Dog attack at WTMJ/Dog Discussion

[Crazyk1294]

Story

I used to work in this neighborhood and I guess I'm not that surprised. I would see stray dogs and cat roaming the streets there all the time (especially on Keefe Ave.). These are probably guard dogs that got loose.

(consolidated tags --1992)

[Brian the Automator]

Gotta love responsible pet owners...

[TheBwaz]

What were Sykes, Wagner and Greene doing at the station at midnight? And why did they bite their co-workers?

[sgtcluels]

How often is tazering used in apprehension of a unruly animal? People who don't take care of their animals should have to go to Vicks mansion and play the roll of the dog.

[homer]

Was Michael Vick in the area at the time holding three empty leashes?

[craigharmann]

Apparently a witness said that someone dropped the dogs off a bit before this whole thing happened. Thankfully no one was injured more seriously.

[JoeHova]

I'm not a big fan of local news teams either, but siccing dogs on them seems to be going a bit far.

[homer]

Here's some video.

 

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=4168

 

I suppose pitbulls get a bad rap and the majority are decent, but I don't know why people buy them.

[cweber39]

I suppose pitbulls get a bad rap and the majority are decent, but I don't know why people buy them.

 

I think trwi7 owns a pitbull. I dunno I would own one if I knew the upbringing and I bought it from a known breeder. I remember when I was younger I though German Shepards were the mean/attack/kill dogs, but more and more people are owning them. Pittbulls just continue to get the bad rap, the Little Rascals had a pitbull in the TV show and Alfalfa never got eaten.

[RyDogg66]

I would say pitbulls dont get a bad rap, that they are just vicious animals and that the breed should be extinguished, but the the pieces of dirt that buy them would just get other dogs and train them to be vicious so....

Pretty much if I know someone with a pit, or if someone I know gets a pit, that's about it for my relationship with them. I have kids, and pits kill. They've been breed to kill and be vicious, so even if you think you have a "good" one, it has most likely been bred from other animals that tended to be more vicious than others, so it has the underlying tendancy.

[HebrewHammer]

Pitbull's aren't mean by nature. But they can be dangerous to own because over time many people have bred them for bad temperament. So some can be hard to train. And then of course many people never take the time to train them properly. The reason they are used as fighting dogs isn't because of some predisposed meanness (however they are terriers which are more apt at being aggressive) but because they have strong jaws, are big boned, strong and have an unusually high pain tolerance, form what I've read. I'm no expert though.

 

But you can get and train a very friendly Pitbull, like any other breed.

 

Owners of dogs that act unruly need to be charged with a crime.

[RyDogg66]

Why would you even bother getting one when there about 1000 other breeds that havent been bred for bad temperment and are easier to train??

 

Oh, and that probably Wont tear your face off.

 

I know, I know, ANY dog can do that...but why is it that it's usually Pits?

[homer]

They've been breed to kill and be vicious

Not all of them. There are actually pit bull service dogs.

[RyDogg66]

Yeah, I wont dispute that, but why anyone would take the chance that the one they are buying has been bred that way is crazy.

[HebrewHammer]

Well, not all of them have been bred for bad temperament and there are in fact responsible breeders who have bred them for good temperament, breeding aggressive traits out of their lines. So you can't just ban a breed or suggest a breed is bad. You can get Pits that are relatively easy to train.

 

But Pits from what I've read can be naturally hard to train. And it seems like a lot of people get them that have no idea how to raise a puppy into a responsible adult. It's a dog that only an experienced dog owner should get, perhaps.

 

I'm guessing it's a sort of status symbol for some people? They want the protection?

 

I'm not going to argue there's probably a lot of idiots out there who have poorly bred Pits and haven't trained them or socialized them well at all and in essence have a loaded weapon of a dog out there. That's a sad reality.

[RyDogg66]

A loaded weapon that can shoot itself anytime it wants and be impossible to control.

[HebrewHammer]

Well, I'd agree that when someones dog does something like this the owner should be charged with a crime. It is ALWAYS the owners fault when their dog does anything. Good dogs are not born. Good dogs are made. And if an owner failed to find a responsible breeder, train and socialize their dog properly, they should be held accountable.

 

The breed shouldn't be blamed. The irresponsible breeders and lazy, ignorant, moron owners should be.

[homer]

I did a quick Google on fatal dog attacks since the late 70's and pit bulls and rottweilers account for most of them.

 

 

I also noticed that a cocker spaniel killed someone back in the 80's. I suppose it could have been an infant.

[craigharmann]

In October, we rescued a cocker spaniel, who was surrendered because he bit a child. After having the dog in our house for a day or two, we realized that it had to be the surroundings, because this dog has the sweetest, goofiest temperament. I am a private music teacher, and I have students coming in and out, and he's very friendly and fine with my students. So, I think it really comes down to surroundings and care or lack of care. We found out that the previous owners (who had 3 boys), didn't own a leash for the dog and never really let him outside. Do you think the dog had a happy existence? No way! I think pit bulls do have the capability to be vicious, but with the right training and environment, can be just like any other dog. If you watch The Dog Whisperer, you understand that. Exercise, discipline, affection.

[cweber39]

They've been breed to kill and be vicious, so even if you think you have a "good" one, it has most likely been bred from other animals that tended to be more vicious than others, so it has the underlying tendancy.

Not all of them are bred to kill. Some are actually bred to dogs. Some are bred to service dogs, there was just a story in the news about how a pitbull is being used as a drug dog and just recently found one of the biggest drug busts ever, and I don't think he end up killing the police officers.

 

I have kids, and pits kill. They've been breed to kill and be vicious, so even if you think you have a "good" one, it has most likely been bred from other animals that tended to be more vicious than others, so it has the underlying tendancy

How do you know? Do you breed dogs? Ask trwi7 I am almost positive he has a pitbull it hasn't killed anyone, attacked anyone, or mauled anything.

[nsimps]

Pitbulls are only dangerous because of their initial breeding and thier popularity with unscrupulous owners. I wouldn't recomend one for people with children, but collies can be dangerous to children as well when their breed instincts take over and they nip children in the legs.

[RyDogg66]

I dont know. I know that if I went to someone's house with my kids and there was a pit there I'd leave or ask them to put the dog away someplace. Ive lived around dogs my whole life, many different breeds. Now that I have kids I am weary of any kind of dog, but I can at least feel comfortable in the same room as, say a golden retriever, or lab, or beagle or something.

 

Would you let your kids play with a pit bull? Or would you assume there was an increased chance of something terrible happening and just avoid them all together?

[cweber39]

Now that I have kids I am weary of any kind of dog, but I can at least feel comfortable in the same room as, say a golden retriever, or lab, or beagle or something.

See now we can start with other dogs being weary and the upbringing. I agree that all those dogs you mentioned are great dogs. A buddy of mine lives by someone who has a lab that has bitten a couple people. Labs are 99.9% friendly, family dogs, but this one has had a terrible upbringing and has turned into a dog with problems. Same thing with the pitbull.

 

Would you let your kids play with a pit bull? Or would you assume there was an increased chance of something terrible happening and just avoid them all together?

I would let them play with a pit bull, if I knew the owners very well (friends and family, not a neighbor), and if I knew the background of the dog through the owners. I would never let little kids play alone with a dog no matter the breed, because kids will be kids. They will pull and tug on a dog etc...

[HebrewHammer]

Well, you're posing the question like "would you let your kid play with a loaded gun?".

 

Here's the thing about kids and dogs. Very often when a kid gets attacked by a dog, it's the kids fault. Kids don't know how to treat animals. They don't understand the teasing a dog will trigger instincts in the dog to protect itself. So when little Johnny gets his face ripped off because he was poking the dog with a stick, confusing it and forcing it into an instinctual frenzy, we only blame the dog.

 

The fact is you should NEVER let kids play with dogs alone. Ever. Not until they truly understand that teasing a dog is unacceptable. That pulling its tail or ears or hitting it or whatever will very likely cause the dog to maul them in self defense. The best trained dogs in the world will still protect themselves.

 

So if I had kids I wouldn't let them go off and play with any dog until I'm confident they know how to approach and treat the dog. This is for not only the kids safety but for that of the dogs too.

 

Also, I wouldn't let a kid play with a dog I don't know well. Unless I was confident the dog was well trained and socialized with children, I'd keep the kids away. And even with some breeds I'd be careful because of their size, like a Great Dane. These things are over 150 pounds, tall and often very friendly, especially with kids. But they don't know their own strength all the time and could seriously hurt a kid by knocking them down to play.

 

The breed shouldn't matter when it comes to letting kids play with a dog. It's up to you to have made sure your kids knows how to treat a dog and it's up to you to determine if the owner of the dog can be trusted.

 

Remember it's not the breed but irresponsible breeders and lazy, stupid owners.

[homer]

I really doubt most kids attacked by pitbulls were teasing them. In fact, I'd say it's a small percentage.

And it's darn near impossible to get the breeding history of every dog you come across. Even people that do research some times get wrong information. Do you do background checks on every single dog that you come across?

The best you can do is trust the owner. And even then you never know for sure.

I agree with the rest of your post though.