In a quiet cul-de-sac in Ogden, Utah, an evening that started with routine truck maintenance quickly turned into a scene right out of an action movie for Dane Wise and his neighbor. The unexpected stars of this drama? Two pit bulls with a penchant for aggression.

Dane Wise, a man just trying to tinker with his truck under a covered area, found himself in a sudden showdown with the growling pits.

“(They) started getting aggressive and barking at me and growling and trying to get up on the thing,” Wise recounted to KSL TV, recalling the dogs’ sudden hostility. With only a hammer in hand, Wise did what any resourceful truck enthusiast would do – he threw it. The dogs fled, giving Wise a moment to arm himself properly.

Upon his return, Wise heard the unmistakable sounds of canine menace next door. The pit bulls had cornered his neighbor, who was now in a defensive stance.

“They were after him so he took one (a gun) out and as soon as he shot his gun, the other pit bull came at me and charged me and I shot him at point blank,” Wise said. It was a scene reminiscent of an Old West shootout, but instead of outlaws, the threat was four-legged.

Despite being shot multiple times, the pit bull Wise shot survived and ran off, while the other, shot by the neighbor, did not make it.

Soon after the dust settled, the dogs’ owners appeared, clearly distressed by the turn of events.

“We both apologized and told them we were sorry it had to happen that way and they seemed OK with it — obviously upset and somewhat mad,” Wise explained. He sympathized with their feelings but remained steadfast in his priority: “Hey, we’ve got children here and we’re going to keep them safe.”

An animal control officer arrived on the scene and informed KSL TV that the incident was under investigation. It turns out these dogs were no strangers to trouble; they had bitten another neighbor just weeks before. The Ogden City Police Department confirmed that the owners had been cited for the previous incident. The surviving pit bull was taken to veterinary care, while the other did not survive.

Wise, a self-proclaimed “dog lover,” expressed regret over the situation’s outcome.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I don’t like what happened. I’m not proud of it in any way at all. Certainly, I feel like we’re safer, you know, and it’s a shame it even had to come to that.”

In Utah as in most states, it is legal to defend yourself using deadly force against attacking animals.

Two things are clear in this case: First, don’t mess with suburban Utahns, they appear abundantly armed and ready to defend themselves with a clear conscience and determined action. Secondly, keep your dogs on a leash or fenced up, particularly if you own a breed many people consider aggressive, like a pit bull. Or get a golden retriever. They are pretty passive and if loose and they come upon a stranger, they are more apt to lick them to death than ever bite or growl.