Dogs in a SHTF scenario

Originally posted by muse7
reply to post by TDawgRex

 

Yeah, he's 9 and he hasn't slowed down at all. Very alert and will bark at any strange noise he hears at night...He's a great hunter as well

I take him to a farm about once a month and he goes crazy chasing squirrels and field rats.

Border Collies are great dogs, but if you are planning on getting one be sure to provide them with plenty of exercise or they will tear your house apart!

I actually had a Border Collie/Shepard mix, which gave me the idea. Best Dawg eva!

To smart for his own good. The stories I could tell.

Unfortunately, he has passed on, but I look forward to seeing him on the other side.

There are many pros and cons about having dogs in a SHTF scenario. They can give away your location. They can alert you to danger. They can be the defenders while you get away from other pack animals or zombies. The bottom line though, I would rather be with my dogs than without. I recently took a trip to Oregon in my car. Stayed at truck stops going and coming back. One night though, I found a great spot in a neighborhood on about an acre and a half of undeveloped property. I pulled in and threw my bedding down. I had brought my little terrier mix with me for company on the trip. I finally managed to lightly doze off when she started growling. I immediately grabbed my pistol and sat up looking around. A house cat had "stalked" us and was checking us out. A bit later, my dog starts growling and barking and I grab the gun again. I see four figures walking towards me. I jump up and I ask what's up. As they get closer, I see it's some young teens. They had snuck out of their homes and were going to visit a friend. No biggie. A couple hours later, I heard them walking back on their way home to sneak back in. Anyhow, my dog was a great little alarm and I was glad I brought her.

reply to post by TDawgRex


awh im sorry

bet she left you with lots of good memories

Originally posted by muse7
reply to post by TDawgRex

 

awh im sorry

bet she left you with lots of good memories

It's all good. He lived a good life and provided amusement on a daily basis.

My favorite story of him is the time he made friends with a local skunk. Never got sprayed, , but they played together quite often...to my consternation.

Originally posted by Superhans
Being a Rambo survivalist I have often pondered the dog conundrum myself. The only advantage I see in having a dog is that I could use it as a mobile meal. Its one of the few forms of lunch that will follow you around, with that being said it is a one time use deal.
The main problem I face as a Rambo survivalist is "how do I turn this into a weapon". The answer seems easy to some, "train it to be an attack dog" right?-WRONG. In order to be a suitable weapon it would have to best me in unarmed combat. This raises two more problems.
1. As a Rambo survivalist I am unbeatable in unarmed combat.
2. If the dog could best me it would only be a matter of time before he turned on me and tried to turn ME into HIS mobile lunch
I therefore came to the conclusion that dogs are a no-go for a Rambo survivalist. The best use of a dog would be to eat it and then file its bones down to make weapons .

Plus most dogs people have these days are for pets not for utility. Your common house dog has lost most of its natural hunting abilities by now. In some areas there are still dogs used for practical purposes but they tend to be loyal to their owners, not strangers. So unless you already have a dog they are nothing but food for you.

Hate to disappoint you there Rambo, but no one is unbeatable in unarmed combat, you included. There's always someone out there that can thrash that a$$. And it's quite obvious that you don't know dogs.

I found this online. Actually I never thought about it but if the shtf there could be a lot of ways to get use out of a strong dog beyond just the typical ideas of protection.

I imagine if you are alone and only have your dog, it could keep your mind focused. Make sure you don't go insane!

I don't have any dogs and don't want any either.I am almost afraid
to ask this question...what purpose would my 3 cats be in a shtf
type scenario besides lunch?

That's a Corgi Mix. There is nothing remotely Dane"ish" about that dog.

Originally posted by Hawking

Hope the Chihuahua's ok

edit on 16-10-2012 by Hawking because: (no reason given)

Dogs can be an asset or a detriment depending on the scenario. If you need silence and you don't have complete control of your dog - you're toast. If you need them to raise a ruckus and they are too laid back - again, you're toast.
Having them hunt for you also depends on the amount of available game. Don't forget they have to eat too. They need water too, so if you have to rely on stored water make sure to store enough for them too. I have a six month supply just for the dogs already stored.
Veterinary care will be unavailable so you need to make sure if you keep a dog or dogs you try your best to maintain their health. If you can't you need to make sure you have the courage to do what is necessary. The bigger the dog the more resources they require. I have three Danes and a chihuahua mini doxi mix. I have a surgical kit, bloat kit, a huge supply of DE, and a goodly supply of medicines stored just for them. I have a couple month source of food for them. I'm also prepared to .... not have them if need be.

reply to post by mamabeth


pest control is about all I can think of off the top of my head for a normal cat. But I know how you feel I'm stuck with three cats right now. I worry less over them with a SHTF then normals cats, since they're willing to follow me on foot and all three where raised by my dog, so they act more like dogs then cats.

Well if the SHTF and we're all stuck walking and you see some guy being followed by three cat one the size of a small bobcat, be sure to say "Hi" to me and wave.

The thing I loved about my German Shepherds (no longer alive) was that they were the best guard dogs, loyal and loving.....

The downside to dogs in this scenario. If they bark too much, your position is given away unless you know how to handle them properly and keep them quiet when needed.

I trained my lab and she knows when to be quiet......But that cost me $$$!!!!

i've always had Stafforrdshire bull terriers, i recently lost my lovely boy at the good old age of 19.
i rescued another from shelter about 3 month ago and was friendly with humans but wasn't trained.
he's now a little star, its as though i've had him my whole life. i feel confident that if the SHTF that my Staffy Russell would be an asset.
Staffy's have a good hunting instinct but are also very obediant so wont chase other animals without permission (i'm sure there are exceptions to this). so i believe this would help with food, more the sniffing the animal out rather than the catching them.
Even though they are a friendly, loving dog they can look rather tough and scary, they cackle rather than growl and will protect so this will help with any dangerous people.
theres the obvious advantage of their keen sense of smell and hearing, which may help alert me to danger or someone heading my way.
all of this is harnessing their natural instinct and behaviours. im not a dog trainer just an animal lover, but the key is already having a strong bond with the dog beforehand, like Russ knows im pack master lol.

i think strange dogs could come in useful if u have food to bribe it, but i doubt we are all going to have extra food to feed the stray's lol.
they will pack together and will probably become a hinderence - unless they join Russell and become my pack then i'll be fine lol.

about eating dog.....hmmmm lets hope the S doesn't HTF that hard

I've said it before and I'll say it again...urban dogsled! The only way to travel post-SHTF!

Little yappers are good motion detectors and early alarm systems. But get a muzzle if you planned to go silent...

If SHTF, I would need my dog. Like someone who said before, I also have a Terrier mut, and he barks, and growls at everyone and everything that moves outside my apartment. Its annoying as hell, but he will alert me to anything getting too close, if/when the SHTF situation goes down

Also...I hope you people are talking about eating other peoples/stray dogs...I'd rather die than kill my own dog for food.

Everybody's SHTF situation will be different so there is no perfect choice of X breed trained Y way, now it depends on a lot of things like rabbits every 2 foot under ground then a terrier is your cooking pots best friend but since we depend on them in arctic and desert conditions they're probably pound for pound the best companion you can take especially over long distances and the most loyal as i doubt many survivalists would take one for the team

Originally posted by Hawking
...will be a major advantage, and maybe even save your life at some point. Unconditional love and loyalty can't be overestimated.


Unless their owners are already dead, in which case they'll form packs and eat all the Rice Krispie Treats in your BOB. Then probably you

edit on 15-10-2012 by Hawking because: (no reason given)

Unconditional love eh...

Stop feeding your dog and beat it regularly and see how unconditional* their love is.
That is a false statement dogs do not have unconditional** love.at all.
Their are dogs that are downright hateful...

The reason they will not be good.is they will have to be fed that is.another mouth to feed
their will not be conventional dog.food.around.

If you do have dogs keep them when shtf.try to.survive.with them as long as you can
but do not get dogs for shtf just not a good idea. If all else fails you might end.up having to.eat
Fido and Fido WILL LOOK like a steak if you have not eaten in a week or two..

Homestead Defender.

I pity the fool that tries to quietly break in to my house if the world goes to pot, I'm pretty sure there will be enough commotion and delay for me to get to my second line of defense.

Although feeding him in a The Road type situation would probably be an issue.

That wound up being way larger than I thought it would.

My fault.