I hope that I didn't come across as telling people what to do. I have friends that carry .380s and they're very happy with them. It was the cost of the ammunition that did it for me. I had initially intended to get a .380, but the cost of the ammo turned me around. I'm very happy with my 9mm S&W Shield.

Not at all. I have the shield, love it. I picked up a nice fde bodyguard, on sale, with $50 rebate, no tax, free delivery. Will also get the SW Compact 22, it's very similar in size to shield, dirt cheap ammo. All three have similar safety etc. Best to have more than one gun at the range for wife and/or friends.

Outside of those who go to the dog parks, how many of us really encounter a dog off the leash in The Villages?

If one would bite me, "Call Attorney Dan Newlin".

I see it multiple times every day on the multi-modal from Belle Meade Circle to Legacy Lane.

Don't know about Florida but in some jurisdictions a dog gets the first bite free. The "One-Bite" Rule for Dogs | Nolo.com

Is One Bite Allowed in Florida Dog Bite Law?

I do not know her.

I just read what she wrote. It looks to me like Florida, being a state having populous regions, has strict dog bite laws which IMO is a good thing.

Are the unleashed dogs on the path with or without their owners? You are not speaking on of dogs riding in carts with owners, are you?

I am just a short ways south of that and never see an unleashed dog on the paths or on the street.

There is a house a block from me that have an "invisible " fence but their dog always stays inside the yard. That definitely counts as being under the control.

We have been here more than 12 years and the only dogs that have been off leash in our neighborhood are ones that someone dumped off here because they did want them, dogs escaping out of a dog not shut properly, and coyotes.

:ohdear:

I am a jokester, but, the only thing imprecise in my post is "see it every day" which most should recognize as a figure of speech.

I do often see dogs off leash when I travel the Springdale Fitness Trail. Most of them are in the big field outside the boundaries of the dog park and hole. I also see them off leash behind the post office on Legacy Lane. One guy comes out most evenings and parks his cart smack in the middle of the 17th tee box of Erinn Glenn and throws a frisbee to his little dog. There is also a group that meets up in the woods and turn their dogs loose. I occasionally see off-leash dogs at the "duck pond" by the roundabout at Savannah Center.

I could take and post pictures, but I have been scolded for that and have vowed to be kinder and gentler and my camera is broken.

There are various areas near or in the Villages where people take their dogs and let them off leash. These are kind of make-shift dog parks. Sport used to like to go to one of these south of the Rio Grande Pool, croquet court and the air gun range. It is not all Villages property or they would have put some houses in there.

A blind guy walks into a bar with his seeing eye dog and suddenly grabs the dog by the tail and starts twirling it around. The bar owner sees what's going on and asks the blind guy "what are you doing"? The blind guy replies "just looking around".

BTW, in addition to my .380, I carry an expandable steel baton when walking my pups. Very minimal effort can cause a lot of hurt.