What needs to be done about agressive dogs?

Question

Just yesterday a pitbull ran loose in my complex and right in front of my back door, killed a cat! I absolutely love animals but now I am scared of this type of dog. It's apparent this owner raised this animal to be extremely vicious and this needs to end. I think more action needs to be taken against these owners. How can we make this incident never happen again?

Answer 1

well i am a pit bull owner and i can say that my dogs are very protective of there property in the summer the have killed possums and skunks in our backyard. that is not because we are bad owners but because they are protecting there domain. i do agree that owners should be responsible. yes the dog should have been on a leash but im sure if this has not happened before it could have been an accident. what about the cat ..it should not have been loose either. technically pits are not the most dangerous dog. they are actually proven to be just as good as a golden retriever. yes there have been tests done to prove these facts. it is not the breed it is the owner.

Answer 2

Some dogs, any breed, kill cats. It is irresponsible ownership to have a dog running loose and unfortunately this dog was a Pit Bull who killed the cat in front of you according to your observation. Larger breeds that are roaming at large, any breed, could pose a serious threat to other animals and to children moreso than smaller ones though all can do some damage.
I agree that more action needs to be taken against irresponsible owners especially if dogs are able to roam like that. I'd say call the Police Dept. and report the incident along with your concerns. Hopefully you are not put off concerning the breed because of stupid irresponsible owners. Pit Bulls get a bad name because of some of the stereotypes of people that like to own them. Nevertheless, since this particular dog has killed a cat, it's reasonable to believe that it won't stop there. Other animals are in danger and people could be in danger as well.

Answer 3

You don't indicate if you know the owner or not. I would call animal control and report the situation. I am an owner of two pitbulls and a cocker spaniel. My dogs do chase animals in my yard but have never left the yard. this is their domain and they do protect it. Any dog owner should always have control over their dog and it should never be able to run loose. The owner is responsible for their dog's actions. Please do note, not all pit bulls are agressive dogs. They need to be trained properly just like a doberman, german sheppard, boxer etc. My Cocker happens to be meaner then my pits.

Answer 4

You have to call animal control before it bites a human. Yes, I believe that no dog is ever born aggressive. It is the owners that make them that way. I think that once the animal has bitten someone or another animal then the owner needs to be fined heavily AND given a mandatory 10 days in jail, maybe longer. Pit bulls have been given a bad rap by their owners alone. Find out where the dog lives and report them anonymously. Good luck.

Answer 5

First, many dogs instinctively will chase (and usually kill) cats. This does not mean a dog would do the same to a human. Also, it doesn't mean they wouldn't.

I would warn the neighbor (if you know who it is) that next time their dog is loose you will call animal control.

Perhaps it was an honest accident that the dog got out? My dog has gotten loose on me two times - once over and once under my 6-foot fence. Thankfully she is extremely friendly and would never harm anyone.

I think people with breeds that are potentially dangerous, and large dogs that could do damage must take extra precautions to ensure their dogs do not get loose. That is our responsibility as owners.

Answer 6

First thing call the animal control on these people! People who have such a dog (any dog does not have to be pit) needs it taken away and never have another dog (if this is a on going thing with these people).
Educating specially our young people and not glamorizing these kinds of behavior. There are those out there who think it is so cool to have a dog like this...
I lived in a place that put pit bulls down immediately. This is not a pit bull problem (remember the dog on little rascals, it was a pit) but a people problem.
It is documented that people who glamorize these kinds of behavior out of there pet usually treat humans very badly (or the same way)!
I took on one of these killer pit bulls for my fragile father. She was a fighting pit she was 1-2 years old. My father loved her and got her to the point she would not kill everything and was a very pleasant dog....He could not walk real well so she was never out of there fenced yard, mostly inside at his side all the time.

In Oregon this is classified as aggressive and will be taken away.

Answer 7

This is a sad story, and probably could have been prevented.

However, killing a cat doesn't render the dog aggessive - in my opinion. The dog should have been leashed, but don't we all have moments when our dogs escape us despite our best efforts? I'm very sorry for the poor cat, and its owner...but...

Dogs do chase and kill cats. Alot of breeds have been bred to do this, and it is purely instinctual. Not the dog's fault.

Would you have your cat put down, if it killed a bird or a mouse?
Would you think it "wrong" of your cat to do so? Probably not.

If there are other signs that the dog is "extremely vicious", other then this one incident, definately call animal control. But if this is a one time incident, I would not label this dog as vicious.

The average lifespan of an outdoor cat is 3 years. Cats should be kept indoors, todays world is not safe for them. Too many cars and rampant diseases such as feline lukemia and worst of all, intentional poisoning.

Answer 8

Aggressive dogs should not be tolerated, no matter what the breed. Far too many people let things slide because they don't want bad relations with the neighbors or whatever. If the dog is a nusiance or a threat, call bylaw, police, whoever and keep calling. If the dog injures you or your family or your pet, lay charges and sue their butt off. It's only when they actually face consequences for their irresponsibility that dog owners will take action to control their pets.

Answer 9

Report all incidents of dog attacks / bite to the authorities.

Petition Animal Control (get signatures from your neighbors) to have any vicious dogs removed from your neighborhood.

Help laws get passed in your state/county for more severe punishment for people who keep vicious dogs.

Don't try to make your "sweeping changes" breed specific; this can keep the laws from changing because breeders fight breed-specific legislation. Instead, keep your demand for change on a case-by-case, dog-by-dog basis.. and direct the complaints against the dog OWNERS, not necessarily the dogs themselves.

Answer 10

I am so dam tried of pit bull owners who let their dogs tun loose, or never train them right and they get away with it and the poor dogs get hurt. Owners of dogs need to be made to take responsibility for what their dogs do. I own a pit and get tried of people being afraid of him because so a$$ let their pit run lose and hurt someone. Turn the owner in shout loud and long that the humans are the ones to blame and they need to be the ones that suffer. Please will trained pit bulls are wonderful pets go and see one that is well trained and see for your self