It's been a pretty crazy week. A lot of dog things going on locally. We're planning for our Roverlution march, plus we have a couple of meetings upcoming to try to reform some local animal control policies. More on those down the line (I hope). But it's all good.
Let's take a look at the key stories from the week that was.
Cities and Laws
Due to the complexity of the ordinance, Omaha dog owners appear baffled at the requirements and how they can comply with them. Based on the number of emails I've received on this, there certainly appears to be some real confusion. If people who WANT to obey the law are having a tough time figuring it out, it certainly doesn't speak well for the enforcement and compliance of the ordinance. I've stated from the start that this ordinance is far too complicated. We'll see.
Sturgis, SD put restrictions on 'pit bull' owners and is requiring them to confine the dogs securely indoors or in a secure outdoor fence, have a leash no longer than 4 feet long and carry a $250,000 insurance policy. You'd think that Sturgis, who's biggest economic boom comes from the biker community with their annual bike rally, would be more immune to stereotypes, but apparently not.
Johnstown Village (OH) may try to limit homes to only four dogs or cats following an incident where two dogs escaped their fence and killed another dog. The ordinance would not have prevented this attack. Meanwhile, someone who owns 5 cats could end up facing 30 days in jail for violating the ordinance. Yes, because THOSE are the people who are a danger of society and should be locked up.
Ridgeland, MS has halted discussions, for now, on banning several different breeds of dogs including 'pit bulls' and Rottweilers. Apparently police chief Jimmy Houston is recommending the ordinance because his research involves only looking at garbage published by Merritt Cliffton. Alderman Ken Heard questioned the due process of such legislation. "Where do you draw the line?" he asked. "What I don't want to get away from is the due process of law. It's hard to know where to stop this."
Mt. Vernon, WA is looking at a dangerous dog law that might require owners of 'potentially dangerous' dogs to carry additional insurance policies.
Manteca, CA is now requiring all 'pit bulls' to be spayed or neutered once they are 8 weeks old. The first violation of the ordinance would result in the impounding and "disposing" of the animal. This is why mandatory spay/neuter laws do NOT decrease shelter euthanasia -- but only cause it to go up. If a second violation is made of having an unaltered 'pit bull', the owner could get 6 MONTHS in jail - for having an unaltered dog. While I'm a huge fan of volunatary low cost spay/neuter programs, does anyone else thing that jail time for having an unaltered dog and just killing the dog for being unaltered is more than a bit extreme? Not to mention that 8 weeks old is far younger than most vets would recommend someone alter their dog.
Dog Bites
A "mastiff" went on a rampage in Calgary, threatening a person, attacking a larger dog, and likely killing a couple of smaller dogs. Calgary Head of Bylaw Services Bill Bruce wonders why the dog was wandering at large without supervision. "I just can't preach it enough, it's not about dogs -- it's about responsible pet owners," said Bruce. It's this focus that has helped Calgary to cut the number of dog bites and attacks by over 50% during a time when their population had more than doubled.
A 12 year old girl in Omaha was saved by her friend when a large black labrador retriever jumbed a fence and attacked the girl. Notice the news article doesn't mention the dog's breed in the headline.
A five year old boy in the UK was attacked by a Rottweiler earlier this week. Maybe the UK should have focused on owners instead of dog breeds 17 years ago -- as serious dog attacks continue in spite of them banning four breeds of dogs in 1991.
A 72 year old Windsor, Ontario was bitten by a German Shepherd. Note the breed was not in the headline and that Ontario's breed ban is NOT making people safer from dog bites -- because they still haven't dealt with the owners instead of the dog breeds.
A Westmont, Quebec person was bitten this week by a black Lab - -and is questioning the enforcement of the city's leash laws and punishment of owners whose dogs bite.
An 8 year old girl and an adult woman were mauled by three dogs near Dallas. While the report was originally said that they were attacked by two "pit bulls" (and was in every headline for awhile - including here), it has now been updated to be a 'pit bull mix', a Rottweiler mix and a Border Collie. Apparently the girl was alone playing in a fenced in area with all three dogs when the attack occurred.
Police shot a 'pit bull' that threatened a woman in Seminole, FL. The dog had been tethered and broke free from the chain.
A man attending an Oktoberfest celebration in Greer, NC was bitten in the face by a German Shepherd. Not only is ther irony in the type of dog that bit (since Oktoberfest is a German festival), but the city is now considering not allowing pets at future festivals.
A German Shepherd-looking dog is accused of attacking and killing several sheep in rural Alberta.
Legal Cases
Jack Smith and Crystal Watson of Stephens County, TX were sentenced to 7 years in prison and fined $5,000 for the attack in which their dogs fatally mauled 7 year old Tyler Monk earlier this year.
Mediots
Headline reads "Animal Control takes two pit bulls into custody from school property." If you read the story, it turns out that the pit bulls were, indeed loose on school grounds (which is a problem), but that they weren' at all aggressive. However, several kids started chasing the dogs around and one of the dogs ended up retaliating and biting the young kid. Said a police spokesperson: "The dogs were not aggresssive and were not causing the problem. The children knew that they were instigating the animals and the animals retaliated.
Humans -- the more violent species
I always try to include some stories about abuse cases because when you see how evil humans can be, it's no wonder the dogs they own sometimes attack. In fact, it's almost a wonder it doesn't happen more often. But as you read through these stories, and think about the dogs they own, is it any wonder some of them cause problems? And would that then be the dog breed's fault? Or the owners' fault? Read on.
A 7 month old infant was murdered by his parents -- suffering 8 broken ribs and a broken back that left him paralyzed from the abuse.
Catherine Lee, of Friedheim, MO, is facing court charges of animal abuse for neglecting to provide food or water for nine dogs she owned. The dogs were very skinny, flea-covered and were on "sharp edged chains". Lee said she couldn't afford to feed the dogs due to low finances. Lee could face jail time and a fine of $1000 if convicted.
Three dogs, belonging to two different families, have been shot in a Northland Kansas City Neighborhood by what appears to be just a random dog shooter. The families are being told by animal control that there is nothing animal control can do for them.
10 'pit bulls' were confiscated from a South Side (Chicago) home yesterday. The dogs were scarred and emaciated and their kennels were filled with urine and feces. The dogs may have been being used in dog fighting according to officials.
I have a few more things that deserve their own headers -- I'll get to those early this week. Have a great week -- and if you're in KC, use this BEAUTIFUL weather to walk or otherwise spend time with your dogs.
[quote]Although the dog barked and growled at Macko, she reached out to pet it. [/quote]
??????????????
IDIOT!
Posted by: Where to start? | October 12, 2008 at 11:22 AM
[quote]"I just can't preach it enough, it's not about dogs -- it's about responsible pet owners," Bruce said.[/quote]
Is there actually only ONE smart A/C person in this World?
There just has to be more.
Where are they?
It is so simple,why don`t more people get it??
Posted by: Yay Bill Bruce | October 12, 2008 at 05:07 PM
WTS,
I know, right? When you read stories like that one and the one where the kids were out chasing and tormenting the dogs on the playground you realized just how far we have to come in this society for the general public to understand canine behavior. I don't want people (or children) to live in fear of dogs, but they should respect them and understand their behavior. All the talk about "breed" over the past couple of decades has really done us a diservice in understanding canine bahavior.
YBB,
And yes, Bill is amazing. What is more amazing is that his approach of focusing on irresponsible owners has led to a SUBSTANTIAL decrease in dog bites in his community over the past 15 years. It is just astounding that more people have not followed his approach.
Posted by: Brent | October 12, 2008 at 06:24 PM