I agree 100%. Most of the bad situations I see could have been avoided by doing one of the following:
- Don't try to be a cop (in this case, let the guy know that he's supposed to have his dog on a leash, but don't escalate if he disagrees).
- Don't butt your nose in where it doesn't belong (trying to stop a shoplifter at a store you don't even work at, etc).
- Learn to use the phrase "sorry bout that". It is magic and will get you out of many bad situations.
But, my point in posting the link was simply to show that a single unarmed assailant really can present a deadly threat, and you don't necessarily have the luxury of taking a few punches before responding to stop that threat.