A Christmas Tale
Christmas was going swimmingly until we decided to head out with the cousins and mother-in-law to Fort Greene Park around midday to get some air. We were at the top of the hill near the monument with three of the kids when we heard some barking and screaming. We ran down the hill towards the…
Christmas was going swimmingly until we decided to head out with the cousins and mother-in-law to Fort Greene Park around midday to get some air. We were at the top of the hill near the monument with three of the kids when we heard some barking and screaming. We ran down the hill towards the commotion, picking up a stick along the way. Turns out a man we’d seen earlier sitting on one of the tennis nets using the courts as his personal dog run for his two 100-pound pit bulls had decided to keep one of them off the leash as he walked through the park. Passing our four-year-old niece, mother-in-law and her Brittany Spaniel who were sitting on the bench near the big rock, one of the pits, the female off-the-leash one, went straight for the spaniel’s neck. After we all jumped into the fray and managed to pry the pitbull off the spaniel’s neck, the unapologetic owner took off towards the Willoughby exit. We followed while calling 911. The owner eventually got the both dogs on a leash. When we caught up and told him to wait there while the police came, he proceeded to take both dogs off the leash again and took off over the hill towards Myrtle Avenue. One dog—the one that had attacked—followed him; the other seemed lost and confused and lingered near the Willoughby entrance until the cops came a good 10-12 minutes later. The one moment of comic relief came when the cops were whistling through their PA system to try to keep the dog around the car until the van could show up to take the dog to the pound. We showed the cops these photos of the owner and they said it was not their job to go after him; instead, they said, Animal Control has their own cops that had to do it. When we got back to the house later and called 311, however, they said Animal Control would only arrest an owner whose dog had bitten a person. So now there’s an irresponsible owner who lets his pit bull roam free and no branch of law enforcement will track him down. That makes a lot of sense. Ideas?
More photos on the jump…
Oh, and if these dogs were pit bulls, then it would definitely be important to support houseofwax and others in firmly stating that there is a serious difference between intra-dog aggression and aggression toward humans, and that pit bulls have been or are bred to fight other dogs to the death while retaining a delightful demeanor toward humans.
So it should not be surprising that a pit bull would tear another dog apart
(not that the spaniel was torn apart in this scenario, or that these dogs are even pit bulls)
and at the same time not pose a threat to your young niece, even if she consistently laid upon and pummeled and wrong-rubbed the hypothetical pit bull in question.
They’re amazing dogs that way. Real pit bulls. Not that these dogs are pit bulls, and not that a young child was even involved.
Just chiming in to say that these dogs are most definitely *not* pit bulls, I think they are mastiffs. I also wanted to say that if they are the dogs I think they are, they have played well with my dog in the past.
It also looks like the Springer walked away from the scuffle, which makes me think that this is a typical “dog aggression” incident, which is a lot like most intra-human aggression: lots of fury, signifying nothing.
“I hear what you are saying but how many of those Shitzu attacks result in a kid getting a body part ripped off or worse”
Without question, Chaka. I fully agree. But for stats to claim that a higher percentage of attacks are made by pits vs other breeds is misleading for just that reason. Attacks made by Cocker Spaniels probably aren’t reported because they often don’t require a hospital visit. Let’s say we take a cross section of 1000 Pit owners and 1000 Cocker Spaniel owners. Are there more Pit Bull attacks than Cocker Spaniel attacks? I couldn’t say for certain, but I would doubt it. Unless, of course, we’re discussing attacks on other animals- then I think I can say with authority that the Pit’s number would be MUCH higher.
“owning a pit bull should be illegal.”
This thinking makes me nervous. I myself have owned several breeds that are commonly considered dangerous ( a Rottweiler, a Siberian Husky, and a Mastiff). I have never- repeat NEVER- had an aggression issue with any of them, they were all gentle and docile animals. If the state were to suddenly tell me that my beloved family pet posed a risk to the public and needed to be surrendered (and then what? Euthanized?)..well, that’s a slippery slope.
“they are dangerous animals. they appeal to the most violent and anti-social fringe elements of our society. these people could buy a Lab and train it to be vicious, but it would be more work. pit bulls are born vicious.”
Again, this is only HALF true.
Pit Bulls are incredibly common her in NYC. I know quite a few and let my dogs play regularly with them on a daily basis. While it’s true that the breed was developed for strength, agility and animal aggression, many of the dogs we see in the streets and identify as ‘pits’ display little of these characteristics and would likely be worthless as fighting dogs. Temperament DOES vary within the breed. I suspect the man in question has done precious little to socialize his dogs with other dogs, but I likewise doubt he’s trained them to be vicious. Dogs, if kept in isolation from other dogs, are more than likely to become suspicious or afraid of them and act out aggressively toward them when confronted.
The old maxim ‘there are no bad dogs, only bad owners’ needs clarification. To make it seem as if every attack on another animal takes place because the dog’s owner somehow trained and/or his dog to do so is, in my opinion, erroneous.In many cases, the owners only fault is not recognizing that his animal is not fit to be trusted in the public arena, and THAT is what makes the owners ‘bad’.
Lastly, let’s not vilify the animals. Dogs, in their various forms, shapes,and temperaments exist solely because of man’s intervention. Almost every pure breed out there exists because mankind selectively eugenically bred them for a certain trait or traits. One need not blame a pit bull for animal aggression any more than one would blame a pug for sitting in his owner’s lap. The owner should understand his responsibilities and know his animal before taking it into a situation where he lacks absolute control.
owning a pit bull should be illegal. they are dangerous animals. they appeal to the most violent and anti-social fringe elements of our society. these people could buy a Lab and train it to be vicious, but it would be more work. pit bulls are born vicious.
“But believe me, I’d suspect as many kids are bitten by Shi Tzus as are pit bulls.”
I hear what you are saying but how many of those Shitzu attacks result in a kid getting a body part ripped off or worse. If a shitzu bit off someone’s ear or arm, I am certain that we’d hear about it on the 6 o’clock news.
Those are neither Cane Corsos (BTW, “Cane” is Italian and pronounced “KAH-nay”; not rhyming with ‘Spain’) nor are they Neopolitans; they look most like Presa Canarios or Canary Island Mastiffs to me.
I am no Pit Bull apologist, but I think it’s important to look at the facts from every angle. Pit Bulls were bred for animal aggression. Not guarding, not hunting, not herding. ANIMAL AGGRESSION. This is the hallmark of the pit bull’s temperament and should not be seen as a fault in it’s character. If you had a Labrador that didn’t swim or a Collie that didn’t herd it would be uncharacteristic of the breed. Same goes for Pit Bulls – the ‘pit’ in their name refers to fighting pits.
SO- these dogs have a naturally increased prey instinct and incredibly strong jaws. That coupled with their tremendous tenacity makes for a difficult ‘pet’ – ALL dogs fight and every dog owner knows that. When a pit bull fights it’s usually with greater consequences than when, say, dachshunds do.
It is because of their need to work with their handlers in the fighting ring that Pits are generally NOT aggressive toward humans. However, as I mentioned before, they have a naturally high prey drive and can be incited to chase and bite.
The news media is more likely to report these stories, as ‘Child Bitten By Yorkshire Terrier’ doesn’t make for very sensational news. But believe me, I’d suspect as many kids are bitten by Shi Tzus as are pit bulls. Also, keep in mind that pit bulls probably are in the genetic makeup of 75% of the dogs adopted out of city shelters; they are tremendously popular pets.
Presa Canarios are native dogs of the Canary Islands. In fact ‘Canary’ refers not to birds, but to canines-dogs. They were prized for their strength and aggression in the fighting ring, dog fighting being incredibly popular in Spain in the 1800’s. They are by no means dogs for the inexperienced dog handler.
CAne Corsos, on the other hand, have become so popular (the post that claims they’re rare is only half right; they have been recreated as a breed and, although rarely adhering to any sort of standard, are increasingly common) that their temperament has been softened to the point that they are rarely that formidible. Like any powerful dog, however, they should be extensively socialized and handled wisely.
The police are unfortunately completely impotent in these matters. There is little they can or will do to protect your animal from negligent and irresponsible dogs owners. Nor will they protect your animal from negligent and careless citizens, a lesson I learned when my dog was hit by a car.
Cobblehiller
EDP is cop talk – Emotionally Disturbed Person.
What’s this BS about Pit Bulls attacking dogs and not attacking humans? Google for stats and there are pages of results of news reports of attacks on humans by pit bulls over the last few years. It would be one thing if dog attacks on humans were equally committed by other breeds, then maybe you could say it’s “rare”, but the CDC lists the pit bull as responsible for the majority of attacks on both humans and dogs, by far. And it’s not like attacks on dogs is okay! It’s awful when that occurs. The other dog is most often not killed right away. It lays there bleeding in pain and suffering. Disgusting. It’s like these Pit Bull fans believe other dogs are inferior and deserve what they get simply for getting in the way. Getting “yippy” as they’ll often say derisively about other dogs, blaming the victim. Funny me, I call that lack of remorse and concern sociopathic. A normal, well behaved dog should be psychologically capable of handling some little dog getting “yippy” or simply passing close by. Only a total psycho would get set off by that.
Things that aren’t relevant: this man’s socio economic status and your random pop culture “knowledge” about pit bulls. Those aren’t pit bulls, bra.
If I had the evil heart to train vicious and aggressive dogs I’d choose golden retrievers or yellow labs. If these animals appeared in a post like this I bet my toyota that the words “pit bull” would come up in the comment section at least thrice.