JFedako

The Dog on a Job

Question: How does a libertarian protect himself while jogging? A house on my path has Doberman pincers behind an invisible fence. These dogs race directly at any runner or walker but stop just short of the sidewalk due to the invisible fence. So, the jogger or walker must trust that the fence is on, the dog collars on, and that the dogs will not race through the electric field. What rights does the jogger or walker possess in a libertarian prospective? Does the libertarian jogger or walker have the right to use pepper spray as a defense even though the dogs remain on private property? Or, must the jogger wait for the bite before taking action? (note: this is a small-scale application of defense against perceived threats)

Posted: Sat, Nov 17 2007 5:57 PM by JFedako | with 2 comment(s)
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Comments

kdnc said:

The libertarian has the right to self-defense. If you can reasonably expect to be harmed, then you have a right to defend yourself. You do not have to wait until you have been harmed before you mount a defense. However, if you have seen the dogs repeatedly rush toward the fence and stop every time you might ought to be more hesitant to use counterforce. If the dogs advance farther than normal toward you then all bets are again off as you have no way of knowing if they will restrain themselves and you are again within your rights to use force to defend yourself. The question hinges on one thing: under any given set of circunstances, could a reasonable person expect physical harm to themselves or their property? If the answer is yes, then you have the right to mount a denfense.

# November 28, 2007 11:24 AM

kdnc said:

I missed one point. You asked: "Does the libertarian jogger or walker have the right to use pepper spray as a defense even though the dogs remain on private property?" My response to that would be no. If the dogs remain on private property and you cross onto said property and are bitten you have made the error, not the dogs, and you are responsible for that. The dogs and their owner have the right to protect their private property. You ignore that right at your own risk.

# November 28, 2007 11:36 AM