"What could have been a vicious dog attack"

I think I'm just going to post this story in its entirety.  Really, there's not much to say.  Our local news really just covered a story about "what could have been a vicious dog attack" involving a pit bull.  No one was bitten. The woman's dog that "fought" with the "lunging pit bull" doesn't seem to have fought with anything.  I'm almost speechless by this one...and that almost never happens.

Pit Bull Jumps At Woman

June 13, 2007 07:19 AM CDT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A police officer broke up what could have been a vicious dog attack in Kansas City.

It happened Tuesday near 73rd and Prospect.

A woman was walking her dog, Stash, when, she said, a pit bull came out of nowhere and lunged at them.

She said, "I see a female pit approaching from over by the hardware store on Prospect. And I put my dog on sit, stay between me and this dog. And the dog walked up and then suddenly jumped at us. And so I turned my dog loose, and my dog fought him."

Just as that woman was calling 911, an officer driving by stopped to help.

He tried to confine the dog in a parking lot, but he shot and killed the dog when it turned on him.

Comments

[Abby]

If I called the police every time a dog "jumped" me and my dog, they would be on speed dial.

I know how stressful it is to deal with loose dogs. Especially when you are responsible and have worked hard with your dog, so s/he is trained and responding to you, but this story is not news folks. Several friends and I select our walking spots based on the probability of running into loose dogs; one friend cannot walk her dogs in her own neighborhood because there are loose dogs everywhere. What happened to this woman happens every day to people I know personally.

The good news is that police actually responded to a loose dog call. But I'm sure they only did so because it was a pit bull that had "jumped someone." (I'm a little behind on my slang, but I thought "jump" meant to seriously injure or rob someone, or alternatively have sex with someone. I'm fairly certain that none of these descriptions applies to the situation.)

Since there are way too many loose dogs in KC, I recommend that all the responsible owners keep treats and defensive spray (there is a spray available at PetSmart) to keep the dogs at bay in an emergency.

I also hope that in the future to prevent accidents with gunfire when shooting dogs (see Brent's previous blogs) that officers are equipped with some other option like a tranquilizer.

Again, police officer responding to potential safety threat, good, media coverage of the story, bad.

Appropriate headline "Loose Dog Frightens Woman, Officer Kills Dog to Prevent Any Harm."

[JM,Mac and the gang]

This makes me realize that I have been involved in numerous "possible vicious dog attacks".I just didn`t realize I could call 911 or summon a passing officer to shoot the offending dog!
When I walk my "Pit",Mac he is routinely lunged at by on leash dogs,approached by off leash dogs,barked at,growled at by small dogs(owners think it`s cute?)It`s amazing how quickly owners get their dogs under control when they see that I carry a small bat to protect Mac(If need be).
But then again,we don`t want our picture in the paper,so we can be a minor celebrity for 2 secs.Is this woman giving autographs at any mall or telling her "survival" story on Nancy Grace yet?

[Caveat]

What if (a child had been there)? Could have (been much worse).

The media twits are really scraping the bottom of the barrel now. You'd think they'd realize that public opinion is turning away from their stance to one that is more measured and logical. Of course, the media is always behind the times. That's why I read blogs - I learn about items of interest days, and sometimes weeks, ahead of what's in the msm.

The answer is to enforce leashing in appropriate areas. It sounds as though a lot of dogs are running loose in the area. Fifty years ago, not a problem. Today, with so many people owning dogs and inexperienced people to boot, it creates incidents like this minor one.

It sounds as though this woman's dog was actually the aggressor, at her bidding, because in all likelihood the other dog just came over to check him out and would have gone off on his own. She was probably yelling, jumping, all that stuff, escalating the situation.

Whatever. Enforce your bylaws if you have problems in your area. How much simpler can it get?

[JM,Mac and the gang]

ENFORCE YOUR BYLAWS!
That`s too simplistic.That doesn`t require high priced politicians.Stop those sensible suggestions right now.These people need work.

[krislars]

I'm so speechless I found myself trying to make up a new word to to express my uber frustration and annoyance before my head explodes!

After a visit to unwords.com...now I'm not so speechless...this article is a prime example of the idiology that plagues KC, perpetuaded my igmos at the Star.

Unbelieveable...

And can someone tell me...her dog looks absolutely fine in the pic. No gapping open wounds as you'd expect if it was 'attacked by a killer pit bull'...??? If it was another Rottie/Rottie mix that she encountered and fought w/ her dog, I wonder if she'd have called 911? *sigh* us bully owners know all too well the answer to this.

Here are some definitions to help you express your 'speechlessness' Brent...

idiology - (n.) dogma espoused by anyone whose intellectual credentials are derived solely from his experience in professional sports or the entertainment industry.

Igmo - (n.) An ignorant person; abbreviated form of ignoramus.

mediacracy - (n.) Government, usually indirectly, by the popular media; often a result of democracy going awry. A system in which politicians stop thinking and begin listening exclusively to the media regarding what the important issues are and what they should do about them.

[Tony]

What the hell do you expect from KCTV 5?!?! Actual news or junk that Weekly World News(Bat Boy, Aliens, Big Foot) won't even publish.

So...Its been about 10 months now and my little pit bull pups haven't turned on me yet. Do you think the media wants to report on this strange occurance? Or do they need more advice from the experts hanging out with Alan Hill at some laundry mat or parking lot of a Thirfway or QuickTrip.

Can anybody tell me if they know what Hill even does to contribute to society, then again he lives in Independence so it really dosen't matter.

[Tony]

P.S. Does the media ever stop to think that its maybe because of a bunch or paranoid and stupid bans that some owners dump their dogs in the streets? In mean, look at the UKs laws on "dangerous dogs" there are dogs and attacks than ever. Denver is still taking dogs in with their ban.

And as a owner of a pit bull and other dogs and cats in the past I say, "What type of owner leaves their pets to roam around the streets?"

Looks like tonight is another night I sleep holding them a little tighter, praying I don't have to see them go just because some people don't like them.

[Michelled]

Tony, you're right. It is exactly what everyone expects from 5. What is scarey is that its the top rated news program - Brent, isn't that right? Geez, I hope I'm wrong...

Alan Hill is a hated Indy slum lord (allegedly) but doesn't actually live there - I think they live in Lee's Summit. He got asked to leave town in lieu of being charged with some crimes (allegedly). He was about to get a divorce and was estranged from his sister (allegedly) before the attack. He had/may still have several lawsuits pending (allegedly). Him and his wife aren't suing the guy that let the dogs out OR the owner - but are suing the landlord (allegedly).

[Cheryl]

Well now I finally know who to call everytime I walk my dog in my neighborhood - the police! Forget about calling Animal Control in KCKS, they are too busy picking up and killing supposed pit bulls.