Monday morning as we were heading out to meet the Granddaughter at the zoo I noticed an older lady walking her dogs. Well, she wasn't actually walking them but was trying to restrain them. They had stretched their leashes to the max and she was doing all she could to hold them back. As we got closer I could see that the two dogs were Pit Bulls and they were trying to get at a small kitten that was outside one of the homes on the street. Just as we were passing her she lost control and dropped both leashes. The dogs were heading toward the house, I couldn't see the cat anymore. The lady takes off after the dogs while they were headed toward the open garage doors of the house. I didn't see the conclusion of this, I hope the cat got to safe place and the owners of the house didn't rush outside to confront a couple very excited Pit Bulls.
I know there is a lot of bad press about Pit Bulls. I know those that own them swear they are very gentle dogs and go out of their way to defend them. I don't know much about them and I hear two different stories, one positive and one negative. They seem to equal out. However, most of the fatal dog attacks or serious attacks that I hear about are Pit Bulls. I also don't know if that is the press focusing on this breed more than others making it seem like their are more than other dogs. This may be due to them being used as fighting dogs for generations of time. They were put in 'pits' to fight. This is where their name comes from I believe. There is no argument about the fact that Pit Bulls can be very dangerous due to the strength of their jaws and their singleness of mind when focused on something. The danger part is if they get excited to the point of taking action the results can be horrific due to those factors. But this can be true of any dog breed. The difference is the strength and jaw pressure the Pits have. They have been known not to release a bite without them being killed. This is one reason they are used as fighting dogs, illegally of course. I am trying to not make a judgement on this, just relating what I see/hear.
Back to the incident in question. I don't know why this lady had chosen this breed as a pet. Maybe for protection, the way they look and their reputation can be intimidating. It could deter those with ill intentions. But my Aussie can do that too but not just by his looks, it's his response to strangers that is more noticeable. However, it was pretty apparent that these two dogs were way too much for her to handle safely. One by itself would have been hard for her to control after seeing how little strength she had compared to the dogs. She didn't have enough, much less for two that were feeding off each others frenzied actions.
No, I didn't stop to help even though I thought about it, this happened very fast. I know better than to confront any large dog that is in a frenzied state, especially one that I am a stranger to. Their reputation was a bit of a deterrent too and I consider myself a dog person. I hope the cat was OK and nothing else happened, but mainly that this lady will never again take both dogs out on a walk in any neighborhood. Lesson learned? Maybe, maybe not since people can be so hard headed.
Happy Trails
2 comments:
Glad you didn't try to assist. Pits are one of those breeds that have control issues...
My daughter lives in an upscale apartment complex on a lake in a Northern state. They have been having a lot of trouble with the Morlocks since the city started putting them in the complex as part of a "share the wealth" program. So many people have been attacked in the parking lot and by the lake, that my daughter said many of the residents are buying pit bulls for security.
My daughter bought a Czechoslovakian German Shepard. The dog is a good dog, but needs better training, and has had a lot of medical issues that were expensive. Still, I feel better knowing that if some Goblin tries to attack my daughter in her apartment or out in the parking lot, the dog will tear him a new one.
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