My son called me tonight to let me know that my dil has to go to the ER for treatment for a dog bite. They had walked outside to get the mail last night, when they heard a neighbor screaming for help, and ran over to assist him.
The neighbor had been outside with his two dogs. My son said one is "some kind of little fluffy thing" and the other is a greyhound. Both were on leashes, and they were in their own driveway. Suddenly, a pit bull shot out from a house across the street and started attacking the greyhound. He was doing some major damage. The man tried to get the pb off his dog, and was screaming for help. The kids ran up, trying to get the pb off the man and his dog. My dil got bit while trying to get them apart. The owner had thown himself over the pb, trying to hold him down. Other neighbors saw what was going on and called the police.
The police got there before the owner of the pb came out of the house. He started yelling and screaming at everyone, using the F word liberally. He wanted the man to get away from his dog. He kept telling them all not to F with him. No apologies, no nothing.
The pb ripped the greyhounds neck open, exposing the juglar, and did a lot of damage to him, and the man was injured. Both needed medical treatment, as did my dil. Animal control came out today to have them fill out affidavids. They greyhound is home, but they still don't know if he will survive. We all have our fingers crossed.
The pb owner has not contacted his victims. Lawyers will be contacting him. I hope they take the dog away.
There have been a lot of problems in Cape Coral from pits in the past few years. I learned that Miami requires you to have a special permit to own a pit bull. I wish they would enact that here.
I know you cannot just blame the dogs, but it is hard to be objective when they are all around, and these senseless attacks just keep happening. You can imagine how please I am to have this idiot owner living four doors up from my family.
That's terrible, and another good example if the punishment were bad enough, this kind of thing would happen a lot less. If that pit bull owner were fined $10,000.00 and sent to jail for 3 years, that would send out a message! And you can bet that owner would never let it happen again. And this would go for ANY agressive dog, not just pit bulls...all breeds. Makes me furious too. Any one of us, or our babies, could be the next victim. I hope everyone recovers ok.
I had it in the back of my mind that after all the pitbull incidents in Cape Coral, they had made some restrictions over there....so I looked on the web.
This man is apparently an A-1 jerk, and I would be willing to bet this is not the first run in he has had with other people, and would not be surprised if this was not the first time the dog went after someone. According to what I am seeing, since two people and one dog were injured, the animal was uncontrolled, off it's own property, and the owner was abusive....they can judge the dog as dangerous right now.
That would mean big fines, a $1500 permit charge to keep the dog. He would have to put a a foot privacy fence up completely surrounding the property. And as nasty as he was, and witnessed by as many neighbors....all of whom gave reports to the police....I would say this man will be closely watched. One hopes the dog will be too, and will be removed soon.
At least that would be some consequence...but he has an easy out, the guy could choose not to pay the $1500, just get rid of the dog (to attack someone else somewhere else) and then go out and get himself another dog, and start all over again. It sounds like this guy is the one who should be deemed dangerous and taken out of public. The laws are way too lenient for this type of thing. I hope this one gets resolved before anyone else gets hurt.
About once a week I check the websites of our local SPCA and animal shelters. There are always far more Pit Bulls available for adoption than any other dog....by a really wide margin. It really is terribly sad for the poor dogs that they are brought up with irresponsible owners who want a "tough" dog . Until of course, the dog becomes more than they can handle or injures a friend of neighbor or even the owner.
Some of the newer developments in my area are not allowing Pit Bulls at all. Although I agree that there are many other dogs out there than can cause issues it just seems that the Pit Bulls are the worst. True, it is irresponsible owners more than anything but these dogs are bred to fight. It's like our dachsies hunting and burrowing...you can't change what it inbred in them.
How HORRIBLE! Now that the pb has bitten a human, isn't it mandatory for Animal Control to seize the dog and keep it pending investigation? I swear, there should be laws governing WHO can own these potentially aggresive dogs! GRRRRRR.
Quote from: Sandishooligans on January 26, 2006, 12:33:44 PM
How HORRIBLE! Now that the pb has bitten a human, isn't it mandatory for Animal Control to seize the dog and keep it pending investigation? I swear, there should be laws governing WHO can own these potentially aggresive dogs! GRRRRRR.
Apparently it gets to seriously injure or kill at least two people and several dogs.....and then ....it qualifies as a "dangerous dog". Well no s***, you think?? :cussing: That just means he has to put up a big fence.....which if it doesn't stay closed, means nothing.
Personally, I think that the first person who sees the dog out in the street should run over it. Oh gee, I guess that makes me bad, huh?
I agree that this particular pit bull needs to be put down and its owner punished as harshly as the laws will allow.
However, there are exceptions. I know a particular pit bull that is a sweetheart. She is bright-eyed, curious, obeys all commands, and does not seem to have a mean bone in her body. She hates to go out when the ground is wet or snowy, and will try to stand on one foot if she has to go out - it's really funny to watch.
Still, I am cautious around her, just because of the reputation of the breed. I am convinced that this poor breed has been exploited by criminals and idiots who think that a mean dog gives them some sort of status. It's a sad situation.
I agree with MindyKay. It's just sad the reputation this breed has gotten in the past 50 years or so. It was once used as a symbol for America's tenacity and strength did you know that? A morale booster for our troops in WWI and WWII. The fierce protector. Unfortunately it's these very traits that have been twisted and give the breed a bad rep. I feel sorry for the dog and wish no one had gotten hurt, but really it's not the breed's fault.
Elf actually loved on a pit rescued from NO after Katrina. It had been left and was halfstarved when it was rescued. He was the sweetest dog and just layed and licked Elf's hands when she reached out to pet. She is still learning "easy touches" so she was a little rougher than she could have been, but he just gave kisses! I couldn't have asked for a sweeter animal so it's not all members of the breed. If I'd had a fenced in yard I'd have taken the sweet fella in a heartbeat.
There are bad dogs of all breeds, and bad owners are the worst of all. I had a full pit for 14 years, he was wonderful. We now have my son's dog, Nino, he is bull mastif and pit mix........he is a lover, he'd help a burglar carry out the furniture for belly rubs! He loves Gracie and we love him...........I am so sorry you are having so much trouble with your terrible neighbors, they not the dogs need to be run over! Sorry! Here is our big baby!
Ooooh Dottie! They are so precious!!! (Gracie wants to come live with me LOL). Your big boy looks like a real sweetie. You are right, there are bad dogs in every breed...that's why if we had really stiff laws that were not breed specific, it woudl make people think twice about ANY aggressive dog. We could get rid of all the pit bulls in the world...and the problem would still exist, people and animals would still be getting bitten and killed. It won't be until we have serious enough repercussions to not being responsible with your dog, that things will be safer out there.
No, I don't remember the pitbull ever being a symbol of American tenancity and strength, especially during the war.....tho I certainly wasn't around for either of those wars.
Now the BULLDOG, which is a different breed.........
I am sure there are many sweet, docile pitbulls who are afraid of their shadow. However, none of them seem to be getting in the news. Or running loose attacking people. You can hardly fault people for not wanting more pits around when they (owners, animal control, police...anyone) are not controlling the vicious ones already running loose hurting people and wildlife.
I lived next to a nice pitbull. She never bit anyone. Her littermates were nasty vicious animals. I still have a feeling that if any of the neighbors see that particular pit over there in the street....it had better run.
Quote from: Dottiesdoxies on January 26, 2006, 04:01:40 PM
There are bad dogs of all breeds, and bad owners are the worst of all. I had a full pit for 14 years, he was wonderful. We now have my son's dog, Nino, he is bull mastif and pit mix........he is a lover, he'd help a burglar carry out the furniture for belly rubs! He loves Gracie and we love him...........I am so sorry you are having so much trouble with your terrible neighbors, they not the dogs need to be run over! Sorry! Here is our big baby!
Sad to say, our neighborhood would be improved if someone did run over that particular neighbor, and he was no longer around. I figure he will mess with the wrong people out there somewhere, and find himself in at least that much trouble. It usually works out that way.
In the meantime....I checked out the law here. It's as useless as....pick your favorite....
(1) "Dangerous dog" means any dog that according to the records of the appropriate authority:
(a) Has aggressively bitten, attacked, or endangered or has inflicted severe injury on a human being on public or private property;
(b) Has more than once severely injured or killed a domestic animal while off the owner's property;
(c) Has been used primarily or in part for the purpose of dog fighting or is a dog trained for dog fighting;
or
(d) Has, when unprovoked, chased or approached a person upon the streets, sidewalks, or any public grounds in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack, provided that such actions are attested to in a sworn statement by one or more persons and dutifully investigated by the appropriate authority.
(2) "Unprovoked" means that the victim who has been conducting himself peacefully and lawfully has been bitten or chased in a menacing fashion or attacked by a dog.
(3) "Severe injury" means any physical injury that results in broken bones, multiple bites, or disfiguring lacerations requiring sutures or reconstructive surgery.
I have been chased twice by the dog across the street, once by the one up the street. The greyhound in Cape Coral was nearly killed, his owner and my dil were bitten. The dog that comes after me has also attacked other dogs on leashes. And it is still there. No one has come to drag either the dog or the worthless owner off.
So....these rules .... this law....means diddly. These are not the only incidents I have seen or been involved in lately. When I was at the dog park, some jerk from Charlotte county took his pit bull out of his car, turned it loose in the small dog section, got on his cell phone and ignored the fact that it immediately began trying to terrorize the dogs on the other side of the fence....and was rapidly digging its way thru. He didn't stop it, call it, or pay it the least bit of attention. Imagine how the dog owners on the other side felt about them? I had my camera and photographed him. Just in case. Fortunately, I had already put Taffy in the car.
I'd say it's time to up the ante. Since the animal control/police aren't willing to help, call your council/alder person and mayor's office, asking why the dangerous dog laws aren't being enforced. Tell them that you are going to ask the same question in the media, then follow through, start calling TV stations, radio stations, newpapers. Don't just call, but send emails to each of these and follow up with letters. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and if there's a slow news day, you just might get some attention to the embarassment of the authorities. You might even try showing up at city council meetings. In the meantime, alert your neighbors that every time they even see one of these dogs, they should be calling animal control, police, city council and Mayor. If it gets annoying enough to the do-nothing authorities, they'll take action just to shut people up.
I found it here, although this isn't the original place I found it. About halfway down the page there is a picture and I copied and pasted the paragraph above the pic so it could be read below.
http://www.realpitbull.com/history.html
"In America, the Pit Bull flourished. It was one of the most popular breeds, highly prized by a wide variety of people. The Pit Bull was used to represent the US in WW1 artwork; popular companies like RCA and the Buster Brown Shoe Company used the breed as their mascots. A Pit Bull named Petie starred in the popular children's television series, Our Gang; a Pit Bull mix named Stubby became a decorated WW1 hero. Pit Bulls accompanied pioneer familes on their explorations. Laura Ingalls Wilder of the popular Little House books owned a working Pit Bulldog named Jack. Famous individuals like Theodore Roosevelt and Helen Keller owned the breed. It was during this time that the Pit Bull truly became America’s sweetheart breed, admired, respected and loved."
Also here: http://www.pitbullregistry.com/Pit%20Bull%20History.htm
"By the time of WWI the American Pit Bull Terrier had became a well loved and desired dog. In fact the Pit Bull was used as Americas canine mascot of the time and seen in such posters as this during war time."
I agree with everyone on the board it's not the dog's fault it's the owners. Here in MI especially the Detroit area we have major problems with dog fights(the illegal kind) and the majority of the dogs involved are pit bulls. If you have ever watched Animal Cops Detroit you probably have seen the shows where the Humane Society has rounded up dogs that have been bred for fighting. Then you see the shows where there are pit bulls that are just pets, but neglected By owners and given new loving homes.
I worked with a guy who had a pit bull and brought him to dog training class - Eddie was in the same class. The guy really couldn't handle the dog and it wouldn't listen to him, but it didn't do anything in class except scare poor Eddie who was the smallest dog there. A few months later this dog attacked the guys beagle, but he thought nothing of it. And even when it killed a litter of kittens he had at his house did he care - no, he thought nothing of it. It wasn't the dog's fault it was the owner's.
My theory is any dog can be a good dog as long as the owners treat it right and socialize and train it. But if the owner just has the dog because he thinks it makes him look macho he doesn't deserve to have any dog. Here in Michigan if a dog viciously attacks a human and it is determined that they cannot be rehabilitated it is destroyed and the owner CANNOT own another dog ever. I know it's harsh, but you can't be too careful.
I went to the dog park, which should be a fairly safe place to take your pup. Here's a couple photos of a man and his pitbull. You can see just how much attention he is paying to the dog - that he turned loose in the small dog/pup area....then turned his back on. It was harrassing the dogs on the other side...and then it started rapidly digging its way thru to the other side. The man did nothing. Thank goodness I already had Taffy in the car(http://photobucket.com/albums/d10/JacquelineBurns/th_manatdogpark.jpg)(http://photobucket.com/albums/d10/JacquelineBurns/th_f148d003.jpg)
My hubby was with me, or I probably would have told him to pay attention to the dog. Dh nearly had a fit because I photographed him. However, I figured if he injured some animal or someone, and the police put out a call, like they do on tv....a nice clear photo and the plate number would be very helpful.