
Well, it's definitely springtime, with the sound of dog bites in the air. There has been a lot of news the past couple of weeks (I missed the roundup last week). I'm going to try to cover off only only the most important stuff... Plus, I'll get some of the stuff from two weeks ago also if the links still work. I also have a coupl of other stories that will get their own post later that are all related and worthy of their own segment. Anyway, enjoy, and sorry I've been away.
Salsbury, DE begins dog bite panel
This group of three people from different backgrounds are going to work for the city and investigate all of the facts surrounding dog bites in their city. They will investigate bite severity and circumstances surrounding the bite and can recommend whether or not a dog should be euthanized following the attack. This seems like a good idea to me -- and most cities could probably get a group of volunteers to do this.
15 Year old Washburn Island (Ontario) Girl bitten by dog
The dog was described as a 'lab-shepherd cross'. The dog is believed to be a stray running loose on the island.
Greely CO Man in Hospital Following "pit bull" attack
The man went out to feed the dogs because one of the dogs owners said he "couldn't handle" the male dog. In other words, the man was badly attacked feeding a dog with known aggression issues. Folks, if you have a dog that you "can't handle", get some professional help. Please.
Dog Bites Child in Park
I'm only posting this story because it reinforces the notion that all dogs are pit bulls. The boy was bit in the park by what is described as a "small pit bull or similar type dog, possibly a puppy, all black with some white on the face". Does that sound like a Boston Terrier or French Bulldog to anyone else? Except if it bit, it must be a pit...
Nampa, ID to address Dangerous Dog Ordinance
It doesn't appear that the council is leaning toward breed specific laws -- only holding all dog owners accountable.
Underdogs are the Top Dogs at Huntington Shelter
This is a good story about the Huntington, NY shelter and the work they're doing trying to adopt out all the dogs they receive.
"Dog" bite to child brings supervision into question
The young Louisville child was "severely bitten on the ear" by a blue tip hound mix. The Louisville metro animal services people say it is important to keep a close eye on your children when they're with the family pet. Isn't it interesting at the difference in coverage when some dogs bite kids vs others?
Dogs bite people almost daily in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, TN animal control officers respond to an average of one bite call every day. So which one did the newspaper report on? Yeah, the 'pit bull mix'. The dog broke its chain and bit a 7 year old kid.
Dog caught in man's truck engine
They're not sure how the dog got there, but the man popped open his hood and saw a 'pit bull' staring at him. The dog tried to free himself by chewing through a lot of wiring on this truck. I'm a little surprised at how much national attention this story received, but it is sort of an odd story.
Boy on School Bus Bitten by Pit Bull
So apparently, a boy's dog followed him onto the school bus (kind of sweet). Then, the kids on the bus started yelling and getting excited, which is speculated that this excited the dog and the dog bit a boy in the ankle. Morals to the story: 1) Don't let your dog run loose and 2) teach kids how to act around dogs. It's amazing to me the number of kids that will run around flailing their arms whenever they see dogs. Kids need to know that if they stay calm, the dogs most often will too.
Young pit bull mix found set on fire in Southern California
I hope they find the person responsible and prosecute the heck out of them.
Idaho boy attacked by Rottweiler
The boy reportedly received a "substantial" leg injury. This isn't the first time that the animal has been responsible for biting someone as it also bit a neighbor a little over a year ago.
Woman attacked by vicious dog in Great Falls, SC
The woman required more than 100 stitches when the "mixed breed" dog attacked her. From the video, the mixed breed dog is very furry with long hair. The dog had apparently bitten someone before when it broke its chain and bit a child in the street. The dog's owner used the dog for protecting his property following several break ins at his house.
People who train dogs to be watchdogs are asking for this type of situation. Dogs do not have the ability to tell a good stranger from a bad one.
Dog bites injures woman
In this case, you have an extremely rare incident where someone was bitten by a dog that was being walked by its owner. The dog apparently lunged at the woman and bit her. The owner of the attacking dog got the dog off of her and then fled the scene. It turns out that they found the dog, a 'pit bull', tied to the rail in the Jones Motors Sales lot -- where people in the office said the dog belonged a man that was hired to do security for the business.
Sad story from the Peoria Journal Star
Telling the story of the 14 animals a day that are euthanized at the city shelter form the shelter worker's point of view.
Pennsylvania State Trooper attacked by 200 pound dog
Authorities were trying to arrest a woman for forced entry and when they tried to take her into custody, here large dog, described as a Cane Corso, ran out of the house and attacked a trooper. People who are not good people (as evidenced by the fact these people were arresting the woman in the first place) will naturally gravitate toward bigger, more aggressive dogs. Even if we go through and ban some types of dogs (which they may or may not follow the laws), they will still find a big dog to teach to be aggressive. It is not through breed bans that we will solve these problems...
More than 115 dogs put down in Arizona
More than 140 dogs that were taken into custody from a supposed dog fighting ring in Arizona (there has been some speculation that it may have just been a breeding operation). Authorities say that only about 25 will be rescued from euthanasia. Not all of the dogs are "pit bulls", some are mastiffs or other breeds. This is a sad end to a sad story of abuse and neglect.
Another mutilated dog found in Kansas City Cemetery
Local police have found at least 10 dead dogs in cemetery's over the past six months -- all of the mutilated bodies appear to be related.
Four people bitten in two separate dog attacks in South Bend, IN
In one of the attacks, a German Shepherd mix escaped a back yard and bit the owner's son's friend. In the second attack, two men were attacked by a 'pit bull' mix.
85 year old woman bitten severely on her face
The attack came from a Cocker Spaniel that attacked the woman while she was scrubbing the floor on her hands and knees.
Boy recovering from dog bites
The 11 year old Waynesboro, VA was bitten in the face by the neighbors 'pit bull/lab mix'. The boy's mother describes the attack as "random", however, the boy was in the neighbor's back yard and the dog was chained up in the back yard. Now the mother wants the dog to be euthanized. Now listen lady, I'm not a fan of dogs biting children. But if your kid is on someone else's property and playing their dog on their property without supervision, the dog's owner isn't completely at fault here. And yes, this is yet another reason not to leave your dog chained up unsupervised, as now the dog's owner may have to fight for her dog's life because it was put in a situation to fail.
Arpin, WI bans "pit bulls and pit bull mixes"
The "city" has only 337 residents. There can't be more than 4 or 5 of these types of dogs in the entire city. Do we really need a law enforced on 4 or 5 people? Can't we just deal with them if they are problems? Yet another ill-advised law from a community.
Nine year old boy survives 'pit bull attack' in Phoenix
The boy says he "tripped and fell" next to the puppies of the mother dog. The mother dog attacked the boy trying to protect her dogs.
Chicago to look at mandatory sterilization for all dogs
Alderman Ed Burke has introduced an ordinance that would require all dogs and cats over 6 months old living in Chicago be spayed or neutered. Please call your city councilperson and tell them that you don't want Chicago animal control personnel wasting time on this unenforceable ordinance. The city's animal control division has already said it doesn't have enough workers to respond to dog-bite cases. Giving them MORE legislation to enforce will not help their cause.
Trigger-happy Toledo Police shoot yet another dog
Seems like I read a story every week about Toledo police shooting a dog. Here's another one.
Camden NY boy attacked by "pit bull mix"
The dog broke free from its chain and attacked the 9 year old boy. Prolonged, unsupervised tethering continues to show itself to be a recipe for an unsocialized, underexercised and frustrated dog.
Abandoned pit bull pup dies in shelter care
A couple weeks ago, a pit bull puppy was found on the side of the road with injuries and sickness. The dog was rescued and brought to the animal care facility but was not able to survive its injuries and illness. Rescuers are now pushing for more people to report suspected dog fighting or other abusive situations in the Memphis area.
Animal Control Officer wants to give bylaw some bite
This is another one of those stories you can't make up. Stoughton, MA ACO Kristin Bousquet wants to make some changes to their animal control ordinances. "We have a lot of unlicensed pit bulls in town," she said. "A lot of them are constantly loose". So now the city officials want to enact an ordinance (at Bousquet's suggestion) to limit the number of pit bulls per home. So let's see. We can't enforce the licensing laws. We can't enforce the leash laws. So let's enact a NEW law. Genious! Folks, there are two laws on the books that would already solve your problem of unlicensed loose dogs. Enacting another law is not going to do away with the problem of people breaking other laws. Sheesh.
Program designed to put best paw forward
Here's a story about a program that is really working toward adopting 'pit bull type' dogs into the community. It's a pretty good story overall, with a couple of exceptions.
#1) They are failing dogs on what appears to be the slightest level of dog aggression. It would be awesome if we could get to the point where dogs with minor socialization issues were worked with and rehabbed to become non-aggressive (which is fairly easily done for most cases).
#2) WHEN WILL WE FINALLY GET RID OF USING THE STUPID RUBBER HAND FOR TEMP TESTING!!!! The picture makes me want to vomit on myself.
Long Island Group holds conference dealing with 'pit bull' issues
Guest speakers for the day-long conference dealt with issues such as dog fighting and abuse, caring for pit bulls in shelters, and public misperceptions about these types of dogs. There are a lot of these types of conferences popping up now days...I am hopeful that these people are talking about real truths and not different types of myths that further harm the cause. Guest speakers included people from the ASPCA and Adam Goldfarb of HSUS (who noted that NY State was "lucky" to not have breed specific legislation -- well, it's not luck, it's that their state has outlawed breed specific ordinances). Anyway, I'm glad more people are trying to learn more and improve the situation of these types of dogs in our society.
Have a great week.
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