"Of course you are."
Posted on 12/17/2009 8:07:08 PM PST by Chet 99
Days after getting the call that her 11 year old Lab, Shilo, had been mauled, Peggy Navarrete is still haunted by watching her family's pet's last moments in a vet's office.
"I don't sleep at night. I close my eyes and I'm back in that vet's office seeing all that blood,"
Two doors down, her neighbor, Cristie Noble faces the same nightmare. Her dog lingered in a losing fight, his body temperature dangerously low from shock and lying wounded in the snow.
"He was lying on a table, wrapped in a blanket. There was blood on his head and one of his ears was partially torn off."
Noble, her husband and 12 year old daughter had to make the heartwrenching decision to euthanize their 5 year old lab and shepherd cross, Buddy. Navarrete's dog, Shilo, died as the vets worked to stabilize her.
Both dogs had been mauled Monday morning in their neighbor's yard by one or both of their neighbors' pit bulls.
The attack was unexpected, but both families say there have been problems with the pit bulls before.
Navarrete's fence shows signs of an ongoing struggle to keep the male pit bull from tearing holes in it. It's patched here and there.
They say the dog's owners even bought them a number of wooden pickets to keep up with the damage.
It was through the latest hole, now blocked by a sheet of plywood that Shilo apparently entered the pit bulls' yard. No one knows why she or Buddy wandered into the yard.
In fact, no one can explain how Buddy got through the fence. There are no apparent holes big enough for the 70 pound dog to sneak through. Besides, Noble says, Buddy was afraid of the pit bulls next door and avoided the fence that separated them.
"It's a huge mystery," says Noble "and an incredible coincidence that both dogs were in that yard at the same time."
The owners of the pit bulls, who have not responded to our inquiries, have apologized, but insist their dogs are well socialized and safe. They promised to restrain them in the future, but when asked if they would put either of their dogs down, both women say the answer was 'that's not going to happen."
"We appreicated the apology," says Noble, "but it didn't seem like enough."
Navarrete is more direct. "I want them to pay my vet bills and I want them to put their dogs down."
Both admit the pit bull owners are care for their pets and having just lost their dogs they realize what they are asking.
"It's heartbreaking," says Navarrete, "but do you want to have a dog that could kill two dogs in one day?"
Both women say they're also puzzled and angry with the response they got from the Sparks Police Department and Animal Control.
"They sent us one to the other," says Noble. In the end the answer was nothing could be done.
There are ordinances under which a dog can be declared a dangerous animal, but Bobby Smith, Field Supervisor for Washoe County's Animal Services says it only applies if the dog attacks beyond his owner's property. This attack took place in the pit bulls' back yard.
"We're in the midst of a tragic situation," he says, "but our hands are tied."
So there the dispute sits. Both families feel a huge loss. Buddy's bed still sits in the Noble's living room, his collar, almost torn in half rests nearby. Her daughter says she doesn't even want another pet as long as the pit bulls are next door. Noble isn't arguing.
"I don't want anyone else to go through what we've gone through," says says. "I don't want it to be my daughter next or one of her friends who hits a wiffle ball over the fence and doesn't know any better."
Bob Navarrete is no longer greeted in the evening by the faithful dog who filled an emoitional hole when he lost another dog 11 years ago, a dog who them accompanied the family on frequent hunting and fishing trips.
"She'd look for a fish in a mud hole,if you asked her" Peggy Navarrete says.
Navarrete worries about her other thee dogs and what might happen next. "I have to leave my dogs out there and I worry if they'll be there when I get home. It's scary.
Both women say their neighbors take care of their dogs and they realize the difficult decision they may be pressing them toward, but Navarrete says, "I know they love their dogs. I love my dogs, but do you want a dog you can't trust?
"Their dog will die easier than my dog. Mine suffered."
“The negligent owners are the ones that had dogs die.”
Looks that way... Of course the resident breed haters will say the pit “coaxed” the other dog into its yard so it could rip it to shreds.... If it’s not in the article one cannot responsibly fill in the blanks.
Beware of pit bulls bearing candy, I always say...
ROFLOL!!! I do grieve when any animal suffers and dies needlessly, but honestly!! The lengths some here go to make the pit out to be Satan incarnate!!
I believe that killing all pit bulls and other useless dogs like them and neutering their owners might put a stop to this crap. Why in heavens name does someone want a dog that will rip off a babies face or kill someone? I think it’s psychological. They have no self respect so to be macho, they have to have the symbol (the dog). It’s kind of like the youth gangs. As individuals they are a bunch of punk as kids but in a gang they become brave and macho.
“I believe that killing all pit bulls and other useless dogs like them and neutering their owners might put a stop to this crap. Why in heavens name does someone want a dog that will rip off a babies face or kill someone? I think it’s psychological. They have no self respect so to be macho, they have to have the symbol (the dog). It’s kind of like the youth gangs. As individuals they are a bunch of punk as kids but in a gang they become brave and macho.”
While I completely agree that Pit Bulls end up in the wrong hands too often, it is completely unwarranted and irresponsible to blame all owners and ignore the fact that Pit Bulls have been loving members of many families for generations without incident. It’s not the breed, but the irresponsible actions of the owners. ‘Nuff said.
Recommend the 12 gauge. Those dogs don’t die easy.
AND, I am of the same mind.
There’s only one halfway rational use for pit bulls I’ve ever heard of which is hog hunting and there is no rational reason for anybody to keep one in an urban or suburban area.
Works well with coons also.......
You can buy what you like - but the facts DO fit, and if you’ve paid any attention to the boards you’ll find there are MANY stories of such...Use the search button and see for yourself. Dogs are dogs. Yes, the Pit is a strong dog — as are Rotties and Dobes just to name two. Search the stories. They are there: attacks by other dogs. Yes, it certainly happens. A more appropriate question might be to ask why the media ONLY reports en masse those stories that cast the Pit in a negative light?? And why so often when other dog breeds are involved they are just “dog attacks”? Why, also, don’t the Media distinguish between “resident dogs” and “family dogs”?? There is a HUGE difference, but you’d never know it by the way the Media reports the stories. Pit Bulls have been used as therapy dogs and have saved many an owner from fires, snake bites, and often at the expense of their own lives. The facts are there and they would surprise you. Check them out.
"Of course you are."
WOW! You certainly haven’t done your research, have you?? They actually make great family dogs — yes, the research is there to prove it (if you are objective and open-minded enough to do the reading.)
Here are the specifics from a study...the deal is, most dogs will bite, but when a pit bull bites, their breed/temperment is more tenacious and they will not ease off. Anyhoo, here are the rankings of dogs that bite most often (I don’t know if they adjusted the stats to compensate for the fact that some breeds are more popular and in greater number as pets):
Of the 188 different breeds in the survey, bites were reported from 129, including “gentle” breeds like Golden Retrievers. At least 38 percent came from mixed-breed dogs, the study notes.
The five top breeds involved in bite incidents in the study, which aims to challenge breed bans for dogs like Pit Bulls, were Labrador Retrievers (13 percent), Pit Bulls (8.4 percent), German Shepherds (7.8 percent), Rottweilers (3.9 percent) and Chow-Chows (3.5 percent).
Bites involving children brought similar results, with Labrador Retrievers responsible for 15.6 percent, Pit Bulls for 7.5 percent, German Shepherds for 6.8 percent, Smooth-Coated Chihuahuas for 4.2 percent and Rottweilers for 4.1 percent.
Great post, Dawn! The breed-haters won’t thank you for pointing out the fallacies in their arguments, though. Facts are such pesky things...
I’m sure there are some good Muslims too but...
“..... but the irresponsible actions of the owners.”
AND breeders/puppy mills.
The ones that maim and kill, pits, pit crosses, rotty's etc, Its the breed...and the type of person that owns them has a size problem...
Puke away. Won’t change the facts one bit. I could say the same regarding the breed-haters: always there denying the facts. Astonishing.
?????? Your comparison is puzzling at best and disturbing at worst. What exactly IS your point supposed to be?
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