Hey all. Just a question. Little long, too, sorry. I've got a fox that has taken up residence in my backyard. He's apparently living in the scrub. He came out this afternoon and was rolling in the grass and munching on something, just seemed to be generally enjoying himself. But he's a big guy. I think he's a silver fox, although he does have plenty of orange in him. We're thinking he may be a mix. He does come and go, this isn't the first time he's appeared, but we think he was drawn back because our resident wild rabbits recently had babies.
A few hours after I saw him I needed to walk my dog. The dog walks around the property most of the time due to a handicap. She made it around the house before me (still on a leash) and tried to take off running. When I made it around the side, I saw the fox turn and run. He stopped about 15 feet from us and began coming back toward us, so I drew my concealed pistol in case he attacked. He didn't; he turned and ran off into the scrub area again. And I went back to trying to get my dog back under control as she still wanted to go after him.
Here's the question. If the fox had come at us and attacked and I had opened fire, what kind of a legal issue would that cause me? Here are the facts: 1. We were standing between my house and the neighbor's house, not more than ten feet apart as it is a housing development 2. There is a law in the town against firing guns in town limits, although I suspect defense from an attack is a whole other story. 3. There is another development behind us, about 150 feet from my yard.
Would there be a difference if the fox was attacking my dog or me?
We have contacted animal control on a regular basis, as have most of our neighbors, because there are a lot of pets and even more children in this development. We've got two coyotes here, too. Same response for both coyote and fox... no one ever comes out. Not even after my one neighbor was chased and attacked by a coyote on his front lawn. Today the fox was a little close and I didn't even think about it, my pistol was out before I really thought it over. So I'm curious. What steps should I take and/or what could be the issue if I did shoot the fox during an attack?
A few hours after I saw him I needed to walk my dog. The dog walks around the property most of the time due to a handicap. She made it around the house before me (still on a leash) and tried to take off running. When I made it around the side, I saw the fox turn and run. He stopped about 15 feet from us and began coming back toward us, so I drew my concealed pistol in case he attacked. He didn't; he turned and ran off into the scrub area again. And I went back to trying to get my dog back under control as she still wanted to go after him.
Here's the question. If the fox had come at us and attacked and I had opened fire, what kind of a legal issue would that cause me? Here are the facts: 1. We were standing between my house and the neighbor's house, not more than ten feet apart as it is a housing development 2. There is a law in the town against firing guns in town limits, although I suspect defense from an attack is a whole other story. 3. There is another development behind us, about 150 feet from my yard.
Would there be a difference if the fox was attacking my dog or me?
We have contacted animal control on a regular basis, as have most of our neighbors, because there are a lot of pets and even more children in this development. We've got two coyotes here, too. Same response for both coyote and fox... no one ever comes out. Not even after my one neighbor was chased and attacked by a coyote on his front lawn. Today the fox was a little close and I didn't even think about it, my pistol was out before I really thought it over. So I'm curious. What steps should I take and/or what could be the issue if I did shoot the fox during an attack?