When Shoudn't You Use Pepper Spray?

[Rainman]

I've just read about this somewhere that a New Zealand cop pepper sprayed a man and his dog. But the pepper spray was ineffective.

The officer pepper sprayed the man and his dog, but it didn't work, so the man punched the officer then set his dog on him.

The dog waltzed all over him.

the officer . . . suffered bite wounds to most of his body

Question: should police use pepper spray on aggressive dogs or simply shoot them?

 

[missbishi]

There are several pepper sprays available which are marketed as being great protection against dog attacks. It's likely that the officer in question had a dud spray, poor guy.

So, spray or shoot? Well, it's certainly simpler just to shoot the dog, whether this is the right thing to do is another matter. You certainly risk agitating the dog further with pepper spray but I'm sure there will be people who claim it's inhumane to just open fire on it. If your life is in danger then you have to do what it takes to survive.

 

[PriscillaKing]

This is interesting to read. A friend-of-a-friend just shook pepper up in water in a spray bottle and spritzed a nuisance dog, and cured the dog of being a nuisance. I've wondered whether pepper spray would work on a seriously aggressive dog.

 

[JoanMcWench]

I read the title of this thread & thought: When the wind is blowing in your face.

It really depends on the situation. If the dog has already hurt someone to an extent that the police have to protect people the likelihood that the dog will survive when this situation is over is slim to none. So, shooting the dog may be the best option. Sad but true.

 

[timelord731]

Wait, why wouldn't pepper spray work on a dog.

 

[missbishi]

Wait, why wouldn't pepper spray work on a dog.

Well, what Joan says about the direction of the wind is true! Also, there's every chance that the discomfort it puts the dog in will make it sink it's teeth in even further, if it's already got hold of you.

 

[dyanmarie25]

Why would you shoot a dog? Maybe just shoot the man, but spare the dog. He's just aggressive because of his natural instincts, because this officer is attacking his master, but the dog is innocent. No to animal cruelty.

 

[GemmaRowlands]

I think that one of the most difficult things about being a police officer is being able to choose the right thing to do in whatever situation you might be in at the time. For example, if you are in danger, a certain amount of the decision making will be to do with your immediate reactions to the things that are going on around you. If you have more time to plan, you could maybe come to a better decision at the end of the process. However, there are any number of things that might possibly go wrong whilst you are in a dangerous situation, and you cannot predict all of them. Therefore, with hindsight you might sometimes feel as though you could have done things better, however this doesn't mean that you would ever have made a better decision for yourself while you were right there in the moment.

 

[marcamm]

Wow I didn't know there were such pepper sprays. I thought all pepper sprays sold are 100% guaranteed to work, much like any weapon or self defense armament.

Poor officer, I think he could have shot the dog instead. Maybe he is pro-animal or didn't had the chance to do so? Anyway, the owner should see to it that the officer recovers fully for FREE. He is responsible for the actions of his pet.