Pitbull Incident

[Toto times 2]

Here in Ontario where we live there is a ban on pitbulls just passed. Any that are pets owned now can be kept but must be muzzled and leashed at all times. I am not a fan of totally banning a breed. It does not address the issue of irresponsible owners but I do think pit bulls are often purchased because a certain group of people looks on them as "tough". I really feel sorry for the dogs. They are abused and bred for aggression. It could be rottweilers or dobermans or any dog treated that way.

The most important thing is the safety of you and your dog and obviously this dog's owner isn't too concerned.

[Eliz222]

You have gottten some great advice, so I won't add any, but just to add something our trainer told us. She stressed to everyone in the class to carry around a container of mace when you take your dog on walks. She stated that you just never know what kind of dog will run up to you and that you don't know what will happen until it does. I haven't bought mace yet, but if I had a problem with a neighbor dog, you better believe that I would buy one in a heartbeat!

[Stephandy]

"...She said "well you are on "his" land so I'm glad that he acted the way he did, he's just protecting his territory". ..."

that sure sound like an alarming sentence...I am sure any guard dog trainer will cringe at that statement too...i am not an expert in that field, but I am sure when dogs are properly trained to protect property, people, etc, they should be properly trained and not just raised as a rabid animal...can you imagine if a police dog just randomly maul somebody because "...he is just protecting his territory..."?

Andy

[Anna_525]

Totox2 I have an aunt who lives in Burlington, Ontario and we drive (8-10 hours) every 2 years or so...we love going there!

I, too, feel sorry for the dogs when their breed is banned. The good dog owners suffer because of bad dog owners!

Anna

[Guest Rachel]

we had a trainer who told us to always carry a handfull of treats with us if we will be walking around lotsof dogs. if one starts to get agressive she said throw it on pavement/sidewalk to make a noise and distract whiole you get away. she also said not to pict the dog up before you walk by it becasue then they will jumo up to try to get it and you and the dog will get really hurt. i would call the cops and carry mace as well

rachel and agatha anne

[Mama Kim]

I would also definitely call Animal Control. You can never be too careful in a situation like this. A few years ago, my aunt's neighbors had a situation with another neighbor's pit bull. These people had young children who frequently played outside and the neighbor's pit bull was chained up and would just go nuts! One day, the chain snapped, but luckily the kids made it onto their porch and into the house. Their lab wasn't so lucky. The pit bull killed him while the children watched in horror. Pretty scary stuff. The neighbors ended up having to put down the pit bull.

[harleymom]

Update:

Well this morning (4:00am), I opened my door to get my newspaper and was totally startled. That dog was laying at my front door. He growled at me and I shut the door right away. I was planning on calling animal control today anyway, however after that, I picked up the phone right away and called the cops. I told them where I lived and he said that this lady had been warned before that she had to do something about this dog. The cop said that he will personally take care of it. Thirty minutes later, the police and Animal Control pulled up to the lady's house to get the dog. It took them 45 minutes to get the dog into the van. It bit one of the animal control officer's hands. The cop told me that Animal control will have do behavioral test to see how aggressive he is, but that after the biting incident, he will probably most definitely have to be euthanized.

I haven't seen or heard of this dog before yesterday. I wonder how long he has been around terrorizing our neighborhood. I'm not trying to give Pitbulls a bad name because I know some pitbulls and they are so sweet. However, this one had been trained to fight and I just don't see what this lady was thinking letting him roam around like that.

[CathyAnn]

I guess part of what makes me especially nervous about Pitbulls and Rotweilers is the strength of their jaws. That is a large part of why those breeds are chosen to be fighting/attack dogs. Plus, I read that they will NEVER let go once they start an attack. And, dogs instinctively go the jugular/neck area.

I have heard and read that some people, particularly those who own these breeds, say they get a bad rep for nothing?

If you think about it, would you rather be attacked by a Cairn or a Pitbull?

Cathy

P.S. We owned a Cocker Spaniel many years ago that attacked my 3 year old son unprovoked. We never in a million years thought that dog would do something like that! They were raised together for 3 years and my son was always respectful and kind to him.

So, when I hear ppl say, "oh, my dog is sweet, it wouldn't hurt anyone".....I know better! Any dog is capable of biting. This will probably sound harsh to some, but nothing will ever convince me that anyone should ever own a dog that can kill you.

[bradl]

I too was bitten out of the clear blue by our friendly and lovable family Cocker. However, the dog was clearly having a seizure of some sort.

With power comes responsibility. I loved to listen the sonorous voice of the late Roger Caras as he described each breed during Westminster. What he said one year about the Kuvasz could be true about any powerful breed:

"Owning an untrained Kuvasz is like leaving a loaded gun lying on your kitchen floor."

[Scully'sMom]

I'm glad that you and your family will now be safe from this dog. What a frightening couple of days. You certainly didn't need this on top of Harley's surgeries this week.

[Milopup]

Glad things worked out! My mom took Bosco for a walk in the morning a couple of days ago and a large german shepard, UNLEASHED, started coming towards them. Thank goodness the owner came out just in time to call it back - are we allowed to report these unleashed dogs, or should we just cross our fingers when we walk around the neighborhood?

[Mama Kim]

This is my biggest issue with walking Piper. There are certain times of day when I won't even attempt it. There are several dogs in our neighborhood that are not always under their owners control. I'm not really fearful of any of these dogs but it is a nuisance when I'm trying to walk my dog and they're running after us. There is a leash law but so many people here don't abide by it. We had one neighbor who used to walk both his dogs unleashed around the neighborhood and they'd be up in everyone's yard, doing their 'business' and such (he did pick up after them) but it was just so annoying.

[Guest mrskti]

wow, what a couple of hectic, frightening days.....I'm glad the ordeal is over for you and it turned out like it did. Poor guy that got bit, but I guess that sorta clinched it for the dog, didn't it?

[wheezie23]

If your neighborhood is anything like mine, the mailboxes are along the street, so that technically isn't her property, it belongs to the county. The fact that the dog followed you onto your property would be more grounds to call animal control. I have had run-ins with a pack of chihuahuas (don't laugh!) that lived on the street over from ours. There were five of them, and their owners let them run wild. Whenever I would walk my dogs, they would come out like bees from a hive and surround us and try to bite Rocky on the heels. If I was rollerblading, they would trip me up. Finally I got sick of it and bought some mace. Best thing I ever carried with me! Good luck with this scary situation.

thela

[Toto times 2]

I don't know if I can get mace here but I am going to look into it.

[Darsey]

Sorry I am just getting caught up. I just can't help but feel for the poor dog he was doing the only thing he was raised to do... He didn't know any better. Of course that is not an excuse but it makes me SO mad when I read about animals that are treated that way by people. The one thing in their life that should be giving love and stability instead training them often cruely to harm. So sad that an breed is often "outlawed" in several counties in metro Atlanta Chows are automatically euthanized when picked up by animal control reguardless of age or temperment. I am glad that you were able to resolve this issue harleymom before anything worse happened! You and your pups safety is defintely the most important thing to take care of in that kind of situation. - Darsey

[Anna_525]

I am so glad this is over. I don't understand it- if there were complaints before, why didn't the owner do something about it? This is not the first time I've heard of owners like that. They are in denial and usually blame others, not themselves.

[hallswel]

I just saw this news story on the pug site, I guess we all need to be careful when we walk or dogs, not only from other dogs but some people

Apr 27, 2005 10:21 pm US/Eastern

(WBZ) A Revere woman landed in the hospital Wednesday night, protecting her dog.

63 year-old Helen Lovell walks her purebred pug every night on Walnut Avenue. Around 8 p.m. Wednesday night, a man with a knife approached Lovell and her dog, Benjamin. The armed man demanded she turn over her pet. But Lovell refused.

That's when the suspect slashed her in the hand and chest.

Lovell was taken to Widden Memorial Hospital in Everett and treated for superficial wounds. Now police are searching for the man who slashed her.

By the way, the dog, 10 month-old Benjamin, is just fine.

[Guest catmom]

FYI, Halt pepper spray is used by postal workers and can be purchased at many bike shops, or through www.halt.com

I always carry one with me whether I walk alone or with my Cairns.

Glad this story ended without any physical damage.

Some people shouldn't own dogs!

[jlr79]

I am so glad this nightmare is over and you won't have to be afraid to even walk out of your house anymore. I just can't get in my head why some people think they have the right to let their dogs roam - especially ones that plainly show vicious behavior. Now you and Harley can take your walks without having to worry!

Jan