Needless to say, I got really behind for a stretch. So here are the top stories from the last couple of weeks. I may skip a few here and there in the essence of time, but hopefully there will be some stuff here that you may have missed otherwise. There are a lot of good blog postings and stories out there that I'm going to cover off on in separate headers over the next week or so. Enjoy.
Cities and Laws
Putnam County, WV passed a law that, among other things, declares all 'pit bulls' to be "vicious." When you read the article, you'll note that everyone's concerns centers around loose and off-leash dogs -- but instead of just passing a (or enforcing their current) leash law, they decided to go with the breed-specific route. Two of the three commisioners voted in favor of the ordinance -- even though it sounds like they all admitted they didn't know enough about breeds to make this breed-specific.
Uhrichsville, OH is considering a ban on 'pit bulls'. Uhrichsville is under Ohio's statewide pit bull restrictions, and also has even harsher restrictions of their own, but is now considering a full-fledged ban. Instead of realizing that the reason their dog laws are not working is BECAUSE they are breed-specific, they are insistant on "fixing" the problem with more of the same mindset.
Leeds, AL passed a very good ordinance that targets aggressive dogs regardless of their breed based on their behavior. Well done by Leeds.
Ft. Collins, CO is looking at updating their codes on Dangerous dogs -- with what looks like a solid ordinance. The ordinance provides designations between vicious and dangerous dogs, as well as provides restrictions on tethering.
Orient, IA passed a new ordinance that is specifically targeting irresponsible animal owners.
An article about a woman from Miami, FL who fled her home because of Miami's law banning 'pit bulls'. These are the types of people that are affected...it's not the drug dealers that are suffering from it like some city leaders would like you to believe.
Some background on the Ohio law that declared 'pit bulls' vicious state-wide. I wasn't aware of the entire history of the bill, but it turns out that like many of these laws, was passed through quickly and without a lot of consideration -- and it's been way harder to get the bad law repealed, than to pass a bad one in the first place.
Dog Bites and Attacks
Just as a reminder, I include these stories not to make people think that dogs are dangerous -- they're not, they are very safe -- but to let people see and understand that dogs of all breeds bite and/or attack -- and the reasons for these bites are very consistent regardless of the breed of dog involved. It's also interesting to see how many of these bites came in from places that target particular breeds but still has not improved public safety.
A Miami postal worker was injured after a Labrador Retriever and a Boxer both got loose and atacked the worker. Authorities were not sure how the dogs got loose as they were behind a 10 foot tall fence prior to the attack. Miami has breed specific legislation.
In Toledo,a 71 year old woman was attacked by a German Shepherd when she went to take out the trash. Toledo also has BSL. Reports note that the woman may stay in the hospital for several days following her surgery.
A Georgetown, Ohio woman was airlifted to the hospital following being attacked by her own dog this week. Just two years ago, the family adopted an 85 lbs Mastiff -- however, at some point the dog began to attack a young child in the household -- it remains unclear if the Mastiff attacked a smaller dog in the household first, and then turned on the child, or whether the dog attacked the child over a chew toy first. Either way, the mother tried to grad the dog and ended up getting the worst of the attack. This whole story shows how important it is to socialize dogs with the entire family -- and take it slowly with the dogs -- and not to have children introducing chew toys, especially early on in the socialization process. This article shows a picture of the dog.
An Australian man was attacked when he tried to separate his Staghound/American Bulldog mix from a female dog in heat that wandered into his yard. I can't even begin to talk about the ignorance that took place in this event.
An 83 year old Independence, MO woman was bitten by one of three dogs that surrounded her. The dogs were described as being a Bassett Hound, a Bassett Hound mix and a Welsch Corgi/German Shepherd mix. The dogs were roaming at-large. Independence has BSL.
A teenager in Essex Junction, VT was knocked down and bitten by a Rottweiler that was running at large. The dog may have been simply abandoned as the dog is being described as very skinny .
A Philadelphia area doctor's Rhodesian Ridgeback attacked a young girl and ripped her ear completely off. This is apparently the 3rd time the doctor's dogs have been involved in aggressive incidents.
It should also be noted tha the breed of dog in each of these stories was not mentioned in the headline of the article.
A mother killed a 'pit bull' that was apparently attacking her young daughter. The woman used a brick and a knife to kill the dog. The girl is going to be fine.
A 70 year old New Jersey woman was attacked by two 'pit bulls' that escaped their back yard. Later, the dog ended up also attacking a shelter worker where the dog was being held. Obviously the owner here has majorly failed her dogs...
In what is a bit of a confusing story, in Spanish Springs, NV, a family is upset because two 'pit bulls' attacked and killed their two dogs. The odd part here, from the story, is that apparently it was the dead dogs that broke through the fence and into the yard with the 'pit bulls'. Not that attacking and killing other dogs is ever ok, but it seems like the dogs breaking out of their own yard and into the attacking dogs' yard should be a bigger part of the story here.
A Montgomery, AL toddler was bitten by a 'pit bull' when the toddler jumped on the dog while it was sleeping and the dog struck out at the child. It is very important to teach children to be cautious around dogs and that they are not stuffed animals.
Interestingly, every single article that I saw about a 'pit bull' bite in the past 3 weeks has had 'pit bull' in the headline, where all of the ones involving non-pit bull dogs did not have the breed listed in the headline.
The UK Dangerous Dogs Act
In 1991, the UK passed a law that banned 4 different breeds of dogs including American Pit bull Terriers, but the results have been disasterous.
A six year old girl was in critical condition this week after a major attack by a Weimeraner. The girl was put in a medical-induced coma with the hope that that would help save her life.
A Weisbech woman was attacked by what is being described as a Westie-type dog.
In Northern Ireland, after over 800 dog attacks this year, a minister is wanting to change licensing requirements and require all dogs be microchipped in order to try to get a handle on dog attacks. Again, BSL has appeared to not even have come close to solving their problem.
Abuse Cases
A Sioux City man who killed his 'pit bull' by punching it more than 30 times in the face went to trial last week.
Two Baltimore boys plead not guilty this week for animal cruelty charges involving a 'pit bull' that was set on fire back in May and later died.
100 Starving Sled dogs were rescued from animal cruelty about 70 miles southwest of Denver - -including 30 starving dogs and 6 that were already dead.
Eight of 10 'pit bulls' seized from a dog fighting raid in New London, CT will be given a fair chance at rehabilitation -- another strong sign for dogs that 2 years ago would have been instantly euthanized.
Shelter news
Danville, VA is looking at building a no-kill shelter in their community....although according to most close to this situation, it is an attitude of most of the shelter workers that is leading to the killing of the animals, not the actual shelter. While having adequate shelter facilities HELPS with becoming no-kill, nothing is a replacement for the dedication of staff to end the killing. That said, I hope they succeed.
Blogs worth reading
A great article by "For the Pits" on the use of the term "Bait dogs" to describe most any 'pit bull' that comes into a shelter with a few scars on its face.
Can too much socialization ruin a puppy? Possibly.
Positive Press
A Kansas City Area family was saved by their pet "pit bull' when the dog woke them up alerting them of a very quick-moving fire in their home. Everyone in the family survived, unfortunately, the dog became fearful and wouldn't go outside and died in the fire.
A good editorial in the Flint Journal -- Journal's sudded dog law could be more dangerous than targeted breeds.
A touching story about a woman who's life may have been saved when her 'pit bull' woke her up while she had toxemia while pregnant -- and had the dog not woken her up so she could realize she wasn't feeling well and called 911, she may have died.
A shelter worker in Chicago praises 'pit bulls' as great pets.
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