extreme situations and extreme measures

i don’t know if this will even be allowed here bc it’s not technically a question about training, more about general knowledge about breaking up dog fights (for the average owner, not industry professionals).

i am going to preface this because my question is weird as hell without it lmao.

i work in ER vet med, and today we had a dog that came in after being stabbed multiple times following a dog fight in a park. the dog coded within minutes of being here, and owners elected to stop CPR. from my understanding of the story: 2 dogs (a pitbull and a JRT looking thing) were fighting, and the owner of the pitbull was no where nearby. the owner of the JRT was trying to break them up, but got bit in the process. another 3rd party person came in and stabbed the pitbull, after which paramedics rushed the dog to us via ambulance.

obviously this is a case where owners did not know how to properly break up a dog fight, as most of the general public is unaware of (a conversation for a different day).

this just got me thinking about hypotheticals: what quick methods would you advise in a situation like this? assuming the owners know nothing about the wheelbarrow method, etc. i’m talking you see someone about to stab a dog and you have 10 seconds or less to intervene to keep the dog from being stabbed. originally i was thinking pepper spray would be a much better alternative to a knife, but still carries health risks & can cause other problems (i personally feel i would rather deal with the risks & issues that come from pepper spray than multiple stab wounds over my dog’s whole body, but that could just be me).

this isn’t even the first horrible case we’ve received this week, so i’m just rocked from it all. welcoming any and all suggestions!! not that it helps this current situation, but just trying to think of things most people would either have on them or have near them to break up a fight without having to kill one of the animals.