Certainly certain towns could have specific by-laws where something like this is a concern, so that is a great point.
I am not at all against legislature that punishes irresponsible dog owners - not even a little bit. I am against BSL because we know it does not work – however, I do think bolstering the repercussions of irresponsible dog ownership to a felony (including fines and/or jail time) is a very viable option so long as it is done regardless of breed.
Absolutely! Irresponsible dog owners need to be held accountable for the damage their animals inflict.
I absolutely agree that there need to be harsh vicious and aggressive dog laws everywhere, and they need to be enforced.
No truer words have ever been spoken than these.
I agree it should be all dogs covered under one law and that it shouldn’t be breed specific. The pit bull ban here definitely worked on reducing the number of bites, maulings and deaths by pit bulls and it also quickly remedied the overpopulation of pit bulls stuck in shelters. As others have said, now there are other larger aggressive breeds filling the pit bulls shoes. Although there are nowhere near the same number of attacks and deaths by any specific breed, there should be much stricter laws for all dogs and their offending owners.
Well…so we start with one, then go on to all the other breeds?
https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/ne…o-bite-humans/ [ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: IMG_0559.JPG Views: 1 Size: 30.7 KB ID: 9747384”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“9747384”,“data-size”:“full”}[/ATTACH]
Because as we eliminate certain breeds because of aggressiveness , another one moves in. It is handler failure. I have been working with dogs for 40+ years now and it amazes me how dogs get humanized or excused with behavior that is unacceptable. But then - take a look at how our kids behave nowadays…that kinda gives a clue how the next generation will handle dogs… The pom shouldnt have been off leash, but the report states that the guy walked him like that daily. More importantly- the attacking dogs should not have been not only off leash, but off property. Its a public road. I walk our young horses all over the area- country- before I get in the saddle. We have a neighbor around the corner that thought it was funny to have his pack of dogs come running out and try to chase us on a public road. I carry a long whip when I walk too, but one particular day that was not enough and as the neighbor laughed and thought it was fun to have not just people chased, but now horses too, we ended up going back home, I saddled our thoroughbred and rode back. Called county animal control along the way. I taught that thoroughbred that if you touch a dog, you get a cookie, if a dogs nips and I give a certain command, you get to kick - and he was accurate. That day a couple of these dogs got kicked into the ditch- neighbor didnt think that was funny and even less funny to have a warning from animal control. Too many dog owners that have a twisted sense of humor or some ego problem. We have “killer” dogs and we take them places- and yes- some folks are terrified when they see them, yet I DO have vocal control over my dogs and so far every single time people that are afraid have softened up with our dogs. But it is also a matter of respect. Towards people and other animals. Our dogs guard our home and lifestock, but when we go someplace, they are the friendliest, most balanced dogs you have ever met- towards anyone. Its in the handling. And yes- I am strict with them - strict with my 2 legged kids too. And until I know that they behave like I wish them too, they are “in training” and not allowed to come off. Pitbulls are no better or worse then most other breeds, but I have seen more pitbull handlers with attitude then I care to- so yes- training has to be, but for the handlers.
Punishing the owners would be lovely, but it fails to explain how to prevent dog attacks on people, pets and livestock. Since these attacks are breed-specific, the quickest, easiest way to reduce them is to enact breed-specific laws. And that would be completely consistent with laws we already have for other consumer items - more dangerous items have extra requirements to acquisition and ownership. No matter how many times we cite studies of aggressive JRTs, the reality is that a pack of them, while terrifying, is not the same as a pack of Rottweilers. I’ve been frightened by small, violent dogs; I’ve felt in danger of my life from large, violent dogs. There’s a very, very big difference.
Pray tell. How does one teach a thoroughbred to touch a dog by rewarding it with a cookie? How does a horse touching a dog deter said dog from chasing it or worse if that’s the goal? Some people seem to encounter only marauding dogs. Why is that? It saddens me greatly to learn of the obsessive demands for anti-dog legislation shown here. Once again the few cause problems for the many. And by the way, my TB didn’t need to be taught to kick an offending dog pulling his tail he already knew one swift kick would end it. No muss, no fuss, just one kick. Over and done with.
All base laws of safety and protection for “all” dogs and humans should be the same and much stricter while hiring enough AC officers to enforce the laws. We already have dangerous dog laws but they are not being enforced properly.
To handle the extreme cases I agree breed specific laws should be put into action. Pit bull/pit bull types are out of control world wide and it needs to be dealt with quickly, easily, strictly and across the board. If another breed steps in to take their place then add that dog to a BSL.
Originally posted by LegalTexan
I taught that thoroughbred that if you touch a dog, you get a cookie, if a dogs nips and I give a certain command, you get to kick - and he was accurate.
I agree with the beginning of your post but the latter part of it seems to be a bit fabricated in my opinion.
Why would you give a cookie to a horse for “touching” a dog then supposedly train it to kick other dogs on command? If your horse kicked at a dog that nipped at him, I doubt very much that he was waiting for your “certain command” before kicking it.
I missed seeing the update. Thanks for the post, Sswor. What a tragedy.
I updated the thread title after the victim succumbed to his injuries.
I talked last night to a reporter who has covered this case quite closely. The dogs were put down. The owner was convinced that an appeal was a high expense that was unlikely to be successful. Understandably neighbor relations are not fantastic right now, so the reporter decided to let the story drop.
The old man wasn’t badly mauled, but the knockdown to the ground did him in - it often doesn’t take much to push the elderly over a medical cliff. The situation is much like the worse case I’ve thought about with the pitbulls that live across the street from my parents. A broken hip or head injury can be fatal to a frail, elderly person.
The dogs were ~2 yrs old, unaltered, well cared for & well fed, with no history of abuse. The owners are first time dog owner who drank the Kool-Aid about them being great family pets. They did not intend for this to happen, but most people don’t intentionally allow their dogs to out to kill. I got the impression the yard would have secure enough for an average dog, but not for one with escapist tendencies. Some dogs will stay in a badly fenced yard (e.g. the dog we had has a kid had no desire to leave her yard and ignored loose fence boards), others will make the most of the smallest opening.
Thanks for the update. I admit to being less than thrilled with an owner who was worried about the cost of an appeal versus putting the dogs down soon after the incident.
Your dogs were involved in the death of an old man and they did bite him and kill his dog. You can slice it in x amount of directions of who caused what - but once someone is injured to the point of hospitalization and death, JUST STOP with excuses to further rationalize bad decisions.
Most dog/pet owners are not like this, but I am sick to death of people being driven to rationalizes their devotion to dogs as family completely missing the point of how loss of human life and injury will drive another family to hate them with the passion of a thousand suns for thinking their dog is more important than person’s life, limb.
The old man wasn’t badly mauled, but the knockdown to the ground did him in - it often doesn’t take much to push the elderly over a medical cliff. .
Anyone around elderly and small children, handicapped, recent injury etc. usually understands this - but it really hits home with elderly since people do seem to forget how serious a fall or trip over a dog can become.
However, the key word here is “mauled” - there really isn’t such a thing as a “good” mauling. Seriously - talk to someone who is completely healthy and young about what it is like to receive antibiotics for puncture wounds that were cleaned and treated in an ER from a seemingly minor dog bite, but STILL became infected, causing medical care and IV.
Dog bites are serious stuff. Depending on the opinion of the person discussing, not badly mauled could apply to a scalping because someone lived to tell. Mostly though, the most minor dog bite can be life threatening if it is a puncture and infection sets in.
Great post, thank you.
From what I understand, LA animal control made it crystal clear that an appeal was fruitless. The dogs had recently killed 2 small dogs and an old man. I would think less of the owner if they tried to duck the issue of their dangerous dogs and filed an appeal.
Your dogs were involved in the death of an old man and they did bite him and kill his dog. You can slice it in x amount of directions of who caused what - but once someone is injured to the point of hospitalization and death, JUST STOP with excuses to further rationalize bad decisions.
Most dog/pet owners are not like this, but I am sick to death of people being driven to rationalizes their devotion to dogs as family completely missing the point of how loss of human life and injury will drive another family to hate them with the passion of a thousand suns for thinking their dog is more important than person’s life, limb.
Anyone around elderly and small children, handicapped, recent injury etc. usually understands this - but it really hits home with elderly since people do seem to forget how serious a fall or trip over a dog can become.
However, the key word here is “mauled” - there really isn’t such a thing as a “good” mauling. Seriously - talk to someone who is completely healthy and young about what it is like to receive antibiotics for puncture wounds that were cleaned and treated in an ER from a seemingly minor dog bite, but STILL became infected, causing medical care and IV.
Dog bites are serious stuff. Depending on the opinion of the person discussing, not badly mauled could apply to a scalping because someone lived to tell. Mostly though, the most minor dog bite can be life threatening if it is a puncture and infection sets in.
I was not justifying the incident in any way. I agree with everything you’ve said. I was reporting what someone very familiar with the situation told me about what really happened. I talked to the woman for ~30 min last night. Mr. Herrarra is no less dead from falling and hitting his head and bites on his hands and arms, than he would be if the dogs had ripped his throat out &/ gutted him.
As I talked to her, the situation really hit home, because I have feared the exact same thing happening to my 80+ yro father who has a small dog. If his neighbors’ pits decided to go after his dog while they were entering/exiting his car he could easily end up dead. If he has one bite or 50 I will go after the dog owners with everything I have. Ironically, my father saw these dogs go after a dog as he looked out his bedroom window a few years ago. He declined to say anything because he “didn’t want them to lose their dogs” Face+palm. grrr.
The reason I reached out to journalist was because of things I’ve read about how (badly) LA animal control handles aggressive dogs. After the dogs were reportedly euthanized, but still very much alive, I became very curious to what was the actual resolution to the situation was.
That was cool you did follow up.
Wrong.
They are Pit Bull Terriers. http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/american-pit-bull-terrier#/slide/1
They are descended from crosses between bulldogs and terriers. http://www.vetstreet.com/dogs/american-pit-bull-terrier
Some are dual-registered with the UKC (American Pit Bull Terrier) and AKC (American Staffordshire Terrier).
With a heaping helping of Mastiff thrown in to taste.
Another victim of a pit bull and a stupid parent.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4548906/Pit-bull-kills-infant-s-left-alone.html
And then there’s this…
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/animals/rottweiler-showers-baby-in-kisses/vi-BBBuOum?refvid=BBBCxkK
Where has maternal instinct gone? The mother of the three week old leaves her baby unattended for five minutes, as a mother I never left any of my babies unattended at any time even if there were no dogs around.
In the video above the mother thinks it’s cute to let the dog lick her baby!? My dogs weren’t even permitted to lick my children’s faces, they were trained to remain a respectful distance and my children were taught not to get too close or crawl over the dogs.
Any mother that not only allows but laughs about this does not have proper maternal instinct.
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