Posted on 08/07/2013 6:37:18 PM PDT by RoosterRedux
I retired 10 years ago to take of elderly parents. Dad died peacefully last year and Mom is still kicking.
After spending the afternoon in the eye doc's office with Mom, came home and, after settling her down, went for the mail.
New neighbor has a Pit-Bull and today this dog was loose. As I went to the mail box, the dog ran over to the middle of the street (perhaps 15 feet away) and bared his teeth.
His owners were in the yard but did not call the dog. At the same time a UPS truck stop in front of their house, but the driver refused to get out of his truck.
Question is "what steps do I take as a good citizen?"
The next door neighbors inherited the house from the girl's grandmother. The girl's husband is a born again Christian...but he was previously in prison for drugs.
Pit Bull is young but large and aggressive.
Freeper opinions appreciated.
BTW, I have cats who lounge around in the front yard. If this dog kills my cats...I am apt to become upset. And an upset Freeper (armed to the teeth) is not a nice thing to behold.
By low life, I hope you’re referring to people who own aggressive dogs and don’t keep them leashed or on their property.
Show me where Regan was against local government. He was a governor. A huge part of a huge state government. He wanted to see a smaller federal government, but contributed to the growth of the federal government at every level. He was no anarchist. He hired people to run government departments. Appointed the heads of the bureaucracy. You are right to use the qualifier “big”. He was against big.
Government is required to establish civility in an uncivil world. The founders specifically rejected a “no government” option. They “established” government. Their genius was to attempt to limit FEDERAL government while allowing state and local governments to do as they pleased. Yes, even including banning big soda pop (if they can get away with it).
I have always spoken with my neighbors first, but only one in ten change their behavior. Your advice to talk is naive. This neighbor has already demonstrated that they are incapable of understanding anything except the law.
If the guy is a Christian, then go talk to him and let him know the dog is causing problems and ask him to take care of it. Also ask to be introduced to the dog, so it does not come after you, and you can put it back in the yard if it gets out. -Neighborly like.
True...Not thinking that way. Could be my fault......Just saying......
Carry a gun. If it ever gets any closer, kill it. I like dogs, I don’t necessarily like dog owners who are irresponsible with their animals. Given pitt bull’s reputation, these fools need to be extra careful, and they are not.
I’m referring to people that would poison a dog as you suggested.
Good to see someone on this thread who has actual professional experience with this subject. Your point about pit bulls being bred to bite and fight is precisely correct. A little internet searching on the breed will turn up their breeding history in minutes.
As you said, the aggressive tendencies of the breed have little to nothing to do with "bad owners". The reason thugs are attracted to this breed, is exactly because of their natural tendency toward aggression.
I suppose it's possible that one could run across the rare individual pit bull that isn't overly aggressive, but they're the exception to the rule in my experience. I've had more than my share of scary encounters with those animals, and no jabberjaw on the internet can tell me that I haven't seen what I've seen.
Talk to your neighbor about his dog getting lose and running about in the street. Take the attitude that it is dangerous for the dog due to the car traffic.
If the owner responds favorably ... then see if you can introduce yourself to the dog. Get him acquainted with your sent. Pop over and visit a time or two. Bring some jerky - dogs love jerky and will be your friend for life if they think that they can get some jerky from you.
If the owner does not respond well. Wait for the next time the dog is out and call animal control. If you have a CCW, carry while getting the mail. Still carry some jerky treats. Just because the owner might not be friendly, does not automatically mean the dog is aggressive.
If the owner is an ass. Call the cops about an aggressive dog in your neighborhood the next time it gets out.
“If you think for one minute that the “best” response to what will be (no doubt) an on-going relationship with this animal is to kneel down and act kindly, you need to have your head extracted from your hindquarters.”
Welll, a big German Shepherd charged me and if I had knelt down to be nice instead of standing completely still, she would have bitten off my head instead of chomping down on my leg just above my knee. Completely ruined those panty hose and didn’t do my leg any good, either.
Video everything. Report everything. Every time it is off the property without a leash. Every time it is barking at anyone. Every time it is snarling at anyone. If it smells. If they neglect it or abuse it.
Make sure it is licensed, and has has all the required shots.
Do not get into a pissing match with them. You will immediately have to compromise somewhere between “right”, and “wrong”, when you are entitled to “right”. There is a good chance they will retaliate in some way if they know you are asserting your rights.
Don’t get emotional with the authorities, just give them the facts, and register your complaint.
Get as many of your neighbors to do the same.
Don’t call 911 unless it is an emergency.
Own a gun, and know how to use it.
The best posture in dealing with the dog itself, is to get down on your knee to the dog’s level, and don’t act agressive or fearful. Call him.
I run into dogs like this constantly when doing lot surveys, and find that it is not too difficult to overcome the dog’s lack of training. Dogs are not unapproachable, but you have to be friendly toward them.
After you have made friendly contact, the dog is just an annoyance, not a hazard.
As for the owners, they need to be told to control their dog.
67 posted on Wednesday, August 07, 2013 7:04:42 PM by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I’d hoped they’d be)
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You gotta be kiddin’ me. Perhaps you might want to read the vast amount of documentation regarding pit bull behavior on the website dogsbite.org. Note the “org” in the website name. Pit propaganda has been loaded into websites with very similar names. You may want to copy and paste the website I list to make sure you get the right one.
When I first started investigating pits, I was astounded to learn that they kill, on average, one US citizen every 20 days. 2013 isn’t looking good - they are averaging one human killed every 13 days.
Unlike other aggressive breeds, they are the only breed to kill more humans in their prime as opposed to breeds mostly kill children. Check Youtube, there’s a video re a 40 pound pit bull killing a full sized horse.
I read case after case, watched countless videos. Pit bull attack behavior leaves damage that one would expect of a wild animal, not a domesticated dog. Crime scene reports detail mass quantities of blood everywhere and frequently, flesh stripped from bone methodically. One woman, while being killed on the other side of a door by her pet pit bull, screamed “He’s eating me!”. I recently watched a Youtube of a pit bull racing diagonally across a 4 way intersection to attack a child on the street. I’ve watched videos of pits breaking through doors, off leashes, out of muzzles, and out of cars to attack people without provocation.
It is a combination of the breed - yes it is bred to be unpredictably violent and lethal, and sometimes it is the added problem of owners who feel special if they have a dog with that kind of rep.
But here’s the thing, loving effective pit bull owners are attacked and killed by their pits too. It’s not just drug dealers who abuse their dogs. Not every pit will attack it’s owner. Of course not. But the ones who have been well treated, well trained and will attack can not be identified before they kill. So owners just have to hope as do the neighbors, the neighbors children, the neighbors pets etc.
I recently read the most heart rending 9000 word essay detailing what REALLY happens when a well treated, well trained pit bull kills someone. In this case it was two pits. It is tragic but highly informative - I heartily recommend it:
http://blog.dogsbite.org/2013/07/beyond-the-interview-essay-of-a-fatal-pit-bull-mauling.html
I say “what really happens” because I had not guessed at the scope of damage done to society by one attack. For starters, I think the 40 person medical team who tried to save the baby will not soon forget it. So many people, so much damage, all because some people believe so much hype.
The baby sitter kept the pits in the back of the house per agreement with the baby’s parents. Her dogs were well behaved and had been previously allowed to lick the baby’s face while in a stroller with adults standing by. I imagine they wanted to make sure the dogs were on friendly terms with the baby. Ultimately, it didn’t matter.
One day the sitter didn’t want to leave the 18 month old alone in the house while transferring the dogs from the back of the house into the back yard dog run. She put the baby on her hip and let the dogs out to the dog run. They pushed past her and everything was fine. Until they returned.
They attacked the owner by biting and pulling her legs to get her down so they could kill the baby.
She covered the baby with her body during the attack and bit her hair repeatedly to make her give up the child and then began digging under her body to reach the child and drag him away. They maimed that baby and she ran to scoop up the child from between them knowing they might kill her for it.
She almost made it to the house when she was attacked again - this time she cannot remember how she made it from the attack near the back door to the part where she lay the body of the baby on the couch (he was barely alive then). She may never regain that portion of her memory. There was a pit in the house and she barricaded it in the kitchen and called the cops. In the 911 call she was screaming THe DOGS THE DOGS THE DOGS. She told the operator that the cops could kill her dogs because she no longer cared.
The police officer who rounded the back of the house and saw the blood everywhere...screamed in horror. The baby was life flighted to a hospital (at approx. one thousand dollars per mile) A team of 40 medical personal worked to save the baby but the child died.
It’s very moving - the father talks about how hard it was to even stand up that first week. The self-recriminations he felt believing the hype that it’s the owner, not the breed. The whole “bad rap” farce had him convinced. He cringed to recall that he let the dogs lick his baby’s face earlier. He turned away from the false belief that only mistreated or mistrained pits attack - he knew the owner, he saw her care of them. He noted that they attacked her FIRST, biting the hand that fed them.
THe fallout is devastating. On his Facebook page, two of his former friends who were pit bull nutters posted horrible things. The woman who posted TAUNTED HIM. Other pit bull nutters offended the grieving parents deeply but those two who truly abused the hearts and minds of grieving parents will never be forgiven by them. THe man who posted lied in private posts to a friend of the grieving parents indicating he had proof that the dogs were mistreated. This was of course false, he’d never seen the dogs or the owner - just propaganda he made while his friends coped with the death of their baby -he was absorbed with protecting the rep of the dogs????
The story includes propaganda tactics like “the perfect storm”.
It is a tragic, informative story that encapsulates the whole issue. As soon as the dogs killed, pro pit nutters turned against the baby sitter who had been attacked, fought to save a baby, and would later realize that 2 people who heard her screaming for 15 minutes, and knew she lived there, did NOTHING to come help her.
Ultimately, the father has this to say:
“Believing the myth, ‘It’s not the breed, it’s all how you raise them,’ is what left us without a son,” Jeff said.
Let me note here that several of the documented attacks I read involve the pit seizing the lower jaw of a child and detaching it. Pits are known for their “game” nature which means they do not give up - they continue the attack.
For the OP, I agree that documenting, contacting the insurance company and calling, calling calling everyone to make this dog’s behavior known will be key. The owners have showed you that they condone their dog’s aggressive behavior - please get that documented for starters. You will need to carry a weapon. Pits have been known to break through lightweight plexi or screen doors to attack without provocation. That reminds me of one of the cruelest stories. Grandma was watching baby play on the living room floor, a locked screen door let in fresh air on the hot day. Two pits broke through the door and killed the baby despite grandma’s attempts to save her. A child must die, and a grandma late in years must have the whole event on her mind in her “golden years” because people defend the image of a dog.
Your cats will be killed. You and your mother have to be vigilant about keeping sturdy doors locked and your safety exiting the house or car.
Pits are trained not to warn of attacks (bred into them for fighting in a ring, no warning) so sometimes they just silently run up to you before beginning to maul; this certainly makes it hard to tell what his intentions are and you can’t afford to be wrong.
I would have pulled out my pistol and put the laser dot on it, at center mass. Then it would have been the owner’s move, unless I felt in fear for my life.
Please back my 38 years of handling of Pit Bulls into a corner.
If you want to check out the government numbers take a look at the CDC. All counties and states are mandated to report certain numbers and yes dog bites are one of them.
JUst remember the numbers 7% of pet dogs are pitt bulls but they cause 65% of all K-9 homicides in the USA.
Oh, and before I forget; I did not know why at the time, but the reason you needed the used liquid soap dispenser was because you needed the soap portion of the mixture to act as an emulsifying agent, otherwise the jalapeno oils and the water portions would/will just separate. To ensure effectiveness, we would sometimes go to the extra effort to finely chop some of the Jalapenos and let them soak in the mixture overnight, then strain the stronger solution into the water pistol for a more effective result.
What difference does that make?
If either your Mom or your late Father has/had any digoxin tabs you could accidentally put about 10 of them in a ground beef meat ball and feed it to the neighbor’s little puppy and it will all look like he died of natural causes.
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