Woman viciously attacked by pitbull; Dog attacked at least three other times (probation for dogs?)

Iknowbakersfield ^

[chance33_98]

Woman viciously attacked by pitbull; Dog attacked at least three other times

By Maya Sanchez

KGET 17 News

08/27/02

Bakersfield - An Oildale woman wants some answers as to why a vicious dog, with a history of assault wasn't restrained.

Charlotte Reintz says it took just seconds yesterday for a pitbull to attack her.

She says she's traumatized and wonders why something wasn't done about the dog that has apparently attacked, not once, not twice, but at least three previous times.

Reintz was viciously attacked by a pitbull on Belle Avenue in Oildale while walking to a friend's house Sunday.

"I put my shirt out like this and it just started biting my shirt to keep it from biting me any more and it seemed like forever before somebody came out there," said Reintz.

Her piercing screams sent neighbors rushing from their homes to rescue her.

"I got up to see what it was and we brought her here in the yard," said neighbor Kenneth Caudillo. "The guy next door helped get the dog off of her and we helped her call 911."

Neighbors say the traumatic assault should never have happened.

"This animal had a dangerous order placed on it in Sept. of 2001, after a couple of incidents which required the animal to be maintained within its yard on a tether not less than 12 feet," said Steve McCalley of Kern County Environmental Health. "Apparently it has not been maintained consistent with the dangerous order."

Now, Reintz is nursing wounds in her hands, legs, and chest area, but she says her injuries run deep.

Reintz says she can't comment on whether she'll pursue any type of legal action in light of the attack.

The dog will remain under quarantine at the animal shelter pending the outcome of the investigation.

The owner has five business days to appeal the quarantine order before the dog is put down.

[Protagoras]

I got bitten many more times by the little ankle biters,

I'm sure that little dogs bite quite a bit. Maybe even more. But I've never heard of anyone dying from an ankle bite.

Dog bites are a fact of life. They are rare when compared to the total number of dogs owned as pets. Fatal dog maulings are irreversable. Large breeds, particularly those who were originally bred to be aggressive, are responsible for the vast majority of fatal attacks. A very few breeds are responsible for almost every single deadly attack.

So the debate isn't about dog bites or which dogs bite more often, it is about death. Deadly attacks and horrible maulings that do not result in death by some miracle. The scars last forever.

Those kinds of animals are dangerous and should not be allowed to be kept any more than lions or the like.

[HELLRAISER II]

I can understand that, why not make sure on the long distances & just use a 30.06. I also have used my .30 Cal Carbine but it's limit is about 150 yards.

[HELLRAISER II]

I bet if you had a class full of dogs under 15 lbs you would have had the same reaction. Dogs will be dogs.

[Protagoras]

By the way I don't think that people in Urban areas should have these dogs because of the possiblity of what happened to the Child there in Chicago.

That is where almost all of the fatal attacks happen. The laws for keeping other dangerous animals are also relaxed in rural areas. Wild game farms and private zoos come to mind.

Sometimes these dogs turn on their masters, which although rare, happens. I have personally seen that with a great dane. It was ugly.

[Texas Mom]

As the owner of a pit puppy, I hate to see them get a bad rap.

My friend had a pit bull for 16 years and it was the sweetest dog you would ever see. But I work in animal rescue and I know there are some mean ones out there too. But we can't even advertize that we have them for adoption. People will break into the shelter to steal them to take and train for dog fights.

[HELLRAISER II]

You hit the nail on the head with your statement, people typically will determine whether or not a dog will be bad by the way the way the dogs are treated. Is aggressiveness bred into them, no doubt. But a dog 99% of the time will reciprocate the attitude of the owner & if that owner treated them bad, well they'll be mean dogs.

[Snowy]

I bet if you had a class full of dogs under 15 lbs you would have had the same reaction. Dogs will be dogs.

Yes, but if a small dog clamped on my ankle, I would promptly kick it to the wall. With a large, mean, dog, I don't have that option. You really don't see a difference?

[dtel]

...in my case a bad dog regardless of the breed would be shot the first time it snapped at me or my family.

Exactly. If it chases and kills my chickens or any other livestock, it will receive the death penalty also.

[HELLRAISER II]

Yes I do see the difference, I fully understand what your saying. You however do not understand what I'm saying. I could name dozens of breeds of dogs that are capable of hurting or killing a human, yet ya'll are hung up on Rott's & Pits. All i'm saying is that you can't blame a whole breed of dog for the actions of a few. I personally hate Chow's like I mentioned earlier in a post, I don't like them & I don't trust them. But my dislike is based on the 3 different dogs & i'm not about to tell somebody they shouldn't own one simply because of 3 dogs that I know of.

[dtel]

You are correct on all accounts.
I have found that dogs, like children, will respect the limits that are established for them.
We raise our animals(dogs, cats, chickens, cows, horses) to obey and respect our demands, in return we treat them with respect and don't ask them to do things they are incapable of.
If they mess up, the punishment is swift and sure and unwavering. In most cases a swift hand on the backside and a stern lecture get the message across.

[dtel]

Morning hellraiser.
What kind of cows are you running?
P.S. Substitute "assault weapon" for pit/rot and I think you can see where they're coming from.

[Snowy]

Maybe we are hung up on Rots and Pits because of the statistics that put them at the very top of the list.

http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html
http://www.dog-bite-law-center.com/pgs/stats.html
http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00047723.htm
http://www.arkansansforanimals.org/Dog%20Stuff/dog_bite_statistics.htm
http://barkingbuddies.com/speakers/messages/203.html
http://www.edgarsnyder.com/injured/dog/stats.html

[dtel]

I recently have put Rots in with Pit Bulls as dogs that are too nasty for the average person.

And you are qualified to make this judgement because...?

It is really looking like you might have an agenda and your first story was crap to help you make your point.

[dtel]

Why don't you and TJ get together and hash out all the rules, you know which dogs are permissable, what type of bear cage they should be contained in, the whole works.
Anxiously awaiting your report.

[dtel]

And what do I do about this

He has such big horns and all, should he be in a bear cage too?

[Snowy]

It is really looking like you might have an agenda and your first story was crap to help you make your point.

You are wrong, but it was a nice try. The story is all true. I am just basing my position on what I have observed and what I have seen to be the statistics. How do you formulate your opinions?

[Katya]

Pitbulls are to news services like the Sharks of 2001... other dog breed attacks simply fail to make news copy...though you can probably call your local doggie impound to find out who's been picked up for bites.
American Pitbull Terriers have been the face of terror for the last ten years, before that we had the Doberman scares.
Most Americans forget that this breed of dogs was named "The American Dog" in 1914....ie. best loved family pet. These Terriers were used in advertising media: the RCA dog staring into the grammophone and Buster Browns dog. Who can forget the childrens film reels classics "Little Rascals"....
Anyway, as a decidedly non-redneck and new Pit owner....I have forgone my previously held prejudices based on ignorance in relation to this breed. They are truly wonderful dogs who like many other breeds can be both mistreated and mistrained.

[dtel]

I tend to place the blame on the OWNER, not the animal.
If the owner abuses an animal and makes it mean, who is at fault?
If the owner gets a large animal and keeps it confined in a small space, who is at fault?
If the owner lets a big dog roam the neighborhood, who is at fault?
I just can't blame the gun/dog for the problem, there is a cause and effect to every situation.
You just want to take the lazy way and blame the animal.
I'll make a deal with you, you don't trespass on my property and none of my dogs will ever get you.
BTW, you better keep an eye on the Schnauzer, she is very protective.

[HELLRAISER II]

Limousines and I do understand where their coming from. I guess I just look at my dogs and see tame docile pets, I wish they could see my dogs and be around them for 5 minutes. I gurantee that they would at least see that all Pits aren't terrible monsters, it's a shame that people like the guy in this article let tragedies like this happen.

[Katya]

I don't know, maybe they've been both mistreated and misbreed....this is not known as the typical aggressive dog in Germany...they're more aptly described as big bears. I have relatives who own Rott mixes over there with no issues at all. The presumption after a dog bite is also NOT immediately that this is due to the dogs aggressive nature....but people also inquire as to what the human did. I have to say Germany is still very dog friendly, particularly in hotels and restaurants.