Relatives said the grandmother frequently baby-sits her grandson, but said that when the baby is around, the dogs are usually outside, in a small, fenced-in yard. The dogs were kind to the grandmother, relatives said, but were aggressive toward others.This could have been any large protective breed...dobermans, chows, Newfoundlands...any. It is not the breeding, but the raising that predisposes dogs to behave this way.
One relative said the dogs bit her 8-year-old niece in the face once, and added she thought the dogs should have been put down then. A sign on the front gate warns pedestrians on the busy neighborhood street to beware of the dogs.
“Are those dogs dangerous? You better believe it,” said neighbor Larry Salazar, who congregated with several other neighbors after they heard the shots fired. Ramon Sanchez, whose grandmother lives next-door to where the attack occurred, said the two dogs were at least 120 pounds each and were vicious.
My husband and I have a toddler and two GSD's. If either dog ever showed the slightest inclination to hurt a kid, it would be put down on the spot. Fortunately our two are very protective, and will warn us if we think we're playing too rough with our little girl (much to her disgust, of course).
The idea that dogs bred to fight are no more aggressive than your average dog is preposterous. And almost daily news stories confirm that.
One relative said the dogs bit her 8-year-old niece in the face once, and added she thought the dogs should have been put down thenWe talk often about how important it is for the owner to be responsible
A few years back I had a discussion with a poster
who was outraged at some nearby dog owners
that had inadequate containment for their dogs.
She said it was up to me and people like me to do something about it
because the problem causers would listen to us.
Well after I finished chuckling at the vision of myself
lying in a pool of blood after telling some 'brothers'
that they better clean up their act,
I asked her what she had done about it,
who she had called to report the problem.
It turned out she had reported it to no one.
Another layer of responsiblity is Animal Control.
While the majority do a superb job, many times in the face of inadequate resources,
there have been too many times when tragedy has followed
on the heels of numerous reports of problem behavior.
Either Animal Control is not being diligent,
or is not being given adequate resources
or is hamstrung by inadequate or ineffectual laws.
I'd suggest that anyone with a cellphone keep the number of the local Animal Control in its memory.
If you see a problem, call and report it.
If it involves stray dogs and you don't have other pressing business
keep them in sight until Animal Control arrives.
You can thereby help guide them to the dogs.
It's remarkable how much distance a dog or dogs can cover
between your initial call and the time AC arrives.
Keep an extra leash in your vehicle
and if you judge it safe to do leash the stray until AC arrives.
Recently, I saw fire trucks and an ambulance pull up to house.
I also saw at the window of the residence what appeared to be a large Lab
bouncing up and down and barking at all these strangers entering his yard.
Thinking perhaps the owner was incapacited and that the fire/ambulance guys
might appreciate having someone to control the dog while the did their job
I grabbed my extra leash and went to offer my assistance.
Turned out the elderly lady of the house while in distress
was still able to get the dog behind a closed door
so my help was not needed but the guys appreciated my offer.
At 120 + pounds each, these are most assuredly NOT pitbulls. A BIG pit is 75 lbs tops.
But the urinalist who penned this screed is far to busy to do basic research. Besides, how else could he whip up the current breed hysteria?