It's been quite a week. I'm behind on a few stories - -I wasn't really anticipating having 3 fatalities this week to cover. I'll get to a few big stories I'm behind on early this week. Here are some of the top stories that won't get their own headlines.
Cities/States and Laws
A couple in Pawtucket had their dog taken from them because 'pit bulls' are banned in the community. The couple had recently moved to the city and were likely unaware of the ban -- so the family dog will likely be euthanized. It's also pretty amazing that the reporter for this story tried to stir up hysteria about the dog being "in the same room with a newborn baby."
The city of Reading, PA is now looking at limiting the number of pets a family can own to no more than four. They are not giving any reasons why they feel like the ordinance is necessary. Last year, Reading's dangerous dog ordinance was ruled invalid by the state court. This city council doesn't exactly seem like the most pet friendly group of folks.
Alert: Pittsburgh, PA may be looking at some restrictions on 'pit bulls".
Florida has opted against a state-wide mandatory spay/neuter ordinance.
The city of Cote St. Luc (Quebec) has eliminated the breed specific language in their ordinance.
Dog bites
An 18 month old toddler was bitten in the face by a dog in the home. There were two dogs in the home, and no one is quite sure which of the two dogs was responsible for the attack. I can't stress enough, if you have a toddler, you must supervise them around your dogs. Even well-behaved dogs can get pushed too hard by a toddler that may pull a tale, ear, or hug a dog too tightly.
A 2 year old Franklin, NC boy was apparently attacked by the family's 'pit bull' that "gotten loose from its chain". The dog had been staying with some other friends for quite some time but had recently begun being kept by the family.
A Raleigh, NC boy was attacked by two "pit bulls" that "got loose from the chain" and got loose in the neighborhood and attacked the boy.
A four year old UK girl was severely bitten by an American Bulldog -- yip - the UK breed ban is still not working because it is targeting dog breeds instead of irresonsible owners regardless of breed.
A Homestead, PA defended her dog this week after her dog bit a 7 year old neighbor. The dog was nursing young puppies and the dog's owner warned the girl not to go play with the dog but the girl ignored the warning. We MUST teach our children to respect dogs and to LISTEN to adults when they are told to not mess with particular animals.
A three month old Australian baby, was attacked by the family's Blue Heeler cross.
Citizens in Ridgeland, MS are putting together a petition to overturn the city's recent ban on 'pit bulls'. Good luck to these residents who were mostly ignored during the process of passing this law.
Washington County, MD has made some smart adjustments to their dangerous dog law. While they currently have a law that labels dogs dangerous or vicious based on their behavio (which is great), they have now adjusted the law so that owners of a dog declared vicious can take their dogs to training classes, get a Canine Good Citizen certificate, and have their dog temp tested and have the dangerous or vicious designation removed. I really like these ordinances that encourage owners to do the responsible thing and get appropriate training for their dogs.
The Media
I've had several stories this week where the media has reported things innaccurately, or chosen to mostly not cover stories at all. Well, here's another one A city council member in Saginaw, MI, William Scharffe, has introduced an ordinance that would limit the amount of time a dog could be tethered. He said that limiting tethering would be a more realistic and better alternative to banning breeds. The headline to the story? "Pits are not nice doggies".
Abuse Cases
A Natchez, MS man received 6 months in jail for tying his 1 year old pit bull to a tree, pouring flammable liquid on her and setting her ablaze. This is the same jail sentence you would get in Cincinnati for merely owning a pit bull.
A Shawnee, KS man was charged with felony animal cruelty for allegedly beating, kicking or otherwise injuring his girlfriend's Lhasa Apso.
10 dogs were rescued from an alleged dog-fighting ring in Washington, GA.
Four Memphis dog owners were arrested after officers found several emaciated 'pit bulls' and one dead puppy in their backyard. One of those arrested said he had no idea the dogs were back there but was seen grilling in his back yard just moments before his arrested.
Twenty dogs were "rescued" from a Kansas City, KS residence. There were apparently more than 60 dogs on the site. It is unknown whether the dogs were actually being neglected or not.
Miscellanious
Four ways to avoid dog bites. I applaud this Phoenix TV station for actually trying to help the situation vs fear mongering that doesn't help.
A really great story about Daisy Mae, a dog that was rescued from a dogfighting operation that has overcome that hardship and is now a therapy dog making weekly rounds at a Hospital pediatric ward.
Thought you might be interested in this story, which happened about forty miles from where I live, in Wales, UK:
http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/4241735.Savaged_boy_to_undergo_surgery/
Note the red flags in the story - the dog had puppies, was in an unfamiliar environment, and was approached by an unfamiliar child. Once again, human error and stupidity have caused a child to be hurt, and dogs to be killed.
Regarding the injuries caused to the four year old girl here in the UK, American bulldogs can be kept legally in the UK. The four banned breeds here are the pitbull, Japanese tosa, Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brasileiro - http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/domestic/dogs.htm.
I so wish the government would ban dangerous dog owners!
Posted by: Siani | March 29, 2009 at 01:15 PM
Thanks for posting these dog related news stories. I do so hate to see when a child gets especially. Dog owners need to be more aware of their children and how they act around their dogs. Maybe some of these incidents could have been prevented.
Posted by: Brett | March 30, 2009 at 09:04 PM
As a breeder of Yorkshire Terriers and Dachshunds and owner of 3 pet boutiques I am very familiar with the world of dogs and puppies. Almost daily I hear of a dog bite that could have easily been prevented by the owner or the parent of the child. Dogs get all of the blame when it is usually not fairly placed.
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