Posted on 08/13/2007 10:41:08 PM PDT by yorkie
Sgt. Tom Lovejoy, who heads the six-dog K-9 unit, found the 5-year-old Belgian Malinois when he walked out to the vehicle parked at his home, police spokesman Sgt. Rick Griner said.
(Excerpt) Read more at eastvalleytribune.com ...
This story makes me every bit as distressed as when I read about someone leaving a baby in a car.
Well you’re going to think I’m making this up but I simply can’t resist. But it’s a true story and I got proof.
All the dogs in my neighborhood are extremely jealous of my dog. I’m serious and ain’t even wearing a tinfoil hat.
TWO dogs, count ‘em, TWO, attacked her while I was walking her. ATTACKED her, don’t get confused.
First time, again not making this up, was a frigging Pomeranian....not making it up. Now this dog should not have been loose but the owner always let the little bugger run around while he was working in his garage. Frankly I wouldn’t have thought that little dog would attack Joann but he did.
Ran out of the garage and right up to Joann and BIT HER! Yes he did. Joann plucked that mutt up like he was but a dust ball and shook him back and forth like he was just a rag doll. I shouted the DROP command and she dropped the mutt. Which then ran off from his personal dog hell, yelping as, well he was a bit of a mess.
Absolutely no one saw the entire thing but like a good citizen I went up to the door and notified the people that their dog attacked my dog and we even, get this, paid half the vet bill although the dog ATTACKED mine. Joann weighs about 70 pounds, the Pomeranian around 10. What’s up with that?
The SECOND time she got attacked, again not making this up, was by a cocker spaniel, again a dog that shouldn’t have been loose. Both times Joann was on a sturdy leash and as always had on a harness. We were on a public street.
This attack was particularly heinous as that spaniel did a number on Joann. He cut a big hole in her side and in response, go with me here....well that spaniel lost an eyeball and damn near his life. My 3 year old granddaughter was with me and witnessed the entire horrific event. That spaniel pushed open the screen door of its house and ran out on the street and attacked Joann. The spaniel was about, maybe 30, 35 pounds, again, no match for Joann.
Joann took those big jaws of hers and clamped down on that dog’s face, not that I blame her the damn dog attacked her! I couldn’t get her to let go and it was gruesome. Joann had that cocker’s face in her jaws and I could see that the dog’s eyeball was a goner. That cocker was making death noises and not for nothing could I get Joann to let go.
Finally the cocker’s owner hears me screaming, not to mention granddaughter crying her eyes out so scared she was. The owner runs out to where I am pounding on Joann’s snout that she would let go of the cocker, laying in a ditch, my poor granddaughter out in the middle of the street screaming in fear.
But get this...the cocker’s owner had a BUTCHER KNIFE! I looked up and saw him with that butcher knife over top of me. I begged him to please don’t hurt my dog, please,please,please don’t hurt my dog. I truly believe he was going to stab Joann.
The owner threw the butcher knife down because I positioned my body over Joann. If that guy was going to stab my dog he would have to go through me. When I wouldn’t budge he threw the knife down.
Between the two of us we got Joann unplugged from the cocker but that dog was in bad, bad shape.
These people too wanted me to pay their vet bill but I’d had enough. I keep my dog confined, so should they. And in BOTH cases the dogs ATTACKED MINE!
With the cocker I had to take Joann to my vet. My vet told me that those dogs viewed Joann as a challenge to, what? Their manhood? I just don’t know.
Finally, one day I was walking Joann yet again. Joann has never attacked or hurt an animal in her life, not once, and she’s never bit a human and, indeed, is a friendly dog. In fact I had the SPCA out after the cocker fight because I wanted the truth to be reported about what happened. I brought Joann out and any fool could see she was not a vicious dog.
Anyway, don’t this adorable little bichon frise come running out into the street and right up to Joann. I’m screaming and yelling and this time the owner was desperately trying to catch her dog. All I could think of was that Joann would KILL that little dog.
Well the bichon frise didn’t, read my lips, the little dog DID NOT attack Joann. Thus, Joann did not attack back. Joann did growl at the cute little thing but I think mainly because I was hysterical by this point and Joann wanted to protect me.
Anyway, I don’t walk Joann anymore because, forget about it. Every damn dog in the neighborhood thinks she is fair game.
And Joann, she really doesn’t want to fight.
Every day I walk Joann around our own yard, fifty times around the yard.
And one morning, go to hell if I’m making this up because I’m not, damn if a dog didn’t run up to our fence and try to get IN our yard to get at Joann. It was yet another dog owned by the cocker owner. And we’ve got a big stockade fence and there was this dog trying to get over the fence!
You can’t make this stuff up.
No excuse.
Thats affirmative.
UPDATE
“K-9 officer put on leave in Chandler”
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0815dog0815.html
Maybe they got more than enough emails and phone calls from FReepers.
Carolyn
What is wrong is cops. Cops are not trained the way they were trained years ago. Years ago cops were peace offciers and public servants.
Today they are a bunch of “paramilitary wannabes” who play soldier beating up on speeders and minor scofflaws instead of going after rapists, child molesters etc. They are more concerned with lining their pockets with more money and more and more perks.
They have added themselves to the list of “protected clases” like “minorities”, etc.
Unless you belong to one of these “protected classes” you are a second class citizen.
I don;t think this is what Franklin, Adams, Washington and Jefferson had in mind.
When I was a kid, we had a Belgian Shepherd. He had killed somebody, but my mom fell in love with him and wouldn’t let them have him put down, so we took him in. (That sounds strange today, but this was back in the early 50s.)
Anyway, the Belgian Shepherd is bulkier and stronger than either the GSD or the Belgian Malinois, and this dog lived up to that quality in spades.
Soon after we took him in, my brothers chained him up in the basement while we all went out for a while. Well, he simply broke the chain, and took out the entire metal casement window when he exited the basement. We found him shading himself on the front porch, waiting for us to come home.
He was very protective of me, keeping me from getting close to snakes, once on the front porch and once in the basement.
As a 4YO, I used to climb up on the kitchen counter to get a snack for myself, then slide my butt of the counter, and on top of the dog. That killer dog, feared by many, would simply go “oof” as I landed on him.
From Blade Runner: "You're not cop, you're little people!"
Oh dear
I’m so sorry there crazy dogs (and neighbors) in your neighborhood!!
Joann sounds like a wonderful, wonderful dog.
I am not sure with the civilian dogs however when the services train the dogs the handler is always there. The handler eats, drinks and sleeps with the dog.
When the handler leaves the military the dog is considered not able to be retrained so there is a choice. Put the dog down or let the dog retire with the handler. At least that was how it was in my younger days.
Oh, I’m so sorry. I do know what you’re going through. My girl, Heidi, a beautiful black standard poodle, would have been 13 next month. She died in her sleep on April 28th. I was crying for her today. The loss is the hardest thing I’ve ever felt in my 50-plus years.
I can’t imagine someone not missing his dog for 12 hours. This story is just heartbreaking and outrageous.
How can anyone exit his car without being aware of his dog? And this guy is a cop? He should be fired!
I know Heidi will be at the bridge for me and that Scoob will be there for you. I miss her so much.
Yeah, but you’re talking about military attack and guard dogs, not drug-sniffing dogs. The drug dogs come fully trained and then the handler has to be trained to the dog, so they can change handlers easily. Many drug dogs are adopted by civilians when the retire.
FWIW:
“Editor’s note: An exceptional number of readers responded to this story online, most with negative comments directed toward Sgt. Tom Lovejoy. The following response was posted by Carolynn Lovejoy, his wife. The authenticity of her post was confirmed by Chandler police.
I am going to post this blog only to let you all know that no matter what you say, it is nothing compared to what this man is saying or feeling about himself. The article released a few events but did not portray the entire evening and morning of events. This was a horrific accident with which there is no explanation that can be given to justify why it happened. We loved Bandit and he was part of our family. We are grieving his loss more then you can possibly imagine. It is funny how people think that because he is a police officer, nothing is going to happen. When actually it is because he is a police officer something is going to happen. Nothing that happens to him from this can compare to what he is suffering from within. So with that, I am ending this blog. I ask those of you with any compassion and understanding to remember that we are human and sometimes, something horrible can happen that we would never dream of letting happen, and pray for our family. I will pray for all of you that are saying these horrible things that nothing ever happens to you or your family and people are as callous and horrible to say things to you that will add to your torment.
- Carolynn Lovejoy “
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