Dogs and lack of a "leash law"

Found this at another forum, and thought I'd ask it here to see what people think here.

Anyway, the poster lives in a small town, where there are no laws for leashing up a dog. There is a particular owner who seems to purposely be breeding killer dogs, or dogs who will attack other animals or people.

He has two dogs, a male and a female, and the male one doesn't like other animals. It has already killed another dog, and seriously wounded another one. The female dog doesn't like people (besides her owner), and both of them are often seen running around together outside of the owner's yard.

The guy who owned the dog that was hurt is planning on suing the vicious dog's owner, but that guy essentially said "we're breeding killer dogs, if you don't like it, you can move". The cops don't seem to want to do anything about it (at least until a child or person gets attacked/killed by them, although they also won't allow guns in the town either), and people there are afraid of letting their children out to play by the park because of that (the dog owner lives across the street from the park).

What do you think could be done in this situation? And what would you do if you were in this situation?

If I was in this situation, I would first protest to the owner (most likely through letters, as I figure if I go to the house, the owner will probably send those dogs on me). If they won't listen, I'm going to start carrying an airhorn or stun gun (according to the original poster, guns aren't allowed in the city, and you'll get arrested if you use it, but he didn't mention stun guns, which I hope would work against dogs. And the airhorn I'm hoping will scare the dogs).

If I get attacked by the dogs while minding my own business (say I'm just relaxing in the park, and they attack me there), and the owner doesn't seem like they're going to do anything about it, man, I'm going to get really mean myself. If that happened to me, I wouldn't rule out killing the dogs by poisoning them. Let's see, dog food/meat soaked in anti-freeze will kill an animal won't it? And isn't chocolate fatal to dogs as well (I'd probably go this route so at least the dog owner suffers a little even if the dog doesn't die, and it'd be harder to trace the chocolate back to me). Of course, I'd wait at least a year or two before doing it (so it'll give me time to decide if I really want to go through with it, and if I do, it'll make it harder for the owner to trace it back to me. I can be a patient person if I'm planning revenge :sneaky: ). Keep in mind I would only go this far if I was attacked by the dogs without provoking them (meaning they just decided to attack me themselves, not because I'm trying to break into the owner's house, or because I'm attacking the owner).

I won't intentionally harm an animal unless it attacks me first. And in a case like this, I would have to hold the dog owner liable, because it's their fault for not tying up their pet, and restraining it from attacking me. I'd also have to complain to the city for not passing a leash law for vicious animals (not all dogs are aggressive after all, and chances are the ones that do actively attack people were taught to do that by their owners).

So, what would you do if you lived in this town, and had to regularly pass that dog owner's house on foot or bike?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

If my cat Snowball was still alive, he would be my bodyguard against dogs like that, (The cat was a brute against dogs! He chased a rottweiler from our house)

When it comes to complaining about these dogs, it would depend on where you live I guess... Here in Newfoundland, dog owners love their pets, and dog attacks are quite rare, so if someone goes to the police and complains about a dog owner or the pet itself, the police WILL investigate, and the SPCA will inspect the animal's living conditions and behavior. The situation is taken care of quite quickly, but sometimes it can be predjudce against certain breeds and people can get scared for that reason.

In the town I am currently living in there is a guy who owns 2 Bit bulls, and they are actually nice dogs... they are about 6 and 10 years old and have not bitten a living thing, however some people want the dogs removed because of the stories and current ban they have in Ontario.

I guess what I am saying is that maybe the police has had so many of these reports that they now are required to act only in a actual incident, and not nervous predjudce that may be accusing a innocent animal and owner.

Most amazing jew boots

Wow, there was once a boxer that tore a hole in my dog's throat and the police spent the whole day--and most of the night--chasing after the dog. Yeah, our police force sucks when it involves domestic affairs (ex. neighbor hararssment, wife beating, etc.), but if that were to happen in my neighborhood I would collect petitions for a "leash law". Or at least petition the guy that was breeding dogs to become killers. Anyone have Cesar's Dog Whisperer number?

The ASPCA should definitely be alerted. Heck, if it's severe enough get PETA in on the situation.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

The last time a dog dared attack me it ended up with a firm kick in the throat. I took several years of Tae Kwon Do, so I know how to land a good kick. I'm not sure if it lived or not, and I could care less.

If your dog is mean enough to attack people/other animals, you are responsible for seeing that it doesnt.

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If such a situation ever happened to me again, that dog would end up with lead poisoning. I have absolutely no tolerance for crap like this.

A dog just barking at me is fine, it isn't threatening me. But I'm not going to just stand by and let it rip the throat out of my cat/dog/child/me because PETA wants to bitch about it, or if the town has some stupid law about it. My own wellbeing, and the wellbeing of my kids/pets comes first.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

If that was the case here, and the dogs had a history of violence and were obviously dangerous I would without question kill the dogs as soon as they entered either my property or the park. I would most likely use a deer rifle.

Of course, this is the suburbs of Dallas, TX. In your case, it might not be quite so easy. Poison is not really a good method as it might inadvertently cause the death of another, innocent, animal. I would warn the owner, and tell him that if his dogs were not kept enclosed and posed any threat to local people or myself, I would kill them.

I guess killing the dogs is the only real possibility I can imagine at this point. IM not a big fan of mean dogs. Although, I love the sweet ones.


edit:

I remember once my next door neighbor had a problem with a dog killing his chickens. He tied the dog to a tree on a 2 ft leesh and let it starve in a pile of its own feces before shooting it. That's cruelty.

I was speaking idiomatically.

My dog is an asshole, that's why I always keep him on a leash because I know for a fact he'll spaz out and do something to someone at sometime and I don't want to risk it. Personally I believe there need to be laws about acceptable and responsible dog ownership before leash laws. Because having a dog off-leash is the least of your problems when the giant whatever killer dog breaks out of his lawn and mauls a 2 year old.

And the saddest thing is that in cases like these, the dog is put down and the owner fined at the most, when it wasn't really the dog's fault but the human's crappy breeding practices and lack of decent socialization.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

One thing to certainly do is keep a journal of any instances pertaining to the dog or the dog's owner. Dates, times, names, etc.

If I were the owner of the dog that got hurt, it seems to me small claims court would be the way to go to pay for any damages that might have occurred (vet bills). I would certainly talk to a lawyer about it. You never know, that could be the one thing that could change the leash law.

What's funny is ~ where I live, there is a leash law, but if someone climbs over my fence and one of my dogs bites that person, I'm still held liable. How crazy is that? That's why I have started growing this certain kind of tropical plant around my fence that is very, very sharp that will poke your ass no matter how you try to climb the fence.

You wouldn't be helping yourself by taking revenge. Though I sure would carry something with me, such as you mentioned, if I had to bike or walk past that dude's house.

FELIPE NO

Gecko, unfortunately, until one of those dogs does bite a child, animal control probably isn't going to get involved in this situation. Once that happens, it'll be on.

I've been doing a ton of research on this issue because my son was bitten two weeks ago by a boxer who practically tore his bottom lip off, and we've had to hire an attorney to get the dog's owners to pay for my son's medical bills, since they don't believe they're responsible for their dog's actions.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Alice, I'm sorry to hear about your son. I have to say that is total bullshit that the dog's owner sdoesn't believe they are responsible for their dog's actions.

May I ask what happened?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, it's a long story but I'll summarize.

Dane (my son) was spending the night with a friend (Eric). Eric's little sister was housesitting for some people who were out of town on vacation (these people are Eric's aunt and uncle). She called and asked her mom to run her phone charger over, because her phone battery was dead. The mom drove them over and Dane and Eric went in to give her the phone charger. Dane had been there before, and the dog was somewhat familiar with him. What Dane didn't know at the time was that the dog has cancer and had just had surgery on its legs. He gave it a doggie biscuit, and then patted it on the top of the head. It lunged up and bit his lip. Didn't bark or growl or anything...just lunged up, bit him and sat back down. Eric and his little sister corroborated this story when I talked to them in the emergency room.

At the risk of having Face tell me I'm a sicko again for posting these pictures, here's a couple of them from the night he was bitten - before and after almost 50 stitches (WARNING - VERY GRAPHIC!):

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

I have tried to be very fair, but these people won't cooperate. I pleaded with animal control not to take the dog, since it's sick and this is his first bite offense, and they didn't take him. I have no desire to see this dog get put to sleep. I just want these people to pay for my son's face. We'll have to wait and see what happens. According to my lawyer, since the daughter was acting as an agent for them at the time and allowed Dane to come into the house, and also because she didn't tell him that the dog was sick, we have a good case.

It also helped me make my decision about the dog when the plastic surgeon told me that he sees dog bite cases all the time, but this was the first he had ever heard of a boxer biting anyone. He told me that by far he sees more pit bull cases than any other ones, followed by chow and cocker spaniel bites.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I have a pit bull terrier. ;_; That is why I make sure she stays either in the house or in the backyard.

Anyhow ~ wow. I commend you for not having the dog put to sleep. The owner's seem to not care that you did that for them. Since the dog has apparently never bitten anyone before, he probably wasn't sure what Dane was going to do since he was injured.

It's funny ~ one thing that a person can learn when reading about dogs is never to touch one when it is injured as the dog might bite you. Of course, your son didn't know the dog was injured and the owner's won't take that into account? They won't take into account that they should have warned the girl not to let anyone in the house that the dog didn't know since he was injured? Just a thought, but one I doubt would hold up.

This is why I don't understand the law in my city that if someone climbs over my fence, TRESPASSING, and my dogs bite him/her, I'm liable. If what happened to you had happened in my home, or my yard for that matter, when no one was illegally trespassing, I would fully agree that my dog is my responsibility and I should assume the costs. But if they trespass illegally I'm still responsible? Shameful.

Didn't mean to get off-track there. It is just astounding that these people don't take into consideration that as of this moment, that dog could be gone forever, save for the fact you pleaded on the dog's behalf. What a kind heart you have.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by AliceNWondrland

I have tried to be very fair, but these people won't cooperate. I pleaded with animal control not to take the dog, since it's sick and this is his first bite offense, and they didn't take him. I have no desire to see this dog get put to sleep. I just want these people to pay for my son's face. We'll have to wait and see what happens. According to my lawyer, since the daughter was acting as an agent for them at the time and allowed Dane to come into the house, and also because she didn't tell him that the dog was sick, we have a good case.

You're a lot more fair than I would be, Alice. I took a look at those pictures, and although I'm an animal lover, I can't forgive things like that. It's realy the fault of the owner, rather than the dog, but in your position I would want to see the dog dead.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Well, I really don't think this is a vicious dog. He was up-to-date on all his shots and there had never been any complaints against him before (he's 7-years-old). I think he just felt sick and that made him act unpredictably. Although I do feel like these people need to be extra-careful about allowing him around people in the future, since he has demonstrated that he's capable of biting.

FYI - Animal control questioned me repeatedly before the identification was made on this dog as to whether or not he might be a pit bull. I later found out that if this dog had been a pit bull, nothing I or anyone else could have said would have stopped them from putting him to sleep.

Oh, and the plastic surgeon doesn't think Dane's scar is going to be very noticeable, if you can believe that.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it true that even the nicest of dogs can bite if they are injured? I'm fairly new to dogs, only having mine for 2 years and never having them ever before, so I'm not sure about that, but it seems that's what I've read.

How long must he have in his stitches? I can't get over how swollen Dane's bottom lip was.

How ya doing, buddy?

The last time some other dude's dog tried to attack us, we killed it. That's how it works here. Leash law? Pshaw!

I never had problems with my dogs. Well, except a few years ago when one of our dog was just annoying, and tried to bite a kid. My mom asked some of our relatives to kill the dog.. and they ate the dog after that.

FELIPE NO

vemp, is that a true story? If so, just...wow.

julia, Dane's stitches came out on Thursday and he looks a lot better now. And yes, I believe any dog will bite when they're sick or injured. That's why I had even a shred of compassion for this one.

How ya doing, buddy?

I'm glad to hear he is doing better. So will he require plastic surgery?

One thing I want to ask, and I only ask because again, I'm new to dogs, but you said that you think these people should be extra careful about having this dog around people in the future because he is capable of biting, but in that same token, you say he was never known to bite before and probably only bit then because he was injured.

Are you saying that now he is going to bite again, even if uninjured?

Oh, and I just now saw your added remarks to your post about Dane's lip, so no need to answer my first question. And about pit bulls, that does make me sad as there are so many, like mine, who are not as evil as they are portrayed.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Well, I am no expert on dog behavior, but I think that since he's bitten someone now, he has shown that he's capable of doing so again. But what do I know? All dogs are unpredictable...they're dogs, not humans. They aren't capable of rational thought. People tend to forget that, I think.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Any dog is capable of biting. But I think you and I can agree that tempermant (sp?) in general surely has a lot to do with it as well. I think you are wonderful for allowing these people to keep their pet in spite of what happened. I only hope now that they will help you with the medical bills.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Dogs can bite unexpectedly, and it's not uncommon if they're not feeling like their usual self, or if they're in pain. I've heard about dogs biting in these cases. Although once a dog bites once, you know they are capable of doing it again and I wouldn't feel safe around a dog that has bit someone.

I leave my dog indoors, he's pampered but that keeps him safe from others since all he does is bark, he wouldn't hurt anyone. He is a big dog, so just by barking scares people away. Puppies go through their biting phase between 8-12 weeks, that's when they learn that biting people is not okay. It makes me angry that people neglect their dogs and don't teach them good behaviours. That's basically forfeiting their life as soon as something bad happens.

I'm all for leash laws, I just wish there were more dog parks because my dog can't really run around much on his own unless I drive to the nearest dog park for him to play.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

There's a dog park right across the street from my college and I think its a great way for dog owners to get thier pets exercise and interaction with thier master as well as other dogs around there.

If your dog is known to not be people friendly, then put on a goddamm leash. I mean it should be common sense, but then again that seems to be an increasingly rare trait in people these days. I am all for leash laws and I hope that they increase the number of places where these laws are enacted, because I'd much rather go through the hassle of a leash, rather then have some poor child get bit by my dog (IF I had one that is).

So, for those who argue "But what about letting the dog run around in the park or something?". I have no problem with that, as long as its a designated area (A Park being one of those areas, or at least the MAIN area), and the owner takes FULL care of thier pet (Meaning if thier pet bites another dog or a person, its THIER fault).

I was speaking idiomatically.

Alice, true story. It's socially accepted, but some people are starting to hear about the laws against cruelty among animals. Even with that, I still know people who eat dogs, or sell cats only to be killed.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

WOW Alice..I hope they do pay for your sons medical bills. I wouldn't be surprized if he never trusts other people's dogs again. I know that had to sting like hell(to the heart) having it do that after a friendly jesture :/.

There is a leash law in Georgia. YOU WILL get fined for a dog attacking a person.. you WILL get a ticket lol if you're caught walking your dog without a leash. It was passed by either Zell Miller of Roy Barnes(Eh Sunny don't give a darn about Georgia but that's another matter). It's a serious issue we had here. People buying dangerous as hell dogs and walking them without any kind of restraint. I've had my hamstring torn from running from a fucking dog all accross Foresyth Park. Minding my own business..like most people and boom: WOOF WOOF RUFF RRRRRRRRRRRRRR *bite* *chase*. There are some nights where a dog wanting to attack me is the worst thing it can do in it's life. With my trusty blade I use for my job..........*ahem* anyway. I know people buy them for household/owner protection but got damn.

FELIPE NO

Hi Winter ~ I see you are in Savannah. I was just there about a month ago. Stayed at the River Street Inn.

Sonny's the big man around here since he is from Perry and I'm from Warner Robins; Perry being a 10-minute drive from my house. Anyhow, yeah, there's nothing wrong with the leash law you mentioned but I'm still baffled about the other one I mentioned.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

On the original topic; if the man is purposefully breeding dogs to be vicious and letting them run free, then people should be entirely within their rights to keep these dogs away from their property through whatever means necesarry.

Then again, I live in Texas. You can shoot a man here for stealing the rake out of your backyard so killing a dangerous dog or two is preschool shit.

Jam it back in, in the dark.