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<p class=MsoNormal>I have to chime in about the “Pit bull”
attack. I am very glad that Elwood and his mommy are ok. I am very
grateful that she was prepared, and knew what to do in case of attack.
Good for you! I am also very sad that it was allowed to happen, and that the
prejudice against a breed has been reinforced because of bad dog owners yet
again. It is interesting to me how many people mention in their responses
that the dog is a pit bull. Very few just refer to it as a “dog”.
This is not a flame, it is an observation!<br>
My point is that dogs with bad manners, and owners that allow them to behave
badly, can come in any breed. The dogs that I have been attacked by in my
life have been 1. German Shepherd Dog, this dog bit me twice when I was a
child, then later attacked both of my mom’s small dogs, almost killing
our schnauzer in our own front yard. Took 40 stitches to repair her, and
she also had two cracked ribs and a punctured lung. These were all unprovoked
attacks. 2. Chocolate lab. Went after our family dog when I was
walking him. 3. Black lab mix. 4. English Mastiffs. My brother was almost
killed at age 14 by two of them. (really, he spent at least 10 hours in
emergency surgery getting cleaned up and having his scalp put back together!)
5. My MIL’s Yorkie…<br>
The problem isn’t that the dog is a pit bull, which I’m sure is
absolutely correct, but that the dog has very bad manners, and his people
encouraged his behavior by not acting to stop him. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Some of the nicest, smartest, friendliest, most kid-stranger-dog
friendly dogs I have ever known have been pit bulls and pit mixes. Other
great dogs have been Rotties, Doberman Pincers, or other breeds labeled as aggressive.
Not all Pits are mean, not all Bassets are lazy and stupid, not every Rottie
wants to eat you, not all Goldens are super friendly, not all GSDs will attack
if you look them in the eye. As my mother always says, especially to
children “All dogs can bite!” EVERY “normal dog” behavior
is based on how much respect they have for their ALPHA! Either YOU are
the alpha, or they are. In this specific case, the attacking dog didn’t
have a reliable alpha making him feel safe and setting the tone on his
behavior. Of course, we don’t know if the dog has brain damage
either, but I suspect that it is just irresponsibility on the part of the
owners.<br>
If this were your dog and your idiot teenage kid didn’t stop him from chasing
after a neighbor, how would YOU feel if they just called the animal control
without talking to you first? Giving them the benefit of the doubt and
trying to talk to them may be a wonderful first step to making a new
friend. Or, you might find someone who is an idiot. If it were
reversed and the incident happened with your dog, how would you feel? NO
one is perfect, and accidents happen. Open heart, Open mind, and Mercy.
Maybe that will win the day faster than legal action.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Gaylene
Opal-Deitering<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>My
passions do not replace my relationship with God, but are instead a reflection
of it!<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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