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."
As a child I was nipped several times by our dog, an Irish setter, it never required stitches or emergency visits to the hospital. States keep these stats to keep track of rabies outbreaks and other diseases that can be passed from animal to human..
What is astonishing is that people like you that defend the breed rarely post articles on all the good deeds the dog of peace does....there have been 2 or 3 in the past year, one posted by Chet....Back up your attitude with posts of all the good pit stories out there..
Oh wait, I forgot, its not the breed, its also now the reporters that don't write about their good deeds...
You are at least good for a laugh...
“I believe that killing all pit bulls and other useless dogs like them and neutering their owners might put a stop to this crap.”
That ‘s wrong in anybody’s book.But....
I do know this that dogs need much attention and they want to be told what to do.Unfortunately for dogs...not every owner has the time nor wants to spend the time... that dogs need.
Pit bulls need constant attention....that’s why I don’t have any dogs....anymore.I don’t want to fool w/them.bird dogs same thing...they get into trouble if you’re not around...they MUST be your constant companion.
Dogs(liking) to kids...if daddy ain’t around...they get into trouble..to a certain age.They gang up on and start following the bad crowd.
Doberman,rottweiler,german shepherd and then some on a smaller scale dependant on their size.Yes...even a chihuahua are bad asses but do little damage.Have you ever heard of one of these attacking a baby? I recall one in a crib biting a baby or two.
I don’t keep dogs anymore...I know my lack of attentiveness...and I don’t like dog sh*t around my house period.
I think tubebender’s point is exactly the same as mine. I have rotties, and the neighbor’s pits are constantly chewing through my fence to get through. I told the neighbor that they’d be greeted with a .40 JHP when they came through, with no question asked. He wisely put up an additional row of slats on his side of our fence, and his pits are just fine, as is he.
If any dog comes after me or mine, I’ll shoot it in the head, and state law will back me up. Is that plain enough for you to understand?
I have two dogs that are akita mixes. While they are very sweet, traditionally they are an aggressive breed, and I can tell you they don’t take kindly to strangers or commotions.
We had some theft problems before I got them. Now we don’t. In fact, nine houses on my block were robbed last year in one night. My dogs went berserk, and our house was skipped.
I pray no cat or small dog is stupid enough to enter my yard when they are outside, and I keep a good watch on them. But they are here for a reason, and I wouldn’t penalize them for attacking any animal or adult that entered my yard without permission.
I didn’t know about them hanging sodomites but sounds fine to me. Let’s bring that back. OR maybe throw them into a pen of pitbulls.
Gotta love them big-bore JHP’s,,,
Only takes one,,,(the other 5 are just for fun),,,
Monday was not a good day here,,,
Stopped at the store,,,
Got back to the car to find a late model truck with a pit
in it parked next to me,,,
Throwing itself against the side-glass doing it's damnedest
to get at me,,,
Got home and was haulin’ the bags inside,,,
(changed over to yard gun)
Went back for another load,,,
Thug woman had let their largest male loose out front to
crap,,,no leash,,,
I skinned that smoke wagon and walked to my car,,,
She had a fit :”HE DON'T BITE”,,,
“I DO!!!”...
(now I need more Ammonia)...
I hope that she moves or gets rid of those animals before too long. We finally got all of the stuff for the new hot rods here and are doing some modifications. ...will Freepmail you.
I agree, and that’s why I said that when a pit bull bites, they aren’t apt to let go. Plus some dogs have a much stronger prey drive, and will “go for the throat”...so to speak. I think that’s why pit bulls are more often involved in deaths than other breeds.
But as far as the biting, I would not trust any dog, not to bite. I’ve known a couple kids who were bitten quite severely by Labs (one child was pushed down by the lab and bitten in the face)...and those breeds are noted as good family pets.
I have Weims, they’ve never bitten anyone, but I would not trust them in a room alone with a child I didn’t know (don’t get me wrong, they are quite often around kids, but I know the children and they don’t abuse the dogs.) On the other hand, I’ve had visitors with small kids (who were eye level with the dog) and the kids had no idea not to smack the dog in the face. I would not put it past my dogs to bite...so I usually have them stay right beside where I’m seated or put them outside when I notice that kind of behavior in a child that’s visiting.
I agree, and that’s why I said that when a pit bull bites, they aren’t apt to let go. Plus some dogs have a much stronger prey drive, and will “go for the throat”...so to speak. I think that’s why pit bulls are more often involved in deaths than other breeds.
But as far as the biting, I would not trust any dog, not to bite. I’ve known a couple kids who were bitten quite severely by Labs (one child was pushed down by the lab and bitten in the face)...and those breeds are noted as good family pets.
I have Weims, they’ve never bitten anyone, but I would not trust them in a room alone with a child I didn’t know (don’t get me wrong, they are quite often around kids, but I know the children and they don’t abuse the dogs.) On the other hand, I’ve had visitors with small kids (who were eye level with the dog) and the kids had no idea not to smack the dog in the face. I would not put it past my dogs to bite...so I usually have them stay right beside where I’m seated or put them outside when I notice that kind of behavior in a child that’s visiting.
I can only count three now,,,
2 in back and 1 in the house,,,
As I've posted before we can smell the dead ones in back,,,
Died on their tow chains,,,
The rest(3?)are just skin and bones,,,(worms?),,,
Sooner or later Me-n-Harley will be able to play ball
in our own yard without worry,,,
Still no sign of the thug,,,
I hope they sent his ass to Angola...;0)
The last two dogs I had were lab/chow mixes. Very defensive of their yard and kids.
Their job was first line of defense against intruders, be it two legged or four.
Doesn’t matter how they got over the fence. What matters is that they weren’t in their own yard. Weren’t on a leash.
I'll keep that in mind!
Plus, birdshot doesn't travel as far as a bullet does. Have to think of the neighbours, after all.
I *heart* The Highlander.
It’s interesting how all these blustering badasses who like to yak about how they’re gonna shoot every pit bull that steps into their yard seem to be ignoring the fact that the labs were the ones who got loose.
I would never personally keep a vicious dog, but neither would I punish one for defending my home.
Dogs can squeeze through very tiny holes. I witnessed a dog doing this. She squeezed through an opening barely the circumference of her head, and when she got to her chest, she shimmied out. Dogs are very capable of getting themselves in trouble. And just because one dog was scared doesn’t mean he was too scared to follow another dog. You can’t assume there was foul play just because a grieving owner makes comments regarding a neighbor they probably don’t get along with.
Fish hawk, over fifty different breeds of dog have taken lives, including labs, chespeake bay retrievers, westies, collies, and hounds. Dogs play by different rules, and thus need humans to make sure they don’t do anything we consider bad.
They’re also no different physically. Their jaws are no different, not stronger, and they don’t lock. They also are not more likely to tear flesh than other breeds. This is a myth. There have been lots of “vicious pit bull” stories where the dog simply nipped someone, but it’s never perceived that way by the public because the media knows how to market their stories to get better ratings. They are a business, after all, not a public service, and they have no obligation to report all dog attacks.
Pit bulls were never bred to attack people. They were bred, like many, many other breeds, to fight other animals, and during the generations of breeding for the perfect fighting dog, the breeders also bred for dogs who were extremely human-submissive. They did not want to have a dog in the ring they could not control.
This is why out of five to ten million pit bulls, an infinitesimally small number of them have taken lives. Compared to their population, less than a half of a half of a percent of them have done harm to people. It is ridiculous that people believe this tiny minority is representative of the entire breed. There are no studies that prove this, and plenty that disprove it, so perhaps a better focus would be on all dog owners. You are no less dead if killed by a lab, and the same rules should apply for all dogs.
A pair of Pit bulls attacked my wife and her dog >B?ON A FRIGGING PUBLIC STREET</A> and those are the only P/B out of millions that I give a shit about!!!! The “owner” of these two served time because EPD had cited him several times but he never showed up for the hearings...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.