I am a dog lover and a sentimental old poop. In another thread not too long ago, I posted words to the effect that I felt bad for a dog that had been shot because the owners did not control it. My response wasn't directed at the shooter, but rather at the owners who allowed their dog to be in a position where it could be killed. I've never been particularly critical of people who shoot vicious dogs out of necessity. I
would look askance at someone who shot a dog because they were just itching to do it out of prideful anger or spite. But when defense of self or property is on the line, you do what you have to do, and it isn't my position to criticize.
BUT.... I can't help but feel bad for the dog that has been shot. Dogs are not the same kind of predator as humans. Predatory humans plan their attacks on their victims, and they are often violent far out of proportion to the level "necessary" to successfully pull off their crimes—for instance, the old granny who gets beaten senseless over her purse....stuff like that. OTH, dogs are just acting on instinct and training. They lack the ability for the higher order thought processes (I know it is counterintuitive) that human predators possess. A dog, even a vicious dog, doesn't necessarily know right from wrong. A burglar or rapist
does, which is why they try to cover up their crimes and evade arrest for them. Shooting a rapist does society a service AND it
rewards the rapist for his behavior. Shooting a vicious dog may do society a service, but there is no element of reward in it......unless it is to the dog's owner. Unfortunately, the kind of people who let their aggressive/vicious dogs run loose tend not to be the kind of people who give a rip about their dog getting shot. They might give a rip from a
property perspective, but not from the perspective of a pet owner who loves their dog. In that sense then, the dog is as much of a victim of its circumstances as is the person who rightfully defends himself or his property from that dog. It really is kind of sad.
So even the vicious pitbull in the OP's account was simply acting on a more basic predatory level than a human predator does. Does that make it any less dangerous? No, it doesn't, and it doesn't relieve us of the need to do whatever we have to do to protect ourselves or our property, given those kinds of circumstances. We kill predatory cats for attacking our livestock. We kill coyotes for the same kinds of reasons. But we don't do it with hate or anger. They're just being what God designed them to be. However, it does leave me feeling what a shame it is to have to kill a dangerous dog, unlike it does when the predator is human......because the predatory human richly
deserves whatever happens to him, whereas killing the predatory dog is not so much a case of just deserts as it is a case of doing what is necessary, just like with a coyote or a mountain lion.
I hope that makes some kind of sense to somebody. If not, then I must be crazy.
