It's the weekend -- so don't forget to catch Roo and Wallace in the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge on TV today. On to the week's news:
9 year old girl attacked by pit bull in Baltimore
Baltimore has its share of problems -- including having an under-funded animal control that has led to there being a lot of stray and loose dogs in the city. This 9-year-old girl was a victim of one of these dogs. Last year, the city wisely noted that the majority of their problems could be solved under current animal control laws...
Pit bull bites postal worker in Dayton, OH
The dog bit the mail carrier on the leg -- the mail carrier is shaken up, but will be fine. This sounds as if it's just a run-of-the-mill dog bites mailman type of bite. What happened to the "pit bulls attack differently" "philosophy" of the BSL supporters?
Vick's Pit Bulls fly out to Utah Sanctuary Run by Best Friends
Twenty two fo the 47 dogs that were rescued in the Mike Vick dog fighting case were sent out to the sanctuary in Utah run by Animal Welfare organization Best Friends. All but one of the dogs found in this case were evaluated by trained professionals that deemed them able to be rehabilitated. The dogs appear to be adjusting well out at the sanctuary.
Meanwhile, Vick himself got transferred to Leavenworth KS's maximum security prison where he can take a drug rehabilitation course and get time taken off his sentence.
Some great advice on protecting yourself from dogs from the Oregonian
This article does a great job of providing useful information for people to help them prevent being bitten or attacked by a dog....things like controling their smaller dogs from mean, protective barking at large ones (that can be provoking). No where does it mention that people should turn dogs over to check the reproductive status of the dog or take a DNA sample to determine the dog's breed to determine if it's dangerous or not -- which is why it's providing good advice.
Family holds candlelight Vigil for dog attack victim
Jennifer Lowe's family and friends held a candle light vigil Monday night on what would have marked her 22nd birthday. Lowe was attacked and killed by two 'pit bulls' that were owned by a man she was living with and were known by authorities to be aggressive.
Two people attacked by two dogs near Palm Springs California
A man and a woman were attacked by two dogs, identified as Boxers, that escaped from their home and attacked two people. The male victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment for what may have been a broken foot. The woman was treated at the scen.
Woman allows "pet" pit bull to freeze to death
The woman apparently didn't supply adequate shelter for her dog and it froze to death in the up-state New York winter. The dog was found in a plastic sack behind the woman's house. I wish authorities would have done a better job of checking this dog's living conditions before it actually froze to death. The woman will be charged with animal cruelty.
Oklahoma Lawmaker Wesselhoft Plans more dog legislation
In what seems to be a never-ending saga, Oklahoma lawmaker Paul Wesselhoft is focusing more legislation on dogs. After repeated attempts -- with no support -- to overturn Oklahoma's law that forbids cities from enacting breed specific laws, Wesselhoft's next offering is to make the dog's first bite a felony. This law is somewhat similar to the one that Texas passed last year.
While I'm a big fan of making owners responsible, making the vast majority of bites a felony is a bit overkill. I think an owner should be held accountable for their dog's actions...and if they maul someone to the point that it would be considered a felony, they should be charged with that. Or charged with simple assault if that's what damage was done. But I highly doubt the crazy-man's legislation will go very far this go around either. He has the right idea (this time) but was a little too extreme in the way it was written.
Stray dog attacks Toddler
This one in San Antonio. The breedless dog was a stray and bit the two year old child. Stray dogs are the assaulters in the vast majority of attacks that happen outside of the home.
Baby injured when dog dragged it down the stairs
Apparently the hound dog had grabbed the child's car seat while the baby was still in it and started dragging it around, including down the stairs. This is yet another reason that young children and dogs should not be left alone together. The baby lucked out and only had minor injuries.
Dog owner found guilty of dog attack near Buckner, MO
Chris Ownby was found guilty of animal nuissance and failure to restrain his dog after his Bull Mastiff attacked two people in Buckner, MO.
"Dog" attacks 2 year old boy in Galesburg, IL
The dog, a black Labrador, had shown aggression toward the boy before. The boy had 19 stables and 28 stitches follwoing the attack. Note that the breed of dog was left out of the headline...
"Dog" attacks mail carrier
This Labrador, in Lubbock, TX, jumped the fence and severely bit the mailman's hand -- requiring hospitalization. Note, again, the dog's breed avoided the headline.
Savage Dog Attack in the UK
A woman was attacked by three dogs -- at least two of which are being described as Bull Terriers -- in the UK earlier this week. This is yet another example of when you try to go after irresponsible dog ownership issues by eliminating certain breeds of dogs, you will end up with your breeds of dogs that are problems changing, but the problem not being solved.
"Dog" owners speaks out in Marshall County Oklahoma
Two of the owner's dogs, a mastiff and a Blue Heeler, attacked a 13 year old girl and were euthanized. Then, earlier this week, the owner's third dog, a Labrador was shot and then euthanized when it attacked the owner's brother in law.
Three different breeds of dog. All aggressive. What did they have in common? The same owner. The thing that relates all dog attacks is not breed, not the dog's reproductive status, but that they all have irresponsible owners. Why is it so hard for people to understand?
Pit bull found beaten and hanged in North Philadelphia
The dog had apparently been tied to a railing and then beaten with large chunks of concrete and bricks and had bottles and large rocks thrown at it. The abusers and killers of this dog have not been found.
Aggressive dogs attack smaller dog
This attack in New Canann, CT featured two dogs, a Leonburger and a hound that attacked and nearly killed a miniature Dachshund and bit the Dachsund's owner.
Minneapolis City Council looks at law to prevent felons from owning dogs
I didn't know laws like this could be handled on a city level -- I always thought they were state-level type laws. I have mixed emotions about these types of laws as there have been many studies that have shown the value of the therepy that comes from prison/dog programs where inmates can have dogs and they actually end up learning love and affection from the dogs in the controlled environment that helps them long-term. However, former felons with big dogs sure cause a lot of problems in the outside world. If anyone has any studies on this type of thing, I'd love to read more about them.
Ohio State Representative revisits pit bull issue in state laws
Rep. Shawn Webster, a veterinarian, says that the state law declaring the dogs dangeorus is part of what has made them so appealing to "the criminal element of society — the gang bangers, the drug dealers. That’s their breed of choice. … What has resulted is a proliferation of pit bulls.”
He added, “I think it’s ridiculous to throw a net across Ohio and punish people who have dogs who are really good family pets. … They are no different than any other breed as a family pet.”
Ohio is the only state that has any form of Breed Specific Language in its state laws (14 states have laws prohibiting BSL). Good luck to Mr. Webster in his efforts to fight the insanity.
Pit bulls take to parenting
In the wake of the attack of Jennifer Lowe, Knoxville and Knox County, TN have been analizing potential dog legislation. One thing the city is looking at parenting classes for 'pit bull owners' to learn how to train and handle their dogs better to prevent future attacks. We have had success with our similar "Pit Bull University" class here in Kansas City.
This article goes on about other things including citing Merritt Cliffton's "data". When will pe0ple (mainly reporters), realize that Cliffton's data is complete bunk?
Reading, PA still running circles around their Dangerous Dog Law
Reading PA has a law that states that if 40% or more of the city's dog attacks are by a certain 'breed' of dog then they can create a breed specific clause classifying that 'breed' as dangerous. According to the city's animal control numbers, 'pit bulls' accounted for 39.7% of the city's dog bites. However, according to the state health department that measures hospital visits, only 12.6% were by 'pit bulls'. When you weed out duplications between the numbers, the number is 25%.
So they are trying to figure out which numbers to use to determine whether or not to declare 'pit bulls' vicious -- without apparently giving much thought to the reality that the law they want to pass won't be affective anyway.
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