PSA: Check your fence, report stray dogs.

[atszyman]

Ok, I've been very tolerant of the dogs I usually see roaming around our neighborhood in the past and usually don't make anything of it. I've now changed my mind.

On Saturday a couple of Pit Bulls (could have been any breed, just happened to be Pits) wandered by my house and my fence didn't hold out. Now I've known that the fence wasn't in the best shape recently but was unaware of how bad it has gotten, since we hired someone to mow our lawn (a task I will resume next Summer since I will be out of Grad School). My dog either broke through or got dragged through the fence and got into a fight with the Pits. My wife heard the yelping and I went and checked. After a couple of neighbors showed up (one with a bat, I was armed with a Mag Lite) I managed to get one of the Pits off of my dogs throat and then the neighbors managed to separate my dog and the remaining Pit. Cops and Animal control came and took the Pits away.

Luckily no humans were injured. My dog is injured although thankfully should make a full recovery (a few stitches, one drainage tube, and some antibiotics). Nothing vital was hit although most of that is probably due to the fact that she is an Akita and has thick skin/fur which protected her.

I thank anyone for their sympathy for my dog but that is not the point of this thread so please let's not turn it into a pity thread. I have had plenty of support from family, neighbors, and friends and if you feel you must you can always PM me.

This could have just as easily been my wife or daughter in the back yard and thankfully we were home at the time or my dog would probably not be here. I just wanted to post to help people to remember to make sure that their fences are secure and that although the stray dogs you may see look harmless you never know what could happen. I don't want anyone else to have to deal with situations like this or worse.

 

[Dont Hurt Me]

To bad you didnt have a gun, I would have shot those dogs. Guess we need another law against aggresive breeds since people just wont to what they are suppose to. If you can find the owners they should get your vet bill.

 

[atszyman]

To bad you didnt have a gun, I would have shot those dogs. Guess we need another law against aggresive breeds since people just wont to what they are suppose to. If you can find the owners they should get your vet bill.

Trust me I'd love to get the vet bills back but the Pits had no collars/tags (although they didn't seem to aggressive towards humans or I'd probably be nursing some injuries of my own). I hope that we do get contacted should the owners ever decide to pick them up from Animal Control, although I'm not counting on it.

I don't think we need a law against any breeds (my dog would probably be considered an aggressive breed) but I think there need to be stiff fines/penalties for anyone who does not have their dog tagged, and especially if it gets loose, possibly higher fines based on breeds (a loose Chihuahua, can cause pain but is generally not too much of a threat).

I included the reminder for people to check their fences due to the fact that the loose dogs are out there and you cannot assume anything when it comes to the safety of your family. We are now contacting fence contractors to get a new fence put in ASAP. In the mean time I have gone and checked the rest of the fence and added supports to areas that need it.

 

[iGary]

I don't think we need a law against any breeds

I do, it's generally illegal to have deadly animals without a permit.

 

[ChrisBrightwell]

I do, it's generally illegal to have deadly animals without a permit.

And where do you propose we draw such a subjective line? "Deadly animals" can apply literally to any breed or species.

 

[atszyman]

I do, it's generally illegal to have deadly animals without a permit.

Good point. I could see steeper licensing fees for larger breeds, possibly even periodic inspections to verify non-aggressiveness and containment (paid for by steeper licensing fees). Coupled with steep fines for anyone who had a dog at the last inspection that cannot provide proof of the dog's new location/owners.

I'm not against any sort of legislation on the issue but am not completely convinced it's necessary, but that may be showing too much faith in people.

 

[Doctor Q]

I just read a news story about 2 pit bulls that escaped from a yard with an unlocked gate and attacked a girl at the middle school across the street. Not the best place to have dangerous animals on the loose.

 

[Chundles]

It is illegal to import the following breeds into Australia (basically, you can't breed these types):

- American Pit Bull Terrier
- Dogo Argentino
- Filo Brasileiro
- Japanese Tosa

It was made legislation after many years of pit bull attacks - the pit bulls far outweighed any other breed by, well, a lot. Every bad dog attack story in the country makes it's way onto the news and I've not seen one that wasn't a pit bull. The dogs were destroyed and the owners slapped with fines and other penalties and the government banned the breeds deemed most at risk - ie, fighting dogs.

 

[thedude110]

Good point. I could see steeper licensing fees for larger breeds, possibly even periodic inspections to verify non-aggressiveness and containment (paid for by steeper licensing fees).

But as you imply aggressiveness isn't a stable thing -- if a dog gets cranky as it ages, then what? My dog, for example, used to be great with other dogs. As she's gotten older she's gotten more and more dog aggressive (which means we've needed to be more and more aggressive with discipline and avoidance).

The problem here is less with the dog and more with the owner. If anyone should have periodic inspections, it's those who mistreat -- or those who are simply thoughtless with/toward -- their pets.

 

[Timepass]

But as you imply aggressiveness isn't a stable thing -- if a dog gets cranky as it ages, then what? My dog, for example, used to be great with other dogs. As she's gotten older she's gotten more and more dog aggressive (which means we've needed to be more and more aggressive with discipline and avoidance).

The problem here is less with the dog and more with the owner. If anyone should have periodic inspections, it's those who mistreat -- or those who are simply thoughtless with/toward -- their pets.

yeah I agree it mostly the owerner fault. Yeah aggressive breads are more likely to attack but it still the owner.

And you cannt go just based on size because some dogs will get cought in there that are very genetal breeds but larger dogs and then you have mutts.

And example of a large breed that really one of the nice breeds are Labs. Yeah fairly large dogs well over 70lb. Our black lab is 75lb and is a small lab. they are big dogs but that is about it. If anything some one breaks into the house they are more likely to open the door for them and help them out than attack them.

I know from my own lab she a very nice hyper dog. Only time I ever seen her bite anything was when our beagle trys to steal some of her food and even then it only one quite snap that does not even break the skin. heck the only time I ever got bit by her was not because she was being agraist but it was because I had a slice of pizza in my hand with it by my side. Yeah she was going after the pizza and bit part of my finger and even then it only hurt and never broke the skin.
The only other times that ever involved pain was when I was on the couch and she got in the house and jump up on it. Her frount paw kind of landed in the place the sun dont shine. Yeah that one hurt a lot.

Labs over all are great dogs that are just like to know what going on and are very non agressive breeds. and there are quite a few large dogs that are very calm breeds.


it a very messy area to get involved in. Those I do agree dogs should be regiegster with the state and have tags on them. Not for safety but just so they know where dogs are and if there is an attack who to hold accountible for it.

 

[Leraste]

I too, had almost the same situation as you. My neighbor next door had an agressive german shepard, and they ALWAYS left their gate open. If we ever came home and saw their gate open we'd be scared to walk in our house. It was horrible, we'd have to run to the door, fumble with the keys and dart in. It even bit one of my neighbors and the paramedics had to come and treat him on the spot. One time the dog bit my dog's paw through our fence. We would always complain to them to please keep their gate shut and locked, but they would never care. So after that we'd call SEACCA everytime it was loose. And of course this dog wasn't registered/licensed or anything. So we'd just keep calling and complaing. I think they even had to pay for several tickets. Eventually they ended up hauling the dog away. I hated that bastard so much!

 

[atszyman]

...The problem here is less with the dog and more with the owner. If anyone should have periodic inspections, it's those who mistreat -- or those who are simply thoughtless with/toward -- their pets.

Well the inspection idea was more aimed at the owner than the dog. It's the owners responsibility to keep their dog contained, registered, and trained. Some people neglect these things, and some things will be forgotten by the good owners (like my fence, although I rarely make the same mistake twice). Periodic inspections would be one method of making sure that some of the more negligent owners are penalized and hopefully reduce the number of strays and chances of attack. Unfortunately the most negligent owners are the least likely to register their dogs so it would make it difficult to find the people who most need it.

I fully understand how dogs attitudes change with age. My dog used to be great with other dogs, in the past couple of years she hasn't been around a lot of other dogs so she has started to show some more aggressive tendencies, and I can't imagine that this incident will help that. Although given the condition of the two Pits she was definitely not very aggressive in this incident.

 

[ToddW]

personally i've had shepards, rots, and labs. with us the dogs were never agressive, just protective of us and our children. the main thing is to always show the dog whose boss, but give it a lot of love and attention. if you can't do that then you should own a cat. i do agree with restrictions on animals that are deemed overly agressive. sometimes you can't track down every owner and get them to do their job right and take care of their dog. it would be easier and safer just to ban those breeds. right now we have a corgie/lab mix and she is absoluetly great. after we let her know not to herd our son, everything was a o k. she is the most lovable dog, and lets our son crawl all over her. we even had some dogs that have gotten into the yard some how, and she kept them away from my wife and son. she did a great job. i'm typing this as she lays by my feet, i'm using her as a foot rest while i type

 

[thedude110]

Periodic inspections would be one method of making sure that some of the more negligent owners are penalized and hopefully reduce the number of strays and chances of attack.

The more I think about it, the more I think you have a pretty good idea. People who take on the responsibility of caring for the living should have some sort of accountability.

My fiancee is a vet., and in part I come around to your position based on her reaction to this thread. The woman says:

"I see so many dogs each week that are abused. By my definition of abuse, anyway. People will keep their sick dog at home right up until they see it can't breathe. Then it becomes my emergency and my job to magically cure it. And I totally understand that a lot of people don't have a lot of money. But I'm dealing with a dying animal and they're telling me things like it hasn't eaten in 3 days and it hasn't eaten without vomiting in a week. But they wait 'till it can't breathe to get a vet."

after we let her know not to herd our son

I nominate this for MR clause of the month!

We've broken our dog of so many bad habits, but we let her herd us all the time (and she's mostly greyhound, for god's sake). If she's around when we have a kid (she's 9 and kids are at least three years off ... according to "plan"), I'll have to work on that ...

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Dogs in Indiana are considered farm animals, so they can be left outside all the time. Some of the things I've seen here really disgust me, but there is nothing you can do about it. Quite sad actually.

And in our neighborhood, there are no fences - so we get the occasional dog, rabbit, deer, etc. in our lawns. My dog is only outside when we're walking her, so its not an issue, but several neighbor dogs are on an invisible fence and the do get out every once in a while.

Basically, I don't think there ever is going to be a solution to problem with dogs or other animals - its the same with guns. Its the people who are the problems and there are always going to be individuals who will mistreat them and fail to act responsibly - which ends up getting others hurt.

D

 

[FirePak]

I had a similiar situation a few days ago, I had 3 huge dogs just sitting in my front yard. Usually i wouldnt care but they were 2 rots and a pitbull like dog. One of the rots looked like he had been hit by a car and was very aggressive.

I called animal control waited on hold for about 30 mins to be told that it would be a few hours before someone could come out and that i needed to call the Animal EMT for the other dog as animal control wouldnt be able to take it.

I call the animal emt and he comes out about 40 mins later and only picks up the one dog leaves the other two eventhough they were aggressive to him. After about 2 hours i call again and try to get an update to be told its going to be another few hours. I had places i needed to be and i had my 4 month old nephew with me and i was seriously afraid to go out my front door.

I finnally ended up calling the police dept who came out in like 10 mins, One of the dogs started to rush the officer as he was trying to get out of his car. Animal control showed up promptly about 10 mins later to get both dogs.

 

[XNine]

Pits... The problem with them is that they have the tendency to snap at any time without provocation. Don't get me wrong, most of the time it's because of a bad owner, but pits are more likely to have a bad temperament then a golden retriever, or a lab, or even a great dane. I have a couple of friends who have pits and they show the dog who's boss, but treat them like they're big babies.

They always tell me "I'd hate to see someone get on her/his bad side." All I know is, is a pit can latch on to my arm, that's fine, but I WILL kill it. I don't understand how grown people get taken down by a dog. a pack of dogs, maybe, but ONE? Nah, sorry.

As for corgi's they're natural instinct is to herd, but once broken of this, they are great, great dogs with lots of personality (and they aren't aggressive, they just nip at the feet to corral). This actually might be my next dog since I have to leave George (golden retriever) with my ex when I move...

 

[atszyman]

...I don't understand how grown people get taken down by a dog. a pack of dogs, maybe, but ONE? Nah, sorry...

I agree there, but most people would go into panic mode if there were a dog attack, and of course you don't hear about 160+ lb. men being taken down it's usually the smaller/weaker people that are most severely injured. If you only weigh 110 lbs. it's going to be hard to take on an 80-120 lb. dog.

I'm probably going to be beating myself up for the next few weeks/months since I don't think I did enough to break up the fight earlier. I should have probably just taken out the Pits with my Mag Lite but I am not a violent person and bashing another living things skull in isn't an instinct that kicks in for me. And as heartless as it may sound my self preservation kicks in before saving my dog (my wife and daughter would be a different story) and I really did not want the Pits going after any human beings (myself included).

 

[Electro Funk]

I don't understand how grown people get taken down by a dog. a pack of dogs, maybe, but ONE? Nah, sorry.

i have a 145lb Rottweiler that could easily take down a 6" 200lb man...

trust me, he is very powerful! The thing is, i got him when he was 6 weeks old and worked with him every single day for 3 years.... he is now the most well behaved dog i know... in fact i get compliments all the time on how well behaved my "vicious" dog is... (he is 11 years old now)

Here in florida i got a renters ins. policy cancelled because they found out i had a rottie! if you own a G shepard, Akita, Pit, Rottie, or Chow there is not a company in florida that will write you a homeowners policy!

when i bought my new house the ins company was informed that my rottie is now a lab mix mutt (so they think anyway)

 

[iGary]

And where do you propose we draw such a subjective line? "Deadly animals" can apply literally to any breed or species.

When chihuahuas start mauling and disfiguring people.

 

[Electro Funk]

When chihuahuas start mauling and disfiguring people.

i think the most damage you will get from a chihuahau is a hickey!

HAAAAAA.... that remindes me, i have freind that was attacked by 2 jack russell terriers.... mauled his face up pretty good!

we made fun of him for weeks.... he swears he was bending down to pet the dogs and they both jumped up and started biting....

I think he was passed out on the floor drunk!

Edit: you a Rush fan iGary? just noticed your new location.... nice..... "We are the priests , of the temples of syrinx" Rush 2112.... AMAZING album

 

[Johnny Rico]

Guess we need another law against aggresive breeds since people just wont to what they are suppose to.

That's right, we need the government to put in place yet another rule that limits our freedom..
Actually this sounds more like a clear cut case of the OP not maintaining his property (a dog just sort of "gets dragged through" the fence which admittedly "wasn't in the best shape recently"?!) and further compounding his lack of responsibility by not providing active defense (owning a gun, or even attempting to attack the attacking dogs before neighbors show up) when his passive defense (de fence hehe) failed.

This said, a pitbull can f*ck a person up, even if the dog is 'just playing'; I recently almost lost my index finger to one of the most friendly dogs I've ever known (a pit) because I had his tennis ball in the hand that the finger in question was attached to. On the other side of the coin, I've been bitten by my siamese cat during a catnip binge and had to go to the hospital. Doc said I could have died, or might have lost the hand if the infection had spread. Should siamese cats be banned as they are also a "dangerous breed"?

 

[stonyc]

Pits... I don't understand how grown people get taken down by a dog. a pack of dogs, maybe, but ONE? Nah, sorry...

Pit Bulls can get up around 85-90 pounds. That may not seem like all that much, especially given a 200 pound man... but if my 85 pound chocolate lab decides that he wants to go sniff a girl dog's butt across the street, it's tough to stop him. Given the ferocity of pit bulls, and that their 85 pounds is packed into a significantly more compact frame... I could see how even a fully grown person would not only panic if attacked by one, but also how they might struggle to incapacitate or kill one even with a weapon, much less with their bare hands.

In the given case of Australia(?), it's easier to stop the proliferation of a species if you can ban their import into the country in the first place. In the U.S., such a ban or restriction on breeds like the pit bull would be extremely difficult to enforce... how many unregistered breeders and puppy mills are out there? As long as there are irresponsible owners, you'll have irresponsible and possibly dangerous dogs... pit bull, or no.

 

[iGary]

That's right, we need the government to put in place yet another rule that limits our freedom..

The minute you infringe upon my rights is where your freedom ends. Pit bulls are dangerous animals.

 

[XNine]

Pit Bulls can get up around 85-90 pounds. That may not seem like all that much, especially given a 200 pound man... but if my 85 pound chocolate lab decides that he wants to go sniff a girl dog's butt across the street, it's tough to stop him. Given the ferocity of pit bulls, and that their 85 pounds is packed into a significantly more compact frame... I could see how even a fully grown person would not only panic if attacked by one, but also how they might struggle to incapacitate or kill one even with a weapon, much less with their bare hands.

In the given case of Australia(?), it's easier to stop the proliferation of a species if you can ban their import into the country in the first place. In the U.S., such a ban or restriction on breeds like the pit bull would be extremely difficult to enforce... how many unregistered breeders and puppy mills are out there? As long as there are irresponsible owners, you'll have irresponsible and possibly dangerous dogs... pit bull, or no.

Well, my Golden is 108 lbs, and I'm not kidding. He's a heavy dog, and he's a big baby unless he sees his arch-nemesis walking in the complex or someone tries to enter the apartment. IT's funny how many people are scared of him (little kids LOVE him). but people just have to remember one thing. Dogs have one weapon, their mouth. Let them use it on your arm and then go for their throat. Sure, you'll hurt like hell but you'll kill the dog. Your life, or theirs. Just strikes me as strange is all. That people could be so fearful of a dog. I mean, we're not talking pit-mastif breeds that are designed to kill, we're talking your average pit, rottie, lab, whatever.