So I just got back home from the hospital. I got a call a few hours ago from my brother stating that my dad had been attacked by a dog and that it had killed my nephews dog.
I knew my parent's neighbors had a pit bull but always saw it as a well mannered dog and it was a rescue that was treated VERY well. The city also requires pits to have special registrations and insurance which the owner was religious about.
Apparently my dad had just let their dachsund out on his leash and my dad heard him barking up a storm. He opened the door just in time to see the pit bull attack the dachsund. My dad didn't think he just reacted and "jumped" into the fray. The pit virtually instantly killed the dachsund(a mini) and turned on my dad locking onto his hand first. My dad started kicking at it and it turned on his leg breaking his leg and causing several lacerations. My step mom heard all of this and came to the door with my brother's .40cal pistol. She put 2 rounds into it center mass and it released and backed off still not going down. My mom helped my dad into the house and they closed the door.
They called 911 which dispatched 2 patrol officers and an animal control unit. They found the pit bull back in the neighbors yard nursing its wounds. They were able to restrain the animal and take it away with little incident.
The dog is still alive and at the city animal shelter. The owner has SOME recourse to get it back but normally the procedure is to put the dog down because it killed another animal/attacked a person. The owner has expressed her condolences at the attack and was immediately forthcoming with all pertinent information to law enforcement. She has expressed that she has no intentions of trying to retrieve the dog because of what happened. She knew going in there was a risk but she always felt the risk was to her and not those who lived around her and now has some deep regrets.
My dad is going to be mostly fine. Some severe damage to his hand and several scars on his hand and leg plus a broken leg. It's going to be tough for him for a while as he is an amputee and only had the one good leg to begin with. Of course he is very angry at the situation and is ranting on about suing. But as he calms down he will begin to think a bit more logically.
The other horrible part is my brother now has to tell my 4 year old nephew that his dog is gone because of another dog. I am worried about what kind of effect that is going to have on him in his future interaction with dogs.
Everything is kind of surreal at the moment. I have been bitten by strange dogs before and it was never a big deal as they were just skittish or stand offish or whatever. I have never been part of or seen a pit attack before so this is all kind of overwhelming. I of course feel horrible for my dad and the dachsund as well as my nephew but I can't help but feel sadness for the owner of the pit bull at her loss and some pity for the pit bull.
Damn. I don't know what to say. I hope your dad gets better soon. Horrible situation for all involved. Very sorry to hear about it.
sac
Wow - it's good to hear that your dad wasn't hurt worse. It's really easy to underestimate the power of a ravenous dog (especially a pit bull).
I've always questioned the reason that people own them (knowing their dispositions and behavioral tendencies). No offense to anyone here who may own one. I had a friend that had one which was always nice and docile, but there was just something about it that seemed more carnal than most other dogs that I personally found to be a bit frightening.
Speedy recovery wishes to your dad and hopefully your nephew will have a new puppy soon to help put a smile back in his life.
Yeah that sucks all the way around. I wouldn't bother explaining to the four year old too deeply about what happened, though. Something simple like "the dog's gone and he can't come back" should suffice for someone that age. No need to add to the trauma.
That sucks. Hope your dad heals quickly. I suspect your nephew will be fine, as long as everyone else continues to act normal around dogs in general.
Hard to tell what happened? Sounds like your neighbors Pitbull was off his leash and out of his yard?
Quote from: Monster Dave on April 05, 2010, 12:04:30 PM
I've always questioned the reason that people own them (knowing their dispositions and behavioral tendencies). No offense to anyone here who may own one. I had a friend that had one which was always nice and docile, but there was just something about it that seemed more carnal than most other dogs that I personally found to be a bit frightening.
That "something" is bred into them. There is nothing inherently bad about pitbulls. They are supposed to have an aggressive temperment for the type of work they were originally bred for. Good breeders make sure they are smart enough and trainable enough to be easily controlled with good training. Backyard breeders don't give a shit or worse select out only for aggression to make fighting dogs out of them. Toss in a little abuse and voila, danger.
People who rescue pits usually do it with good intentions. Some are up to the task. Some apparently are not. With certain breeds (like pits or my big ol' rescue Dane) I think its best to get some professional input to start. At least a once over with a behavioralist. A good one will tell you if a dog is too risky for how you plan to rehabilitate him.
sac
Quote from: SacDuc on April 05, 2010, 12:15:04 PM
That "something" is bred into them. There is nothing inherently bad about pitbulls. They are supposed to have an aggressive temperment for the type of work they were originally bred for. Good breeders make sure they are smart enough and trainable enough to be easily controlled with good training. Backyard breeders don't give a shit or worse select out only for aggression to make fighting dogs out of them. Toss in a little abuse and voila, danger.
People who rescue pits usually do it with good intentions. Some are up to the task. Some apparently are not. With certain breeds (like pits or my big ol' rescue Dane) I think its best to get some professional input to start. At least a once over with a behavioralist. A good one will tell you if a dog is too risky for how you plan to rehabilitate him.
sac
It would be nice if more people looked at dog adoption like that. [thumbsup]
Thank God your mother had the presence of mind to get the pistol
This is tragic...
I hope your father has a speedy recovery
Good shooting mom.
Sorry about your dad-hope he heals up okay.
Thank God your stepmom was there and as others have said had the right mind to use the pistol. Good luck to your pops.
:o
positive thoughts and well wishes sent to you and your family
Wow, that is crazy. Sorry to hear about the little dog :'(
That is a serious testament to a PB's toughness with two .40 cals in it. I have experience with a crazy PB taking a dozen .22 shots, but .40 cal, dang.
mitt
I have had pit bulls my whole life, and cant think of ever having another breed of dog around to protect my family. Growing up in Guam pit bull fighting is all too common and though I would never participate in that bloody torturous sport, 3 of my puppies came from game proven parents. I firmly believe that even though the linage of a particular dog all come from fighting champions, that alone wont make a mean vicious animal. Abuse and neglect are the real reasons for these dogs to attack. My dogs have all grown up in my house as part of the family and I trusted them with any children or other animals that may be in the house at the time. In the case of your father and dash hound I am horrified to hear that this happened to them. And would like to wish your dad a speedy recovery. However I would like to point out that it could have very easily have been a Rottwieler, Akita, Doberman or even a German Shepard that attacked you dad. And the sad truth is that another Pit bull will be put to sleep because the owner “neglected†to properly secure her animal. And even though I completely trust my dogs, I never give them the chance to get outside of my house/yard unattended. I think personal think it should be a crime to let any large dog roam around the neighborhood with out the owner present and the dog on a proper leash.. I guess it just bothers me to see people bashing the breed without understanding that 99.99% of the time it's the owners fault and not the dog.
Oh and +1 on not telling the 4 year old the whole truth “snoopy ran away†should be all he needs to hear.
Wow dude. That's all I got.
My neighbors american bulldog (pretty much a pitbull) one night turned on me. I got bit twice in the leg before my buddy got him back.
We had no idea what happened. Smitty and I had hung out all the time. We will cool. Then one day he came after me. Thank god Shane was there to pull him off or I would have been in make the beast with two backsing trouble.
He always said that he had the proper insurance (very few actually carry it) so I wonder if that dog had some sort of issue in the past with aggression.
I start to think about him, his wife, their divorce/fighting it really might have screwed up the animal.
Again.........+1 on the owner and not dog.
Take the that story and mix it up a bit with me at the dog park.
The American Bulldog above was replaced with a loveable amerian pet called the Labrador. Jesus Christ did that dog turn on me for no reason.
Again.....+1 on the owner and not the dog.
Doesn't matter on breed. Owner neglect is the problem. That is why our dog for now (RIP Alex) Greta the Doberman has always been treated like a member of the family. She now of course sleeps with us, lays on the couch with us or on the chair, etc. The only difference in our lives is that brat doesn't have to work but has to shit and piss outside.
Raise them right and they are not replaceable.
It will be weird with losing Alex and getting a friend for Greta in a few weeks. It's just an odd feeling.
That's terrible, I hope your dad heals up quickly.
Good job stepmom.
Quote from: somegirl on April 05, 2010, 01:06:58 PM
That's terrible, I hope your dad heals up quickly.
Good job stepmom.
+1
holy shit is right :o
+1 on a speedy recovery for your dad, he's very lucky his wife is a good shot [thumbsup]
Quote from: hadesducati848 on April 05, 2010, 12:51:02 PM
I guess it just bothers me to see people bashing the breed without understanding that 99.99% of the time it's the owners fault and not the dog.
Speaking only for my own comment, I didn't mean any offense to any owners. I do acknowledge that there's a certain amount of responsibility that the owner is liable for. However that being said, on the flip side to that is the all too frequently documented history of attacks where pit bulls tend to reign at/near the top of the list of most dangerous domestic dog. I'm not saying that they are the only dog prone to such behavior, but there are plenty of other dogs that can protect a family just as well and don't posses the same vicious behavioral patterns. My friends' was a wonderful dog loved and in a family of 3 dogs owned by a K-9 officer. However, you could tell that in an instant his dog could turn into a monster - it was like flipping a switch - I know because I saw it happen in a live demonstration of animal behavior (not trained responses).
...after that I found myself significantly more nervous around his dog.
Quote from: Monster Dave on April 05, 2010, 01:43:59 PM
Speaking only for my own comment, I didn't mean any offense to any owners. I do acknowledge that there's a certain amount of responsibility that the owner is liable for. However that being said, on the flip side to that is the all too frequently documented history of attacks where pit bulls tend to reign at/near the top of the list of most dangerous domestic dog. I'm not saying that they are the only dog prone to such behavior, but there are plenty of other dogs that can protect a family just as well and don't posses the same vicious behavioral patterns. My friends' was a wonderful dog loved and in a family of 3 dogs owned by a K-9 officer. However, you could tell that in an instant his dog could turn into a monster - it was like flipping a switch - I know because I saw it happen in a live demonstration of animal behavior (not trained responses).
...after that I found myself significantly more nervous around his dog.
i see humans do this much more often.
i know 2 people who own pitts. all of their dogs are the kindest sweetest things around. they are just big. really big. and when they play it's harder than most other dogs because they don't realize how strong they are and what they can do.
and i had seen dogs from all over the spectrum turn as you say "like a switch"
they just haven't been bred to kill or be as vicious as the pitts.
Just like "When Animals Attack," dogs may be domesticated but they were wild animals for much longer than they have been house pets. Although pits do have a high number of attacks, they're just animals like every other breed of dog. I've been bitten by chihuahuas, cocker spaniels, and other small dogs. Owners just need to take more responsibility.
best wishes on your father's recovery.
maybe if people were a bit more careful and realize that a "pet" is "an animal" at base even if its "domesticated" they would take a bit more care and maybe supervise their animal more.
Could the pit might have thought the little dog was a rabbit or a squirrel?
I am not sure on their vision.
And then when your Dad stepped in to help, general animal instinct (not just dogs, but all) kicked in?
Quote from: cyrus buelton on April 05, 2010, 02:14:40 PM
Could the pit might have thought the little dog was a rabbit or a squirrel?
I am not sure on their vision.
And then when your Dad stepped in to help, general animal instinct (not just dogs, but all) kicked in?
i doubt it, pit bulls have excellent sight, and are very smart. sadly it saw the lil dash hound as a chew toy and thought it was allowed to play with it.
Quote from: hadesducati848 on April 05, 2010, 02:24:25 PM
i doubt it, pit bulls have excellent sight, and are very smart. sadly it saw the lil dash hound as a chew toy and thought it was allowed to play with it.
that's what I thought about their vision. My wife used to have a Amstaff and said his vision was amazing.
So do you think the dog was just not socialized enough and was just confined to a fenced yard?
Must we turn this into a pit thread?
FWIW, Pit Bulls usually make poor guard dogs. Not that they aren't/can't be protective, but many other breeds are much more suited to the task (like a Doberman). Out of necessity Pits were bred to be animal aggressive, but the exact opposite with people. That's the only way a handler could control an extremy powerful fighting dog, and why such a powerful anumal lets itself be abused in the first place.
Zltful...you dad getting bit was most likely an accident, brought on by tunnel vision caused by the attack on the smaller dog. We've all seen dogs of any breed got extremely focused on things, whether it be a ball, a bone, or another dog, and lose track of their surroundings and training. That's not meant to be an excuse, as there is none for a dog biting an undeserving person.
The problem here is that the dog was unsupervised, and not confined in a yard. :-\
I still can't believe it took two shots and walked away.
Crazy story Z!
How old is your dad?
Sounds like he might be in PT for awhile. :-\
Sorry to hear what happened, bad deal for all involved. :(
My Pit/Akita mix really wants to be a good dog but we recognize her aggressiveness towards people and animals that she doesn't know. It took forever to properly introduce her to our other dog. Whenever someone unfamiliar to her is over, she either goes out into our fenced in yard or in her crate. I'd hate to ever have a bad thing like what happened to your dad occur. :-\
terrible. I hope he heals quickly. I'll go to the pound with you to put a round or two in that dog. I myself have killed 3 for that very reason, granted this was back in Venezuela where there are no laws. [leo]
So sad. Everyone looses. We will never know what the Pit was thinking, but dogs should never be left loose on their own.
To a quick and complete recovery for your Dad [beer] And to Mom [beer]
Quote from: Triple J on April 05, 2010, 03:03:48 PM
FWIW, Pit Bulls usually make poor guard dogs. Not that they aren't/can't be protective, but many other breeds are much more suited to the task (like a Doberman).
I agree with that.
My doberman (soon to #2 in the house........a male) female is VERY protective of our home. She does laps. She goes to all the windows and doors when she hears something.
I've never heard of any of my pit friends saying their pooches do that.
I just really wonder if my current beloved Greta would throw down if she had to.................
I guess I should elaborate a bit more on the owner of the pit bull...she is an angel of a woman. She didn't let the dog run lose purposely. In fact, today's instance was the fault of a meter reader. The meter reader didn't latch the gate fully after leaving her back yard and the dog was able to push the gate open and roam freely without her knowledge.
I feel bad for the dog. It's history was one of violence. I also feel bad for the owner as she was naive enough to think that a dog with an abused past was capable of rehabilitation.
My dad is known to be an animal lover. He has a bad habit of feeding strays and taking in unwanted animals (growing up, I remember a time when we had 11 cats, 7 dogs, 2 cows and 8 chickens). The last thing he wanted was for this to end the way it did. He feels bad that my nephew lost his dog but he also feels horrible that this pit bull will most likely be put down.
Nobody wins in this situation.
Adam, my dad is 59 and a single leg amputee. He lost his leg to a drunk driver before I was born.
He also managed to fight his way through a perforated esophagus that at one point Drs said he had a 5% chance of walking away from...4 monthes after he was admitted into the hospital, he was released and has made a full recovery.
He has always been a fighter and I think the physical damage is far less than his emotional damage at seeing little Bear getting taken down like he did.
Everyone, I don't want this to be a Pit Bull thread. This just happened to be the breed that attacked. But I have seen attacks from most breeds and have scars on my hands from a scrappy little pug that I picked on as a kid. All breeds are capable of violence and the nature of the violence can be caused by many things. I know the most docile black lab in the world. We call him Willly the Poseable Dog because when he is lounging he just doesn't care what you do to him. But I have seen him turn into Cujo once when he thought one of the owner's kids was in danger.
Thank you for the updates Z...humans are resilient and the nephew will get through it and your father sounds like he is tougher than nails...I would let the nephew know his dog died rather than tell him it ran off...how it died can be skipped....otherwise he will spend months/years looking for it
and to put the loss into a cold-comfort perspective...thank God your nephew wasn't the one with Bear when this happened
A few people posted about the fact that animals are animals and ultimately/primarily will behave as such...
there is no truer statement that can be made...and none more important...and one that humans always seem to lose sight of
ANY animal is a crap-shoot under the wrong conditions irrespective of breed, training or ownership history...something as simple as a hornet or bee sting can throw the animal into a state that could have awful consequences to a child, adult or smaller creature
they are not lifestyle accessories, they are in fact an enormous responsibility with a daunting liability
like a loaded weapon..."oops" and "I'm sorry" or "I thought that"....those sorts of words just don't work if something went wrong
pet ownership and complacency are a formula for disaster...if you are not thinking preemptively when you assume responsibility for a dog you are playing odds
and no matter how good the stats and the odds are....they become meaningless in a heartbeat if you find yourself on the wrong side of the statistics
my heart goes out to you and yours
Quote from: RAT900 on April 05, 2010, 09:57:46 PM
Thank you for the updates Z...humans are resilient and the nephew will get through it and your father sounds like he is tougher than nails...I would let the nephew know his dog died rather than tell him it ran off...how it died can be skipped....otherwise he will spend months/years looking for it
and to put the loss into a cold-comfort perspective...thank God your nephew wasn't the one with Bear when this happened
A few people posted about the fact that animals are animals and ultimately/primarily will behave as such...
there is no truer statement that can be made...and none more important...and one that humans always seem to lose sight of
ANY animal is a crap-shoot under the wrong conditions irrespective of breed, training or ownership history...something as simple as a hornet or bee sting can throw the animal into a state that could have awful consequences to a child, adult or smaller creature
they are not lifestyle accessories, they are in fact an enormous responsibility with a daunting liability
like a loaded weapon..."oops" and "I'm sorry" or "I thought that"....those sorts of words just don't work if something went wrong
pet ownership and complacency are a formula for disaster...if you are not thinking preemptively when you assume responsibility for a dog you are playing odds
and no matter how good the stats and the odds are....they become meaningless in a heartbeat if you find yourself on the wrong side of the statistics
my heart goes out to you and yours
very well put [thumbsup]
Indeed.
Sorry about your Dad, Z.
At one point, I had some vandalism here and was between dogs. I gave some serious thought to getting an Ovcharka Shepard or a Dogos Argentinos as a watchdog/family dog. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was worse than having a loaded gun laying out in the yard. It was a weapon with its own brain. Mistakes and incidents will happen in spite of our best intentions. Having a breed or an individual dog with the reputation, pre-disposition and physical ability of causing grave bodliy harm is problematic. Getting nailed in the back of the leg or the hand by a springer spaniel or a lab is bad enough, but they will typically not break your bones or kill you. I understand the people that have pits or other "aggressive" breeds loving their dogs - if I had one, I know I would love it, but the disaster factor for these breeds or individuals is too high unless your situation necessitates having a dog that can alert you to problems and neutralize perceived threats without regard to consequences.
Quote from: ZLTFUL on April 05, 2010, 08:46:43 PMAll breeds are capable of violence and the nature of the violence can be caused by many things. I know the most docile black lab in the world.
So true....
Your dad AND your step-mom sound like remarkable people. Best wishes to all for recovery of all kinds!
Quote from: WarrenJ on April 06, 2010, 04:51:02 AM
At one point, I had some vandalism here and was between dogs. I gave some serious thought to getting an Ovcharka Shepard or a Dogos Argentinos as a watchdog/family dog. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was worse than having a loaded gun laying out in the yard. It was a weapon with its own brain. Mistakes and incidents will happen in spite of our best intentions. Having a breed or an individual dog with the reputation, pre-disposition and physical ability of causing grave bodliy harm is problematic. Getting nailed in the back of the leg or the hand by a springer spaniel or a lab is bad enough, but they will typically not break your bones or kill you. I understand the people that have pits or other "aggressive" breeds loving their dogs - if I had one, I know I would love it, but the disaster factor for these breeds or individuals is too high unless your situation necessitates having a dog that can alert you to problems and neutralize perceived threats without regard to consequences.
Dogos Argentinos are so beautiful (white coat, blue eyes, black nose) i met a guy that has 6 of them and he hunts wild boars with them here in hawaii. his biggest one is 120lbs.
My wife and I manage the apartment complex we live at and have a neighbor with a pit who just cannot seem to keep their dog in their pit bull in their yard. This is not a case of digging out or jumping fence, this is leaving the door or gate open and just either not noticing or not caring. Anyways, this dog keeps ending up on my property, and we have five children here under the age of 2, and a few other young ones. Many tenants have comnplained about this dog threatening them (ie growling, barking, rushing at them), but no physical contact has occured or any injury. I don't want that to happen and don't know what my course of action should be. I live in Vancouver Washington (for reference) and only live about 3 blocks from the police station so I can just walk down and ask questions any time I want to.
Talking to the neighbors seems to have no effect. These neighbors are in government housing around the corner, I just say that because they seem to fit the general idea of people in government housing in other ways too (no job, fights all the time, trash in the yard), and I want to give a complete picture of my situation. My place is clean, quiet, and pretty safe and secure feeling, and I want to keep it that way.
So in the end I am asking for advice as to what I should do; talk to the cops at the station, call the cops next time the dog is here (no I can't catch it myself, I tried that and won't again), should I call the Vancouver housing authority?
The Doc
Quote from: Doctor Woodrow on April 08, 2010, 07:39:50 AM
My wife and I manage the apartment complex we live at and have a neighbor with a pit who just cannot seem to keep their dog in their pit bull in their yard. This is not a case of digging out or jumping fence, this is leaving the door or gate open and just either not noticing or not caring. Anyways, this dog keeps ending up on my property, and we have five children here under the age of 2, and a few other young ones. Many tenants have comnplained about this dog threatening them (ie growling, barking, rushing at them), but no physical contact has occured or any injury. I don't want that to happen and don't know what my course of action should be. I live in Vancouver Washington (for reference) and only live about 3 blocks from the police station so I can just walk down and ask questions any time I want to.
Talking to the neighbors seems to have no effect. These neighbors are in government housing around the corner, I just say that because they seem to fit the general idea of people in government housing in other ways too (no job, fights all the time, trash in the yard), and I want to give a complete picture of my situation. My place is clean, quiet, and pretty safe and secure feeling, and I want to keep it that way.
So in the end I am asking for advice as to what I should do; talk to the cops at the station, call the cops next time the dog is here (no I can't catch it myself, I tried that and won't again), should I call the Vancouver housing authority?
The Doc
You could hire ZLTFUL's mom. ;)
sac
I would contact the authorities.
Do you have a local animal control office you can call? They might be either willing to talk to your neighbors about proper care or certainly would be equipped to take the unleashed dog away. The most useless people too often have big dogs. Sadly, it ends up being the dogs and other people who pay for their laziness and stupidity.
Quote from: MrIncredible on April 08, 2010, 07:49:09 AM
I would contact the authorities.
Actually, you should contact the police (non-emergency) AND animal control EVERY time you see the pitbull unattended outside of its yard. You need to start establishing that it is a pattern of behavior and a regular occurrence. Tell all of your tenants and neighbors to do the same and provide them with the phone numbers.
Any bureaucracy loves a paper trail. When we finally got serious about the noise from the apartments next door the cops presented the landlord with a record of complaint stretching back over six years. Fences went up that week and no lawyers involved.
Another time I called the office of the city arborist because some city trees were blocking my view of the water. The lady told me that they don't trim trees just to better someone's view. So I called back two weeks later and said that it looks like those trees are top heavy and in danger of falling. They said they would check it out. I called back two weeks later and said the same thing. The lady says, "Oh, you are the second person who has called about that!" They inproved my view the very next day. ;D
Good luck. Hopefully the dog friendly and there will not be an incident.
sac
Quote from: DCXCV on April 08, 2010, 07:59:29 AM
Do you have a local animal control office you can call? They might be either willing to talk to your neighbors about proper care or certainly would be equipped to take the unleashed dog away. The most useless people too often have big dogs. Sadly, it ends up being the dogs and other people who pay for their laziness and stupidity.
Hey! I'm useless, lazy, stupid and have big dogs. I'm offended! >:(
sac
Quote from: SacDuc on April 08, 2010, 08:04:03 AM
Hey! I'm useless, lazy, stupid and have big dogs. I'm offended! >:(
sac
oh, sorry, I thought that would go right over your head
+1
Call Animal Control or the Police whenever the dog is spotted off leash.
It will set up a pattern and the Animal Control Department will handle.
Does your complex have a rule about all animals must be leashed?
Z-
Sorry to hear about your nephew's dog.
I'm going to refrain from any pitbull comments, as I'm sure anything I have to say about that will certainly get the thread locked. >:(
Here's to your dad's speedy recovery... I hope he comes out of it okay.
[bacon]
To the poster who manages the apartment complex with the dog issue,
If you have a handgun and you enjoy sitting outside, I wouldn't hesitate to have it on me.
Zltful's Mom's style................
Quote from: SacDuc on April 08, 2010, 08:02:29 AM
Actually, you should contact the police (non-emergency) AND animal control EVERY time you see the pitbull unattended outside of its yard. You need to start establishing that it is a pattern of behavior and a regular occurrence. Tell all of your tenants and neighbors to do the same and provide them with the phone numbers.
I had to do this once with a neighbor's dog, years ago. They had 2 labs and let them wander all over the neighborhood. One of them attacked Watson while my dogs were on-leash, she went submissive (belly-up) and it took a bite out of her chest. >:(
I confronted the neighbors, asked them to pay the vet bills (which were surprisingly not too bad and which they did eventually pay), and asked them to confine their dogs. They said they would try but it was pretty difficult. Sure enough, they kept wandering the neighborhood. I started calling the police every time. I only saw them out 3 more times, and then they somehow managed to keep them confined after that.
In the interim, I carried pepper spray every time I walked my dogs.
I've got a full blooded, 55 lb. Pittie. She's an angel, and very good with people, and animals after supervised socialization... I let her play with my mom's teacup applehead chihuahua (4 lbs) all the time.
That being said, I understand the breeding, history, and reason for their being. Needless to say I am VERY careful when I open doors or windows (even though she never bolts, or even moves towards them without my approval first...) She is a fighting breed, but not a fighting dog. Her history is peaceful, but her breed's... not so much. It is an overwhelming responsibility, but reaping the rewards of her affection is indescribable.
I'm sorry about your Father, the Dachsie and the Pittie, ZLTFUL. I hope everything works out the best that it can, given the dire situation. :-\
Quote from: MrIncredible on April 08, 2010, 03:52:54 PM
For dog protection.....?
not exactly the direction I was coming from...
ZLTFUL,
How is your dad doing?
sac