Aggressive animals (mainly dogs). What is your decision point?

I have had a number of negative interactions with aggressive dogs. Thankfully no person or dog has gotten hurt. It's an increasing issue here and interactions are becoming more and more frequent in public places.Dogs are not properly leashed here, pitbull/boxer/mix types are very popular. Lots of large dogs are frequently just running around without any control.My daughter is 9. She is always with me (I'm a stay at home dad).On more than one occasion I have been prepared to draw on aggressive dogs charging us (behaving aggressively).​I've been thinking about this and had some rhetorical questions and I'm interested in other peoples experiences related to this.1) At what point do we decide deadly force is justified?Do I have to wait until one of us is getting chewed on?2) What is "aggressive behavior"? Is a dog charging and growling enough for me to defend myself and my daughter? Has happened to me before and I was not forced to draw.​What I'm concerned about is what is the decision point?If it's too late, I'm in a situation where I may not able to get my weapon out in time to prevent injury, or may not be able to use my weapon, or fire in a safe manner.​Police seem to be able to shoot aggressive dogs even if it's clear their 10 yards+ away. I'm sure we don't have that kind freedom the badge provides.Also, pepper spray doesn't really work on dogs (I've been told this by officers). Wind, effectiveness, etc are all issues.​So, a large dog is charging you and your child, growling and acting aggressively.The owner is screaming at it to obey but it's not heeding commands.What do you do?​I'm really interested to hear from folks that have been in this situation. via /r/CCW https://ift.tt/38B2Xkf