I was walking to my parking garage here in Philly yesterday and was threatened by a dog being walked by its owner.
This damn thing was a nasty piece of work and scared the bejeezus out of me.
I have walked this same walk twice a day every day for about 18 years and never had this happen before. Always, there are people who live in the neighborhood walking their dogs and never any issues.
The owner of the animal brought it quickly to heel, but it got me thinking hard about this whole episode.
I stand guilty of being situationally unaware, but given the above history, why should I be particularly alert and wary under the circumstances?
I was armed. But both my hands were carrying shit. I’m ALWAYS carrying shit. That’s my life. I always need to schlepp shit.
And then there’s the issue of what to do if the dog actually attacked me and grabbed hold. If it grabbed my right arm I would not have been able to deploy my pistol. Suppose it grabbed my leg? I could have deployed my pistol, but where to aim? If I attempted to shoot the dog in the head, my own foot is probably directly in the line of fire. What about the owner, perhaps trying to get the dog under control? He’s likely to be in very close proximity to fire.
Really got me thinking…..