Greatest threats after the fall of civilization

Let's say that one day you find yourself in a long term survival situation.  I think everyone knows that it will be a struggle to do most everything that is easy for us now.  Even if you have stockpiled shelf stable foods and have a large quantity of water stored, preparing your meals and ensuring that your drinking water is purified is not going to be as convenient when the grid is down.  Besides, eventually your food and water stores will be depleted, and you will have to raise your own vegetables and hunt for meat if you want to survive.

I think that all preppers are aware of this, and regard it as one of their greatest fears- starving to death.


Other hazards will be rampant as well, including:

• The threat of disease from garbage and sewage services not being available
• Roving bands of criminals who have left their cities in search of food and plunder
• Looters, rioters and scroungers looking for people like you who have supplies
• Lack of medical resupply for folks dependent on essential prescription drugs
• Diminished health care resources which can cause a simple cut that gets infected to turn into a life-threatening condition.
• Being able to stay warm during the winters in our northern climates

All of these are valid reasons for being concerned, and will have to be addressed on way or another if we ever find ourselves in a TEOTWAWKI epoch.  


However, I believe there is another matter that could be added to this list that you don't hear mentioned very often, but could be a very real and widespread threat that affects most survivors sooner or later.  It is the threat of feral dog attacks.


This seems highly improbable at first glance....where are all these wild dogs now and why aren't they attacking anyone yet?  


The answer is that some of them are already here, but they are currently serving as pets and being fed store bought dog food.


Here is the scenario: 


We are stricken by a survival situation of indefinite length.  People have have exhausted their food supplies (for most Americans this will only take 72 hours).  Food and water are now highly prized commodities and are increasingly hard to find.  People are hungry and getting desperate.  


The venerable family dog has run out of his store bought dog food.  His human family may have even been the ones who have eaten it out of desperation.  Food scraps from the table are now non-existent, and Fido now starts to take on that scrawny, malnourished appearance.  Animal-loving people will not be able to deal with the fact that they are starving their loyal dog to death because they cannot find enough food for themselves, let alone their dog.  And although they are starving, most people will not be able to kill and eat their own pet.  


In a move that they consider to be an act of kindness, people will turn their dogs loose permanently so that they can hunt for themselves and "live off the land".  The problem with this tactic is that domestic dogs have had most of their natural hunting ability bred out of them over the years.  They can not successfully hunt solo like the fox or the wolf.  Most of them are no longer adept enough to catch and kill small animals to feed themselves.  But they still have the will to live, and hunger is a powerful influence.  


What they can do and will do is pack up with other abandoned canines and use their increased numbers to improve their ability to corner, catch and take down prey.  They will also begin breeding, and their offspring will not be impeded by spaying and neutering like some of their moms and dads were.  Their population levels will explode (domesticated dogs can have 2-3 breeding cycles per year) and, most importantly, their pups will be been born into a fully feral atmosphere devoid of human care.


What we will now have, within a two to three year period of time, are widespread feral dog packs who need to feed themselves and their pups.  They won't be out looking for milk bone dog biscuits, either.  As indigenous wild animal populations in the suburbs and country areas are reduced by subsistence hunting from humans, the feral dog packs will have less natural prey available to them and they will have to adapt their diet to what is left- us.


It will no longer be safe to go in the woods to hunt, fish, gather berries or check on your traps.  Simply being preoccupied while working out in your garden will put you at risk of an attack.  A firearm will be a mandatory accessory anytime you are out of doors.  Children will have to be closely monitored outside the home, as they will be the easiest prey.  Human beings will still be at the top of the food chain, but we will now have to work at it to maintain that distinction.


The positive aspect of this is that if you are able to find and kill a feral dog that is not rabid, mangy, infected with parvovirus, or loaded with parasites, you can add some protein to your family's diet.


This may not seem very appealing to you now, but at some point in the future it may be the difference between living and dying.  A long term survival situation is going to require a substantial paradigm shift from all of us.  


Most people don't even want to think about the possible issues that will be facing mankind at such a time, but thinking about them now will get us planning ahead and result in us being much more prepared to deal with the situation.   


You may never look at that Yorkshire Terrier quite the same way again.






LWM out..................