A 16-year-old boy was bitten by a sheriff’s dog in Manatee County Florida. While executing a warrant for his arrest, the boy ran from police and K-9 Nitro chased him and bit him on the shoulder and side areas. He was found with a bag of marijuana in his pocket. He was taken into custody. ____________________________________
So here in GA, actually in my neck of the woods, a Bartow County man was arrested on dog fighting and animal cruelty charges. Ricky Lee Hurley of Acworth turned himself in Monday and he is charged with 12 counts of animal cruelty and 1 count of felony dog fighting. He had 12-chained pit bulls in his yard; the dogs were people friendly and wanted human attention. I hope these dogs will be adopted out seeing as there are not any human aggression issues that at this point. I know further evaluation will be needed to determine if they are suitable for adoption. I wish them all the best.
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Two pit bull type dogs attacked a five yr old boy in Hurst, IL on August 6, 2010. He was playing at the playground with his brother at the time of the attack. The mother was able to knock the dogs off her son and grab him, while a Bush city employee who saw the attack drove the city truck toward the dogs to scare them away. A Hurst police officer soon arrived and shot both dogs, Thomas said. One dog was killed while the other ran off. That dog has since been found and euthanized. The Hurst City Council will meet Monday at seven. Chief Harvel will present an ordinance to make pit bulls & similar breeds of dangerous dogs illegal to own in Hurst. Now, I think this is unfortunate to punish thousands of pit bull owners that could live in Hurst all because of one owner’s irresponsibility. The boy is recovering quickly.
______________________________________ A pit bull died after it was tasered for attacking other dogs on its property and its owner could not get it under control. Derrick Peatross, 27, was charged with four counts of having an unlicensed dog and three counts of having an unvaccinated dog. Peatross is not new to having his dogs seized either. “I have seized dogs from him in the past,” she said. “He has always opted to turn the dogs over to us, rather than go to court about it.” Now, obviously this idiot is not responsible enough to own a dog of any breed. Punish him a little more seriously, I mean come on….
Spirit was rescued at a Georgia animal shelter four years ago by Ara Gureghian, a wonderful gentleman who is driving across the country on his motorcycle with a sidecar, that Spirit rides in. Tragically, Ara lost his son six years ago and has now embarked on a journey of healing and with his best friend, Spirit as his sidekick, is spreading love and a positive message about Pit Bulls to as many people as he can.
Soon, Spirit will be writing his own journal from the road and you will be able to find it here. Please check back on National Dog Day for new entries.
You can also follow Ara and Spirit, where they are on the road..... and enjoy reading about their day to day journey at www.TheOasisOfMySoul.com
Check out both sites. Spirit’s travel page has some really cool pictures of him riding co-pilot in his person’s side car of his motorcycle. That is one BA dog!! He reminds me of Bud, the dog you accompanied Horatio Nelson Jackson across the country on the first transcontinental railroad trip. Good luck, Spirit and Ara!
According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, in the wild where they are actively hunted and trapped, coyotes are generally elusive. Near cities or in areas where hunting and trapping is not allowed, coyotes may be aggressive. In urban settings, they can lose their fear of people and may even threaten domestic pets.
They've even attacked children recently. One young boy in Erie had to receive rabies shots for several weeks after an attack.
Coyotes are being spotted more in alleys and open spaces, attracted to things like open garbage and bird feeders.
Buster is a Chihuahua-Terrier mix. He was attacked Saturday morning.
"He woke me up at 6:30 to do his thing. I let him out and I came out with him," said Jodi Robinette of Littleton. "And about a minute later, he screamed like I've never heard an animal scream."
Robinette ran after Buster and the coyote behind her home at 949 West Peakview Circle near Angeline Little Greenway Park.
"And right when I came around this corner, the coyote had my dog in his mouth, shaking him as he was running,” she said. "And then, I see the coyote at the very middle of this field drop my dog."
Turns out the neighbor’s pit bulls were going after the coyote.
"Oh I, I (pause) can't talk. (Chokes up). It's really, you know, to see it happen," said Robinette.
Buster is now in the oxygen chamber at Columbine Animal Hospital and Emergency Clinic. He is being kept on antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication and an IV.
Several neighbors witnessed the attack. Lucas Bouts said coyotes seem to be getting more dangerous.
"They've gone after pets before, usually behind fences. They've been becoming more aggressive," said Bouts. “And there are a lot of children in this neighborhood. The coyote’s just look at you like, ‘oh - we're used to people being around.’"
“I mean they need to be relocated. I don't want them destroyed or wish them harm, but it was just a tragedy for everyone," said Robinette.
As for the pit bulls - they scared off the coyote and then protected Buster under a bush.
"They were circling him and sitting by him. Making sure he was all right," said Robinette. "So it needs to be said that there’s some good (in pit bulls) and not all bad."
Back at the animal clinic, Buster's got a polka-dot bandage, a heated blanket and some pain medicine. He’s had a rough day.
He will need surgery Monday. He has a collapsed lung, chest injuries and many deep lacerations.
The Division of Wildlife suggests never allowing your pets to roam, especially at night.
The division also suggests you keep your pets in a fenced area, or a completely enclosed kennel at times when you're not able to keep an eye on your pet.
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Positive pit bull press!! Yay! As for the Chihuahua’s owner, she states that pit bulls have some good in them and they were not all bad. Ms. Robinette, I would just like to say that I do not believe there are any bad pit bulls; however, there are bad owners. LOTS of them and regrettably, for good owners, the actions of the bad surpass the good.
The media takes its lumps over reporting about pit bulls
A female pit bull, one of three put bulls involved in the mauling of a 10-year-old boy in 2005, is held at Aurora Animal Care.
Monika Courtney had something on her mind and she wanted me to know about it. The Evergreen freelance writer and self-described “animal advocate” was upset about a headline she saw on a Denver television news story: “Pit bull attacks 6-year-old girl.” Courtney didn’t deny the incident happened. But the outspoken opponent of legislation banning a specific breed of dog didn’t believe the breed would have been mentioned if it were something other than a pit bull — that’s if the story had even been done in the first place. In short, she believed the media blew it. She’s not the first person I’ve encountered who feels that way. In fact, pit bull supporters in general seem to think the media has helped stereotype the breed as vicious and dangerous while failing to offer other views or context, such as whether or not the pit bull owner’s negligence is to blame for an attack. So I asked Courtney to explain why she felt that way. Here, in her own words, edited for space, is what she e-mailed me:
In Dallas, Texas, a car chase involving a burglary suspect alto turned up two pit bull puppies. The man was stopped on suspicion of burglary and he fled the scene when officers approached. He crashed into a pole and tried to escape on foot; however, he had no belt on and he was looking like a fool with his pants on the ground. Along with the stolen puppies was stolen lawn equipment.
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In Des Moines, stray dogs were normally euthanized simply for being what they are. Even if a dog didn’t exhibit aggression it would be put down if it was or looked like an APBT, SBT, or AST. Now thecity’s ordinance has changed to allow these dogs to become adoptable if deemed suitable. Make sure you do not allow accidents to happen. Please be a responsible owner!
Delta, BC is reconsidering its BSL laws. Apparently,council is mulling over a proposal to remove the breed-specific dog bylaw that currently designates pit bulls as automatically dangerous and requires their guardians to pay higher license fees and to muzzle their dogs in public.
“It comes back to the fact that guardians are ultimately responsible and our role as a municipality should be as an educator. “
Campbell and his council colleagues have endured harsh criticism from members of the public opposed to amending the municipality’s breed-specific animal control bylaw, which was enacted in the early 1990s.
However, Campbell says civic staff who researched the issue could find no connection between breed and a predisposition to fight or kill.
Instead, staff found that animal behavior, characteristics and traits are determined by both genetics and environment. According to BC SPCA animal welfare manager Geoff Urton, neither breed-specific bylaws nor breed bans protect the public from aggressive dogs because they ignore the fact that aggressive behavior can occur in any breed.
That, he says, includes but isn’t limited to pit bulls. The most effective safeguards are those that protect the public from dangerous dogs of any and all breeds, he says.
“Breed-specific bylaws give the public a false sense of security,” says Urton, himself the guardian of a pit bull mix named Lucy.
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Brandon and Flowood, MS passed BSL ordinances andpit bull owners in the city of Brandon have two months to obtain permits that require a special pen for the dogs and liability insurance. Meanwhile, Flowood residents who own pit bulls have one month to obtain the permits. The regulations were unanimously adopted on pit bulls and similar dogs in both cities; however, they were clearly CYA moves. CYA=Cover Your Ass. The cities are covering their asses just in case of an incident, not because of an incident—BOGUS!
What bothers me is that NO ONE spoke at the cities ordinances. NOBODY.
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Yucaipa, California City Council has approved the first proposal to require spaying and neutering of pit bulls. The City Council approved the ordinance’s first reading on a 4-1 vote Monday night. ________________________________ In Des Moines, some vicious dogs have been spared. The Des Moines City Council unanimously approved Monday a change to the city’s vicious dog ordinance that would spare some of the animals from being euthanized. Under the original ordinance, a vicious dog that was found running loose or unlicensed more than once would be put down. Dogs are considered vicious if they have attacked someone, have a history of aggressive tendencies, or are of a particular breed. The change approved Monday spares unleashed and unlicensed dogs that are deemed vicious based strictly on their breed. Those dogs can now be adopted instead of killed. __________________________________ In Brandon, MS, city council may discuss the new BSL ordinances and the fact they weren’t well publicized. Residents voiced their concern that the hearings weren’t well publicized; the city took the silence regarding the ordinances as agreement instead of unawareness. YEAH RIGHT! __________________________________ After San Bernardino County passed mandatory spay/neuter for “pit bulls,” the cities of Highland and Yucaipa followed the county’s lead. Both cities now have the same proposal in front of their city councils for a final vote. The county is “informing” all of the 24 cities in the county about the new breed-specific ordinance, in case the cities are interested in passing BSL as well
Brayden, Kangol, and I had a blast in the yard the other day. We played with the sprinkler and the hose. Bobo Fett likes to attack the water. Here are some videos from the other day.
Pocket Hollow Road is normally the picture of peace, but that changed one afternoon in June.
"I heard the dogs bark. I heard somebody screaming," said Mary Leitzman. "[A woman] had blood all around her pants leg."
A month after hearing and then witnessing a brutal attack, Leitzman still can't forget.
"It made me even scared now to walk," she said. "She told me they had her on the ground and she got up on the gate."
Police say four dogs viciously attacked a woman as she walked down the street. She managed to climb a livestock fence and phone for help, until a neighbor chased them away.
"She was hysterical, hyperventilating in my car," Leitzman said.
"We do not feel the dog is safe," said Debbie Cole, Morgan County Humane Society.
The attack prompted not only an investigation by the Morgan County Humane Society, but a lawsuit by the owner of the dogs over what appears to be a question of breed.
They keep calling my dog a pit," said Loretta Pitman, the dog's owner. "She is not a pit. She is a boxer."
Of the four dogs involved in the attack, two have already been adopted out and one was euthanized. But "Ginger" remains at the center of a legal battle.
Pitman said in a phone interview that her dog wasn't involved in the attack.
"My dog was not in the original police report, was not a biter, didn't know those other dogs that were biters," she said.
Humane society officials say the issue is about behavior, not breed.
"Our problem is that it left to bite a stranger," Cole said.
The dog remains quarantined until a court can settle the argument. Leitzman doesn't want to say whether she thinks the dog should die, but after what she saw and heard, she hopes there's a peaceful solution.
A judge has put a hold on euthanizing the dog until a hearing August 13.
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Something is off about this story. So a woman is walking along, she is attacked by four dogs, yet miraculously gets up on a gate after all four dogs had her on the ground. I don’t buy it. If these dogs were so vicious how was the other woman able to just run them off? Now, if this is an ongoing case involving dogs accused of biting someone WTF would you adopt out two of the dogs, kill one, and leave one in limbo. I mean come on… Something doesn’t add up. -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Humane Society offers reward after pit bull found dead
The body of a female pit bull was discovered at 11 a.m. by Danville Public Works employees, according to a news release from Paulette Dean, director of the Danville Area Humane Society.
Animal control and the Humane Society were called to investigate the discovery.
The dog, a dark-brown pit bull at least 1 year old, was tethered to a pole with a brown extension cord linked through a wide black collar with metal studs, Dean said in the release.
A necropsy of the pit bull showed the dog was badly bruised, had puncture wounds and was shot.
The veterinarian who performed the necropsy said the dog suffered greatly, according to Dean.
The incident is being investigated as cruelty. Dean said the charges can range from a Class 1 misdemeanor or a Class 6 felony.
The Danville Area Humane Society is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.
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Another tragic ending for a pit bull; I hope karma comes back two fold for those responsible for her demise. RIP sweet pit bull!
Last week Kangol, Brayden, and I had a special visitor.
Kangol's reaction to news of a house guest
This was Kangol's reaction when he learned of our special visitor
This is Duece and he belongs to a friend of mine; she was going to board him for 2 days but I offered to keep him here because he would have had a lot for fun—and he did!
Duece is 2 years old and he is such a sweetheart!! We did the crate and rotate method with Kangol and him and it worked out very well. Kangol was a bit disconcerted, but he got over it. This was the first time Duece had ever spent the night away from his mama, but he did a great job considering!! He was hesitant of the fenced in backyard at first but finally warmed up to it. He was cracking me up chasing birds and pouncing on leaves.
Brayden fell in love with him, although he thought that Duece was his puppy, Camouflage, when he first met him. He said, “It's my Camo, it’s my puppy. My daddy brought me my puppy.” I explained this was not his puppy because she was still at his dad’s house but they did look very much alike. Brayden could not say “Duece” as it came out “Juice.” It sounds so adorable and Duece’s new nickname is now “Juice Juice.”
I was super proud of both boys for behaving while the other was in the crate. Kangol isn’t used to sleeping anywhere except in the bed with me so he was a little upset, but he survived. Now, he is stuck to me like superglue and my friend says that Duece won’t leave her side either.
These dogs…. Hahaha…. Love them so much though.
Here are some pictures and some video footage of Duece’s stay and random Kangol activities.
Kangol was stoked to find a bone that Duece left on my bed.
It had gotten lost in the sheets; Kangol fell asleep with it in his mouth.
Sleeping with bone in his mouth
Lastly, here are some videos of Kangol riding shot gun with his mother. The music is a nice touch if you ask me. Haha... Kangol loves his car rides and he has to be the most sturdy dog I have ever seen in a car.
He just sits there and isn't falling all over the place or anything.
