My community is up in arms after an unleashed dog attack!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

My apologies in advance for posting this, but I was shaking and sick after hearing this today. From time to time, we've posted about the danger of unleashed dogs. But this time I'm squarely focused on Pit Bulls. I really need to vent and I can only think to do it here and get your thoughts as I try to collect my own.  

Our community is reeling due to a pit bull attack.  A couple was walking their 7 lb. leashed maltese in a beautiful neighborhood not far from my office when 2 pit bulls belonging to a neighbor who rescues and fosters pits came from behind.  Apparently her dogs got loose--they get loose a lot. The couple never saw them coming until it was too late. The husband tried to pick up their little dog up but one pit grabbed her by the head.  Little Sobo died instantly. The dogs devoured parts of her while the owners tried to get her body.  If that isn't horrific enough…the two dogs, in pack mentality, charged another man down the street and then made their way to a nearby development and tried to attack a woman walking a pomeranian but the woman was able to lift her dog above her head and save it just as animal control got there.  Of course, the fault is with the owner for owning these dangerous dogs and not containing them. But it's not just these two that have been aggressive. She's rescued others just as bad because now we know that several neighbors have been bitten. What I want to know is when and where does it become unacceptable to own these dogs?  I can't believe I'm saying that, but I am.  

I've worked a little bit with Pitt Bulls and Pitt-mixes in rescue and I know they can be smart, sweet, loving dogs one-on-one but there's not one pure Pitt that I would have trusted completely with others or with other animals. 

One of my staff lives in that neighborhood and her 10 year old son (cute and bright as a button) started a dog walking business about a year ago after being smitten with Finn and Oscar (our office doodle).  His favorite "client" is Edgar - a pomeranian. Jackie spends his days off thinking up special things to do with Edgar.  It was sheer luck that Jackie wasn't walking Edgar. 

BTW did I mention that the owner came across this bloody mess and drove away without saying ANYTHING when the couple told her what happened.  The husband was so distraught, he was taken to the ER.  These poor people, I can't even imagine.  Children and adults have been bringing flowers and little dog toys to a memorial that's growing for little Sobo.

I know any breed can be aggressive but --as someone has said - an aggressive dog is like a firecracker, but a pit bull is like a hand grenade.

To the borough's credit, there's going to be a community-wide meeting next week to discuss what residents feel should be done. Come on DKers, (at least anyone who's made it through this awful post) please help me with a list. 

       

[Christy&Riley]

Unbelievable! Check out this pit bull article. Dog bit 3 people and there is a gofundme site to raise money to rehab the dog because he is so sweet! Tick...tick...tick...goes the time bomb. Sooooo sad and scary!

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2015/08/bay_city_pit_b...

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I can't tell from this article if the police were trespassing on her property.  If they were, I might find it hard to blame the dog. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

UPDATE:

The borough held a community meeting and their were two predictable contingents.  The pit bull advocates and the BSL people.  Most disappointing to me were several trainers who insisted it's always the owner who hasn't trained the dog right.  No mention by them of breed characteristics or genetic disposition OR that these were 2 rescues that were former fighting dogs!!!!  No mention of what type of a challenge these dogs could be to the uneducated owner.  I just thought that was so irresponsible!  But the owners of Sobe spoke and specifically asked that there be stronger regulations and penalties for irresponsible owners AND that instead of trying to "keep the peace" in a neighborhood and staying silent, people report dog attacks and that police let community members know of these attacks. I was surprised at how many people have been bitten by unleashed dogs walking or riding their bikes on the canal path.  It's a problem that's finally coming to light.  I definitely think there are going to be some pretty stiff penalties for unleashed dogs in the future.   Sobe's Law.  

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Thanks for updating Cheryl.  Let's hope something positive can come out of this.  I just recently started carrying my police spray when I am biking.  I bike about 25 miles of trail on the Columbia river and in one stretch there is a PAWS organization which houses many pits and pit mixes which are walked daily around a small lake to the side of the river.  I have noticed most of the big dogs are being walked by men which is a good thing.  

[Julie and Max]

I feel so sad for this little dog and especially the owners. My friend lost her little dog two years ago in a similar attack, not a pit but she hasn't got over it. She has a new dog now but she doesn't walk it ever, she's too terrified. We don't have pits here (I live where Linda does) but other large "bully" type breeds scare me. I carry pepper spray, but I just read a really good article about pepper spray and it's something to think about.

Always make sure if you are going to use pepper spray to spray into the wind or you could end up spraying yourself.

Some dogs (attack dogs) are actually trained to ignore pepper spray. Some dogs (like pit bulls) can actually become more enraged by being sprayed with pepper spray and will go into a terrible frenzy.

If you are going to use it, you need to make sure you spray it into their nose for it to be truly effective. (Obviously it's a last resort)

There are special pepper sprays you can buy specifically for dogs.

Another option is to get a small air horn, or a gadget that releases a high pitched noise that only dogs can hear but will hurt their ears and make them want to run away from you. (I'm getting one of these) 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

I'm sorry for your friend. I don't know how you get over that.  Thanks for the info Julie.  Good to know.  The spray I got is called Sabre Defense Spray Advanced 3 in 1 Formula.  It's a combination of pepper spray, military tear gas & UV marking dye.  This is some serious stuff!!  It's supposed to have less risk of blowback but my biggest fear is that I will spray myself by accident!  Hoping I'll never have to use it.  I was looking at those air horns.  Maybe I'll get one of those too.  We don't have a lot of pit bulls here although a lot of PB mixes come through rescue.  It's the golden retrievers that hate Finn.  Go figure.  I'm actually one of the few people on the planet who is terrified of a loose golden lol

[Julie and Max]

I am wary of all loose dogs Cheryl! You can usually tell pretty quick if they're friendly or not. I think I'd like to get the air horn thing and use that first (plus it would be easier to use that before the dog even got to you) and the pepper spray as a last resort (pepper spray is actually not legal here) but you can get stuff called "bear spray" which is what I have. 

She really hasn't got over it and probably never will. 

Max has been attacked twice by very small dogs, but he just stands there looking at them with a look that says "seriously".

That's strange that goldens don't like Finn, I don't see how anyone could not like him! 

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

That's similar to what I have, it's mace with UV dye in it. Never had to use it but I'm always happy to know it's there. Also REI sells bear spray I just found this out actually. A friend of mine has some of that.

[Laurie, Wally & Charlotte]

Hi Cheryl, How would you use the spray without Finn coming into contact with it? That's the part I don't understand. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Hi Laurie, I'm concerned about that too. I don't think I'd use it too casually or if I thought I could bodily get the (small) dog away.  First I'd have to find it :) But you know what…if a large menacing dog--especially a pit--charges, I'd rather spray and risk hitting my dog too rather than letting the dog sever Finn's neck and mutilate him. Do you know I was at the park the other day, crossing a bridge across a creek/river, and a young woman with her pit bull not 30 feet from us (Finn on leash) unleashed her dog to play a game of fetch in the creek.  Lucky the dog was fixated on the stick but you could have scraped me off a tree.  I know she was just having fun and so was her dog but I told her in some pretty colorful language (I even surprised myself) to get that dog back on a leash.  I'm sure she thought I was a crazy woman. PTSD :(

[Kaitee and Orwell]

Wow. That is terrifying. I've been busy lately and this is the first time I am reading this. 

And since I've been busy, I haven't been able to report back on my experience with a dog attack. About three weeks ago I took Orwell to the river like we do regularly. We were walking to our usual spot where I let him in the water where it is wide open. There was a German Shepherd who was barking profusely at Orwell when we approached. I could've used better judgment, but it appeared that the owner had a good handle on his collar. Well, she didn't. "Bear" came lunging at Orwell. Orwell was freaking out and squealing while running circles around me. Luckily, the dog could never get a grip on Orwell and I told Orwell to run away when I let go of his leash. Bless him, he got 20 paces away when he looked back at me to wait to see if I was okay and I told him to go farther. At this point the owner regained control of her dog and everyone there told her to put her dog on a leash. I didn't get a chance to, because I was already catching up with Orwell to see if he actually got hurt. 

That dog needed to be on a leash. 

Now, I might have an unpopular opinion when it comes to this. I greatly dislike leash laws. My opinion is that dogs should be let off leash. I enjoy letting Orwell off in the field near our house. However, in replacement of leash laws, I think that their should be a type of licensing system where you can get your dog licensed to be off leash. If someone at the park really wants your dog on the leash even if it is licensed, fine. You should always have a leash with you. But, in general, our neighborhood parks are lenient on the leash law and a bunch of neighborhood dogs get together everyday to play. I think that if you know your dog's behavior like the back of your hand and know what he/she will do in a new situation, your dog should be able to be licensed. I know Orwell. He will never stray far from my side, and he (annoyingly, sometimes) tries to make friends with every living thing he comes across. Orwell would be a dog I would recommend be licensed, as I'm sure I would be fine with most of the dogs on this forum being licensed.

If a dog isn't licensed, and is off leash, then that owner can be fined. And if an unlicensed or licensed dog attacks, then proper punishment should be issued (and the licensed dog becomes unlicensed indefinitely).

Point is, I love seeing dogs be dogs together and I think some people are too uptight about leash laws. I understand that there are risks involved, but life is a risk. I've been in the middle of a LEASHED dog attack. A leashed pit bull attacked my late (leashed) yellow lab when his owner was roller skating by us. That dog actually did a minor bit of damage to Bonny. She also got her ear pierced by another dog in her lifetime who was also on a leash. My family and I were all angry at the time, but no permanent damage was done because those aggressive dogs were on a leash. 

I guess that is the end of my schpeel, and I'm ready for criticism. :D

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Not criticism, but...the other side of the street, so to speak.

JD is not interested in other dogs that he doesn't know. At the dog parks, they might as well not be there for all he cares. He is interested in only two things: tennis balls and my location. He never ever approaches another dog voluntarily, not to be friendly and not to attack. There might as well not be any other dogs for all he notices or cares. So in your "licensed to be off-leash" scenario, he would certainly qualify, as he is a threat to no one.

However, the other side of that is that he does not want to be bothered by other dogs "trying to make friends". When he was younger and healthier, he ignored them or tried to avoid them. Now that he is almost eleven and has some pain from a herniated lumbar disc, a dog running up to him for any reason, even just to be friendly, is very threatening to him. He'd be easily hurt by another dog playfully jumping on him, and he knows it. So he sometimes reacts with a growl or even a snap. And he is far from the only dog I know who doesn't want other dogs coming at them, or in their faces. Our dogs who don't enjoy playing with other dogs still want to run off leash and play ball off leash, too, and they deserve to do it just as much as the dogs who want to make friends and be with other dogs off-leash. They also need the exercise. But for our dogs, the overly- friendly, "annoying" ones (your word, lol) are very threatening, even though they don't attack. A dog jumping on JD could easily put him in the emergency room, or worse. 

I'm one of those people who is uptight about leash laws for this reason. I want other dogs to respect his space the same way I want other people to respect mine. Also because I have yet to meet an owner who didn;t think that their dog was just being friendly or who actually believed that their dog was a threat or a risk to another dog. I have yet to hear of one owner of a dog who attacks another dog who doesn't act shocked or say "He's never done that before".