Posted on 05/02/2007 11:23:42 AM PDT by Chgogal
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — This is a dog story.
It's about a plucky little Jack Russell terrier named George, who stood like a giant against two marauding pit bulls and gave his own life to save five kids from the steel-trap jaws and razor-sharp teeth of the vicious attack machines.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Good for you! That’s outstanding. If I worked outside the house, I’d take Jack to daycare too. He doesn’t have a crate but we do have a gate that allows us to confine him in the kitchen. He’s been alone for 4-5 hours at a time and he’s done fine. But I can easily imagine that being left alone for 8-9 hours at a stretch might easily create an entirely different story.
JRT’s are much too smart to be bored out of their minds. I’ve noticed Jack seems to enjoy “games” more when I’ve/we’ve raised the level of difficulty. Little stinkers are like 4-legged gifted children, now that I think about it.
Ri-i-i-ight... Dogs are SO-o-o-o unpredictable that there is hardly a day that goes by that I don't hear of a German Shepherd dog leading a blind person right into a city bus. And, of course, the police figure they can't be trusted to go after an escaping criminal, preferring instead to chase squirrels and rabbits! People in the rescue business also find them worthless and unpredictable, so lost children, hikers, avalance and earthquake victims should just be always considered left lost. And their unpredictability has really never sniffed out bombs, drugs, weapons or other contraband. Additionally, the military have absolutely no use for dogs as their unpredictability always leads them right into ambushes--especially in places such as the jungles of WWII, Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq.
Dogs have saved a million more lives than they've ever taken!
What an adorable story! I’ve never heard anything like it but somehow it doesn’t surprise me. I may be new to the JRT game but it doesn’t take long to catch on to what characters they are.
Have they had news crews do a “segment” on their boy? That would really be something to see!
My beagle stays behind me if I’m going down the hall to check a noise at night. I call him a coward, but it’s just his breeding.
Nice excuse for a dog that won’t take responsibility for himself...
“My neighbor’s huge, giant, (did I say big?) rottweiler is so very gentle. You are correct that it is the owners fault.”
To be fair, a dog’s temperament may also relate to their breeding. In the wrong hands, any breed can become a disaster.
One of the finest therapy dog’s I ever met was a full-blooded rottweiler. He was absolutely the best! So much so, that he was usually assigned to “work” with terminally ill children and the elderly. Great dog!
“Local officials say it’s also a story about the people who trained the pit bulls to kill and who may have fed the animals methamphetamines to make them even more deadly.”
I’m pretty sure we are all thinking the same thing about “the people” if true.
My Shih-Tzu is the same way, and BTW I have a Irish Wolfhound living next door to me. My Shih-Tzu makes that dog cower down and bow to her, I am not kidding.
I think it is the high pitched bark that is making the Irish Wolfhound cower with its paws covering its ears. ; ) Shih-Tzus definitely fall into the plucky category which makes them so pleasurable as a pet and companion. You are a lucky pet owner. I was a cat person until April 7th of this year. Hero is my first dog and I lucked out. : )
LOL! For me it’s really funny , but I know it’s wrong in some way....:)
“oooofff”.....more like smoooosh!
Wow, now that is another Dog Story. Hopefully I’ll be a responsible dog owner. So far so good. Thanks for the ping. I enjoyed your story very much.
“oooofff”.....more like smoooosh!
Wow, now that is another Dog Story. Hopefully I’ll be a responsible dog owner. So far so good. Thanks for the ping. I enjoyed your story very much.
There's another thread about this story but its article doesn't mention this.
Very bad if true.
I love Rottis. Every one that I've met has been a big teddy bear.
You are correct that it is the owners fault.
On a depressing note, they probably procreated too.
Thank you for the links.
My pleasure. Nothing cuter than a big mellow dog and something small and fuzzy.
I like the article because they do blame the owners more than they do the dogs. Unfortunately, all three dogs will have to perish because of the loathsome owners.
"The more I see of Mankind, the more I admire my dog."
--Blaise Pascal
“The problem is that animals are inherently unpredictable — ask Roy Horn,”
True but so are people. By training dogs and regimenting soldiers, we attempt to control their behavior patterns and funnel their strengths for effective and productive use. But the unpredictability factor can be overcome to a very great degree by learning the body language of animals and never forgetting that they are still basically unpredictable - which to a degree lends to their fascination. A screwdriver always acts like a screwdriver -pretty boring unless you are driving screws.
“ask Roy Horn,”
Was that the guy with the tiger? I have worked with dangerous animals - poisonous reptiles and crocodilians and there is a world of difference between the way dangerous animals are managed in zoos and tigers and are handled in public displays. There is a very high degree of risk in what those people do and they accept it. Risks in a zoo environment are minimal as long as you don’t allow familiarity to breed contempt.
“Pit bulls, Rottweilers and some other breeds have the physical capacity to crush a child’s skull in their jaws.”
Unfortunately, these animals need a handler who knows what he is doing, a person who can project an “alpha” image and also train the animal so it does no react aggressively towards other people when he/she is not personally present. Not an easy task. So they are not dogs for the casual owner. Personally, I don’t like the aggressive breeds like the foregoing. The only one I do like is the German Shepherd. They can be aggressive, but if well trained and from a good bloodline, they are far more stable than the “Bully Breeds” and a lot more intelligent. I prefer them and setters, hounds, etc.
“Regardless of how kind, and well-tempered, and well-trained they are, they could have dire consequences if they go nuts. “
The same can be said of people e.g. that monster at Va Tech.
“Keeping one is like having a sweet, well-tempered, well-controlled and carefully monitored bomb that couldn’t possibly go off in the trunk of your car. “
Again, it depends on the bloodline and the owner. In most cases, problem dogs are due to problem owners. Besides, unless you live in a very rural area or are an ace trainer, dogs should NEVER be off lead in a public situation and NEVER be unaccompanied by a handler - that’s simply stupid. With the “Bully breeds” it IS like leaving a loaded gun in a public square.
“My personal policy is that I don’t want a pet I can’t wrestle to submission if I have to, but that’s not a rule I’d impose on everyone.”
Well, the secret to handling powerful animals is to out think them, not out muscle them. That’s what we rose to the top of the biological heap. There is no way I could out-muscle a large croc. Give me a push broom and room to manoeuver and I can handle a very large croc indeed.
“I’m not a big fan of breed bans, because they’re too slippery — how much pit bull ancestry is too much? And what about dogs like Dobermans and Shepherds, which are also powerful predators but rarely attack humans? “
I agree with you here. Laws create more problems than they solve. The solution is to punish irresponsible owners - just like with guns. The gun was never invented which could fire itself. And I believe there are MORE bites per year from German Shepherds and Dobermans than from pit bulls, but that may be due to the fact that Shepherds and Dobermans are more common (seriously - pit bulls are dog-ugly. Shepherds and Dobermans are esthetically pleasing to look at - besides being a lot brighter animals.)
“But the message should be clear: If you choose to own a pit bull or a rottweiler in proximity to other people or pets, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have sturdy fences and strong leashes, that you train the animal well and maintain control. “
ABSOLUTELY!!!
“If you introduce the animal into a dangerous situation and lose control, resulting in harm to people or pets, there should be stiff civil penalties. If you intentionally, through abuse or training or drugs, take steps to enhance the aggressive nature of these animals, there should be stiff criminal penalties. “
Precisely. In the final analysis, the problem is the owner. People who buy these bully breeds and don’t control them should be banned from owning dogs in the future in addition to civil and criminal penalties as the situation requires.
“But the more dangerous the animal, the greater the responsibility, whether it’s a wild creature, a powerful dog, a bull or a rattlesnake.”
Again, no argument here. Having maintained venomous snakes as well as still keeping non-venomous snakes which for some weird reason can cause certain people to become overcome with fear, you have a responsibility to the public and to the animal to make sure that threatening situations NEVER occur. Always remember - familiarity can breed contempt and you should NEVER let your guard down.
I loved watching the Crococile Hunter, loved the guy and mourn his loss the loss to his family. But believe me - he took chances no one should ever take with dangerous reptiles, regardless of his explanations to the contrary.
“Unlike a gun, your pitbull can leave your control of its own will. Analogy to gun ownership = FAIL”
I disagree. A gun is harmless as long as noboy is touching it. A bully breed is harmless as long as it has been proplerly trained,is on a lead and his owner is present, or it is safely secured. You can say the same for a gun - and I love guns.
“Not all pit bulls are dangerous, but they’re statistically much more likely to be dangerous than any other breed. “
To a degree. Ever hear of a Dogo Argentino? How about a
Canary Island Mastiff? Or a Neapolitan Mastiff? Nearly as agressive and a lot larger.
But I agree that shooting first and asking questions later is sometimes a good idea.
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