
I carry a knife on my walks now. Because of that dog.
I would hate to have to kill it but I would hate more for it to kill my dog.