Not A Fatal Pit Bull Attack

Pet Bull Not Pit Bull Responsible For Attack

In a tragic turn of events an eastern Pennsylvania man  was fatally attacked the day before he turned 53.  The guilty party was a “pet” bull, which makes a change from the usual “pit bull” head lines. Pit bull owners can breathe a sigh of relief.

Once again an animal with a less than pet like nature turns on its owner.  Yes, I am sad to see a man dead, but a bull is not a pet.

I have been surrounded by cattle all my life, and I would not trust a bull.  Our bulls, are normally very handleable and I have never been attacked by one.  Yet, I would not trust any of them.   Even a playful bunt can have tragic consequences when you are talking about an animal weighing a ton or more.

Ricky Weinhold, loved animals, and apparently treated all his cattle as pets.  It is often “pet” animals the most dangerous, as they do not respect humans the same.

We will never know exactly what happened to Mr. Weinhold, but is fair to assume, as the coroner did, that his bull “known to be temperamental” was responsible for the death.   Having already inflicted serious harm on Mr. Weinhold in the past, the bull should have already been burgers.

No doubt this will not be the last attack of its kind, just as it is not the first, but taking proper precautions when dealing with dangerous animals would go a long to preventing these occurrences.

My condolences to the Weinhold family.

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The Passing Of A Dog

This kindly friend of mine who’s passed
Beyond the realm of day,
Beyond the realm of darkling night,
To unknown bourne away

Was one who deemed my humble home
A palace grand and fair;
Whose fullest joy it was to find
His comrade ever there.

Ah! He has gone from out my life
Like some dear dream I knew.
A man may own a hundred dogs,
But one he loves, and true.

Anonymous.

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The Dog Was Driving Officer

Dog’s Car Impounded Due To No Proof Of Insurance.

A 70 pound Pit Bull was seen reversing a 1982 Buick out of a Spot Free Car Wash on to Highway 69.  It proceeded to drive North along the Highway, do a U-turn, and back into the car wash again.

Although it almost hit another car while reversing along the Highway the dog managed to avoid any serious mishap.

Officer Crittenden arrived at the scene and was unable to obtain a driver license from the Pit Bull.  However, the dog was licensed with the city of Pryor so Crittenden was unable to jail the dog. But like all good policemen he was able to draw on his 26 years experience and find a technicality that enabled him to impound the car.

The hapless owner was left to walk the Pit Bull home.

The moral of this story is …  make sure your car is insured before letting your dog take it for a spin. source.

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Pit Bulls Remain Illegal In Ontario

Pit Bull Ban Upheld In Court Of Appeal.

The Dog Owners’ Liability Act was used by the Ontario government to ban Pit Bulls, making the ownership, breeding, and sale of these animals illegal.  This ruling was brought about in 2005 after several Pit Bull attacks.

The Court of Appeal has upheld the right of the province to ban the dogs.  Lawyers unsuccessfully argued that it was violation of constitutional rights.

The judges ruled that the dogs have a tendency to be unpredictable and even “docile” pit bulls may attack without provocation or warning.  In the interest of public safety it was ruled that nothing less than a total ban would be acceptable.

Those arguing for Pit Bulls claimed that many loving family pets across the province were being killed for no reason and the authorities should be isolating the potentially dangerous animals.

Previously law abiding citizens are looked upon as criminals as they walk their pit bulls in public – even with muzzles on the dogs.

Are all pit bulls dangerous – or does their ferociousness come from breeding and environment?

Pit Bull Terrier Wearing Sunglasses

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Dogs Kill One – Save Two Lives.

Pit bull cross dog kills infant.

Little girl saved from fire by family dog.

Shaggy dog saves man from fire.

Just another day in the life of man’s best friend.

The first story and probably the one that will get the most press is about a family dog who kills an infant son.  The dog described as a “pit bull” was of mixed breed.  No doubt pit bull was singled out of the dog’s breeding because of the nature of the attack.  It may of course only look like a pit bull and not actually have any pit bull in it’s lineage?

The female dog that killed poor baby Iokepa Liptak also attacked the boys mother and another unnamed adult was also treated for wounds suffered during the dog’s rampage.

What causes a dog to attack?

Neighbors said the dog regularly barked at passers by.  It had spent 90% of its life in the kennel shown in this picture with 4 other dogs and had only recently been allowed to wander freely in the yard.

Is this killer a product of nature or nurture?

The next story is exactly the opposite.  A family pet dog saves the life of a baby girl.

The family were at home when a kitchen fire started. Jason Breiding did his best to contain the fire, but when it got out of hand he went outside to join his wife and family.

Unbeknown to Jason, Heather had only grabbed their 3 month old son and their one year old daughter Samara was still in the house.

The hero of the story is the pet dog who “grabbed the back of the diaper, put his teeth through the back of the diaper and didn’t even touch her, and pulled her into the living room,” said Jason.

Despite losing their home and all its contents the family are all safe and sound thanks to loved family dog.

Why would this dog risk its own life for a family when the previous dog turned killer?

The final story of the day is about another dog who rescues man from a fire.

Max, a big, black shaggy dog, is the hero of this story.  A fire engulfed the trailer that Max and the Snohomish County man lived in.  Max was able to wake the man and they both escaped to safety, although the man is in hospital being treated for smoke inhilation.  Another fire in the same community only days earlier had taken the life of four people.  This mans best friend certainly is his dog Max.

Saint Bernard Rescues a Boy from an Icy Death

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Ferocious (?) Pit Bull Saves Kittens

Are these the actions of a ferocious dog?

A Pit Bull / Boxer cross would be listed in the dangerous dog category by many.  But Angel (appropriately named) a 2 year old Pit Bull / Boxer cross from  theNevada Humane Society’s shelter in Reno showed that generalizations should not be applied in the animal kingdom either.

Frank Gomez and his 9-year-old stepson, Joel Fontes were the volunteers taking Angel for a walk when the divine dog would not walk past some bushes.  Despite the heat Angel became dogmatic about investigating the bushes.

Gomez, forced to investigate, discovered 6 kittens in a box.  The 3 week old kittens had been abandoned and were in a state of hunger and fear.

One of the orange tabby kittens managed to escape before the shelter staff were able to get to the scene (fortunately the rescuers knew who call).  Even in its hysterical state the abandoned kitten was no match for its angelic saviour, as Angel was able to track it down for Gomez to safely hand it over to the shelter staff.

Are all Pit Bulls ferocious? Angel proves this not to be case, despite obviously not having the best of upbringings being in a shelter at 2 years of age.

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Ferocious Pit Bulls Have Nothing On Angry Python

Pit Bulls are often given a bad report as being ferocious man eating dogs.

However, this story of a Python gone mad must surely make Pit Bulls look like Poodles.

The Muskegon Chronicle reported how Brian Ahlin of Ottawa County was attacked by a 7-foot-long python. This may not be entirely unusual that a person would be attacked by a snake.  What makes it particularly science fiction like, is that fact that Brian was driving his 5,000-pound 2004 Chevrolet Silverado pickup at the time.

While Brian was fairly confident in his own safety at the time his thoughts for his pet dog. He believed that his dog would become a 50 pound snake snack should it have jumped out the window at the lunging python.

“I’ll tell you, this snake was big enough it could have swallowed a kid,” Brian said. “I mean the girth on that thing was huge.”

Fearing for the safety of others that might happen across the snakes path Brian tried repeatedly to run the snake over, but the Python would not be killed – again this story takes on a science fiction feel.

State Police Trooper William Coon responded to a call by Tom Moore a witness to the attack.  Coon soon found himself as the Python’s target.

Responding to the aggressive snake Coon had no choice but to open fire.  After being run over at least 10 times, it still took three shots from Coon to bring the lunging snake down.

The snake was identifed as a Burmese python native to Southeast Asia but introduced into the United States to be sold as pets.  They have the potential to grow to more than 20 feet in length and up to 200 pounds.

Given the attitude toward dangerous dog breeds such as the Pit Bull, how should we respond to dangerous reptiles?

It is likely this snake was abandoned as the responsibility of caring for such large snake got out of hand. Should owners of these animals be prosecuted for dumping an animal capable of killing dogs or small children?

Should dangerous animals be banned from pet stores?  Will anyone take responsibility?

Or is this a one off and there are many stories out there of people who have raised similar snakes and found them to be a great joy for the life of the snake?  May be this was just a freak case.  May be it is like Pit Bull owners who claim that the problem is with a few animal owners and not the breed its self.

What do you think?

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What Pet Should I Get?

There are many choices for a companion.

Should you get a furry one, a feathery one, a scaly one, a hairy one, a fluffy one, a wooly one, a prickly one.

Then once you have settled on a particular species you have to ask yourself if you should get a big one, a small one, a female, a male, an old one, a young one, a spotted one, a long haired one, or maybe two.

Choosing a pet is not something you should take lightly. They are a major responsibility.

Some Things To Consider:

• How much room do you have at home? Is there room for a Great Dane to exercise or is your home more suited to a Budgie.
• How much time do you have to exercise and care for your pet? A goldfish, for example, will not require as many hours a day as a Labrador.
• How long are you prepared to look after a pet? A dog can live 15 years or more, so if you were thinking that you might go back to work after the kids move out you might still have a dog at home.
• Is there a possibility that you might be moving into the city, or into a home, before you pet dies? You might be required to abandon your pet – is that something you are prepared for?
• Is your pet the right choice if you could have children in the near future? An Anaconda or Pit Bull may not be the best choice (I know Pit Bull supporters may disagree).
• Do you or your loved ones have allergies? It is no good turning up with a surprise feline only to find your partner is allergic.
• Can you afford your choice of pet? Can you afford to stable and maintain a horse or will a hamster meet your budget needs. There are many costs that may not be obvious to a first time animal owner, so I would suggest talking to someone who owns the animal of choice (preferably a breeder or someone experienced).

A Pet You Probably Should NOT Choose (unless you have no time, no budget, and no room at home)

SNOWBALL

I made myself a snowball

As perfect as could be.

I thought I’d keep it as a pet

And let it sleep with me.

I made it some pajamas

And a pillow for its head.

Then last night it ran away,

But first it wet the bed.

Shel Silverstein (1932-1999)

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