My best friend of 4 years has an Akita/Pit bull who is 8 years old, fixed, and as long as I’ve known him he’s been sweet, and gentle with me, like a big teddy bear. I’ve never felt threatened. My little ankle bitter dogs love him and he’s always put up with them, never snapped at them or anything.. They have had him since he was a puppy and has not traumatizing experiences or any bad upbringings.
I few days ago they were walking their dog in the neighborhood, off leash because he’s very obedient and comes on call…he went up to an 70yr old lady who was walking and from what they say happened she put her arm out to pet him and he went to smelled her with his noes, and ended up biting her hand. i guess it happened fast and they don’t know why it happened or what really was the reason for any of it. but the lady ended up going to the hospital and getting stitches in her hand between her thumb and index finger.
Animal control came out today and told them they have to put the dog down because it’s a dangerous threat. apparently the lady didn’t file a complaint, the hospital did. we were under the impression that he couldn’t be put down for a first offense, but we really didn’t know for sure…but had we known, the dog might have “ran away”….so now animal control is saying the dog must be put down, or he has to be mussed for the rest of his life, live in an approved kennel, he could not go out side their yard(which is unfenced and small), they have to post signs up that say they have a dangerous dog, and pay all sorts of fines and have an insurance on the dog for like 0K… I don’t know if there is anything else they’d have to do…
This just don’t understand first of all why the dog doesn’t get a second chance…any is there something I can do? I have a large fenced yard, I live in the country. Could I agree to take the dog away from that environment?? Can anyone help me out with their ideas or opinions?
Dogs CAN be put down after the first offence. Expecially since they were not following leash laws.
Actually it sounds like they are not required to put the dog down, but they have strict regulations now that the dog has been deemed dangerous.. when a dog bites badly enough that a person goes to a hospital the dog is considered dangerous, and each town has their own laws and regulations regarding keeping dangerous dogs.
Fair or not.. the dog bit, and the owners did not have the dog properly contained or under controll. They will either have to follow the laws and muzzle and contain him, or avoid that and have the dog euthanized.
There is something not right, first of all shame on them for not having their dog under control 100% of the time, this IS there fault that this even happened. $250K seems way to much, you know that means $250,000 right? Have they gone to court yet? If not that would be the first step. If animal control wanted to put the dog down they would take the dog themselves and get it put to sleep. Also, yes it is right that the dog be labeled a dangerous dog, thanks to the owners. There is nothing you can do.
Firstly, the Akita and Pit bulls are and can be very aggressive dogs. Breeding a puppy together could be a recipe for disaster because they are such, big, powerful, dominant animals, as beautiful as they are!
He probably bit because he felt threatened for himself, or one of his family members. Being a dominant creature he probably did not appreciate the fact a hand coming down at him quickly, and thinking rationally he bit. And the skin between the number and index finger is very flabby without much nerves at all. It’ll sting and hurt probably and I can see the reason to involve stitches, but I do not feel this will threaten her life or well being.
And I don’t think a hospital should have any civic duty to do such a thing! I would take this up with the police! Animal control is only doing what they feel necessary, but the hospital should stay out of it! I strongly disagree with putting the dog down! But I see the problem in this situation too, no one has money like that these days it seems just to spend on stupid nothingness!
My suggestion is to look for aggression facilities for dogs in the area. Even if you have to drive out of your way (or the family’s way)! There are such things, because this is wrong! The dog was doing nothing wrong! If the dog is still shown to be aggressive than I would agree to it to be put down, although I wouldn’t like it.
As for you taking the dog, I believe that is a wonderful idea too. That way the family can come and visit, and you can take animal away from the stressful environment he is living in currently! But please, check out aggression things for dogs, although I do not believe he is aggressive.
I hope that helps!
-Amanda
Your friends need legal advice from someone who is able to decipher the laws in their community (laws vary widely from place to place.
I to had a Pitt Bull from puppie who snap at one of my daughters when they (the 2 daughters) were fighting.
He was only trying to protect the one on the bottom.
Of course I did not make a compliant, but as you have said the hospital did.
I did not have to put the dog down but I did have to keep him in my yard only and it increased the costs of my homeowners insurance.
maybe you
can do something it was the lady’s fault for trying to pet the dog.So try that
So, this is a tough situation. But mostly, it has everything to do with where you live. I have two stories for you:
1. I had a lab mixed that bit a woman once in the face. She tried to sue us and get us to put the dog to sleep, but in the end, she couldn’t get either done because the law protected us. My dog was tied to our community fence while I was in the pool with my family. Her leg got tangled up in the leash and she began crying, so I immediately got out of the pool and ran to help her. Unfortunately, a woman got to her first. She tried to help her by pulling her leg and my dog bit her lip. The court said 1) the dog was tied and it was permitted at the park since the owners (us) were there, 2) She came up TO the dog, 3) the dog acted in self defense (as silly as that may sound). I still feel terrible for the poor woman because she was only trying to help (she needed several reconstructive surgeries), but in the end, it was her decision to go up to a dog that she did not know, and pull its leg when it was in distress.
2) My uncle has a lab that has been attacked TWICE by his neighbor’s pitt bulls. They are three 6 month old pups. The lab suffered: several holes in his head, an ear that was teared, one of his back legs had the entire skin flapping on and off, all his bottom teeth were broken (when trying to defend himself), several deep cuts in his abdomen that needed surgery, and bites everywhere. Still, the city did nothing because they said the attack was against a dog and not a human. Apparently, if it’s against a dog, they get three chances.
We live in south florida. So the laws are pretty much, very confusing. The best thing to do at this point is to independently investigation exactly what the law says for your state/county/city and to go from there. Honestly, I find it very odd that they would have them put the dog to sleep for that. The only problem I see is that they didn’t have a leash on him. Sometimes dogs just get defensive and think they others pose a danger for themselves or their owners.
First of all, check out your state and county/city laws and regulations concerning animals. Then you know exactly what the law says and what you can do about it. AC officers, as good as many are, sometimes have prejudices against certain breeds, and may neglect to inform you about appeals etc. There may be an appeal process to stop the dog from being declared a dangerous dog. To do this your friends may have to get a lawyer, and may have to have their dog evaluated by an animal behaviorist. Now having said that, your friends could lose that process because they did something really stupid…let their dog off leash. I work with a rescue group and our contract demands the dogs we place be leashed at all times unless they are in an enclosed space. Unfortunately, all it takes is one time for something bad to happen as your friends found out.
Like it or not, hospitals are required by law in most states to report dog bites. If the woman who was bitten did not report it and did not want to make a big fuss over it, maybe she would be willing to sign a notarized letter saying so, and perhaps your friends will be able to keep their dog. I hope all goes well with them, and if they keep their dog, they have learned a hard lesson: when one own’s any guardian breed, it takes an extra measure of responsibility to look ahead and make sure your dog is not put in a situation where he or she may bite. Even if they have never bitten anyone before, there is always a first time, and it is up to us as owners to make sure that first time never comes.