More Problems with Pit Bulls — And Their Owners
Remembering the encounter we had last December in Fort Greene Park with a pit bull, a reader sent in this harrowing tale: “A guy was walking down my block the other night with his pit bull–and the dog (while on the leash) attacked a cat that lives across the street and tore it to pieces…
Remembering the encounter we had last December in Fort Greene Park with a pit bull, a reader sent in this harrowing tale: “A guy was walking down my block the other night with his pit bull–and the dog (while on the leash) attacked a cat that lives across the street and tore it to pieces in front of several witnesses,” she writes. “The police were called–arrived and did…nothing. They said unless it was a person nothing could be done.” That’s what we were told at the time as well. Seems crazy. What would someone be charged with for shooting a cat with a gun? Same thing, ain’t it?
Please see my forum post for rebuttal on this crazy blog!
bxgrl,
Keeping him did cross my mind. Unfortunately my cat can be very aggressive towards dogs, especially if they enter his territory. One likely possibility might be that Max (the cat) would so terrify the poor dog that he’d end up being the alpha animal, with an enormous pit at his beck and call. The other possibility is that my cat might provoke this obviously sweet dog enough so that he’d end up as lunch. The former is more likely (for an altered animal, Max has BALLS–he’s convinced that he chased a bear in Vermont), but I’d rather not chance the latter.
I think that the dogs in the Christmas attacks were Presa Canarios or Cane Corsos, large mastiff-type dogs that tend to be much bigger (and rarer) than pit bulls.
Contrary to some posts here, pit bulls’ jaws do not lock. They have very strong jaw muscles, as do most terriers, whose traditional job was to grab hold and probably shake to death vermin, prey, etc. Pit fighter use sticks (“breaking sticks”) to get separate 2 dogs that are latching on to each other. They do not call the 24 Hour Locksmith!
Most pit bull terriers are very people-oriented — they were the first breed, I think, to be known as “velcro dogs.” They are easy to train, much easier that Pointers, Hounds, Airedales, etc. Their very “trainability” is what makes Pits willing to do anything for their owners, including in some cases maiming other living beings.
Owners who cultivate aggression in pit bulls through selective breeding (aggression toward humans or other dogs) are only part of the problem. The other problem is the number of pits who are adopted off the street or from overcrowded shelters by well-meaning people. The NYC Animal Control shelters are VERY overburdened and VERY under-funded; when I was last there a couple of years ago, they put up dogs for adoption 24 hours or less after they were found on the street or surrendered by owners. They did little or nothing in the way of behavioral assessment — how could they when 1 shelter alone was getting 75+ dogs in per day??
If any dog is starving and sickly, its true temperament will not show until it’s healthy and secure. For some dogs this means aggression of one kind or another will appear; for others, it means that fearful snarling at strangers or other dogs will cease. It can take months for the changeover to happen; people who get a pit on Sunday and bring it to the park on Monday don’t know what they have and are risking trouble. Most also don’t know that friendly with people may not equate with friendly with dogs, or the reverse.
This applies to all dogs, not just pits. But since the average pit has a stronger, more powerful bite than other breeds, and may be from a line that was bred for aggression over generations, well-meaning people must be extra-careful when bring a new dog into the run/park/street.
I spent 7 years volunteering at The Humane Society in Manhattan on weekends, ran my own rescue group with friends after that, fostered 20 dogs (including pits and pit mixes) in my apartment over 10 years, and now have 1 mix and 2 hounds who are themselves very independent animals. Other people may have other opinions — these are just mine based on my own experiences. Owners need to know their dog’s traits,and to be held responsible for their dog’s behavior.
another thing, the dog on this post is not the actual dog.
it was a tan pitbull.
Something you all might find interesting is that the owner of the pit bull was white, educated and lives at One Hanson Place (aka the clock tower building)
This is not an issue about race. It about safety, not just for cats but small children, other dogs and yes people too. The owner said his dog had never done anything like this before. That is scary!
A supposedly harmless dog suddenly attacks and the owner cannot control it.
Who’s next? I would not want to share an elevator ride with this guy and his dog and wish he would stop walking his dog on my block!
thanks PD for the informed response. i forgot we had a resident professional on the board! i am guessing the ASPCA have an intake unit for citizens to make complaints. are they a better liaison for people than to go directly to the DA’s office or the precinct?
nice story bob! at first i was terrified where you were going with it. i was like ugh not another pitbull ate my baby story that seem to be so prevalent these days!
*rob*
Pit bulls are not the problem its their idiot owners that need to be sterilized so they don’t breed.
I DISAGREE is correct. People can and are prosecuted for crueslty to animals, and can be sentenced to state prison for it. In the past two years I have defended at least two people prosecuted – one who was charged with neglecting her horses, and a young man who was accused of beating a cat with a stick and then trying to feed it to a pit bull. There is a unit of the NY ASPCA which investigates and helps in the prosecutions of these cases. (They also get featured on animal planet). These are criminal, not civil prosecutions, although the crimes are not in the penal code, but as pointed out in the Agriculture Law.
The cops were either ignorant, lazy or didn’t think there was enough proof to justify an arrest.