Man Strangles Rabid Pit Bull

AP ^ | September 5, 2003

[Shermy]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Will Stewart says he didn't have a choice in strangling a 6-month-old pit bull-mix puppy.

The puppy that wasn't known to be aggressive suddenly turned violent last week. The dog bit or scratched four adults and two children in an Indian Trail neighborhood and was later found to be rabid.

Stewart says the dog, Jake, went crazy. He says after the dog bit the children and his wife, he had to act.

He called the dog, which he thinks weighed between 50 and 60 pounds, and pinned him to the ground. Stewart says he couldn't wait for animal control to arrive, so he strangled the dog as he and the dog's owner held him down.

The Stewarts, the couple who owned Jake and their two children -- all of whom Jake bit or scratched -- have begun the painful and expensive treatment for rabies. Stewart says his first treatment involved seven shots, and he has four more appointments for additional shots.

[vetvetdoug]

This dog was unvaccinated. The most likely dogs to NOT be vaccinated are the dogs that are the most likely to come into contact with wildlife and stray dogs, ie. hunting dogs. In rural Ms, Tn, and Alabama I would bet there are fewer than 10% of the hunting dogs that are vaccinated properly against rabies. The beagles, coonhounds, birddogs, plothounds, red bone, and Walker hounds that I see are rarely vaccinated against rabies and the redneck owners refuse the vaccines. The animal control officers and other law enforcement officers rarely even take the time to cite one that is not in compliance with animal control laws.

It is not the pit bull that is the problem, it is the owner. The breed, when properly raised and handled, is no more dangerous than any other large breed dog.

The owner should be prosecuted because of his/her failure to vaccinate the dog and thereby jeopardize the health and safety of their children and neighbors.

[sandydipper]

Had a pit bull named Trooper - we'll always remember him as a fun loving watch dog that would chew the tires off a bad guys car but loved the kids and the neighbors.

Another plus - he hated cats.

[CaptBlack]

I love dogs, and I can understand someone's attachment to pit bulls as "their type" of dog, but for me, the point is that the things are so incredibly strong.

If old Miss Kelly's chihuahua goes nuts on me or my kids, yeah, we'll get a few scratches, but if my IRRESPONSIBLE, drugged-up, neighbor kid down the street'S pit bull decides not to play nice with any of my 4 kids (as he's constantly wandering the streets unsupervised and unleashed), serious injury is unavoidable. And I'm talking about the owner, too...

[RichardW]

I'm a dog lover but I draw the line at pit bulls. I once had one come after me and I was never so scared in my life. And I'm 6'6" and 260 pounds. All the rest of the breeds seem positively sweet compared to these monsters. If it were up to me the breed would be exterminated.

[ModernDayCato]

And FYI, there's a big difference between shooting an out of control stray and going after my pampered dog in my yuppie neighborhood.

[The Other Harry]

Any pit bull call I get sent on my prefered method is 12 guage shotgun.

I agree. You don't use the pistol unless that is all you've got. The 12 should do the trick.

[ffusco]

Well, if you were in danger and could not remove yourself from the threat and had to put the animal down a few carefully chosen words at the eulogy WOULD be nice.

[MineralMan]

"We are issued Mossberg's but I miss the old Winchesters, all you had to do was pump it and hold the trigger back. "

Mossberg's are good, cheap, and reliable. That said, I really love my dad's 20 gauge Model 12. It's dynamite on upland game. But, my favorite shotgun of all time is my ancient Ithaca lightweight double. It just always hits what I'm shooting at, for some reason. It doesn't get used much any more, since I rarely have time for quail hunting.

Mossberg's 500 series, though, is one of the best bargains on the planet, in my opinion. They ain't fancy, that's for sure, but they always work.

[The Other Harry]

I'm an insurance adjuster...

I know how to adjust a pit bull.

[Liberal Classic]

So can Poodles. I've never heard of a poodle going off.

From what I understand, small dogs account for the vast majority of all dog bites, however, they are rarely fatal. Attacks by large breeds are more dangerous, but thankfully less common. And for the record, my grandmother's poodle did bite.

[jospehm20]

I know from experience that poodles can be very mean, they just are not generally big enough to seriously injure a person.

[MissAmericanPie]

All dogs bite, I wouldn't have a dog large enough to require more than a few stitches around my family.

[MineralMan]

"We are issued Mossberg's but I miss the old Winchesters, all you had to do was pump it and hold the trigger back. " Mossberg's are good, cheap, and reliable. That said, I really love my dad's 20 gauge Model 12. It's dynamite on upland game. But, my favorite shotgun of all time is my ancient Ithaca lightweight double. It just always hits what I'm shooting at, for some reason. It doesn't get used much any more, since I rarely have time for quail hunting.

Mossberg's 500 series, though, is one of the best bargains on the planet, in my opinion. They ain't fancy, that's for sure, but they always work.

[GovernmentShrinker]

If one goes with a reputable breeder, one has no need for papers. In fact, I'd be a lot more inclined to trust a breeder who had dispensed with the whole papers scam. But how many people know how to identify a "reputable" breeder? The people who traffic in puppy mill dogs put on big charades to look like "reputable" breeders. They keep an adult female on hand (temporarily at least), of the breeds they traffic in, and tell buyers "see, this here is the mom, she's our family pet, and the puppies were born right here".

My boss and his wife went to a private home to buy an advertised Maltese puppy, with papers (for over a$1000). Got there, saw a nice upper middle class suburban home, and what appeared to be a mama Maltese, presented as a family pet, with several puppies. They bought one, and a couple of days later decided they wanted another one; called the "breeder" and were told there was still another puppy available. They couldn't get back to the "breeder" until the following weekend -- at which time there was no trace of any Maltese in the house, but amazingly there were Yorkie pups (but no sign of a Yorkie mother this time).

Unless you've been personal friends with a "breeder" for several years, or are able to do some serious research on the handful of serious breeders of a breed you want, and then pay to travel to get the puppy or have it shipped, because it won't be nearby, then you're just guessing when you decide a breeder is "reputable".

[ModernDayCato]

I've handled a couple thousand dogs in my lifetime, and I've only been bitten once -- by a Great Dane. I don't go around advocating the extermination of all Great Danes.

I do admit that I could have handled the situation better and probably avoided the bite.

[Cap'n Crunch]

Yes sir, just like the beer commercial for Colt 45 "works every time."

When I shot the rottweiler I mentioned before, a woman came running out of her house down the street yelling at me for shooting the rottweiler. I asked her "did you have a pit bull too?"

She got cited by the dog warden for a plethora of charges and was found guilty in court. She contacted the newspaper and tried to get them to do a story on the "dog murderer cop."

Then she got evicted by metro housing for allowing her drug dealer boyfriend to live with her.

All because she couldn't keep her "status symbols" tied up properly.

[phugg]

Powerful jaws, an urban legend? Cato, my little yellow friend, you obviously have Pooh on the brain.

[Crawdad]

I believe one should be allowed to keep and own whatever breed of dog they choose. However, owning a dog that is known to be more dangerous, as a breed, than others is not a smart thing to do. I also believe that there should be stiffer criminal penalties for owners whose pets of any kind (dogs, cats, canaries) cause bodily injury or property damage. BTW, my dogs, which we got from the county pound and are both mutts, are named Sandy and Buster. If either of them bit or attacked anyone, I would have them destoyed. I can get another dog. My neighbor can't get another child.

[Cap'n Crunch]

I like the Mossberg, we have them with short barrels and the ghost ring sights. I prefer the bead sight myself. Never shot an auto-loader but I'd like to give it a try.

[ModernDayCato]

Sigh...here you go...

Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
Source 4
Source 5

I could probably find you a dozen or so more if it's necessary. Obviously the real problem here is ignorance, not to mention racism and bad puns.