Big Dog Maulings
 

I don't know how much it is happening around the area where you guy's are living but over the past two or three year's I've seen the amount of people and dog's attacked and killed by bigger dog's go up dramatically. Having it happen to myself and having to watch my baby die in my arm's it's something that really upset's me and makes me sit up and take notice. Just recently I believe a Doberman attacked a 5 year old boy in my county, when the paramedics arrived he was pronounced dead. Even our animal control is having a tough time as a pit-bull tore an officers tire to shreds when he pulled up to the house to get the dog. It's been getting pretty nasty some vet decided it was a good idea to dump animal bodies, about 150 of them off the side of the highway.

But what got the most attention in our area is the mauling of a elderly lady who only wanted to protect her dog. It's said her body was found on top of that of her small dog and for the effort of trying to save her dogs life she lost her own.

That story is so, SO sad :(

Last December, four blocks away, a pit bull attacked a 7 year old girl.
Her 9 year old sis and Dad were all on a sled.

She had to have two big wounds stitched up on her shoulder. She has nightmares alot, and both girls are in counseling.

The dogs owner's live next door, and brought over food and said they were
sorry. This did not cut it. Problem is that they let the dog out of the yard every time it need to go to the bathroom.

The Mother has a lawyer, and does not want to sue the dog's owners, but wants the dog put down before it kills someone.

They are in the process of moving, as the girls won't play outside now.
Sad!

And, today I have Sadie outside on a very long lead, unhooked, as she follows me everywhere. I just don't know her well enough to trust her, so if she took off, I would have an easy time catching her.

I live on a dead end street, and the few dogs in my area are fenced, or leashed.

Just yesterday my neighbors got a baby pitbull. They are moving in a month, so I am not too worried. Anyway, that dog, which is big for a pup, came right over and I turned around and he was sniffing out Sadie. I was scared.
The owner came right over.

This is like having a baby. :)

Kate

Those stories are heartbreaking.
I remember the case of Diane Whipple. The owners bragged about how vicious their dogs were and laughed about the fact that she was afraid of them. Some people are really messed up.

One of the students in my school was attacked by his grandfathers pitbull.. I had to get at least 1200 stitches in his face and he lost his eye.. He is only 7 years old..

That about the lady is so sweet I'm sure i would say i could do that but i think i would be too terrified if i had to. when i was 6 a man who used to live on our street sicked his dog on our bigger dog rusty. my dog just took it he was too sweet to even fight back. thankfully he was ok just a few cuts.

Pit bulls
 

I was watching the news last night and I believe it happened here in California, but only listened to, did not stop and watch it, but a 12 year old boy was attacked and killed by a pit bull yesterday. I am terrified of those animals and will cross the street rather than walk past the one in the yard across the street.

Oh oh oh oh that is just plain awful!!!

Our county has a leash-law, a pretty strict one - but in the next county over there is NO leash law.

I write for the newspaper and we get people calling in complaints about Carter county's lack of leash law. They say dogs just roam the treets and can attack pets or other people, etc.

When these people call the police in Carter County...the police have no jurisdiction unless a human being is hurt in the process so when people complain about their dog being attacked by a neighbor's free-roaming mongrel...the cops tell the person to get in their car and run over the dog b/c that could be filed as an "accident."

Can you believe that the police say that instead of just the city working to put down a leash law? Gosh. I'm so glad I live in Washington county instead of Carter, for many reasons, but especially for that.

How horrible her last min of life must have been. Did the dog end up surviving the ordeal?

I read that a while ago but sadly I think the dog died too and they were buried together.

I work in the inner city and have to walk about a block and a half to the school i tech at.. There is a pitbull that lives in one of the houses and its always loose.. Everytime I walk by I pray that it will stay calm... I have seen its owner and she said its a friendly dog but i wont take a chance.. Also, in the apartment next to mine, my neighbor has a pitbull-lab mix.. it looks just like a pitbul but its really friendly.. She loves Mocha but i wont let Mocha get too close

In UK we have the DDA which has banned pitbull type dogs for over 10 years now. It was a wicked piece of legislation that saw many happy gentle family pets put to death. The dogs are not the problem it is the owners who are to blame.

All of the breed banning that goes on is making me sick. I didn't realize how widespread it is. City councils and County Boards or whomever is making these laws need to step up and address the problem at source -- which seems to be questionable owners and home situations.

I couldn't agree more. The pitbull that attacked my dog (not a yorkie other one) had to be put to sleep. I would have been more satisfied to see the owner get put to sleep. I don't think its right to completley ban pitbulls a person my dad works with rescued a pitbull named rosie from an abusive situation. He is the sweetest little dog ever. I think its sickning how people don't care if their neighbors lives or their pets lives are in danger.

What about pit bulls that are raised in a loving family environment and turns on somebody? Or a Rottie...my in-laws next door neighbors raised them for years and her 6 year old daughter walks in the back yard with an ice cream cone and the dog latches on to her HEAD and starts slinging her around like a rag doll. From my in-laws that saw it and her parents, she was not teasing the dog. She had just walked out side.

IMO...I think that some breeds are more likely that others to just turn on you. If a dog was bred for centuries to be a fighting dog and people now days have domesticated them to be a family pet, well, they still have that instinct. You guys are right. A lot of times it is the owners that are to blame for a dog's vicious behavior but that isn't always the case.

Another story, a co-worker breeds and raises Pits. Her son and I were talking one day. He tells me that his babies would NEVER bite him. They were sweet, raised with family...etc. A couple of days later, he comes to school with his hand bandaged. His "BABY" had bit him.

You could be talking about any breed in that post any breed at all so unless we advocate banning all dogs including yorkies we need to educate people not brand breeds of dog as more likely to attack than others.

Any dog breed raised in a loving family environment can turn on a person in my opinion. I used to volunteer at a shelter and walk dogs during my lunch break from work. I took a liking to a particular Rotweiler and she was abused in the worst way. I would have trusted her Stewie in a MINUTE.

Who decides which dog breeds are more likely to "turn on you"? The police? They have no idea. So many cases of little "sweet" dogs causing some damage go unreported. The media is biased against certain breeds and therefore we don't hear too much about them.

I'm sure this is going to be controversial, but I think that breeding Pits is awful. There is no demand for them and there are thousands upon thousands of PUREBRED AKC standard to a T in shelters across the country.

My baby bites me allllll the time. It just doesn't hurt as much because he is 6lbs. But really, what is the difference? I would have trusted my 100lb Lab with a newborn or toddler before I would trust Stewie. I much prefer big dogs to little dogs. They are more loyal IMO and more intelligent. I think big dogs, especially Pits and Rotties and Dobermans get a bad rap.

Please read this webpage and especially, LOOK at the pictures.
http://furryfriendsfoundation.com/Truth03/Truth03.htm and then click around and look at all the poor Pits that are up for adoption and read their stories.

German Shepherds, Rotties, Dobies & pits all have a bad rep. As said above the certain branded breeds gain alot of publicity when an attack occurs. You will never see news stories about the chihuahua who went ballistic and made his owners ankles bleed or the yorkie that bit off its owners finger for touching its food. The attack just is not serious enough, the breeds aren't deemed dangerous so a news story on those cases will never be seen. The damage a 5lb dog does hurts but its not life threatening except maybe to a small child- a 90lb dog kills.Small dogs also are kept closer to their owners, most small breed owners walk their dogs on leashes and they are not out of sight. A large breed is let into the fenced yard, hops the fence and an accident occurs.

Humans don't understand canine language and what looks to us to be unprovoked is actually an invitation to fight to a dog. Petting a dog on its head can be viewed by a dog as a challenge. Direct eye contact with an alpha dog is asking for trouble-unless you are there to take him down a rung on his ladder, and you best know how to handle him.

There are more aggressive small dogs then large. Small dogs are usually the light & life of their owners, usually coddled & treated like royalty. They get to sleep in the bed, they get carried on pillows, they are always held and pampered sometimes hand fed (my inlaws hand feed their 4 shih tzu's) most times kept home & not socialized-this all builds an alpha ego in them contributing to more aggressive behaviors. A german shepherd who always growls at people you let in your home-is flawed and good breeders would not breed the dog.A yorkie who always growls at people you let in your home is excused 9 x of 10. When you search gsd or german shepherd puppy-2 factors always show -hips ofa'd and temperament. Search yorkie,chihuahua,maltese-you find alot of breeders advertise small, cuddly, beautiful coats/hair.

Having done my fair share of training- of the breeder or pet store purchased pups I had more calls and club members seeking help on more small breed issues then large breeds. I think a contributing factor is a 4 month old rottie growling is scary, it will grow to be a big deadly monster and people seek help or educate themselvs to get the dog socialized, and put back in its place aka not alpha, a small breed growling at 4 months old isnt scary and people excuse it until it is an isssue usually when the dog is an adult, needing to be put into a room so friends can come in. which could be why I've seen more small dog aggressiveness then large.

I love all animals. There is 1 breed I am leary of and that is the pit bull. My buddy, should call him my mentor as he taught me at least half of what I know on training & behavior also trains. He is the one who imports sheps. He likes big,mean dogs-the meaner the better. He will not do any training on a pit bull. Pit bulls have been in the hands of bad folks for to long, they have been bred so long to be killing machines that they have lost the ability to know different. Majority will go off and bite one day and once they taste blood they want more. There are very few with the proper genetics to make them any less then killing machines. I don't 100pct agree with him, just sharing what he's told me. I don't dislike the breed-I do dislike what people have used them for/done to the breed but I also dislike what Americans have done to the german shepherd breed,I just don't feel a pit is a dog I want to turn my back on.

All dogs have the capability to attack-its just big dogs do more damage, are a bigger news story and are the ones you hear about.Joe schmoe would call the authorities in a heartbeat is his neighbors german shepherd bit his leg, if he didn't the emergency room would. Joe Schmoe would be awfully embarassed calling authorities or seeking medical help for the scratches from his neighbors mini-pin.

sorry so long, Miss Dixie has me up late again.

I agree with a lot of what you said Debr and the rest of the post has made me think !

Florida
 

I understand that most counties in Florida have banned teh pit bull, and if you have one in a restricted county the fine is $500 per day per dog. I read in a newspaper not too long ago that the University of Florida conducted a five year study of pit bulls, their brains and breed. The study concluded that the pit bull has a "short" in its brain that causes the dog to go off. That is enough proof for me in addition to the articles about them and the attacks that have happened. My mother had a dear friend who bred and raised champion german shepards for over 30 years. This woman had eventually retired and kept several of her dogs. One day she was sitting out by her pool and reached around to pick up her drink and a dog that she had bred and raised like it was one of her kids ripped her from her armpit all the way down her inner arm. She never had another dog.

http://www.atts.org/statistics.html

Check out the American Staffordshire Terrier aka Pit Bull's temperment test results and check out some of the more so-called cuddly breeds.

When I was 12 yrs old I went to a friends house after school. She had a pitbull in her back yard on a chain. I asked "does he bite? Can I pet him?" She said no hes very friendly, but he may jump on you cause he always jumps.
I didnt care about that being the complete dog lover and went to the dog to pet him. I patted his head and rubbed his back and neck and he acted like he liked it. The second I went to walk away he jumped toward my face, instinctively I put up my arm and hand guarding my face, the dog ripped all the flesh off my pointer finger and wrist. When i fell backwards trying to get away the dog began biting my legs and trying to pull me under his body. I just remember kicking and kicking as hard as I could. When I crawled away the dog had shredded my jean legs like you wouldnt believe. My finger and wrist was so dreadful, looking like raw hamburger and bleeding profusely that we didnt know until I was rushed to the hospital and they cut my jeans off that I had 4 gapping wounds in my legs too. That was 26 yrs ago and I have all the scars to this day. I myself know personally how unpredictable a pitbull can be, if I had been younger or a smaller person or the dog would have got my face or neck which he tried for, I am sure I would be dead.
Years later a girlfriend of mine had a tempermental chow. I used to go have coffee and visit with her after the night shift of nursing a couple times a week. The dog knew me well, never attempted anything for months. One day I pulled up in the drive started toward the door and there was blackie same as always but this time she growled, I scowled her and said "blackie!" and that was all it took! that dog showed her teeth, charged me full force..........you never seen a lady in white jump on the hood of a car soooooo fast!!! She went totally crazy trying to get me. My friend had to get her and put her in the garage. She even tried to bite my friend while she tried to get her. What was different that day then any other?......beats me!!.........it was like the twilight zone...
Anyway I still love big dogs but Im very cautious, even the old big strays we have adpoted on our farm thru the yrs are watched closely with my kids.....the bite of a small dog can do damage but a bite of a big dog can kill.

Not for a moment condoning what the dog did but you made one mistake in handling the dog never ever pat a dogs head - you need to know the dog really well and be sure they won't react to being patted on the head before attempting it.

I don't know if I even want to post this story.15 years ago I owned an Akita. He was the most gorgeous sweet dog.At the time my ex bought him I also had a maltese and 2 young kids. the dog was treated with love and kindness always, he got along very well with the malt and for 6 yrs all was lovely. One day my son accidently left the front door open and Mac ran out, I looked everywhere and couldnt find him. Finally I called the pound, he was there, arrested for killing a womans dog.
I went and spoke to the lady, she was devastated by the loss of her 16 yr old dog. I was devastated for her. Apparently on his self imposed walk my Mac walked up to this poor ancient female dog, never made a sound. He put his head on the back of her neck and when she rolled submissivly over he ripped her throat out. I could only imagine the horror this woman felt as she watched my dog kill her companion of so many years.
I did the only thing I felt like I could do in the situation, I took my dog to his vet and we put him to sleep. It was not court ordered, I loved this dog and had never had any problems with him in the past, I in fact had taken him with me around the world twice. But I couldn't see another way, I wasnt able to trust him with my old malt anymore not to mention 2 young children. He was a house pet, not very well suited to living his life on a chain in a backyard after 6 yrs. I want to add this dog had NEVER shown any signs of aggression to anything in his life. He was well bred by a known japanese breeder and according to all the witnesses, 2 of whom were friends of mine, the attack was just out of nowhere. So tho I love the breed I would never trust an akita either.
Please do not think I am horrible for putting my pet to sleep, but there was absolutly nothing in his upbringing to warrant his behaviour on that day. As much as I would have liked to I couldnt make any excuses for him.

Diva pup,
I certainly dont think your horrible....very responsible person in fact.
The owners of the pitbull who attacked me in the above thread also put their dog to sleep. It wasnt court ordered either, my parents never sued the owners or anything like that. The hospital was so upset for the attack they called the police and Im not sure what happened after that. All I know is they said this wasnt just a dog bite, this was a vicious dog attack which could have lead to death if he hadnt been on a chain and had free access to attack me without the chain restraint. The dog was so strong I really dont know how I got away, I kicked him in the nose or something and it must have dazed him for a brief second. I hadnt talked about this in years, I should have never approached the dog but I was young and ignorant. I look at it this way. Better me then a 2 or 3 yr old that wondered in their yard. They never would have made it, this dog was going for the face, the throat.
I have no idea what the history of the dog was either, but to me if a dog attacks and keeps attacking with a vengence for a pat on the head it has socialization problems beyond help. A bite is one thing but attacking over and over is something quite different.
What dogs interprete and what we interprete are so different. Im sorry this happened with your pet. Dogs that are abused are not always the ones who attack. It certainly is a mystery, but the dogs Im sure had their reasons, even though it is something we cant accept in society or even completely understand.

I have a BIG fear of big dogs. We have had big dogs and I loved them but that fear of truning was always in the back of my mind. And even more so now that I have children of my own.

When my brother was 7 he was attacked by a golden retriever. Can you belive that? This dog was the family pet and was gental and sweet. But for some reason and out of nowhere this dog just went after my brother while we were playing in the yard with our cousins. This dog meant to harm because he went right for my brothers neck. My brother was a very chunky boy and the doctors say it's what saved his life. If he didn't have that little extra fat that dog would have gotten to his wind pipe. This happened when I was 9 and now I'm 37. And I can still remember it like it was yesterday.

And just 3 weeks ago my 2.5 lbs Gus was attacked by a 75 lbs german shephard. And survived!!! Details on the attack and survival of my baby is posted under "News" Woman strangles rottweiler after it attacks her yorkie.

Debr has a good point. There are vicious little ankle bitters out there too.

I remember there was a tiny chihuahua that lived across the street when I was in highschool. That thing was so mean, the younger kids would not walk in front of that yard because that tiny thing would rush the fence and scare them so bad they would run home crying. The yard was fenced all around the house and you never seen the dog out. But somehow he got out one day and went running after the paper boy (who he really hated with a passion) and got his paw caught in the chain of the bike. The dog ended up losing that leg. It didn't change anything. after a few weeks of recovery that little thing was back to his old ways. Even with one leg missing he still tried every thing he can to get to that paper boy.

But after all is said and done. I still will fear the big dog way more then a small one.

Bandito
 

Bandito was my pekanese, pug cross breed. I rescued him from an abusive family when he was about 4 months old and he was about 8 years old when I had to have him put down. I loved my dog to bits and took him everywhere with me. We crossed the US and Canada more times then I can count by plane and by car. I would have given my life to save his if anyone had tried to harm him. He was a very good dog accept due to the problems he had when he was so young he was afraid of people. I tried to socialize him as much as I could for years even went to the vets and sat there while people walked in and out and had a trainer help me with him. As he got older though his temperment got worse until one day he bit my nieces friend in the leg. He jumped up to bite her all she did was walk up to my grandmothers car. I will probably sound horrid for this but I took him and had him put down because of it. It was the single most hardest decision I have ever made and even harder actually allowing them to put him to sleep. I still cry for him and it has been nearly four years. I miss him more then anything, but if I had it to do all over again I would make the same choice No dog attack should be tolerated I learned this because I had a shepard mix who attacked a little girl when she jumped on his back. Eighteen stitches in her head to close the wound docters at the hospital insisted it was an accident, next attack was a little boy who needed his ear reattached after the dog bit it off, police and docters said it was self defense, his third and final attack was on my nephew, I was in the room with him and watching thankfully, my nephew walked past him to go to the kitchen and my dog lunged at him and caught his face, had I not been there he would have done some serious damage but I was able to stop him before he got a grip. My nephew was only 3 and he does not remember the attack now thankfully but that is when I decided if I EVER had another dog and he bit someone there would be no excuses. There are NO excuses for a dog to bite.

[QUOTE=luvdorkyyorkies]When I was 12 yrs old I went to a friends house after school. She had a pitbull in her back yard on a chain. I asked "does he bite? Can I pet him?" She said no hes very friendly, but he may jump on you cause he always jumps.
I didnt care about that being the complete dog lover and went to the dog to pet him. I patted his head and rubbed his back and neck and he acted like he liked it. The second I went to walk away he jumped toward my face, instinctively I put up my arm and hand guarding my face, the dog ripped all the flesh off my pointer finger and wrist. When i fell backwards trying to get away the dog began biting my legs and trying to pull me under his body. I just remember kicking and kicking as hard as I could. When I crawled away the dog had shredded my jean legs like you wouldnt believe. My finger and wrist was so dreadful, looking like raw hamburger and bleeding profusely that we didnt know until I was rushed to the hospital and they cut my jeans off that I had 4 gapping wounds in my legs too. That was 26 yrs ago and I have all the scars to this day. I myself know personally how unpredictable a pitbull can be, if I had been younger or a smaller person or the dog would have got my face or neck which he tried for, I am sure I would be dead.
Years later a girlfriend of mine had a tempermental chow. I used to go have coffee and visit with her after the night shift of nursing a couple times a week. The dog knew me well, never attempted anything for months. One day I pulled up in the drive started toward the door and there was blackie same as always but this time she growled, I scowled her and said "blackie!" and that was all it took! that dog showed her teeth, charged me full force..........you never seen a lady in white jump on the hood of a car soooooo fast!!! She went totally crazy trying to get me. My friend had to get her and put her in the garage. She even tried to bite my friend while she tried to get her. What was different that day then any other?......beats me!!.........it was like the twilight zone...
Anyway I still love big dogs but Im very cautious, even the old big strays we have adpoted on our farm thru the yrs are watched closely with my kids.....the bite of a small dog can do damage but a bite of a big dog can kill.[/QUOTE]

Well Said!!

Aly

I are deathly afraid of big dogs...I almost have panic attacks when I see them around me...I have never had any problems with them but have heard so many stories that over time I have become terrified of them!! Our new neighbors of a black lab and it is a sweet dog and VERY well trained, but it still took me a long while before I would get to close to her...and even still, knowing that she is trained, I still don't let the girls down around her, because you NEVER know what can upset a dog...and I just could not imagine if anything were to happen to my precisous girls!!!