After reading this post, I'm sure you will either carry mace or a big ole piece of steak. Your just doing your job. There is no reason why you should not prepare for these things.

Sorry about the bite. Have been bitten in the back by a pit bull. Yep, it hurt. But being the dog lover I am, I allowed the neighbor to have his dog. I had the option to have it put down.

Just not an advocate of death.

The most important thing to always remember is to never turn your back or run from a dog. When you do this they have immediately identified you as lower on the pecking order and will attempt to establish dominance. You must always stand your ground. Sometimes just yelling at the dog is enough, but the best non lethal weapon that you can have against a dog is a long solid stick. Now this stick isn't for striking, because honestly you can hit a dog with a bat and if its pissed enough its not going to phase it. The stick is for actually attempting to poke the dog anywhere near the face, muzzle, or throat. Most times if a dog is coming at you, its mouth is already open, so just attempt to jam it in its throat, but don't try to injure the dog. Remember that the dog is just doing its job, and they have no discretion for who or what they injure at the end of the day if they are working towards a goal. For the most part, yelling extremely loud, and banging things or clapping your hands should do the trick. For whoever suggested mace, I would be very wary of using that crap, you might get yourself injured even further because the dog will see it as a sign of aggression.

1. Good fixed blade knife
2. Capsicum spray
3. Collapsable steel baton
4. .45 auto
all work well to take out dogs