An Officer Safety Topic

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An Officer Safety Topic
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COUNTERING CANINE ATTACKS

• FIREARMS TRAINING

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Preface

• Handling problems with dogs has been a problem
• associated with law enforcement for probably as
  long as
• there have been police and sheriffs departments
  in this
• country.
• In his book Good Order and Safety
• a history of the St. Louis Metropolitan
• Police 1861-1906, Dr. Allen Wagner
• mentions problems police in St. Louis
• had with dogs.

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• Once the civil war was over, the police were able
  to get
• down to doing regular police duties. Animals
• continued to roam about the streets in St. Louis,
  which
• had an 1865 population of 180,000.
• While farm animals were sometimes a nuisance, the
• Real problem was stray dogs.
• City officials were concerned about rabies. An
• Ordinance was created permitting the slaying of
  stray
• dogs.

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• The ordinance was passed and the mayor issued a
• proclamation notifying dog owners to have their
  dogs
• muzzled and accompanied by a keeper when on the
• streets.
• Any dog found at large without a muzzle and
  keeper
• would be immediately killed. The owner would be
  fined
• between 10 and 20. Half the fine would go to
  the
• Officer who killed the dog and the remainder to
  the city.
• Do you know how much the fine would mean to
  officers
• in those days? (136 to 272 in todays dollars.)

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• To put it into perspective, the standard issue
  handgun
• That SLPD officers were required to purchase was
  a .36
• cal. revolver that cost 9. (122 in todays
  dollars.)
• Officers worked 12-hour shifts with no days off
  (for
• nearly the first 20 years of the department, and
  were
• required to wear their police uniforms when off
  duty
• (unless they were at home).
• Ten dollars was a lot of money to be paid for
  each dog
• killed. What do you think happened next?

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• What the newspapers dubbed the dog war began.
• The ordinance was quickly enforced. One policeman
• Was reported to have shot 12 dogs before
  breakfast
• and would have killed as many more had he not
  run
• out of ammunition.

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• Because of negative publicity about the dog war,
• the mayor had the police board to instruct the
• police to use their batons to kill the dogs and
• avoid use of their pistols except where no other
• means would prevail.
• The beating of dogs to death by the police drew a
• worse reaction. The city later hired two men to
• capture the dogs.

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• Fast forward to the present.
• Now, criminals are using attack dogs on police,
• and you need to know how to handle them.
• This course does not contain a shooting range
• segment but tells you what to do when attacked by
• a dog. You can set up your own pit bull drill
  and
• try the recommended shooting next time you are at
• a shooting range. Its not costly or hard to do.

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Objectives

• At the end of this training, the student will 
• Understand the fear factor that must be
  conquered.
• Understand the initial steps when confronted by a
  vicious dog.
• 3. Understand aspects of cornering a vicious dog.
  
• 4. Understand the pros and cons of OC spray on
  vicious dogs.
• 5. Understand what to do if you have to take the
  bite.
• 6. Be able to shoot an attacking vicious dog.

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Preface

• Criminals are using attack dogs on police, and
• you need to know how to handle them.

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Example

• Officers are serving a warrant on a drug dealer.
  As they enter the suspects backyard, he
  unleashes his pit bull with the command,
  attack! The powerful animal lunges toward you
  with fierce determination and snarling teeth.
• You have no choice. You draw your service weapon
  and fire three rounds into the dog. Two find
  their mark in its chest cavity, while the third
  rips through one of its front legs. It takes a
  few more paces, collapses, and dies. 
• This is not a far-fetched scenario. Pit bulls,
  Rottweilers, Dobermans, and other attack dogs
  have become part of the street criminals
  arsenal. They represent a real danger to law
  enforcement officers. And you need to know how
  to deal with them.

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Step One Is To Conquer Your Fear

• A dog attack can be controlled.
• But, if you panic from fear and try to run, a dog
  will run you down.
• There are times when running is the best option.
• If the dog is a block away and youre standing
  close to your patrol car, theres nothing wrong
  with jumping into your cruiser to avoid having to
  shoot the animal.
• Sometimes, you may not have the option of
  retreating.
• You may have to stand and fight.

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Making a Stand

• First realize youre not dealing with a friendly
  puppy dog.
• Mans best friend is a wonderful creature, but
  its also an animal.
• Worse, its a predatory animal.
• That means that when a dog attacks, its instinct
  is that of a predator, and the way to prevent
  serious injury and even death is to acknowledge
  and respect that instinct.

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When Confronted By A Dog

• Never turn your back on a predator in close
  quarters.
• If you turn and run, you become nothing more than
  prey.
• Face the animal squarely and bend your knees to
  lower your center of gravity.
• Once in position, start yelling at the animal as
  you face it.
• An attacking dog expects you to turn and run.
• When you face it and act aggressively, you may
  scare it off.
• Unfortunately, a trained or determined animal
  will not be swayed by this tactic.

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Beware Of Cornering The Animal

• Whether the dog is a trained attack dog at the
  command of a bad guy, or a suddenly irritated and
  aggressive family pet, be careful about cornering
  or trapping it.
• Always give an animal a way out or a way to
  retreat.
• Trapping a dog in a corner and leaving him with
  no other option but to fight his way out is a
  sure way to get bitten.

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If You Do Corner It

• If you find you have trapped a dog in a corner,
  keep facing the dog and slowly start to back
  away, giving it an escape route.
• This will work on most dogs that are not
  committed to the attack but are instead reacting
  out of fear.
• A determined animal who is on the attack and
  committed to the bite is another story.
• Its made up its mind to attack and is actively
  charging you.
• It wont back down.

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OC Spray

• A determined dog can only be deterred with force.
• This means you must decide between OC spray and
  deadly force.
• OC is sometimes a viable option, But its
  execution can be tricky and its results can be
  unpredictable.
• If you do use OC on a dog, it is imperative that
  you leave it an escape route.
• If you dont then you will get bitten as the dog
  tries to fight his way past you.
• Remember, even a dog that wasnt committed to the
  attack will fight to get away from you and the
  effects of the OC when trapped.

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OC Doesnt Work If They Are Focused

• Keep in mind that just as OC spray does not work
  on all humans, it wont work on all dogs.
• Dogs that have committed to an attack and trained
  or conditioned dogs wont be fazed by pepper
  spray any more than a human PCP user.
• Worse, even if a dog is susceptible to the pain
  of OC, it can cover a lot of ground before the
  spray has time to take effect.

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Taking The Bite

• Dogs are meat eaters and their instinct is to
  hunt and kill.
• A dog kills in the wild by grabbing its prey with
  a bite, pulling it down, and tearing out its
  throat.
• Thats exactly what an attack dog will try to do
  to you.
• Your survival depends on using the dogs instinct
  against it.

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Prepare For The Attack

• Face the animal squarely in a low-center-of-gravit
  y stance with your knees slightly bent and your
  non-shooting arm extended.
• Most dogs will bite the body part thats closest
  to them unless they have been trained to do
  otherwise.
• Even then, training has a hard time overriding
  the animals instinct.
• By presenting the dog with your non-shooting arm
  to bite, you can take control of the attack.

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Prepare To Counterattack

• When you are braced, draw your pistol and prepare
  yourself for the counterattack.
• Make sure you have a safe background for shooting
  before you fire any rounds toward the charging
  animal.
• If you dont have a safe background to shoot the
  dog as its charging you, you will have to take
  the bite.

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What To Do If Bitten

• Once the animal clamps down on your arm, you can
  turn to try and maneuver it into a better
  position for shooting.
• Just make sure you stay on your feet.
• In the case of a larger dog such as 130-pound
  Rottweiler, it will be very difficult for you to
  maneuver the animal.
• A dog has four legs and runs every day and a
  large dog is a strong dog, so it will be
  difficult to handle and turn.

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You May Use The Ground As A Shooting Backstop

• When you dont have a safe background for
  shooting and cannot maneuver the animal, then you
  can shoot in a downward position using the ground
  as a safe backstop.
• Once the dog latches onto your non-shooting arm,
  raise your weapon up over the top of the dog and
  fire into it from a downward position angled out
  away from your self, using the ground as your
  backstop.

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Aim For The Shoulder

• Try to aim for the dogs shoulder.
• This will allow you to hit some of its major
  organs and blood vessels.
• At the least youll break its shoulder, which
  will lessen the dogs mobility and slow it down
  to give you a better shot.

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A Headshot Is Not Usually Best

• You might think that a headshot is the way to go
  in this situation, but that can be a very bad
  option.
• The dogs head is latched onto your arm by its
  teeth.
• The dogs head is going to be thrashing about in
  its attempt to drag you down, so theres a good
  chance youll miss or your weapon will be knocked
  around.
• In addition, as you raise the weapon toward the
  animals head, there is a chance it will let go
  of your non-shooting arm and latch onto your
  shooting arm or hand.
• Finally, just as with human targets, a dogs head
  is smaller than its body and harder to hit.

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Practice

• You need to learn that a dog attack can be
  controlled. 
• You need to train and be prepared for any
  possible attack and that includes a canine
  assault.
• Whether its an intentional assault by a trained
  dog or a family pet thats gone bad, you need to
  know how to respond appropriately to this threat.
  
• You would never want to be forced to shoot
  someones pet, but the threat from these animals
  is real and your response must be appropriate.

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Range Safety Rules

• At this point we will go over the range safety
  rules.
• Following that, we will engage in a practical
  shooting exercise.

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Practical Firearms TrainingThe Pit Bull Drill

• Another way to train for a dog attack is to use
  the pit bull drill.
• We will use a two-litter soda bottle filled with
  water and capped. A piece of cord will be tied
  around the neck of the bottle.
• You will have a target that approximates the
  chest cavity area of a pit bull.

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Pit Bull Drill

• To perform the pit bull shooting drill, we will
  place the bottle down range approximately 25 to
  35 feet with the other end of the cord running
  between the shooters feet.
• The cord will be pulled by another person,
  causing the bottle to come toward the shooter.

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To Begin The Exercise

• Dont draw your weapon until the bottle starts to
  move.
• When given the command the volunteer will quickly
  pull on the cord, which will move the bottle
  towards you even faster.
• Shoot until you strike the bottle, releasing the
  water.
• The exercise is not over until the bottle is
  empty, or the firearms instructor stops the
  exercise.

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Safety

• For safety reasons, we will stop pulling the
  bottle when it gets to about five feet out from
  the shooter.
• There will be a stake in the ground five feet in
  front of the shooter with the cord passing
  through it.
• The bottle cannot be pulled past this point.
• The shooter will keep his handgun pointed down
  range at all times.

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Summary

• When stopping an Attacking Dog
• ü   Lower your center of gravity by bending your
  knees.
• ü   Yell at the dog.
• ü   Spray it with OC.
• ü   If you can safely, shoot the dog before it
  bites you.
• ü   When you cant shoot the dog before it bites,
  control
• the attack by making the dog bite your weak
  arm.
• ü   Do everything you can to stay on your feet.
• ü   Shoot the dog in the chest or shoulder until
  it releases
• you.

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Time for Questions
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Acknowledgement

• This program is based on information
  fromCountering
• Canine Attacks a May, 2003 article published in
  Police
• Magazine by Michael Rayburn. He is the owner/lead
• instructor of Rayburn Law Enforcement Training,
• Saratoga Springs, NY ltwww.combatgunfighting.comgt.
• With over 30 years experience in the Law
• Enforcement and Security fields, he is an Adjunct
• Instructor for Smith Wesson at the Smith
  Wesson
• Academy in Springfield, MA. Where he teaches
  Instinctive
• Point Shooting, Vehicle Stops, Combat Shotgun,
• Handcuffing and a number of Instructor classes.

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Acknowledgement

• Portions in the preface to this program came from
  
• Good Order and Safety a history of the St.
• Louis Metropolitan Police 1861-1906, by Dr. Allen
• Wagner, and published bythe Missouri History
• Museum Press (2008). (Pages 55 and 56 tell about
• the dog war.) Its a great book and I recommend
  it
• to everyone.

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