If a Dog Attacks You, Does Pepper Spray Work?

While every dog is different, every pepper spray is different. I cannot speak with certainty with regard to every other pepper spray, I will recommend you read the University of Utah study on commercial pepper sprays. Nevertheless, I do feel somewhat qualified to speak on the matter.

I will relate briefly, various attacks on our customers and an attack on my wife’s sister-in-law who was attacked by five dogs and nearly killed, while walking out to get her mail.

Even though I have come very close to spraying a few dogs that ran toward me aggressively, I have not had to push the spray actuator. I always have a D.A.D.® 2in my hand, which is always in the firing position. It contains accelerated, modified cone pepper spray, is the most powerful spray available and is extremely easy to operate. Because of these unique characteristics, I’m able to give the dog every opportunity to disengage before having to spray it or getting bit.

I try to thwart the attack by either gentle persuasion, or by pretending to be a raving maniac and running aggressively at the dog, yelling at the top of my lungs. Both techniques have worked as most dogs are acting aggressive without intent to attack, but you never know. I don’t have confidence in the owner saying, “Oh, don’t worry, he/she won’t bite.” The owner does not know that and some terrible attacks have occurred by dogs who “would never bite anyone."

Like people, all dogs are different. Their moods can change and while the premise of the movie, All Dogs Go To Heaven, is probably true, like humans, I think some of them might have to repent first. 

We had a wonderful golden retriever for over 14 years and she was the sweetest dog ever. We lived in Texas and had the underground electric fence all around our property. When people would walk by Annie would run toward them in full protection mode, often scaring people, except the people who knew her and also knew the fence was there. They would walk straight over to her and say, “Oh Annie” and she would make a Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hide transformation. She would turn to butter and start wagging her tail and maybe whine a little.

I still wondered if it were a total stranger, would she attack without that electric fence and that shock color, so one day I put her to the test. I put on a ski hoody that completely covered my face and clothes I did not normally wear. I snuck out the back and ran around the block so I could approach as other walkers and joggers did.  

Sure enough, she came running at me full speed, barking aggressively. I immediately ran straight at her, equally aggressively, yelling at the top of my lungs and throwing my hands up into attack mode. She literally slammed on her brakes, made a 180 degree turn and b-lined it, running full speed, without looking back, to the farthest point of our property.

I felt so bad for scaring her half to death that I ripped off the mask and ran after her, calling her name. It took her a few seconds to recognize me when she stopped and turned around. When she realized it was me, she did her happy Annie dance and I gave her a good back rub. She was very happy to know it was me.

Our confidence in her as a guard dog was put into question, but I like to think that if she would have sensed any one of us was being threatened or attacked, her bravery would have surfaced.

Additionally, I am not recommending a particular defensive strategy against a dog attack, other than to spray it if you think you are going to get bitten and not to spray it if you can avoid it.

I would not want to use a gel or stream or foam spray on a dog. They would be much too difficult to hit in the face and those sprays do not have near the stopping power or ability to incapacitate. Additionally, stream sprays can damage the eye.

We have had a number of customers who have been attacked and have used their TigerLights to fend off multiple dogs, even two pit bulls. Some of those TigerLights had larger capacity canisters than the D.A.D., but were also using spray that was not nearly as potent. 

Another customer was attacked by a large mountain lion while he and three teenage boys were all facing it, trying to scare it away. It was not deterred. The customer was a retired marine and and LAPD law enforcement officer in Los Angeles. He reported that the mountain lion immediately stopped the attack when the spray hit it. It aggressively began rubbing its face in the dirt, creating a cloud of dust and giving them time to run to their truck.

Another individual was approached by a black bear and used his earlier model T100 to send it running away. It also had a little larger canister, but was only 0.69 percent major capsaicinoid compared to 1.33% in the D.A.D.® 2.

My wife’s sister-in-law had walked to her mailbox thousands of times and had never been attacked by the dogs across the street. This time, her neighbors had friends over who had brought their dogs with them. Something to do with the five dogs interaction caused all of them to act uncharacteristically in that moment and they became vicious predators, dragging her to the ground and bitting her from head to toe. Luckily, her husband, who worked at night and was sleeping, was awaken by her desperate screams and was able to save her life. She immediately purchased a TigerLight and has it in hand whenever in a situation, or location in which an attack is possible.

Obviously you could go walking and jogging with a can of bear spray in your hand, but who does that? I think maybe...nobody?

The D.A.D.® 2 is the perfect device because it is so much easier to carry on your hand in the perfect firing position. You do not have to feel weird, walking around with a can of pepper spray in your hand. There is a reason people do not do that and it is critically important. Canisters in purses and on key chains are worthless in a sudden, unexpected attack, which is what most attacks are.

You also have the advantage of the five mode tactical flashlight and the award winning Bluetooth/GPS Crowd Alert™ technology. You can also use that hand to hold things, open doors and do other things, even ride a mountain bike while the D.A.D.® 2 remains in the perfect firing position.

If you walk your dog, you might also be concerned about your dog and another dog getting into a fight. This is the perfect way to stop that without getting bit and with no injury to the dogs.

If you research the D.A.D.® 2 and look at all the proven, documented facts, it is unlikely you will be happy with anything else, other than perhaps having a gun for those rare situations in which you might need one instead of your D.A.D.® 2. There are those situations, but they are about 1 out of 101 use-of-force scenarios.

Even if lethal force is or is thought to be justified, that does not mean it is the best option and should NEVER be the only option.

I support the right for every law abiding citizen to have both a D.A.D.® 2 and a firearm, especially if they truly hope to never, ever have to use a gun and they have an effective non-lethal force option always available. I do not think that anyone should have a gun without an effective non-lethal force multiplier option in hand. Before you react, just give it some thought and consider the 25 questions in this other blog.

That has saved innocent lives.

So to summarize, pepper spray does work if a vicious dog attacks you. However, all pepper sprays are not alike and we highly recommend you purchase a D.A.D.® 2 rather than a can of pepper spray..