Pitbull attacks owner 24 hours after adoption

KXLY ^

[Chet 99]

Pitbull attacks owner 24 hours after adoption

Posted: Jun 18, 2009 4:31 PM PDT

Updated: Jun 18, 2009 8:52 PM PDT

COEUR D'ALENE -- A pitbull adopted from the Kootenai Humane Society attacked its new owner a day after it was adopted and then got away when police tried to corral the animal.

During the attack the victim, Kip Legaard, called 9-1-1 and when police officers arrived and tried to taser the dog it ran away. Legaard, who lost nearly two pints of blood in the attack is now angry because he had been told by the Humane Society the pit bull could be a family dog.

Kip Legaard adopted the pitbull named Mojo on Friday. He says the humane society told him the dog was nice.

"The lady's like he's so sweet, so sweet, so sweet," Kip said.

On Saturday Kip says that out of nowhere the dog suddenly lunged at him.

"All of a sudden BOOM the dog had my arm," he said. "It felt like someone put my arm in a hydraulic press."

Legaard's arm was bleeding and then the dog attacked again. He managed to free himself and run inside into the bathroom. Bleeding from his wounds Legaard called 9-1-1 and then waited until the dog went downstairs before he bolted from his house into a waiting ambulance.

"The dog followed me out to the ambulance ... the guys are like run, run," he said.

Now, as his wounds heal Legaard still can't believe what happened and he can't believe the Kootenai Humane Society let someone adopt that dog.

"I think they should do way more assessment on the animals behavior before they adopt it out," Kip said.

Eric Hess is the behavioral specialist for the Kootenai Humane Society and he did assess Mojo prior to adoption. Hess says the behavior assessment is 15 pages long and the pitbull passed it.

Before any dog goes out Hess analyzes the dog, how do they act when they're fed, when they're played with, walked, how do they react to children and how do they react to strangers. Mojo passed every scenario Hess threw at him.

"If I wasn't confident in adopting the dog out he wouldn't have passed his behavioral analysis in the beginning," Hess said.

Hess added that Legaard did lie on his application form to adopt the dog. Legaard said he didn't have other dogs in the house when in fact he does. Those other animals, the Humane Society says, could've triggered the attack.

Mojo, meanwhile, remains on the loose.

[verity]

Kip is a certifiable idiot.

[LongElegantLegs]

I was not there, but I would bet that Legaard was trying to break up a dog fight when he got bit.

DING DING DING! We have a winner. Of course, he will never admit it...

[dmartin]

I’m a huge animal lover but I have to say this... that “breed” needs to be exterminated. They are dangerous, unpredictable and their jaws are lethal.

This breed used to be known as 'nanny' dogs for good reason. They are excellent with people and other dogs, easy to socialize, loyal, and intelligent.

In my opinion, the problem with the breed these days has more to do with people buying a 'tough' dog, realizing it takes a hell of a lot of work and dumping them off at the shelter. Our shelters are filled with abused and neglected animals and of course the addition of shelter staff that think all animals can be saved and re-homed instead of put down makes the situation worse.

Any dog, regardless of breed, can be dangerous and unpredictable when owned by idiots that think the cute puppy has human emotions and they don't need to spend time every day training and socializing.

[pawsitivepitbulls]

I have a rescued Pit Bull right now that is a registered therapy dog.
I have friends that have family Pit Bulls that are great dogs.
I dont understand what makes anyone on this forum think it is their right to exterminate a breed.
Pit Bulls that have attacked only represent a very small percentage of the Pit Bull population.
For example: If 10 Pit Bulls out of 5,000 have attacked, that does not mean the other 4,990 will.
Also, have you ever sat down and thought about the kinds of people that sometimes own this breed? Did you ever think that bad owners are the reason that Pit Bulls are often in the news for attacks?
All I am saying is that people should really research a subject before spewing their ignorance, as most people are doing on this forum.

http://www.pawsitivepitbulls.com

[Seeing More Clearly Now]

This story is surely an allegory for the adoption of Barack Obama as president by the uninformed, uncurious people of the U.S.

[Hi Heels]

When MY dog starts to get all chesty and aggressive, I deal with him right away.

I dress his little chihuahua butt up in his girlfriend Tinkerbelle's tutu and make him wear it all day. Humbles him RIGHT up. And no Zorro costume for a week.

[Mount Athos]

Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, has conducted an unusually detailed study of dog bites from 1982 to the present. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006; click here to read it.) The Clifton study show the number of serious canine-inflicted injuries by breed. The author’s observations about the breeds and generally how to deal with the dangerous dog problem are enlightening.

According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question. Clifton states:

If almost any other dog has a bad moment, someone may get bitten, but will not be maimed for life or killed, and the actuarial risk is accordingly reasonable. If a pit bull terrier or a Rottweiler has a bad moment, often someone is maimed or killed—and that has now created off-the-chart actuarial risk, for which the dogs as well as their victims are paying the price.

The vast majority of biting dogs (77%) belong to the victim’s family or a friend.

[clk4floyd]

Again, not breed problem, most likely owner problem. The shelter information CLEARLY indicated that the new owner lied about info on his app. (He said he had no other dogs, why would he lie? And what else was he lying about??) - The other dogs could have triggered the attack, or maybe MOJO was just a good judge of character and got the away from a bad situation!!!

[Trailerpark Badass]

Hess added that Legaard did lie on his application form to adopt the dog. Legaard said he didn't have other dogs in the house when in fact he does. Those other animals, the Humane Society says, could've triggered the attack.

Ahh, oops.

[cardboardcutout]

I've been reading your post and seems you don't know much about dogs at all. Pit bulls were once “the American dog” like the eagle is our bird.

People are at fault here, people who abuse and neglect the dogs. Get them because they look tough and are muscular then mistreat them, never socialize,train or love them....yet these wonderful creatures remain loyal.

What is your experience with dogs and training or behavior that you can say the things you do? I have over 40 years experience with training & rehabilitating dogs that people have screwed up either by the way the raise them or breed the goodness out of them in puppy mills or back yard breeders.

But I guess if stealing is okay with you then so would killing off an entire breed of wonderful dogs because people have messed them up. What do you have to say to that Chet99?

[Canedawg]

I notice from that article that they followed the lead of other “illegals”, and moved from Dade up to Broward and PB.

;-)