Fight over euthanizing dog that fatally mauled a person

[OverandOnward]

Maybe this is really a fight over a politically-connected couple with the resources to drag out a fight with a gov’t authority.

Maybe the dog at the center is just an unlucky catalyst for a fight this couple wanted to have, anyway.

The couple’s position makes absolutely no sense to me. But I suppose that as long as they can handle the legal fees, or have the wherewithal to do it all themselves (is one or both a lawyer?), they can keep dragging this out. They don’t seem to care about the impact on the dog (or the town), other than how it relates to them.

I agree with others that the lady on the farm seems like an unwise option. She is making assurances without ever having met the dog. She talks fancifully about horses to make her case about a dog. She comes across to me as someone I would not trust to make good judgments about this dog.

What a sad case. What a terrible ending for this 95-yo lady, who seems to have been lost in all of this.

[downen]

Actually, I met someone at my lesson barn who said her OTTB’s sire KILLED TWO MEN in the breeding shed! Luckily her boy didn’t seem to inherit the killer gene. I’m sure “brain surgery” helped, too.

[betonbill]

All I can say is that whoever has any sort of relationship with the dog had better have a sh*tload of insurance.

[OverandOnward]

I am curious about that. Insurance has become leery of dogs, with the list of unwanted breeds, etc.

I’m guessing that insurance will not cover a claim if a dog has a history of attack, especially a serious injury or a death, as in this case,

And I’m guessing that there will be no coverage for a lawsuit against an owner, over the acts of a dog with a history.

[Texarkana]

@downen

Actually, I met someone at my lesson barn who said her OTTB’s sire KILLED TWO MEN in the breeding shed! Luckily her boy didn’t seem to inherit the killer gene. I’m sure “brain surgery” helped, too.

I can’t think of a sire in modern history who is on record of killing two men in the shed. But, there have been a fair number of notably ill-tempered ones. Halo and quite a few of his sons. Dynaformer. Bolt D’Oro. Festival of Light was actually gelded.

Their offspring are almost never a problem.

[downen]

Just what I was told! I had no reason to question her account.

[Pep_n_Ann]

I’m a bit late to the party.

Yes, the dog should be put down. He should have been put down the day of the incident. If a dog of mine EVER does ANYTHING like that, I’ll shoot them myself. There is no place in this world for an uncontrolled, aggressive dog.

[Dr_Doolittle]

I couldn’t agree more.

There are so many nice dogs in the world needing homes, and deserving a good, stable place to live with a loving family.

Dogs with intractable aggression who are “ticking time bombs” and actual killers? There is ZERO justification for this, especially if it’s political! And these people who are “narcissistic kind hearts” with an agenda need to NOT be put in control of these situations

[nunyabusiness]

Did we all read the same article?? My take was that there was some differing accounts on what REALLY happened.

[Annie10]

I don’t know what you read, but the one I read said that old lady had so many bites they couldn’t count them. That dog tore her to pieces and she died.
You can interview 10 different people who saw the exact same thing and they will tell you 10 different things. That’s fine.
But the bottom line is that lady got tore up and she died.
And now the dog has been locked in a kennel for 5 years, which is inhumane.

[GoodTimes]

Sure there were differing accounts. But I don’t believe that an exuberant dog jumping on an elderly woman would cause wounds deep enough to see bone, nor would there be blood everywhere. An exuberant, happy, well adjusted dog does not ignore someone whacking it with a chair.
There are different, biased accounts.

[Alterwho]

@nunyabusiness

Did we all read the same article?? My take was that there was some differing accounts on what REALLY happened.

What’s your take on what really happened?

[Demerara_Stables]

I think it’s valid to ask what her leg wound was that she was having treated before the incident.

[Texarkana]

@Demerara_Stables

I think it’s valid to ask what her leg wound was that she was having treated before the incident.

Valid to ask, sure.

But an elderly woman died because of this dog, whether he just innocently knocked her down (doubtful) or violently mauled her to death. And on top of that, the dog has been stuck in a kennel for the better part of a decade with presumably a low quality of life while his owners ironically fight to keep him alive. Then you have the whackadoodle farm owner making comparisons between owning OTTBs and owning severely aggressive dogs.

The dog owners have to be completely bonkers to keep this whole thing going.

[Demerara_Stables]

Yeah, I agree with what you are saying but to play devil’s advocate, it’s hard to say that the bites were down to the bone and muscle was exposed without knowing what the pre-existing injury was.

Regardless of the bites, even if the dog just knocked her down and she hit her head, the dog is still responsible for her death. Maybe I didn’t read far enough in the article, but I don’t see anywhere where her actual cause of death was determined or shared.

[StarPattern]

As someone who used to own an aggressive (but very carefully managed dog), I would have put that dog down myself the moment that incident happened. There is no doubt the dog caused the fatality and there is no reason to go around and around in a court.

[Annie10]

**[quote=“Demerara_Stables, post:35, topic:799055, full:true”]
Yeah, I agree with what you are saying but to play devil’s advocate, it’s hard to say that the bites were down to the bone and muscle was exposed without knowing what the pre-existing injury was.

Regardless of the bites, even if the dog just knocked her down and she hit her head, the dog is still responsible for her death. Maybe I didn’t read far enough in the article, but I don’t see anywhere where her actual cause of death was determined or shared.
[/quote]

**only if the dog just sat on one spot and gnawed on her. There were multiple bites all over this poor woman

[Texarkana]

Am I the only one who is no less disturbed by the idea that the dog potentially “just” gnawed on a pre-existing injury after her death?

Your dog’s reaction shouldn’t be, “grandma’s down… dibs on her femur!”

[colorfan]

For my own context why does it matter what her wound was? Im thinking it doesn’t matter how much of a wound or where it is for that matter it isn’t an excuse for a dog to bite and maul.

[colorfan]

@Annie10

And now the dog has been locked in a kennel for 5 years, which is inhumane.

It seems very ironic that the dog’s owner, who loves him soooo much, is willing to keep him in such a poor quality of life state.