Fortunately the summer season where dog bites are more prevelent is dying down, so a lot of that news is being replaced with news of politics, court cases and unfortunately, a LOT of major abuse cases that I keep reading about and it's really sad. Honestly, when you see how so many of our dogs are treated in this country it sometimes makes you wonder how we don't have MORE dog attack situations. It's because dogs are really forgiving creatures. Onto the roundup.
Cities and Legislation
Jackson Township, OH has enacted a new dangerous dog law that focuses on dogs and owners of dogs that have bitten or attacked someone unprovoked. The law does not target a specific breed.
Kansas City, KS passed a resolution in the name of Jimmie Mae McConnell that requires the animal control director to publish and distribute brochures to neighborhood groups talking about the city's ban on 'pit bulls'. McConnell was attacked and killed by two dogs in KCK two years ago. Interestinly absent from this story is that Ms. McConnell's granddaughter, a worker at the public schools in KCK, stood up pleading with the council to do something about "stray dogs" in the city. Apparently there are so many that many kids are staying at home from school because they fear the loose dogs. All the while, the animal control officers continue to focus only on 'pit bulls' while these stray and loose dogs terrorize school children. I have no idea how that got left out of this story.
Ferndale, WA passed a breed neutral dangerous dog ordinance this week that requires liability insurance for owners whose dogs have bitten someone.
Dog Bites
A 10 year old Arizona boy was knocked off his bike and attacked by a South African Boerboel.
A city worker in Myrtle Beach, SC went to a property to post a tax notice on the home and was bitten by a Labrador on the property. It's interesting that the type of person who would have an overdue tax notice to the city also had an aggressive dog...
A four year old Erie (PA) girl was bitten by the family's Great Dane. So far, none of these three stories have the type of dog that bit in the headline, only "dog".
A four year old UK boy was severly attacked in the face by a dog in a park. The UK Dangerous Dogs Act continues to be a huge failure for that country. Meanwhile, a 9 year old boy was also attacked in the UK by a Bull Terrier.
A 16 year old Salina, KS girl was attacked, and her mother bitten by their American Bulldog. Apparently the dog had "become aggressive" in recent weeks, having previously bitten the father of the family. Meanwhile, these dogs were previously reported to have been "pit bulls" but the breeds were later changed and taken out of the headlines. Meanwhile, Salina, KS, which has for a long time had a ban on 'pit bulls', continues to do its residents a diservice by focusing on breeds, and not animal/owner behavior, as the reason for attacks -- otherwise this family would have been more prepared when the dog first started showing signs of aggression.
A Bandera, TX woman was attacked this week by three Rottweilers that were roaming at large. The generic term "dogs" was used in the headline.
ALynn, MA girl was bitten in the face by a dog that is being described as a 'pit bull'. The owner drove off after the bite and they are looking for the owner.
An 11 year old Lee's Summit, MO girl was bitten by a dog as she got off the bus this week. The dog, describes as a "tan and white" dog that "looked to be a pit bull or similar breed" was roaming free near the bus stop. The girl was not seriously injured as the bus driver jumped off the bus quickly and came to her aid.
A Des Moines Police officer is in the hospital following a police chase that ended up with the officer getting attacked by an "English American Bulldog" -- whatever that is.
Abuse Cases
Eight "pit bull" type dogs were confiscated from a home in Norman, OK and turned over to the city when they were found to be in "various stages of starvation and neglect." None of the dogs had adequate food or water and were chained to objects outside the home. On man has admitted to being responsible for the dogs but said he was "too busy" to care for them.
Prison inmates in Brevard County, FL found a 'pit bull" type dog tied to a tree and left for dead on a deserted island in Indian River Lagoon. The inmates were taken to the island, about 1/4 of a mile from land to clean up brush and trash on the island and found the dog there. The inmates are none to happy with the owner of the dog -- who if they can find, will likely join them in jail.
Clark County (Las Vegas) NV officials concerned about major counts of animal abuse growing following the finding of a dog that was hung in a city park. Officials say they are seeing an increase in the number of animals that need rescuing. "These are not second rate animals. They're innocent. They were failed by people" said one official. Hear! Hear!
A 26 year old Benton, AR man got one measily month in jail after pleading no contest to dog fighting charges. Felony dog fighting charges. One month is jail. Pathetic.
116 dogs were removed from a home in Jacksonville, FL that were believed to have been used in dog fighting. Undercover officers had attended fights on the property previously. The owner signed his dogs over to authorities who quickly went to work euthanizing the dogs. Some of the puppies will be made available for adoption though.
A Denver area man, Troy Tagtmeyer, was arrested this week when authorities found 41 dead dogs on his property, and six others that were in poor condition.
Miscellaneous
A "pit bull" type dog in Great Falls, MT is going to schools to help inspire children to read.
Sad news from out of of Washington. Diane Jessop's Law Dogs USA program -- which has been responsible for rehabilitating and training countless 'pit bull' type dog for use in law enforcement work -- has stopped operations. Jessop cites lack of funding and family medical issues as the reason she has stopped.
This writer writes in about their male mineature poodle that is having aggression issues. It's a reminder that dog aggression can show up in any type of dog, regardless of breed or type.
A Florida man is pushing for different types of legislation following a severe attack he suffered back in September that led to one leg being amputated below his knee. This story focuses on this man's struggle following the attack, but also has good followups on what city officials say the appropriate response is to the situation -- and that breed specific laws are not the answer to the problem.
Around 50 well-behaved 'pit bulls' gathered in a park in Naples yesterday to celebrate pit bulls. The event was hosted by the local humane society in an effort to clear up misconceptions about these types of dogs. This is actually a really great news article and worth the read. Nearly 80 other cities will be hosting similar events this coming weekend as part of Roverlution andNational Pit Bull Awareness Day.
Why is KCK doing so much to destroy Pit Bulls?
I don't know. I have my conspiracy theories but this is just a bit too much.
We need to get a hold of one of these brochures to see what they're saying.
Posted by: TONY | October 19, 2008 at 07:13 PM
Tony - KCK AC has been broken for years and years. Most of the dog issues are in the higher crime areas. Those neighborhoods are fraught with a higher percentage of criminal dog owners, lots of stray dogs, the neglected dogs, and abused dogs. When those areas of town squawk about dog issues more laws are just passed and those communities are advised all is okay we passed a new law - problem solved.
However KCK AC rarely goes into those areas to patrol. There are no regular runs daily by field staff, instead they target neighborhoods of working class folks and take their dogs out of their yards. KCK AC knows these folks will pay the fees to pull their dogs out of the city pound, show up in court and pay their fines.
Honestly you can call and complain about packs of dogs in your neighborhood and the city's answer - well we have a pit bull ban so that should solve your problem.
Posted by: KC KS Kills Dogs | October 19, 2008 at 10:35 PM