Pit Bull Critically Injures Mailman, Owners Refuse to Surrender Animal

[N.Bailey]

LisaSt,
I totally understand what you're saying and in reality, most pit bulls probably never attack anyone. I'd have to look at some statistics, but I think we can all agree that most don't. The fact with the pit bull however is, you really can't tell if the one you have or the one in your neighborhood is going to be the one that does attack. Of all the attacks I've heard of with these dogs, there was only one incident that I recall where the owner was at fault. If memory serves, the owner told the dog to attack the police. There may be other cases such as this one, but I've not heard of any others. Now, when it's my child's life on the line, it's simply not worth it to me. I have a Labrador Retriever and I know even with her, we take a risk. Heck, I think our cat does more damage to all of us than she does! LOL Anything can happen though. If you're comfortable being around this breed of dog, that's okay, it's your right. However, IMO you're out of line to fault anyone for not wanting to subject their families to them. As an owner of one, IMO again, I feel you (generic you) should have to make sure that the dog has NO access at all to anyone outside of your house too.

 

[luvmk]

N. Bailey--I find your last statement interesting because that is exactly how some neighbors of ours felt. They owned two pit bulls when I was growing up. They kept them in the house at all times unless they were home to take them outside. They had a fenced yard with a locked gate. Their response to this was that the dogs were great with them and their children, but they didn't know how they would react to strangers. Visitors couldn't come in the house until the dogs were put away. They loved their dogs, but they were also very aware that they couldn't control nor anticipate every move of the dogs. They weren't willing to let their pets harm a person.

I always wondered why they kept the dogs since they knew there could be a problem in the future.


Rachel

 

[MeanLaureen]

Getting ready for flames here...

Looking at that small picture of the dog and the condition it is kept in made me think of the PitBulls that were behind us that were being raised for fighting.

Sorry, but it looks like that dog is chained up living in a dump - no grass near the dog, ladders all over. Plus the dog looks dirty and thinner than it should be - just like the dogs behind us (until I helped get that ring closed down )

I seriously don't think that was someone's "loving" pet.

Here is where I am going to get flamed.

I just can't see having a pet that you claim to be so loving and so much a part of your life chained up outside 24/7. Maybe in a fenced run to get exercise for some time each day, but how is a dog with a 10 foot radius living space outside in the elements, from hot summers to freezing winters - a pet.

Dogs are pack animals - they need companions. They need interaction. They thrive off of human attention. It's just so sad to see them sitting there alone.

I can't stand to see dogs left chained outside in the rain, snow, and on days when it's over 100 degrees. What a sad life for this animal to lead.

My dogs have their play time in their fenced in area but they live inside. And before anyone says that their dog is too big to live inside, I had an Irish Wolfhound that lived inside. Can't get much bigger than that. If your house is too small to handle a big dog, well, you should have gotten a smaller dog.

Okay, my vent over - flame me if you must - just a sore subject with me

 

[browneyes]

Originally posted by MeanLaureen
I can't stand to see dogs left chained outside in the rain, snow, and on days when it's over 100 degrees. What a sad life for this animal to lead.

Okay, my vent over - flame me if you must - just a sore subject with me

I won't flame you, it's a sore subject for me too. It makes me sad to see a dog tied up 24/7.

 

[Kallison]

I once read where the absolute worst thing you can do to a dog is leave it alone or isolate it. Now I know we all have to leave our dogs alone at times, but I agree about chaining up a dog outside. It should not be done. It goes back to the wolf pack days, a dog wants to be a part of the pack to feel safe and secure. My lab is lying here at my feet while I type. He follows me eveywhere (hence my tag!)

 

[DoeWDW]

Lauri, I totally agree with you. Why do people get a dog and then chain it up in the backyard where it rarely gets any attention? What's the point of having the dog?

On the other hand, why do people let their dogs out to roam the neighborhood without supervision or a leash?

So sad to see animals treated this way.

As far as pit bulls or any other breed of dog, I assume a dog is dangerous until I am around for a while and get to know the animal well. Even the most loving dog can have an unknown trigger to aggression.

For the sake of me and my mini-dachshund (who is walked on a leash) please don't let your dogs run free without a leash!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I think the owners should be punished for leaving their pet chained up outside where he became aggravated enough to attack.

I hope they take the dog away and put him in a pitbull rescue where he can be properly trained and possibly placed in a good home.

I'm sorry for the mailman but people need to realize that you only hear about the bad pitbulls. You never hear about the good ones.
I mean, really, you hear a lot about bad people on tv and in the news too, but because you personally know 1000 good people you know we are not all like that. How mabny good pitbulls do you personally know to make you realize they are not all bad. There are 1000's of them too.

The people who buy pitbulls and treat them this way are morons who want a status symbol.

Pitbulls who are properly bred, such as Nika, my DNs dog, are loving household pets.

My neices pitbull has never been chained up and she is a sweetie. She is like a big lap dog really People who get a dog and tie it up outside and don't pay attention to it are the ones to blame, not the dogs themselves.

It's just a sad situation all around.

 

[peachgirl]

Pitbulls who are properly bred, such as Nika, my DNs dog, are loving household pets.

They are loving household pets who have the capability to kill. That's the problem with pit bulls. It's simply a fact that pit bulls, dobermans and rotweillers are responsible for well over half of all deadly attacks every year. These dogs have a natural instinct to attack and no matter how well they are raised, that instinct is still there.

No matter how much you love your dog, it's still an animal and can be unpredictable. The problem with pit bulls is that if they attack, they do serious and often deadly damage. There is simply no other dog that has the physical capabilites of a pit bull.

With all the breeds of dogs available, why on earth people choose to own pit bulls is beyond me. The same people who won't let their 12 year olds go to the bathroom alone will let them roughhouse with a pit bull on their living room floor, just to prove how sweet the dog can be.

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

I hope they take the dog away and put him in a pitbull rescue where he can be properly trained and possibly placed in a good home.

Are you kidding me? Are you REALLY this naive? This dog tried to kill that mailman, what happens the next time when he finishes the job? Would you want that on your head????

I'm sorry for the mailman but

But? But what? Sorry these dogs have the capacity to kill without provocation. THAT'S what people need to realize.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Another Source:

Mail carrier attacked by pit bull terrier

A pit bull terrier attacked a mail carrier working in the Heights on Thursday, U.S. Postal Service officials said.

The mail carrier suffered a puncture wound under his arm and needed four stitches to his left leg and two stitches to his right leg, said U.S. Postal Service spokesman Dave Lewin. One of his fingernails also was pulled off during the attack at 12:30 p.m. Thursday near 15 1/2 Street and Beall.

The dog is now in a 10-day quarantine period, and the owner is facing three citations for failing to license the dog, not having proof of vaccinations and failure to surrender the animal, said Kathy Barton, spokeswoman for the Houston Department of Health and Human Services.


http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2670087






I am still amazed that the animal hasn't been seized.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX


I hope they take the dog away and put him in a pitbull rescue where he can be properly trained and possibly placed in a good home.

I don't believe that is possible.

From a Pit Bill Rescue website:

Spindletop Refuge is dedicated to the successful rehabilitation and rehoming of homeless, abused and neglected dogs for over eighteen years, specializing in the APBT and AST, Spindletop will also help other breeds.

http://www.spindletoppitbullrefuge.org/

The dog needs to be put down, period.

And if I was the mailman I would sue those people for every grass-less piece of dirt they own.

The good news is the mailman will live. If this was a child, there would have been a different story.

People first, animals second. Period, end of story.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

 

[TexasErin]

I totally agree about not leaving dogs chained up outside. That is cruel and is against the very nature of dogs who are social creatures. No wonder they attack. I agree- if an animal is too big for your house, don't get that breed. We have a Great Pyrenees who lives inside.
Also about the fact that most attacks are by pitt bulls, rottweilers, and dobermans. This is probably true. But look at the kinds of people who usually get them. People who think of a big, tough dog as a status symbol and don't think of them as pets to love and care for. A person like that is not going to get a poodle or a cocker spaniel- if they did, you'd probably hear that most attacks are by poodles and cocker spaniels.
Its kind of like the fact that people eat more ice cream in the summer and the fact that more people drown in the summer. They are not correlated to each other anyway- it is two separate issues- know what I mean?
However, I do have two small children so I did research what breeds are good with kids before I chose mine after my Chow passed away. If it were just me and my husband, I would have considered getting a Rottie or pitt bull (while I do think that these dogs are generally sweet, I'm afraid to chance it with my kids.) Of course, I would make sure that my dogs did not get loose- just the way I do with the two dogs that I have now. But if I see a Rottie or pit bull outside, you'd better believe that I will carefully approach it and check with its owner to see if I can pet it (the way I do with all animals I meet .

 

[luvmk]

I noticed on the dog rescue site that a requirement for adoption is the adopting family must have a securely fenced yard. We have adopted dogs before(not pit bulls) and a fenced yard was never a requirement. It does make it sound like even though these dogs have gone through the necessary care, the adopting agency still knows they could pose a danger.


Rachel

 

[Pete's Mom]

Originally posted by peachgirl
They are loving household pets who have the capability to kill. That's the problem with pit bulls. It's simply a fact that pit bulls, dobermans and rotweillers are responsible for well over half of all deadly attacks every year. These dogs have a natural instinct to attack and no matter how well they are raised, that instinct is still there.

No matter how much you love your dog, it's still an animal and can be unpredictable. The problem with pit bulls is that if they attack, they do serious and often deadly damage. There is simply no other dog that has the physical capabilites of a pit bull.

With all the breeds of dogs available, why on earth people choose to own pit bulls is beyond me. The same people who won't let their 12 year olds go to the bathroom alone will let them roughhouse with a pit bull on their living room floor, just to prove how sweet the dog can be.

So should we put down all pitbulls and let their breed die?

 

[Bojangles]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX

I hope they take the dog away and put him in a pitbull rescue where he can be properly trained and possibly placed in a good home.

I'm sorry for the mailman but people need to realize that you only hear about the bad pitbulls

You're kidding, right? Do you want this dog living next door to you? This animal almost killed a man. This man will be scarred for life. The dog should be destroyed before he kills someone. I'm sure if it happened again you'd just shrug it off like you did this time and say "bad owner"

Pitbulls are different from other dogs. They have been tainted too much by inbreeding. They are dangerous animals and it wouldn't bother me one bit to see the breed die out.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

They are dangerous animals and it wouldn't bother me one bit to see the breed die out.

me either. I have to agree that their are inherent risks to owning that particular breed of dog. I don't blame communities who feel the need to protect themselves with special laws and restrictions.

I think that ownership of such an animal should require a special liscense and the local animal control authorities should inspect the property to insure that fencing and other precautions are keeping the neighbors, meter readers, mail delivery persons, and the rest of the public safe.

 

[peachgirl]

Originally posted by Pete's Mom
So should we put down all pitbulls and let their breed die?

Actually, it's not a bad idea, but realistically, that's not going to happen.

I am in favor of strict regulations regarding their breeding and ownership. I also think the increased insurance rates for owners of dangerous breeds is well founded.

People should be held completely responsible for what their animals do. Significant penalites, including $$$ fines and jail time for those who can't pay seems fair to me.

It's a free country, you want to own one of these dogs...fine. Just be ready to pay the price when and if they choose to do what comes natural to them.

I really am interested to know why someone chooses to own an animal that has a genetic instinct to attack and the physical capability to kill, and why on earth they would put their kids at risk by doing so????

 

[gymnasticsmom68]

Originally posted by Pete's Mom
So should we put down all pitbulls and let their breed die?

Good idea, where do we start?

 

[Hillbeans]

Originally posted by Toby'sFriend
me either. I have to agree that their are inherent risks to owning that particular breed of dog. I don't blame communities who feel the need to protect themselves with special laws and restrictions.

I think that ownership of such an animal should require a special liscense and the local animal control authorities should inspect the property to insure that fencing and other precautions are keeping the neighbors, meter readers, mail delivery persons, and the rest of the public safe.

I 100% agree with this. I'm terrified of Dogs (I was bit when I was 3) and I won't go anywhere near Pitbulls, Dobermans, etc., because I know they can be great pets yet can turn in a minute and get very angry. Look at the woman who was killed in San Diego in her apartment hallway - what a horrible death.