When my grand-daughter was about a year old, my wife and I took her on a walk (in a stroller) from the river to Spencer's butte. Once there, my wife put her in a front carrier and we headed up the trail. Not very far in, we encountered an unleashed dog that was very interested in my grand-daughter, and not in a good way. As the owners casually called for their dog, I stepped between it and its intended victims. When it persisted, I gave it a small taste of boot.

Oh, the screams of horror from the two women who had loosed this dog upon us! They were absolutely certain that this was all my fault. Eventually, they put their dog on a leash and left. Personally, I thought I was quite restrained. My first inclination was to break the dogs snout, but I just bruised it in hopes that it would then go away.