I'm feeling bad right now. I need some cyber hugs

[Cowgirl32]

OMG Debbie! I had something similar like this happen to me at a dog park. I have a male 130 lb. Great white pyreenees who only attacks when truly provoked. Well, this dumb dog owner lets his pitbull off the leash and started running towards us. I did the same as your dad, I yelled why is your dog of his leash?! Unfortunately, my pyr, out of protection for me, went straight for the pit bull and his neck which killed the pit bull on the spot. The guy comes running cussing at me, but thankfully some other people in the dog park called 911 before see the incident take place. He threatened to sue me?! for letting his dog off the leash and run and try to attack us? I felt somewhat bad, but that's why I bought a pyrenees-they protect you only when it's truly necessary. Thank God my baby came through! I'm glad your dad and Kona are fine

[ladybug79]

Originally Posted by naturallove

You may be correct, and I didn't have the time to pull up any evidence in favor of my viewpoint. I agree that nurture is by far more important that nature≥ However, (and this is not debatable in most municipalties, IMO), dogs should not be off a leash in public. I have seen so many civil court cases where dog owners claim that their dog will never bite anyone and is very gentle..and the dog goes and bites another dog or a human being. (On the other hand, I'm thrilled that those dogs that rescued Deb's dad WERE off the leash, so there is an exception to that rule.)

I completely agree! That dog owner had absolutely no business letting his dog off a leash KNOWING he bites. I was just pointing out that a lot of what people believe they know about Pits is not truth but media hype and often quoted mis information. ANY dog can be dangerous. And Pits *can* be more aggressive towards other dogs. It is not a hatred for other animals but breeding. For whatever reason that was a characteristic desired in pits and it was filtered and selected. But much of their behavior is largely dependent on their owner. The large number of pits in rescue centers is a mystery to me. If the dogs were dangerous they would not be available for adoption. Boxers are high on the resuce list as well. They are hyper require a lot of exercise and can have numerous health problems. But they are also love bugs. No question that owner was WRONG WRONG WRONG and I am so glad no one was seriously injured.

[Barbara P]

Originally Posted by KarenP

OMG, {{{{{{{DEBBIE}}}}}}!!! What a horrifying story. Thank goodness it didn't turn out at bad as it could have.

But I don't get this: If the pitbull owner knows his dog bites, why on earth did he let him off the leash??? (rhetorical question).

I'm so glad they are both okay! And I agree with Karen...that dog owner was totally irresponsible. In many places they could be arrested. I would be checking into that.
Barb

[carole r.]

Debbie I'm so glad that your dad and Kona are OK. As for the pitbull owner, I wish that people would be more responsible for their pets. Not just because they can bite people and other dogs, but because they can get run over by cars, attacked by wild animals etc.

[treytop]

Debbie, I just saw this. I hope your dad and Kona are feeling better by now. You, too!

HUGS,

Christie

[Terri1222]

Wow, I just am now seeing this email - so here I am at work, crying at my desk!

As others have said before me, I am soooo relieved to know that both your Dad and Kona are okay.

And, like you said, I am soooo angry at that owner for KNOWINGLY have kept his dogs off-leash knowing full well that they would bite.

So scary.....it could have been so much worse.

Your Dad sounds like such a sweetheart - still and always looking out for his baby girl!

Terri

[dixie]

Oh my gosh, that is so awful. I am sorry your father and Kona had to endure such a terrifying experience.

[Elisa B.]

Debbie, I'm glad your father and your dog are okay. What a traumatic experience.

I have a pit mix and he is a sweet dog who gets along with all other dogs and lets my cats steal his food. I would adopt another pit or pit mix with no hesitation. The reason there are lots of pits (and mixes) in the pounds is that irresponsible people breed them, and people looking to adopt a dog are afraid to get a pit. So there is oversupply and little demand.

Also, a lot of different kinds of dogs get misidentified as "pit bulls." Dogs that attack may be misidentified as pit bulls.

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Lots of good information at that site.

Elisa

[violingal3]

Glad to hear your dad and Kona are okay, what an experience!

[behaha]

Aw, Debbie, that's terrible. (((((HUGS))))) to you and your family. I'm so glad dad and Kona are both OK.