Pepper Spray Revisited.

Yesterday at 9am, a non-crazy man followed and talked at me for a few blocks on the rush-hour-filled streets of Manhattan while I was walking Li'l Puff. He followed me, talking on his phone to the police about the bite to the neck my dog had just given him and how I, the owner, was just walking away.

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Allow me to backtrack.

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I was walking L'il Puff yesterday morning. Li'l Puff won't walk in the middle of a sidewalk for nothing, so until obedience classes prepare me otherwise, I hug the wall with her to avoid monopolizing the sidewalk. Plus, I think it puts minimal burden on the oncoming traffic of pedestrians to walk around us when we are against the wall. On this morning, while hugging a wall, I was surprised when I saw a man walk directly towards my dog, and then into her, instead of opting to take the more typical route of avoiding an obstruction. But because I know people get frustrated at dog-owners for not moving their dogs out of people's way, I thought little of it. But, then. Then! Then, the man turned into an infant.

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The man started to cry that my dog bit him. Doubtful as I was, I entertained the notion just in case. He whined about the dog bite for about two minutes, during which time I apologized if that was the case. He then decided to show me the proof--a 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch tear in the denim of his jeans near his knee. This is a mid-20 to -30-year-old man who is about 5'10", mind you, so his knee is over 20 inches above ground, and my dog is about 10 inches tall. I responded with "that is an existing hole," said "this is ridiculous," and walked away. "No, no, it's not an existing hole," he whined, while following me and telling me he's not going to let this go so easily. Then it occurred to him that it's time to show me the actual bite. He lifted up his pant leg and revealed to me a 6-inch by 1-inch swath of scar tissue on his lower shin near his foot, a substantial distance from the tear in his jeans. I informed him that that is a scar, not a dog bite, and walk away. He whined some more that it is so a dog bite and said he's going to ask someone else. He stopped a random stranger who also happened to be walking a small dog (this man has good taste in allies!). The random stranger's dog started yapping like crazy, and the random stranger walked away. I, too, walk away. He followed me down the street telling me he is calling the police. I hear him talking into his phone saying that a dog just bit him in the neck and the woman (that's me) is doing nothing but walking away.

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I reached my apartment building and briskly walked in, announcing to the doormen that this man (pointing behind me, because the man is now following me into the building) is claiming that my dog bit him. I then rushed into the elevator and disappeared. I felt bad about abandoning the doormen and leaving them to deal with this guy without any further explanation from me, but I was scared and just wanted to get away from him. As I walked into the elevator, I saw that the doormen had created a formidable human barricade, all bouncer-like, to block him from penetrating further. At this moment, I learned the value of living in a doorman building in NYC.

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I had a casanova over who needed to get out of the building, and I myself needed to get to work ASAP, so I put on big sunglasses, and together we left the building through an alternate door, all secret-passageway-like.

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Apparently the man came back later in the day asking about me, claiming he had gotten two shots from the doctor, and carrying a doctor's note stating as much. And he called the police over. The doorman rightfully refused to give out any of my information, though, and even denied recollection of the morning's events (YAY, doorman!!). I am not confident that this man won't persist in looking for me, though, especially now that he knows where I live, so I'm henceforth altering my schedules and routes. In addition, I am going to start carrying pepper spray (again). [recall: campus lake/mace story].

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Much to my dismay, information regarding carrying pepper spray for self-defense in New York state/New York City is inaccessible. The NYC website, which is quite remarkable in other ways, makes no mention of pepper spray rules/regulations, despite the presence of other safety tips. The city's catch-all live information hotline, 311, is also of no use. Nor are the police precincts that 311 operators connect my call to. And so I'm therefore providing the information below in the hopes that it will help other curious and cautious New York residents seeking information about carrying pepper spray:

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Carrying pepper spray in New York is legal (Penal Law § 265.20[14]).

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You must:

• be over 18
  
• not have been previously convicted in NY of a felony or any assault
  
• not have been convicted of a crime outside the state of New York if that crime, if committed in New York, would constitute a felony or an "assault crime"

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Where to buy pepper spray in New York

Pepper spray is hard to find! Officially, only licensed firearms dealers, licensed pharmacies, and other vendors authorized and approved by the superintendent of state police sell it. I hear you can get it other places, e.g., hardware stores, too, though, so you could ask around.

I got mine from a lovely local pharmacy, Esco Pharmacy, 687 9TH Ave New York, NY 10036 (between 47th & 48th Streets), which I was referred to by a nice man (not a robot!) at the phone number for Self Defenses, a New York company that sells(makes?) pepper spray. I bought their "Pocket Pistol, as seen on TV," which is small and permissible to pack into your checked luggage on a flight.

• Unfortunately, pharmacies at our ubiquitous Duane Reade do not seem to carry pepper spray.

This wikianswers, "Is Pepper Spray Legal to Carry in NYC", which I found after much sifting on the internet, was kind of valuable. It pointed me to the Self Defenses website, but I think this wikianswers thing contains inaccurate information. Here's why: (1) I don't think the law requires you to buy it from an authorized/licensed dealer (buy it wherever you can!) and (2) if you do buy it from such a dealer, you will have to give proof that you are over 18 and complete and sign a form saying that you have not been convicted of a felony or any crime involving an assault. The dealer then keeps that form on file and will give it to the police on demand. I did this at Esco. I'm guessing the form is a lesser version of what you have to do when you buy a gun because pepper spray is like a lesser version of a gun.

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As an aside, according to Womens [sic] Defense Center, you want pepper spray that:

• is at least 8% pepper and


• more importantly, has a 1.5 mil to 2 mil Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) rating

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My Pocket Pistol is 10% pepper but there is no SHU rating. Some say the absence of an SHU rating means the spray is probably a joke and will only enrage an assailant, but I trust the one I bought because of the Self Defenses website and the nice Self Defenses man on the phone.

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Lesson Remembered

• do not allow a stranger to lure me into a conversation that only they want to have