[Steve]

Here's a thought, shouldn't the man have had control of his dog to start with? Where I am from, we are responsible for our dogs and as such are expected to keep them under control.

I have a 70 pound Boxer. He loves his family (pack) and therefore feels it is his duty to protect his family. If he knows you (especially if you have shared a cigar with him), and I or my wife are around, you are probably alright (If you are a good friend you may drown from his greeting, but you can always shower off later). If he does not know you and you come into his yard or near his house, he is going to let you know his displeasure. If I am not around and my wife and/or daughter is, he will be between them and you, and he will definitely define the "safe" zone around them and you would be advised to heed this zone.

That being said, when a stranger comes to the door or up to the fence if we are outside, we have him under physical control. Even when friends first come over, he is at the least under verbal control. Friends also understand that getting too close or moving towards the girls quickly will probably get his attention. If we are out on the deck and I go in for something, he will get up from wherever he is (even leaving his bone or treat) and position himself between our guests and the girls. He’s a dog; it’s what he does, what he understands, and as his owner, I/we understand that it is our responsibility to control the situation BEFORE it becomes a situation.

Reading this article, the dog comes charging out of the back yard barking. The owner may say the dog is not aggressive, but that is aggressive behavior. He may be defending his home, but that is aggressive none the less. Had the dog been contained in the back yard, he would probably still be alive. When I am working in my back yard, if I go out the gate for some reason, the dog is commanded to stay AND the gate is securely closed and latched. In my humble opinion, which along with a buck-thirty might buy you a coke, having a dog charge out the gate towards a cop who already is unsure what he is walking into would be almost as bad as meeting the cop with a gun in my hand. I am sure he feels that if only one of us is going home tonight, it’s going to be him. With that thought in mind, I am going to make sure I do not make him any more nervous than he may already be.

As far as drawing his weapon, we recently had a pair of "gentlemen" cooking up meth when the house was raided. The pair turned dogs loose on the cops who were raiding the house. I think I can understand this guy’s stance.

I will now respectfully bow out of this conversation.