Taser guns ?

(that's 29.76 posts a day, btw :yikes: ... for 100 months )

Same deal here . Jackasses in Texas thought hunting wild boars would be a good gimmick to sell to hunters with more guns than sense , then some other fools bring a few to NM , and now they're only about 45 miles south . I swear , collectively, people are too stupid to live.

DS

Drop and step on your dog's leashes . This gives you both hands to work with without your dogs being in the way. Position yourself between stray dog and your dogs. Give the "just try it you SOB look along with a GIT OUT OF HERE!" * most dogs will stop at this point and a few will even retreat or curiously circle.*

If the dog doesn't stop it's approach - Apply liberal amounts of bear mace. *most dogs will flee/gag at this point*

If the dog doesn't stop it's approach, doesn't retreat and is actually engaging with you at this point. Apply walking stick to skull/back in whatever style works for you to chop wood, swing a baseball bat, or use a sledge hammer. You would be surprised how little force it takes to be effective with a well grown walking stick.

Ok thanks . I read about the shillelagh being banned at one point ; they look effective.
DS

you are mistaken. hogs were free ranged in TX since the spanish & mexican settlers came. before the great depression in 1930s they were more common than deer, they were almost eradicated during it (as were most of the big game). the war let them recover & the population stayed around 50,000 for about 3 decades. in the 1980s the hog population exploded & spread mostly because of every dipthong & his brother putting out deer feeders. another contributing factor was the widespread adoption of excessive trespass fees, which severely hampered the ability of weekend sport hunters to impact the spread. the hogs just naturally followed the water courses & canyons up stream into NM just like the elk follow them down into TX.
russian blood is less than 1% of feral hogs in TX. very few people outside of charityies & the gov't are in business to throw away money. the game ranches generally do a VERY good job of keeping their stock in & recover it quickly if it escapes (because when someone is going to pay $3-5000 to shoot a $1-2000 pure russian w/ big cutters, you want to get it back before billybob drops it in his back 40 w/ a 30/30).

they are very effective. keep in mind that any threat that continues to aggress after a good shot of bear spray is out for blood. strike killing blows to the head or neck as best you can until the threat is out of reach or no longer moving. be prepared to use it against the owners when they react to your self defense (maybe not in this specific case, but there will be other dogs & owners).

I don't agree with the opinions saying you should try to evaluate the other dogs' motives, see if they're being friendly, offer them treats, etc. That's an option you take in a controlled environment, when you have the time and leisure to evaluate the situation.

I believe you're 100% right in looking for some kind of protection, first and foremost. Frankly, if I owned toy/small dogs, I would NEVER let a pair of unknown, uncontrolled larger dogs to run up to them. I don't care what their motives are or how friendly the dogs seem. All it takes is a single bite--even a playful one--for a larger dog to seriously injure or kill a small breed dog. I can remember several incidents on this forum alone where puppies or small breed dogs were injured or attacked by uncontrolled larger dogs. I say it's better to be safe than sorry. I'd protect my small dog first and ask questions later.

^^^ This post is right on the money. First, check with your local laws as to what is legal for you to carry. Depending on the situation and the reaction of the owner of the straying dogs, you may have to explain the circumstances and your actions to local law enforcement. You want to be 100% justified and within your rights. Using or carrying an illegal weapon will certainly not work in your favor.

You can buy dog-specific mace at many sports & outdoor stores. I know quite a few joggers and bikers who carry it, and they say it's wonderful for stopping charging dogs. But like Mafia said, be careful. It will be affected by wind. It's best used on calm days.

For self defense against a bite, a taser or any kind of electrical stimulation is a really bad choice, you will only get bit harder (by the right dog so why chance it). Best bet would be either of the 3 below,

1. Avoid getting into such a situation
2. Carry a stick, do not hit the dog on the head (will make no difference), hit him low on the front legs (will stop or drop him).
3. Carry a real gun but it is very easy to miss a moving target so better be a very good shot.

I may have missed it, but why are they running at large? If the dogs are friendly to you...take a stroll without your dogs, leash up theirs, and drop them at animal control. They will either stay there, or the owners will get them and not want to pay that price again. Or just call a/c and keep an eye on where they are at so they can pick them up or fine the owner.

I read a lot of articles on dog attacks in general...possibly it is misconstrued by the media, but I frequently see that dogs that are tasered/maced do not stop...or get into more of a frenzy. I definitely can see carrying mace as a last ditch effort, but not pre-meditated for a problem you already know exists (if you get what I mean). Rendering the dogs physically unable to do something is preferable, like bitme said breaking something with a long nightstick or getting a bullet in them. But you still run the problem of actually hitting the dog in the middle of utter chaos if the dogs have your dog and there is another one...yeah. This really sucks for those dogs too, it's not their fault, it's their idiot owner.

The best solution would be to ensure these dogs are not running at large. It sucks you have to be the one to take care of it, but I really would before something happens.