January 29, 2007
I Heart Police
I emailed the police this morning, because I spent half the night awake and worrying about that pit bull. I couldn’t sleep because I felt so powerless. Without the owner’s name and address, I wasn’t able to report him to the township and I wasn’t sure whether or not the Animal Rescue League would give me that information. I’ve been staring out my back windows waiting to catch a glimpse of those dogs all weekend so that I’d know where they came from and had no luck.
When one of the police sergeants called me back this morning, I was very surprised. The end of my email where I asked, "What am I legally allowed to do if this or another dog threatens me or my children on my property?" may have thrown up a flag that I needed a call back. Regardless, he called. He told me that he could issue a citation and that the owner would get a fine of up to $300 and that I might have to testify. I told him to go ahead with it. I want the dog’s owner to know that I’m serious about his dog not being on my property. I shouldn’t have to feel afraid at my own home or just walking to my car. The Sergeant told me he’d call the Animal Rescue League and find out the owner’s name and take care of everything.
An hour later, the Sergeant called me back. Two days after my incident with the pit bull, the dog attacked and bit someone. The Animal Rescue League took both pit bulls into custody and they are currently being quarantined for ten days. If they are determined to be dangerous animals (which the officer said will likely be the case) they will be put down.
The owner is facing fines related to the attack and other citations that the Animal Rescue League will issue in addition to the fines related to my incident. The Sergeant also told me that he will call me after the 10 days and let me know what has happened.
If the owner had kept his dogs on leashes or in his yard somehow, neither incident would have happened and the dogs would not be in their current situation. I hope that he is bombarded by fines so large that he won’t ever consider owning another dog. Obviously, he is not a responsible dog owner. It’s a shame that his animals will probably be put down due to his lack of responsibility.
I hope that whoever was attacked is o.k. I can’t even begin to tell you how relieved I am that the bite victim wasn’t one of my girls just two days earlier. I gave chocolate chip cream cheese brownies, Starbucks coffee, and a bag of biscuits from the dog bar to my neighbor and his dog for helping me. Maybe some brownies are in order for the Sergeant too?
Comments
Copyright
© Copyright 2006-2019 blackbeltmama dot com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Follow Me
Blog Designed By
My Creations
Things You Could Care Less About
Oh wow! You did have a close call. I too am glad none of you were hurt!
Well, holy CRAP. I’m personally a dog lover, but 1) Pit Bulls scare me to death (I realize they can be nice dogs, but most people don’t get them for the warm fuzzies) and 2) any responsible dog owner knows that you can never completely trust a dog off of a leash. Whoever let that dog run deserves to have them taken away. And I hope that whoever got bitten can take legal action against the owners, too. That would have terrified me, too.
I’m so glad to read that you and your children weren’t bitten. It sounds like you have one wonderful neighbor there…thank goodness!
(ps: I’ve been MIA here, too- I’m sorry!)
Thank goodness that you were not hurt with the dog, and that the ARL were able to get the dogs before they hurt more people.
You live a charmed life BBM! At least that is going to be a load off you mind to have to keep an eye out for them again! (And yes we have dogs at home, both rescue animals, and I don’t even have a problem with very large breeds of dogs but – pit bulls and other fighting dogs have that genetic trait to attack more than most other breeds and are big enough and strong enough to maim and kill, and should not be kept as pets)
And if you’re making brownies send some my way 😀
Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry to hear that that dog actually attached and bit someone! UGH, that person should NOT own animals!
Your present to your neighbor is awesome! What a nice guy coming to your rescue.
It makes me extremely sad that the dog is going to suffer, probably be put down, because of the owner’s irresponsibility. 🙁
I agree that it is a shame that that dog will suffer due to their owners neglagence. Especially when you own a pitt, you need to be extra careful with them. Not necessarily because they are more agressive (in my opinion), but because they ARE a feared breed. Dogs sence fear, and A LOT of people fear pitts, and that’s not a good combo.
I am glad that you don’t have to worry about it anymore.
Wow, such prompt response out of the local constabulary? I, for one, am impressed. Did you ask them if there’s any recourse for compensation for cleaning up your van?
Wow, you were verrry lucky.
As for the Sgt., pen a nice complimentary note to the Chief outlining how happy you were to be taken seriously and how you have such confidence in the dept b/c of the Sgt’s actions, yada yada yada. Official “attaboys” are much better than brownies 😉 And do it with real ink and paper so it will wind up in his personnel jacket – when it’s time for promotions, etc., that will give him a leg up.
I’ve read that the majority of dog bites come from labs, and yet no one is afraid of labs. Interesting, huh?
We were housesitting this summer, and the neighborhood we were in had all of these dogs running around. The dog we were sitting included, they would all just wander the neighborhood, pooping and whatever, wherever they wanted. We kept the dog inside with us, or on a leash, which she did not appreciate, but I was not about to be responsible for someone having a heart attack because she jumped out at them, or for her getting hit by a car, or what if she bit someone? No way.
That dog owner is totally irresponsible to let the dog wander around like that. I’ll never understand how people think that that’s an OK way to treat their dog, or their neighbors, either. Blech. I wouldn’t even let a cat run wild, if I had one. Just not safe.
I feel bad for the dog, but the owners…ugh. They better be fined so bad…
Ack. I just read this series of posts, as I was catching up on your blog. So scary. We have a dog, so we obviously like most of the little fuzzballs, but pit bulls are another story. We’re none to fond of them, and certainly not around 3B. We’re also not too fond of irresponsible dog owners, like your neighbor. I’m a dog owner, and I still don’t want some strange dog, particularly a pit bull, in my yard or roaming the streets. It’s a hazard to everyone. Kudos to your neighbor for being willing to risk himself and his dogs to help you out. I’m so glad to hear that you’re all OK, and that the ARL and the police were (finally) responsive.
Wow – this is a scary story. i am glad that the authorities were on top of it and you can rest a little easier.
My wife told me a similar story this morning but about a Boa Constrictor! Apparently someone here in VT could not take care of their snake, and simply “let it go”. After it munched a few family pets and scared a few people it was captured.
What are people thinking?
gw
I’m scared of pit bulls and don’t trust them as far as I could throw them. I know it’s about how one raises their dog but I tend to think this breed is predisposed toward agression.
I hate to hear stories like this about Pit Bulls because they really are good dogs but people get them to look “tough” and then they just let the dogs roam loose over the neighborhood. They are not the kind of dog that anyone can own and too many of the wrong kind of owners end up buying them.
I am so sorry to read about this incident. Its scary to be attacked or threatened by any dog. I myself own a Rottweiler, an American Bulldog, and have been around MANY pitbulls. Many of my friends own them and from my experience there are dogs that CAN be born aggressive but it isn’t always breed specific. The owner makes the dog 99% of the time. Just like people can be brought up wrongly so can dogs. I hate to see people cringe when they see my dog but it happens because of those worthless poeple who didn’t take the time I did to socialize their pet correctly and they ended up biting someone. Please be cautious of ANY dog, not just because of their breed. Pitbulls, if you research the breed, were bred to be DOG aggressive and human submissive. They were bred to fight other pits and be completely loyal of their owners. But somewhere down the line they’ve become this human aggressor that everyone is afraid of. Educate yourself about these so called “aggressive” large breed dogs. Bought from a responsible breeder with good lines you can get an excellent dog. Please don’t be prejudiced just because they might look like a mean dog though. Give them a chance.