Posted on 07/21/2018 11:35:48 PM PDT by Norski
James Strickland, the Army veteran who shot and killed a pit bull, shared his story with Action News Jax.
The owner of the pit bull Strickland killed, Moustapha Ba, spoke to us as well.
The men share love of their dogs and the pain of Wednesday morning.
“There wasn’t anything I had to do in many, many, years harder than take that dog’s life,” said Strickland.
Strickland said he regrets being in that position, but doesn’t regret his decision to fatally shoot the pit bull.
He said doing so may have saved his dog’s life.
Ba is asking what could have been done differently.
“He’s part of my family so I’m mourning him right now,” said Ba.
Strickland said he was walking his service dog, a Weimaraner named Betty Boop, in the parking lot of the clinic when Ba's pit bull Dozier, charged them.
A witness named in the police report obtained by Action News Jax claims he saw Dozier "moving aggressively toward Strickland and his dog” and heard Strickland tell the owner to get the dog back or he would shoot it.
The witness said Ba held on to Dozier but only for a moment.
“He was down on the ground, struggling with the dog so hard that his shoes came off,” said Strickland.
The report states Strickland pulled out his .38 revolver while the dogs were separated.
It states he gave a second warning that he would shoot if Dozier got away again.
"When he pulled the weapon, that’s when I panicked and let the dog go," said Ba.
The witness said Dozier attacked again, prompting Strickland to fire.
“The dog didn’t really respond to that, attacked me and my dog again, and I shot him the second time it killed him,” said Strickland. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at actionnewsjax.com ...
“I could not have been more wrong.”
No, you were not wrong. The dogs were not “just...playing” either. You saved your dog by repeatedly kicking the pitbull.
I wouldn’t have given two warnings - just one. As soon as the owner let the pit bull go and it advanced in my direction again I would have opened fire and kept firing for as long as I had bullets in the gun.
“Does a lock-jawed pit respond to sticking a finger up its ass?”
You are allowed to try that little experiment.
Not me, tho...
Love dogs. Hate pitbulls.
Amen. I was nearly blinded by a Yorkshire Terrier when I was a toddler, and I carry the scars to prove it.
When my rottweiler sent me to the hospital (Ha! Not for a bite, but for a meniscus tear because the old girl was the size of a small truck and we realized would couldn’t walk through a doorway together without her brushing against my knee and bending it. Low speed, too. But she was a tank.) the ER doc said the worst dogs were not pit bulls but small little ratters like Chihuahuas, Scotties, Westies and the dreaded Yorkie because they had small dog syndrome and were usually never trained because they were “harmless lap dogs”.
They also tended to do more damage in a shorter amount of time before they could be pulled away.
Yeah, but what does an ER doc know.
Ah well, this is a tragic story, and I bet the pit wasn’t even remotely trained.
the most frightening attack I was apart of was when my one of my buddies was horribly mauled as my friends and I were returning from a renaissance festival, all dressed up in the costumes of knights Templars and when we came over a hill there was a terribly ferocious killer rabbit and...
...wait...that might have been a movie.
Oh...I remember now!
The killer bunny was in the water next to a canoe I was paddling and I defended myself from certain death by pummeling it with my paddle and...
...wait, wait....
....um never mind
Great stories!
A pet woodchuck? I had a beagle mutt that loved to kill woodchucks. She was smart enough that when she saw one, she’d dash in on a beeline not to the chuck but to its burrow. She’d intercept the chuck who was running for his burrow and send him sprawling. Then she wind back for the kill.
Sorry! Didn’t mean to tell you stories about woodchucks being killed. But these were wild ones in pastures, and the farmers always said she did good work because cows would break their legs stepping in a burrow hole. I never saw that happening, but they all where sure it did.
The only dogs that I have been bitten by and one of my dogs have been bitten by are German Shepherds.
I am very wary though of full bred Pits.
But like any dog breed some breeds will bite when feeling threatened.
Although I have CCW, I don’t carry when walking in my neighborhood. However, to protect myself and my dog from vicious dogs and their thoughtless and stupid owners with these items, I always carry and have used in those circumstances:
DAZZER II, MACE/Muzzle, and Self-defense, collapsible baton. On high wind days I carry Kimber Pepper BlasterII. Remember when you use a defensive spray to direct the spray at the dog’s mouth for best effect.
Bottom line, though is stay aware of others with large dogs, that are having difficulty keeping their dog under control, which is all too common today. I have found that it is best to avoid them by moving to another side of a street or walking path so their dog does not pass close to your dog.
If I shot every out of control dog that I saw and have seen with their stupid owners, there would have to be a full time collection crew to remove the dead carcasses of those dogs.
Look you ghouls; if this North Korean can come here talking smack about dogs then I can at least bring some balance to the equation and return the favor. The dogs, like the unborn, can’t speak up for themselves. The least I can do is be their advocate against this madness.
If you can’t see this person, and probably others like you two, has an unhealthy obsession hating dogs then maybe you too need to go on a psych hold.
Next thing you 3 will be talking about how good dog tastes on the grill or something. You people are sick in the head. Damaged goods. Frontal lobotomy candidates. Probably have syphilis of the brain.
Everyone who doesn’t know dogs get into fights or that bully breeds need to be kept under control; raise your hands. No hands? Good. No need for these stupid threads anymore then.
Supposedly only 5% of dog owners deign to bother training their animal, even the basic come, sit/stay, no. For all the billions we spend on dogs you would think that % would be higher, trained dogs are happy dogs and make the people around them happy. Untrained dogs can make everyone miserable, including the dog.
Freegards
You could have trained your dog properly.
Doubt that is the answer you want to hear but it is what could have been done differently.
You also could have put a muzzle on your dog.
My parents recently got a dog. Cute little thing and very eager to please but next to no training.
In a couple of weeks we had trained him to, sit, stay, lie down, off, come and other basic commands. This is a four year old dog that had an owner that never bothered to teach him the basics.
I see - frothing. Your responses on these threads display a disconnect from reality.
“”” ...and probably others like you two, has an unhealthy obsession hating dogs then maybe you too need to go on a psych hold. “””
See what I mean? You are incapable of rational thought regarding a single breed of dog that is a menace to society. And, apparently your derangement is as well.
I would consider a pit bull coming full speed at me the same way I would if a bear were doing the same thing. The bear might be in bluff and pit bull might just be excited to play but I’m not taking any chances. If I have a firearm, I’m shooting with full prejudice.
Answer one simple question. Do you know that Pit-Bulls and other bully breeds, including German Shepherds, need to be kept under control and that they can be dangerous if they are not?
If you know the answer to this very simple question and the answer is “yes” then there’s no need to beat this dead horse or dog.
If not; then you do indeed have some kind serious mental problem and the psych hold for, oh, 72 hours would be a good start. Might need 30, 60, or 90 days after that but only the professionals can determine how long you need to be an inpatient.
Do you like to beat dead dogs? Do you like to kill dogs? How long have you felt this way? Have you ever been treated for your mental illness? Expect these questions and many more while you’re in the asylum.
These threads are an insult to every dog lover; especially those who own any of the bully breeds. Get it? Nothing good ever comes from any of them. Not one single thing. It just feeds this obsession some of you have. This is a political forum if you hadn’t noticed. It’s called “Free Republic” for a very good reason. It isn’t to feed the obsession some have with turkeys, ear wax, toenail fungus, dog hating, or a zillion other off the wall subjects inappropriate for this forum.
I would protect my dogs in any way I can too. I just came in from walking my dogs when two neighborhood dogs got loose and wanted to come up to my dogs. Fortunately they weren’t looking for a fight; just curious. One of mine wanted to play with them.
I took out my pepper spray and was ready for them had it gone another way. On the way back I spotted the owner looking for them and how they got out. The dogs were very friendly and nice. I’m glad I didn’t have to spray them.
The important thing for me was being prepared. I choose pepper spray because then I don’t have to worry about the owner coming over and shooting my dogs because I shot his and because I want that stray dog to go home to its human even if that human needs to wash the dogs eyes out with milk. Hopefully that human will also take precautions so it doesn’t get out again. When I first moved into my new place some years ago; the yard wasn’t nearly as secure as I thought it was and my dogs got out a couple of times until I could secure it. They came home and I’m glad no one shot them.
Frankly; I would feel worse about killing a dog than I would about killing a person who threatened me or mine.
9mm = pit bull sleeping pill
Grab the two hind legs and lift, dog stops fighting immediately and YOU don’t get hurt.
Wow, I cannot believe that about the tennis ball cannon!
I shall make sure not to ever buy one of those.
And good job, Mama Cat. Don’t wanna mess with an angry cat. They can fight!
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