I worked for a utility for a period of time, trouble shooting metering problems, the biggest hazard was dogs, we carried dog mace and the key to that was you usually don't have to directly spray the dog just a brief blast where they get a taste of the mace was usually enough, you don't want the dog running inside the house and contaminating some ones child. I always operated from the perspective that the dog is just doing its job and the closer you get to its owner the more aggressive it will get. A non lethal solution is always better.