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Old 07-07-2019, 05:01 PM   #21
johndallman
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Default Re: K9 enemies...

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Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
I'm curious. Is it just dogs or the entire concept of pets that repulse you?
Dogs. I quite like cats, who don't intrude into personal space in the way that dogs do.
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Old 07-07-2019, 11:30 PM   #22
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Default Re: K9 enemies...

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And I'm different in some ways, I went to high school in an area that had huge (100+) sized packs of wild dogs that would roam through the area and attack other pets (including dogs) as well as the occasional person by themselves if they weren't obviously armed.

I rather like having dogs as a "monster" type. They can be very vicious and players tend to underestimate them.
I use dogs in my world when it makes sense that they'd be there. If a PC is running from prison guards, for ex, there's a good chance there'll be dogs in play tracking him. Planning to sneak onto military bases or the equivalent? B Better have a plan in mind to deal with Fido, and 'nice doggie' won't cut it with a well-trained guard dog.
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Old 07-08-2019, 12:25 AM   #23
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Default Re: K9 enemies...

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Rabies is horrifying. But I'd still fear the non-diseased pack of feral dogs more than a single Cujo.
It can easily be transmitted well before the animal is rabid, and if it doesn't get diagnosed and treated in the real early stages it's game over. So rabies is a risk in addition to whatever else a seemingly non-diseased pack of feral dogs will do (unless they outright kill and eat you of course).

Do realistic rabies in a game without proper healthcare (AtE, dirt ages, whatever) and your players will be scared of dogs forever. :)
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Old 07-08-2019, 09:38 AM   #24
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Default Re: K9 enemies...

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Rabies is horrifying. But I'd still fear the non-diseased pack of feral dogs more than a single Cujo.

I think one issue with cats is that few have experience with truly feral ones. They think they know how wildly aggressive and strong they can be when trying to get them into carriers. But in my limited experience, that is nothing compared to a true psycho/fighting for its life feral. And they are insanely fast too.
If you mean rabid ones, no. However our family adopted Tiger off the street as a pity-pet and she managed quite fine becoming something of a big sister to Princess. When she was grouchy she could claw a bit but she wasn't truly vicious though she did seem to have whatever the cat version of PTSD is.

However feral dogs used to be a plague in Middle Eastern cities, enough that "dog" is one of the greatest of insults in the Bible (the one time dogs are referred to positively, it is as a hound as you might expect).
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Old 07-08-2019, 10:32 AM   #25
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Default Re: K9 enemies...

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If you mean rabid ones, no. However our family adopted Tiger off the street as a pity-pet and she managed quite fine becoming something of a big sister to Princess. When she was grouchy she could claw a bit but she wasn't truly vicious though she did seem to have whatever the cat version of PTSD is.
I would not be surprised if Tiger was a stray and not truly feral. While not impossible, it's very rare for an adult feral cat to ever allow itself to become a pet.
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Old 07-08-2019, 10:54 AM   #26
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Default Re: K9 enemies...

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I would not be surprised if Tiger was a stray and not truly feral. While not impossible, it's very rare for an adult feral cat to ever allow itself to become a pet.
Actual feral cats are scary. Most suburban cats are exposed to and familiar with humans to at least some degree.

that said, cats can really only do superficial damage compared to dogs, even when they're the same size. Cats hunt creatures much smaller than them and are built for agility. Dogs are derived from animals that eat things bigger than them. I've got a dog who is only 1 lb heavier than our largest cat, and I have no doubt who could mess up my hand the most. The cats could draw a lot of blood, but the dog is the only one I'd worry about breaking finger bones.*

*If they had to. The whole lot are a bunch of pampered lap animals whose idea of fighting is making noise at other animals.
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Old 07-08-2019, 02:55 PM   #27
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Default Re: K9 enemies...

Cat bites and scratches are notorious for getting infected sometimes to the level of permanent crippling of tendons and joints, or requiring the amputation of a finger.

In a gritty scenario, it's not just about whether you and/or the wild animal survives. It's about how badly injured you are at the end and near future.
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Old 07-08-2019, 09:56 PM   #28
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Default Re: K9 enemies...

It's worth noting that Felis familiaris can and will form into prides if the food is plentiful and the territory isn't. A pride of farmcats can and will kill troublesome foxes. A pride of severely feral cats will take down turkeys, too. (My grandfather lost a turkey to a group of feral cats.)

The two cats my mom lured in from the wilds (at present we live six miles from the nearest urbanization, and 12 from the next closest) are super affectionate... but also hyper skittish, and tightly bonded (despite being nipped as kittens)... They will sometimes hunt together and share kills. (we have a rodent problem in the county... and they keep the rodents largely out of the house. )
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Old 07-09-2019, 03:43 AM   #29
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Default Re: K9 enemies...

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Why do we almost never see K9s as enemies in published adventures?
I suppose that the writers assess that most of the players are used to viewing dogs as household pets, and are inclined to be fond of them or sentimental about them, while not recognising the potential danger of trained attack dogs or feral packs. Probably most players will not feel that their characters are either heroic or mighty for having killed some dogs. Players would rather triumph over something with a reputation for being dangerous and bad.
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Old 07-09-2019, 08:13 AM   #30
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Default Re: K9 enemies...

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However feral dogs used to be a plague in Middle Eastern cities, enough that "dog" is one of the greatest of insults in the Bible (the one time dogs are referred to positively, it is as a hound as you might expect).
Don't know about used to be - many Middle Eastern (and other under-developed area) cities are still plagued by packs of (generally suspiciously similar looking) yellowish brown dogs that scavenge for food but can and attack and kill humans if they think they can get away with it. Normally the default abusive treatment they get from the locals keeps their numbers down but they are still prone to snatch unattended toddlers and stalk people walking alone at night. In wartime these things get a lot worse - after Gulf War 2 the various city garrisons (whether locals, Allied Regulars or PMCs) shot hundreds of the wretched things as they had been getting out of control, and a chap who was deployed to Fallujah described the dogs following his rifle platoon and feeding on the insurgent casualties (or parts thereof) left behind them.

Mind you, one of my Father's old war stories involves the stray dogs that lived in and around Aden when he was deployed there. Obviously they and the locals hated each other, but there was no such history between them and the soldiers of the British garrison who, often being quite fond of dogs, soon proved themselves more likely to throw food than stones. Thus the dogs considered the British great friends and would accompany them on patrol, barking furiously any natives that were about (especially anyone who looked like they were hiding). The volunteer K9 unit also helped out by living in the dead zone outside the camp perimeter and raising the alarm at night if the locals appeared to be sneaking up on the fence … at which point the garrison would light up the loudest part of the dead zone and open fire. Whether or not the dogs were allowed to clean p afterward was not told to me.

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