Pit bull, Labrador retriever jump fence, kill Chihuahua

Valley Press ^ | Wednesday, January 28, 2009. | JULIE DRAKE

[BenLurkin]

Vicky White cradled a pink towel near her chest with the utmost care. She held out the tiny package as she pulled gently on a corner of the towel to reveal the limp and bloodied body of her 5-year-old Chihuahua, Piper. The brown-and-white dog - which weighed about 3 pounds - was killed Tuesday morning on its patio by a neighbor's pit bull and a Labrador retriever in the area of 30th Street East and Avenue H.

"The whole front page is always 'pit bull attacks; pit bull attacks,' and we always say, 'Oh those poor people, those poor, dear people, how sad for them,' " White said, her voice breaking.

She added, "I'd rather have a big vet bill than a dead dog."

White had returned home Tuesday morning from another property she owns when Piper was attacked.

White said she had her hand on the Chihuahua when it was grabbed by the pit bull.

"It was horrible; it was like a nightmare from hell," she said.

White said she used a stick to try and save Piper but to no avail.

"They came in my yard, ripped my dog out of my hands and killed her," she said, crying.

She praised her other dogs in the yard - a yellow Labrador retriever and a mixed breed "pound puppy" - who fought off the animals.

The dogs had small splotches of blood on their coats but no visible injuries.

"We've lived here 31 years, and for 31 years we've had people that we've had problems with because they don't keep their dogs in," she said.

White said the dogs that killed Piper jumped over the 6-foot-high chain-link fence that separates her yard from her neighbor's property.

[pepperhead]

Thanks for mentioning that. I have thought about getting some spray or carrying something to protect myself and my dog. That sonic thing looks interesting and small, which is nice, but I don’t know how my own dog would react to it. I live in the county but the neighborhood is fairly developed and there is a lot of house there. The people with the dog in question have a fence for the dog but leave the gate open! The city has tougher leash laws. If I lived there they would have done something about it.

[allmost]

Sorry, forgot about your dog. :)
The sound doesn't hurt them but you probably wouldn't want to subject yours to it that often. Unless you want to take a few 'dry runs' and train those dogs to stand down when they see you which is a pain.

[panthermom]

The article say more like a lab. I can tell you from working with a shelter, if a dog comes in that is black with long ears they always say the breed is Lab mix to make it more adoptable.

[Obamageddon]

"Neither a pit bull nor a lab can jump a six foot chain link fence"

You havn't been around pit bulls much, have you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBhBbnat_ss

[Obamageddon]

Here's a six foot fence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIM4vnCxw3I

[kaylar]

My dad used to raise Chihuahuas, back before I was born, in the first Chihuahua Craze of the late 1950s/early 1960s. He described to me an incident in which one Chihuahua chased two German Shepherd dogs down the street. (This occurred on an AFB, so it was likely that those two dogs were trained police dogs.) Then there was the time I was leaving the vet’s with my Chihuahua, and while I was writing the check, he decides to pick a fight with a waiting patient...A Rottweiler. My Chi growled in what he clearly thought was a deep and menacing manner in his throat, and the Rottweiler-a nearly full grown puppy, and a sweet, friendly dog-thought he was being invited to play a dog game. The Rottweiler’s owner dropped the pup’s leash, and the Rottweiler approached my Chi, smiling and wagging his tail. Then Mr Macho backed up rapidly till he was safely behind my legs-and then he starts growling and barking more loudly. I picked him up and tried to use the other patrons in the waiting area as a learning session for the chi-namely, on the difference between “laughing AT” and “laughing WITH”, but I don’t think the lesson took.

[Tijeras_Slim]

No doubt the pit bull put him up to it on a dare of some sort.

I triple dog dare you!

[Constitution Day]

A person who wants an aggressive dog can train any breed to do something like this.

Any breed?

I have never seen any news stories about a killer Bichon Frisé or Papillon.

:)

[pepperhead]

Cool video, too bad the camera was held sideways. ;)

That dog took that 6ft fence like the dog that was jumping the fence at my local dog park. I am guessing that dog can take a 4 ft. with ease.

[allmost]

I didn't say the little ones would succeed. :)
I've been bitten by a small dog or two in my time, some of them try. I get your point though.

[KELLYGIRL]

UHM, I KNOW THIS WOMAN, I PRACTICALLY GREW UP WITH HER FAMILY OUT ON HER PROPERTY (I WAS BEST FRIENDS WITH HER DAUGHTER FOR 20 YEARS), THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. WHAT HELPED THE DOGS OVER THE FENCE (THAT SHE’S HAD UP FOR 30 YEARS) IS THAT HER NEIGHTBOR HAS JUNK PILED UP AGAINST HER FENCE (THEIR SIDE, THE PIT OWNER). SO YES, HER ‘STORY’ IS ENTIRELY IN TRUTH.