OT: Socialize Your Dogs!
Okay so this a rant / public service announcement. Your call on how much of this post is each of the aforementioned options.
Socialize your dogs people and when someone has a mean dog, report it.
So in my neighborhood we have, well had, this vicious Akita, beautiful dog but it had the habit of getting loose and attacking other dogs. Roughed up a lab and did about $2,000 in vet bills to a border collie. The owners of the Akita paid the other dogs’ vet bills both times and said they were going to build a better fence, so the none of us reported these attacks to the cops or animal control, because we didn’t want to see a dog put down just because she had crappy owners.
Yesterday afternoon the Akita got loose and attacked my next door neighbor’s toddler. The toddler and his mother were outside playing when the Akita came streaking into the yard and went right for the kid. The Akita got a few bites in, then the mother grabbed the toddler. She was holding him in one hand, trying to fend off the dog with the other hand and screaming.
My two Malamutes heard this going down and got worked enough that Corin, the male, launched himself through my living room window, and Theodora the female followed. The Akita never heard or saw the Malamutes coming, which was the end of the Akita when Corin got his jaws on it.
The toddler and the mother both needed stitches at the ER, but they were discharged on the same day and will ultimately be fine. Corin has some scratches on his face from head butting a window and a cut on his paw. Theodora has a few scratches, but for the most part their heavy fur protected them when they went through the glass. Right now they’re wrestling each other. When my girlfriend is around though, Corin picks up his bandaged paw, limps around on three legs and makes the most pitiful little whimpering sounds you ever heard while looking at her with such sad eyes. He cashed in big time last night, she went to the store, bought him fresh salmon and fed it to while making a big fuss over what a brave dog he is. Then she leaves and he’s back down on 4 paws and running around.
So of course we all feel like morons for not reporting the Akita back when it attacked the lab, or even the second time after it got the collie. The best part is, the owners of the Akita are filing a report against me for having “vicious dogs”. The Akita was pretty much killed instantly, Corin got his jaws on its throat, threw it a good ten feet into the air and when it came down he and Theodora literally ripped it apart. Both Corin and Theodora are working dogs. Corin can pull 2,700 lbs by himself and Dora, who is a bit smaller can pull 2,300. The cops pretty much laughed off the claim my Malamutes are vicious, but I’ve already had animal control by today.
At the end of the day, if you’re a pet owner, socialize your dogs and train them!
where I live they aren't a lot of pet laws. We have a few wishy washy municipal bylaws that no one wants to enforce.
Rock salt? I'd say you're bending over backwards to make this work out peaceably. The millisecond kids become involved is the millisecond the dog(s) die (s) in my world.
Alright, fine. If you say that's the case, then that's the case.
But when you started this story, you said they came onto your property and had chased people in the past. If they were more dangerous than that, then you should've emphasized.
Furthermore, I've never been to a community where cops aren't MORE than happy to ticket pet owners who are breaking regulations. They love that juicy $200 ticket. If that's not the case where you live, then write the police comissioner and tell him you intend to vote him out next time the election comes up unless the department starts doing their job.
"you said they came onto your property and had chased people in the past. If they were more dangerous than that, then you should've emphasized."
??? Any time a dog goes onto someone else's property and chases them, THAT'S ALREADY DANGEROUS. There's no emphasis that's needed. It's bad enough.
ffs, go back and read what you wrote about the dogs prior to this post. Nowhere did you indicate that they terrorized the neighborhood or attacked people. You said you had a bad history with dogs, that these dogs came onto your property after you had told the owners you didn't want them to, and that they have chased people in the past (chasing is not necessarily a violent act)
You are right, I didn't tell the whole story because it was long winded enough to begin with and I didn't think it woud turn into what it did. By the time you posted there was ample evidence in my posts that the dogs were not of the peaceful variety.
There was no evidence in your posts that the dogs were not peaceful. As I said, feel free to go back and look at your first two posts and show me such evidence.
Your righteous indignation is bizarre at best.
I would think the fact that I mentioned shooting rock salt at them might give someone the idea they were up to things they shouldn't have been. I guess I shouldn't take things for granted on the internet but I thought people might know me enough to know I am not a guy who would be shooting dogs for no reason. I was wrong at least on two counts (you and blaze) but it seems that most understood what I was talking about. Sorry for the mixup.
Fair enough. I'm coming from a position where I don't keep track of individual posters here, and have heard many stories of people with different standards than I when it comes to violent actions against animals. I agree with you taking active measures to prevent violent dogs from harming anyone on your property. OTOH, I've heard firsthand accounts of neighbors threatening to shoot dogs or actually attacking dogs merely for coming onto their property even when the dog is very gentle and not a threat to anyone.
I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you understand what his rights are on his property.
That said, how do you propose he keep these dogs off his property when the owners refuse to do something about it?
And, as a sidenote: "(chasing is not necessarily a violent act)". Amusingly enough, neither is throwing a baseball at you. The ball in flight is perfectly safe. It's that one time when it smacks you in the face it becomes violent. If you would trust dogs chasing your kids because "it's not necessarily a violent act" then I don't know what to say.
Chasing can be violent and should be a concern. That comment was in the context of knowing these dogs were violent -- if you tell me that a dog chased someone, I won't go ahead and call the dog violent.
The last dog I had (RIP) was a shih-tzu that would sometimes chase people because he wanted to be played with, not because he wanted to tear their throat out.
Shih-tzu
Akita
Akita
chasing is not necessarily a violent actFuck that. The chasing itself might not be violent, but whose to say the dog will stop at chasing? There's no way to tell. Reaching into your jacket when you're surrounded by police with arms drawn is not necessarily a violent act, but I bet a dollar you'll have extra holes in your body before you can pull out your hair comb. It's about context, and in both situations one absolutely must act on the side of safety. If a strange dog is chasing myself or anybody for whom I care, that thing's getting stopped at all costs.
I don't think this would freak most people. Now, a 75lb+ dog chasing you is a totally different story.