>From:    "Mrs. Duck" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: ferrets- what else?
 
>I read with horror about the Pit bull jumping the fence and attacking the
>ferret and owner.... My advice- get a baseball bat ... A toothless dog is
>better than a mauled baby.  What if the dog attacks a child?  An elderly
>person?
 
There's a way to force any dog's jaws open that I discovered by accident a
few years back - grab it under the lower jaw, fold it's jowls over it's
molars, and *squeeze*.  Mr. Doggy will think he's biting his own mouthparts
and let go.  Now, that's *if* you can get a good grip on it.
 
If you're in any situation where a dog attacks you, remember that it's gonna
tend to lunge *up* at you, and go for your throat.  Doing so is dumb on the
dog's part - it exposes his whole throat/belly to a solid punch, a
stranglehold or better yet, a knife.  A knife is far more useful than a
baseball bat against a dog.  If the dog is police or military trained, it'll
stay *low* contrary to it's instincts, it'll be very wary of any attack from
above, and it'll try and knock you over and perhaps grab one limb and
*pull*.  When faced with *this* kind of doggy, you need to stay low and
balanced, but then it'll try and circle you - put your back to something to
prevent that.  Don't kick, you need your balance too desperately - for any
low-attack trained dog, make a grab at the collar/neck skin and do a
pull-spin number, ram the whole dog sideways into something solid if you
have the strength - or twist it off it's feet and sit on it while
strangling.
 
Any fert owner who's had them out in public has to face the possibility of
wrasling with a dog going after the ferret - I once tackled a German Sheperd
from behind as it lunged for a furslinky.
[Posted in FML issue 1741]