Posted on 03/04/2011 9:00:24 AM PST by marktwain
The owner of a 70-pound greyhound said Thursday that he exhausted all options before pulling his handgun on a 140-pound dog that had latched its jaws around his greyhound’s neck.
“I had no choice but to shoot into the dog and kill him,” Robert McCombs said.
Tammy Martinez, who owned the dog shot to death, was served a summons Thursday afternoon on suspicion of unlawful ownership of a dangerous animal, a misdemeanor, according to Joe Stafford, director of animal services at the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region. Martinez identifed her dog as a bullmastiff.
The incident left McCombs’ 6-year-old greyhound, Cooper, with a gash to his neck requiring five staples. Martinez’s dog was not injured by Cooper, Stafford said.
McCombs was walking Cooper about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on the 4800 block of El Camino when he said he heard a woman across the street “having some trouble” with her dog. He didn’t turn toward her, however, until he heard yelling. The dog was dragging Martinez, he said.
“He blasted across (the street) and came right at us,” McCombs said. “They fought just a little tiny bit and then that dog clamped down on my dog’s neck.”
Grabbing the bullmastiff’s leash, he tried pulling the dog away from the Cooper but the dog did not relent, causing him to drag both, McCombs said.
He said he kicked the bullmastiff before pulling his gun.
“I told her one last time, I said ‘Get your dog off or I’m going to kill him,’” McCombs said. “The lady was yelling things... and he was not responding to anything at all. She might as well have been a stranger to that dog.
“I could see that my dog was dying because his eyes got real red.”
A tearful Tammy Martinez told The Gazette her dog Flato wasn’t dangerous and shouldn’t have been killed.
Martinez moved to Colorado Springs from Corpus Christi, Texas, with Flato and two other dogs in October, a few months after her husband, Ruben, died from cancer. Flato was a stray the couple took in seven years ago.
Flato was very loving, she said, referring to him as her “dog with the waggly tail.”
“When you sing songs to him, you can hear that thing thumping,” she said.
When Flato saw the greyhound and darted toward it, Martinez fell and was dragged about 15 feet across a grass slope and a sidewalk, causing her to lose her hold on the leash, she said.
“If he was aggressive, he would have went after the owner in self-defense” when kicked, Martinez said.
McCombs shot the attacking dog twice, killing it, Colorado Springs police said. He had a permit to carry a concealed handgun, police said, and appeared to be “within the guidelines of the law” when firing his handgun.
The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region is investigating whether the shooter was justified in firing on the bullmastiff, Stafford said.
“I’m not going to say this is a straight-forward case,” said Stafford. “I don’t ever jump to conclusions. I want to be as objective, impartial and thorough as possible.”
Bullmastiffs are among the dogs banned from Fort Carson under a policy restricting so-called aggressive breeds that also include Rottweilers, pitbulls and Doberman pinschers.
Martinez’s friend, Shawna Pugmire, a former professional dog trainer, was consoling Martinez on Thursday and agreed with her that Flato wasn’t dangerous.
“I let my 6-year-old play with Flato,” Pugmire said. “Given a couple seconds, I have no doubt he would have responded to Tammira (Martinez). And it would have been a whole different outcome for him.”
McCombs said there was a “noticeable difference” in Cooper’s temperment after the incident.
“Most greyhounds are timid anyway — he’s really, really shy,” McCombs said. “I hope he goes back to his playful self once he gets all healed up.”
— Gazette staff writer Lance Benzel contributed to this report.
Cool story.
The Gazette is generally very supportive of concealed carry.
The breed of dog mentioned is a benned dog in that area.
End of story.
Woman was in the wrong from the first jump in October.
This breed discrimination angers me, too. We were denied umbrella insurance coverage from USAA because of our minature (80 lb) akita.
Going after eggs or hens?
Egg-suckin' dogs were a menace to any chicken/egg operation back when I was a yute, and generally got no mercy.
“There is nothing in my post that indicates that I am ever not in absolute control of my dog.”
Your story indicates you don’t control your animal. You’re prideful way of having a dangerous dog is no different than those gangbangers. I just hope it doesn’t kill some little kid before its put down.
Yes. Bullmastiffs are bred to overpower and subdue poachers and their dogs - a VERY dangerous breed of dog (I know, I have one).
2) Running lose, often >1 running lose?
Yes. Dog was on a leash, yet owner was physically (and more importantly psychologically) incapable of maintaining control of her dog.
3) Previous reports of aggression?
Not mentioned/ No.
4) Unrealistic view by owner on the aggressiveness of their dog (often despite #3 above)?
YES! In spades - even after a VIVID demonstration that she had NO control over her dog -as it MAULED another dog - she still maintains that it would all be OK if only she had a few seconds to sweet talk her dog and convince him to NOT destroy the greyhound. Delusional!
Wow... what nonsense. You are truly too stupid to talk to.
I know someone who has bull mastiffs. He had a delivery guy drive up to his house to make a delivery, then stop several doors away.
The dog owner said “Hey, you have a flat tire! How did that happen?”
Delivery guy “Your dog just bit my tire.”
Owner “ha ha ha”.
Delivery guy “No really. Your dog just bit my tire and flattened it”.
He helped him change the tire and bought him a new one.
I don't think a dog will give you that long. An agitated animal is incredibly fast and dangerous. Going hand to hand with a vicious dog, even with a blade, is risky business. Certainly a blade is better than nothing but not nearly as good as a firearm.
“Wow... what nonsense. You are truly too stupid to talk to.”
You have a very dangerous animal controlled by a chain. The same kinda control this little lady used on her dog.
Chains and collars break. At which point your dog would start attacking. At which point I shoot it and then you. The only difference is I might bury the dog respectfully as it would be your fault.
What’s driving me nuts is I can’t remember the dog’s name. Probably recall it at 2am tonight. Sure he’s passed since then, and lost track of that friend.
Was about 120 lbs of calm obedient love. (The lapdog thing was a game we played, but he’d get right down if told.)
Irish Wolfhounds really are why there aren’t any wolves left in Ireland. (Except I read some idiocy about reintroducing them. Wonder if they did. Stooooopid idea.) One of the Ceasar’s got a set as a gift and had them kill bears and lions in the Colliseum. So the pitbull - decent size, I’d guess 60 lbs, my bet was a cross with a rotty - didn’t stand much of a chance. Neither would the banger have, even if armed...
“....Falco has become protective to the extreme.... “
Any dog that is “Protective to the extreme” is one that requires constant watching.
Somebody sticks their hand out to shake your hand and you dog could think it is an attack on you. Dogs are fast.
Take care.
“I’m thinking that my “baggy pants” and “prison walk” comments offended you.”
No what offends me is when ignorant people keep dangerous dogs they cannot control or train properly. I’ve been bitten by those kinda dogs before and yes the dogs did get put down.
Dogs like yours bite and kill people all the time. People that did nothing wrong except be around when the dog got loose.
So yes thats offensive. Your other comments are equally offensive and show just how little class you have. You may think its cool to display your ignorance for the world to see but its really kinda humorous.
Pete, I trust this dog. He read these people and was telling them to stay back.
Perhaps my words “protective to the extreme” were misleading. This was the only occasion wherein he has shown this degree of protection. It was extremely dark, we are alone, he saw them as a potential threat and warned them. I had complete control of the dog.
I raised Dobermanns for 30 years and never had a bad bite. I trained 2 of them in master protection, with a professional K-9 trainer.... I know how to read and handle a dog. At 62, this is not the first dog I have had.
You don’t have any credibility with me, so you’re waisting your time with your continued nonsense, sweetie pie.
Imagine how little I care about an ignorant puss like you. You don’t have the judgement to keep a dog let along a dangerous dog. You revel in having a dog frothing at the mouth.
People like you are why guys like the one in this story carry a gun.
Lol, that was not what is was talking about,Ethe other poster said it was hard to get the dead dogs mouth off, which I don’t believe. However, I can guarantee you that with the first pass of a sharp knife the dog will lose all desire to bit, he has a really hard time breathing blood from that point on.
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