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Whaddya know? Write an article about how to defend yourself against an attacking dog and some people will get angry. I just wish the angry folk's anger had more substance to it.

Among the various schools of fury:

*The "Dog attacks are the fault of lousy dog owners so why don't you write an article about how to educate lousy dog owners?" school of fury, to which I say: Attempting to engage the owner of an attacking dog in a consciousness-raising session DOES NOTHING TO STOP THE DOG ATTACK CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS. Argument fail.

*The "Merely publishing this article is a reckless act of cruelty" school of fury, to which I say: Juh? Discussion of self-defense is cruel? This is not an article about how to pick a fight with a dog and win—it's about how to get out of a dog attack alive. Would people be freaking out if The Stranger published a recipe for coq au vin, which requires the complete dismemberment of a chicken? I do not think so, which is weird, because it requires the COMPLETE DISMEMBERMENT OF A CHICKEN. Likewise, my recipe for how to defeat an attacking dog requires AN ATTACKING DOG. It does not concern benign dogs not actively trying to rip your face off. Duh.

For the record, I love dogs, and hate coq au vin (I'm a vegetarian).

Also for the record, not everyone commenting on the article is blinded by nonsensical fury. To wit:

Despite the predictable and tiresome outrage from dog lovers, I'm happy to receive tips on how to protect myself against a real problem. Is a dog's life really worth so much that a person shouldn't defend himself when attacked?

Thanks to everyone for playing. You may join the discussion here.