So its 10 pm and I hear a huge crash and loud barking in the back yard.
Turns out its a giant black 60 lb dog. I grab the nearest thing, a can
of hairspray, and try to deter him. The owner comes by and takes him away.
The dog was all the way in our back yard, having come some 10m+ along the side
of the house, then into the back yard. Its pitch black, no moon even. WTF.

I have a small cat and a 9 year old. I am livid. Then someone knocks
with the dog, asking what I sprayed him with --and I tell him, next time,
I shoot him. By that time I had a machete. I shut the door on the owner.

I called the police and flamed, then was referred to the animal control and
left a message, name, address, and phone number. The owner had already called
the police, no doubt trying to pre-empt me.

Later I called the Irvine police dispatcher back and apologized for flaming
when I first called.
She understood; the first time I called she had said it was legit to defend myself,
family, pets, and property. Supposedly the dog had broken its leash, but I saw
no fragment of that. Upon calling to apologize to her, I found out it was a *doberman*. Confirming my reaction.

I grew up with dogs, was even bitten by our pet sheepdog because of something *I* deserved, which I never held against her. (And was saddened when she was given
away when I went to college.) In Irvine, I've had little dogs come into the garage, and another even come into the house all the way to the computer station ---and I gave him food. I like dogs. I have a friend with two large dogs, my buddies. I do not like huge strange crazed unleased dogs in my back yard barking like crazy at 10 at night.

An opposum or racoon, fine, I've had them, they're native, and let them pass. (One racoon was sleeping, it turned out he had distemper, and I had animal control take him away --no healthy racoon would be trapped by a laundry basket as I had. I've
handed eggs and tossed cat food to racoons too. Let my toddler approach a family of racoons in Irvine. And saved a hurt crow as well. I like most animals more than most people.)

But a crazed loose *doberman* in my yard will not leave with just stiff hair next time.

Where I grew up, dogs chasing deer were legit targets.

In my Irvine gated-community neighborhood a labrador (a relatively mellow dog, compared to dobermans) chased and mauled a kid, a few years ago.

I'm putting some ammo closer to a pistol from now on. Though I wouldn't have had time to grab it. Hairspray is weak; I didn't even have a chance to light it.

What kind of psycho keeps a giant wild attack dog in
a neighborhood where folks have a zillionth of an acre or less, filled with litle kids, on a "leash" that supposedly breaks, yet leaves no evidence of it? (My wife also saw no broken-leash)

I hope for the dogs sake I don't learn where it lives. Not for the owners' sake
though.