Self Defense Versus A Dog by Rob Jacob
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In the years that I have been doing martial arts, I have been attacked
by dogs more often than by people.
One time, as I was walking down the street, a block away from my house,
a black lab charged at me. Reflexively, I shifted into fighting stance.
He lunged upward, and I caught him with a front snap kick to his chest,
knocking him backward, when his owner came out, and got him.
Another time I was about a mile from home walking down a public
sidewalk, and two dogs came charging at me. The first looked like a
rottweiler/doberman pincher mix. The second dog was a golden retriever.
They came at with the rottweiler in the front. Again, I shifted into
left foot forward fighting stance. As the rotty lunged upward, I hit him
in the chest with a front snap kick knocking him backward, bowling over
the retriever in the process. Both dogs ran back toward the house,
turned around and came back at me. Again, the rottweiler was in the
front followed by the retriever. Again, I caught the rotty in the chest
with a front snap kick. Again, he went backwards, bowling over the
golden. They again ran back toward the house, turned and were getting
ready to make another run at me. This is when the owner came out and
called them off. I wasn't upset with the dogs, but was pretty ticked at
the owner for not controlling his animals. It flashed through my head to
kick the crap out of him, but it passed, and I continued down the
sidewalk.
I have thought about it, and figure a dog has pretty much the same
vulnerabilities as a human: eyes, nose, throat, groin, etc. But I am not
going out of my way to test karate techniques versus a dog though. I
love dogs, and have had several throughout my life. On the other hand, I
am not going to be a dog's chew-toy. If I ever get attacked by a dog
again, I will do what I have done in the past, and let my training take
over.
I have had it suggested, that an umbrella works well against a dog; just
open it up, and use it as a shield. I grew up in Seattle where men don't
use umbrellas, so I don't even own one.
Dog Books
Rob Jacob is the author of: Martial Arts Biographies - An Annotated Bibliography.
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