From My Google Alerts- September 28, 2010

A roaming pit bull was shot and killed Tuesday by Glendale police responding to calls that the dog had trapped clients in a rehab facility. The dog chased a client from the Glendale Adventist Drug and Alcohol Center into the building and it was scratching at the door. The clients were scared to exit the building so they called police to the scene. Two officers and a police sergeant saw the pit bull near the building and parked on one end of the block to assess the situation, he said. It was then that the dog slanted its ears back and began sprinting toward the officers. Officers first shot the dog with a rubber bullet, but it didn't stop and continued running toward them. That's when they used regular ammunition, killing the dog, Montecuollo said. "Unfortunately, officers killed the dog, but stopped the threat," he said.

So where in the world was AC? I find it hard to believe there was nothing they could have done to get the animal under control. The dog in question NEVER ACTUALLY BIT ANYONE. I hate news articles like this because the media always twists situations like this to make pit bulls seem so horrible. All I inferred from the described behavior of the pit bull is that it was scratching the door of the building not that it was aggressively trying to gain access to the building and kill everybody.

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Jonathan Whitworth and his family are suing the city of Columbia after a raid on the family’s house ended with the family pit bull being shot by police and a 7-year-old held at gunpoint. The horrific YouTube video is forever burned into my mind of this sad, unnecessary incident. Whitworth is suing the city of Columbia and several police officers, claiming his family's constitutional rights were violated, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune.

On February 11, a Columbia SWAT team busted down Whitworth's door, killed his pit bull (you can hear the dog squealing and whimpering on the video), wounded his corgi/pit bull mix, rounded up his wife and 7-year-old son, held them at gunpoint just a few feet from the now dead dog, and handcuffed him. In all, officers fired seven shots. The police did all of this because they believed Whitworth was a "major marijuana distributor." A small amount of weed, a pipe, and a grinder was all that was found in the home. Some “major marijuana distributor” Mr. Whitworth was, huh?

This video is graphic and I don’t recommend watching it; I wish I had not watched it; however, it is an accurate display of law enforcement abusing their power. So sad……….

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In Florence County, SC, an ordinance on tethering has been proposed and the reactions are mostly positive. The proposed ordinance creates regulations for tethers that restrain dogs 6 months or older to houses, trees, garages or other stationary objects. The ordinance aims to prevent dogs from being tethered outdoors during extreme heat or cold, thunderstorms and floods. It states that a tether can’t be more than a tenth of the dog’s weight and that a tether must be attached to a “properly fitting” harness or collar — not directly to a dog’s neck. The tether must be at least 12 feet long, and it must be positioned to prevent injury, strangulation, or entanglement. It also must have a swivel on at least one end in order to prevent tangling. The time allowed for tethering a dog is limited to no more than one hour at a time and no more than three hours in a 24-hour period.
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A Kansas City, Missouri woman has shed 150 pounds in under two years thanks to the most athletic dog of the year (and well, last year too). Please make sure to watch the video in the original article. This woman looks incredible now! She adopted a shelter dog a year and a half ago and soon learned of the dog’s insatiable desire to run. Great story!
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