Triangle Tactical Podcast and Blog on Guns, Gear, and Competition Shooting
News is coming out this morning about a child and mother that were attacked by a rabid fox in Hope Mills, NC. The fox scratched the child, but the mother, went after the pet dogs, and was killed by the child’s father.
Living in a townhome community having lots of neighbors with pets packed in close, I carry to defend against critters of the 4-legged variety as much as I do the 2-legged variety. We’re “rural-ish” where I live, having something like a rabid fox show up around here really wouldn’t surprise me any more than having the lady down the street lose control of her large, mean, muscular dog.
Kudos to the child’s father in this situation for taking quick action and killing the rabid fox. I’m not sure how he killed it (I have the mental image of my dad walking into the barn with a spade shovel, and coming out with a dead skunk in my head). Not only did killing this fox put an end to the immediate situation, it also ended the spread of rabies in the area right there.
I’m in the same boat where I live. In an apartment with another complex nearby that has a lot of issues where police are required. It is also near the city limits and have fields and trees all around. When walking my dog I worry about some jerk trying to cause problems or a rabid skunk, possum, or coyote coming up.
I often walk the woods with my dog in western Ma. Where I live there are coyotes, other dogs and several sighting of Mt Lions in the past few years. I always carry my handgun concealed but I also always carry pepper spray whenever I carry a pistol, and often when I carry just pepper spray. I carry a god, law enforcement grade OC and know from decades of experience that it works most of the time on everything. I have even killed bees with it.
Recently I was, or my dog was accosted by a dog in the woods who went right after my dog. I believe the dog belonged to a guy who was cutting wood somewhere near by as I could hear the chains saw but not see anyone. I sprayed the dog and it turned around and left very quickly.
It was far better than shooting this guys dog and because I DID have a LESS THAN LETHAL force option, I was able to stop the dog attack and not have to try to explain to some very angry guy why I shot his dog, then the police probably as well.
Carrying a less than lethal force option like pepper spray is always a good idea, especially if in the woods and encounter some strange person out there. That’s happen too but the guy did a u-turn when he saw the dog.
If more people in Fl carried spray and “stood their ground” with that instead of a gun, there might be a few less dead people there who didn’t need to die if they learned to just walk away or carried spray in case walking away wasn’t an option.
I do agree that having a less lethal option is a good thing. It’s an area that I’m lacking in my EDC, and something that I should pick up soon.