WIll it soon be too dangeous to walk our dogs??

Question

Very sad story in Portland. What can be done about this growing pit bull problem where we cant even take our dogs out for a walk anymore??

POSTED: 8:11 am PST February 18, 2007
UPDATED: 4:25 pm PST February 18, 2007

A Portland woman said a wayward pit bull is to blame for the death of her dog.

Ursula Fox’s Schit-Tzu, named Decaf, was killed Friday night on Northeast 47th Street. Fox said she was walking Decaf around 9 p.m. when several dogs came running up behind her with a man yelling at them.



“All of a sudden, I went to pick her up and these dogs got her right here on the ground,” said Fox.



Fox claimed a pit bull tackled Decaf to the ground and snapped her neck, killing the small dog instantly.

“He ran down and said, ‘Oh no’ and he tried to stop his dog and I started screaming and he says, 'Oh, I’m so sorry,' and that was it,” said Fox.

Fox called police, but said the pit bull’s owner was never cited and the dog was not taken away.

FOX 12 t

sorry: rest of article

FOX 12 tried to talk with the owner of the pit bulls, but there was no answer at the door.

Portland law states all dogs must be on a leash and under their owners’ control while outside of their own yards.

The law also stated owners are liable for any damage caused by their dog; and an off-leash dog that kills another pet is to be considered a dangerous dog.

The Fox family said they planned to contact animal control Tuesday morning.

http://www.kptv.com/news/11047700/detail.html

Answer 1

This has nothing to do with pit bulls, but about unleashed and badly behaved dogs. I believe owners should be more responsible, and owners of dogs prone to violence even more careful than that, but I don't believe that this happened because of a pit bull, but rather because of a badly mannered badly educated and extremely ignorant pitbull owner.

Yes, some breeds have been bred to fight, or guard or things like that. But the upbringing, not the breeding, is the main problem here. Ignorant people who want a tough dog buy pitbulls, not people who know how to handle and properly train dogs. That is not to say there are no good pitbull owners out there, but rather that they are not the majority. People get dogs for the wrong reasons, are unable to control them, and then don't even properly restrain them.

I'm not denying that pitbulls have the potential to kill. They're powerful dogs and maybe they have a predator instinct somewhere in their gene pool. But if the owner had the dog properly trained and leashed, would this have heppened? I think we need to exterminate the bad pitbull owners, rather than the unfortunate dogs forced to live in these homes.

Red cars have higher insurance costs because these cars are proportionately likely to get into more crashes a year. This is not because red cars are less safe to drive (they are as safe as any other color of the same make and model), but that the drivers who pick them tend to drive less safely. Getting rid of pitbulls is as absurd as saying that companies should be outlawed from producing red vehicles. If this happened, the same dangerous "drivers" would be just as dangerous with another car (or dog).

I have met some very well mannered pit bulls, as well as some incredibly evil ones. Please, don't judge a breed by one dog who got on the front page of the news.

Answer 2

The problem is the pit owner was not cited. Bad owners = bad dogs and letting some off is only make matters worst. And any time you have someone letting a dog run free you are asking for something bad to happen. Pit bull, lad, collie whatever are just wolfs under the skin when let run they will form a pack and kill, that is what wolfs do. Till the law starts making humans live up to their responsibility no one well be safe. Get rid of one breed another will take its place till they are all gone.

Answer 3

Try muzzling her every time you take her out, if she attempts to bark yank her lead and tell her no. Another one is to get a big (I think it might be an Evian) bottle fill it with tap water and squirt her every time she does it, take some treats along and if she doesn't reward her if she does soak her. Obviously this is not practical when you are in the car as your seats will get soaked, will work though if she is going it when she out for a walk though. The last can be expensive but you can get a devise which emits a high pitched sound when she barks, only dogs can hear it never tried it and have heard mixed results for this product, pets at home are a good place to try, have also seen them in the betterware and Kleenezy catalogues, I have provided links below to all three. I would seem that the last alternative would be your only practical option I hope this helps.

Answer 4

It's unfortunate that we can't outlaw the idiots that use dogs to make themselves "tough". It is the Pit bull and related terriers now, 20 years ago it was the Doberman. So unfortunate that people can't be beaten, starved and tortured like they do animals. It's not the dogs fault it's the teeny weeny little ******* that think they need a dog to fight their battles.

Anyway, that's my rant. Now...Go to a sporting goods store and buy a can of BEAR PEPPER SPRAY. These are just pepper spray but come in an 8 or 12 oz size and will shoot 30 feet. Not a great answer but if it doesn't stop the dog it will make its cowardly owner run for cover.

Good Luck

Answer 5

Leash laws are not being enforced, even in tough leash law cities. In San Francisco today, as I was volunteer walking at the SPCA, a police cruiser went right and slowly by a man with two dogs, one unleashed. San Francisco has very tough leash laws. Animal Care and Control was within a block, too, but laws are nothing if not enforced. The horror of seeing your dog killed before your eyes is the result too many times of loose enforcement of the law here.

Answer 6

i have often wondered the same thing, there is not real way to solve the problem of pitt bulls for a few reasons
1. they have no value- pitt puppies as purebreds do not have monitary value to thier litter owners, they can be a cheap as $100 so who takes $100 seriously enough to train the dog or take care to socialize it, if it doesnt work out, it onlyh take $100 to replace it

2. the breed has a serious fighting tendancy, so do most terriers, kerry blue terriers are worse than pitt bulls, when it comes to shear havock with other dogs, but the breeders keep them out of the hands of people who would not do right by them

3. breed restrictive legislature will only make the breed more tempting for people who have this rediculous misconception that pitt bulls have magical powers, thier jaws lock, they fight to the death, they have extra bones in thier face,... all things i have heard

4. i dont think pitts are bad, i own one, but they are a victim of over breeding, and even good breeders cant do anything to protect them now

Answer 7

I don't think it's dangerous, just keep your dogs on leashes at all times and if possible buy them spiked collars [if a pitbull (or any other breed) happens to attack one of them they'll most likely go for the neck and the spiked collars will slow it down a little.]

Please remember though that not all pitbulls are like this, I have a 2 year old female pitbull/rottweiler cross named Kobe and my boyfriend has 2 purebred male pitbulls named Ryder and Prince, none of them would hurt a fly. They listen well and all 3 of them love cats, other dogs and people.

Also remember that it's not the dog, it's the owners. Pitbulls can be just as nice (if not nicer) then any other breed of dogs with proper training.

The owner of the pitbull was to blame here not the dog itself.

Your dogs need to get exersize and you shouldn't worry much because if a pitbull were to come up to you, your dogs could protect you.

What breed are they btw? If they're chihuahua's then you might worry a bit but if they're of the larger breeds then you shouldn't worry..

Answer 8

About all people can do to protect themselves from the negligence of others is carry pepper spray and pray for a good aim to deter accidents such as this from happening when they take their dogs out for walks.
It's sad but this poor lady will have to sue the owners of the dog that killed hers to force them into taking responsibility for their pet.

Answer 9

That is so scary. I feel very bad for the lady...having to watch her dog being killed and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. That probably scarred her for life. I know I would be!

People need to be more responsible.

Answer 10

although i dont get what u r talking about, but it also depends on where you walk your dog.
like if you walk your dog near a place where bulls are kept, then it is SERIOUSLY dangerous! get out of there quick.
but if you walk your dog near gardens or places very peaceful and fresh, it is ok.
:)