Hey Lucy,

We had a volksmarch club meeting last night and the guest speaker was Sheriff
Lott (Richland Co, SC). He spoke to us about safety and how to avoid
becoming a crime victim while out walking. One of our members asked him
which was better to carry, mace or pepper spray. He said pepper spray
because it is also effective against dogs. He recommends replacing it every
two years.

He also recommended carrying a walking stick, holding your head up high,
looking at people you pass and making eye contact, walking with a partner,
carrying whatever you carry in front of your body (like a fanny pack), not
wearing jewelry while hiking, etc.

From my own experience, it seems that mean dogs are owned by mean people. If
they approach you for upsetting their dog by walking down a public street,
throwing a few dog bones at them probably won't work. Hit them with the
pepper spray too then run, run, run.

Robert N. Kingsbury Jr..
<A HREF="http://members.aol.com/palmettowanderer/index.htm">Palmetto Wanderers
</A>
Volksmarching Club
Columbia, South Carolina