A lot of TTAG’s coverage reflects my geographical bias; I live in the second most densely populated state in these here United. I don’t encounter a whole lot of four-legged varmints. Sure, I see a coyote ambling down a suburban street from time to time. But no packs of wild dogs looking to rip me to pieces. To wit: “A ‘bloodthirsty’ pack of dogs has killed about 100 animals in the past few months while eluding law enforcement and volunteers in northeastern Washington state, apnews.myway.com reports. “The killings started in late March and have occurred in a wide area of mountains and valleys west of Deer Park, a small town about 40 miles north of Spokane . . .
“Trying to figure out where they are going to hit is next to impossible,” Stevens County Undersheriff Lavonne Webb said Thursday. “Nobody is claiming ownership of any animals involved in the pack.”
Most recently, the dogs killed a 350-pound llama Tuesday night. They’ve also killed goats and other farm animals.
So far, no humans have been attacked. But authorities are warning residents to take whatever steps are necessary to protect their families and animals because the dogs appear to be killing for fun rather than food.
“We have this pack that is out there killing for the sake of killing,” Webb said in a telephone interview from Colville. “What is going to happen if they come across a small child?”
So . . . another reason for home carry? I’ll tell you one thing: if I ever go into the wilds of anywhere, I’m borrowing Joe’s Smith & Wesson 500. Just in case. What do you carry to deal with packs of wild dogs, mountain lions, bears, killer cows (no really) etc?