Posted on 04/04/2009 10:19:16 AM PDT by Chet 99
Fed up with pit bulls, a Saginaw man sets out to trap them
by Dean Bohn
The Saginaw News
Saturday April 04, 2009, 8:01 AM
Tracy D. Albert said he's had enough of pit bulls.
So he's setting out traps to catch them and is offering a $50 reward for the name of the owner who brought pit bulls into his yard and urged them to attack his cat.
He said he wants to prosecute them "after I talk to their mommy and daddy about what they've been doing."
Albert said his family's 13-year-old cat, "Lucky," was sunning itself outside about 7 p.m. Tuesday when two muscular males, 17 to 19 years old, brought their leashed pit bulls into his yard and sicced them on his cat.
"When I came out of the house, I see one dog had my cat by the belly, so I kicked the dog so hard he flipped on his back," said Albert, 46, who lives on Saginaw's West Side.
"(The owner of the dog) didn't like it, so I kicked his dog seven or eight more times, just to show him who was in control. By that time the dog (ran between the owner's legs) and almost tripped him. He and I went face-to-face, but then some friends of his came over and flanked him. He left, walking north on Hamilton. Now I'm looking for him. I'm offering a $50 bill for a good name."
Albert said he's tired of seeing pit bulls running wild in his neighborhood two or three times a day.
"I set out a cougar trap and put in a coyote scent," he said. "It's a live trap, but I'll be turning them over to the Animal Shelter. They've agreed to take any I trap. I've been a nuisance trapper since I was a kid."
Albert said he put out the trap -- and the word of his bounty -- Wednesday. By mid-day Thursday, pit bull traffic was almost non-existent, he said.
"Word got out, and they're all keeping them locked down," he said.
Pit bulls have come under closer public scrutiny since March 5, when three pit bulls attacked and injured Bridgetta Hadley, 42, of Saginaw and Duane VanLanHam, 48, who lives across South 23rd Street in Buena Vista Township.
Hadley had nerve damage and wounds that required 20 stitches to close. VanLanHam had one surgery and is expecting five more.
A trial date is not yet set for the dogs' owners, Anthony D. Hunt of Saginaw and Shamorrow S. Amos of Buena Vista Township.
Saginaw County Chief District Judge M. Randall Jurrens ordered Hunt and Amos to stand trial in Circuit Court on six counts of possessing dangerous animals causing serious injury at South 23rd and Perkins in Buena Vista Township.
A conviction could lead to a sentence of up to four years in prison, $2,000 in fines and 500 hours of community service.
Court records indicate that Hunt, 33, lives at 2302 S. Niagara, No. 1, and Amos, 24, lives at 628 S. 23rd.
Two of the pit bulls remain under the care of the Saginaw County Animal Care Center. Buena Vista Township Police Officer Jason Hendricks shot and killed the third dog.
Since the incident, more people are reporting pit bull sightings.
For the 59 days from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, dispatchers handled 90 "vicious dogs in progress" calls, said Tom McIntyre, 911 director. That's about 1.5 calls per day.
In the 20 days between March 1 and 20, dispatchers received 68 vicious dog calls -- about 3.4 a day.
Several students were walking behind me and started to sing the free credit report ditty, but actually said the words in my tag line.
What free republic jacket? They have those?
When Clinton was still president.
You might want to check with Kristin from the DC chapter.
They may still have some left.
Which is why the owner needs to suffer the same legal consequences when his dog injures a 2nd party, that he would if he had directly caused the injury or the damage to another's pet.
There are cases where individuals have been charged with and convicted of assault with a deadly weapon when they've used a dog to attack another person. More such convictions need to happen to convince these people that hiding behind a big mean dog won't save them from prison.
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