Originally Posted by
Big_Old_Dog
I decided to leave the dog spray and other protection home. I have taken your advice and others.
I hope not to regret it.
I have been "nipped" twice, bit once and have had to fight off three dogs at once (one was a pit) and multiple other times. Three with a pit was terrifying to be frank. It was nearly 1 am and they wanted to eat me. This garbage often happens down South (NC, SC, TN, KY, FL, GA) and although I know it is the owners fault, it does not help with the issue at hand. Last summer a large GSD off leash came at me with head down, hairs on neck raised, tail up but not wagging, looking right at my eyes, and not barking-this would have been the time to have the spray. It seems pretty rare for others on trail to have their dog on leash and exceedingly rare for dogs to be properly trained. I can count that on my hand the number of well trained dogs. I very often come across the loose dog issue hunting. If they bit me, I would shoot them immediately. Very sad but this is akin to habituated bears. It is the fault of humans. How often will I see loose, unfriendly dogs on the AT? I don't know. I decided to take the advice.