A very sad story locally.
Two dogs, a mastiff and a pit bull, jumped out of a window of their home and attacked a small terrier being walked down the street.
Sadly, the little dog died.
This, of course, brings up a lot of questions. How did the dogs get out the window? What steps had the homeowners taken to keep the dogs securely inside? What provoked the dogs to jump out the window, leave their own property, cross the street, and attack? Did the dogs have any aggressive history?
Turns out that one (or both) of the dogs had bitten dogs several times previously, as well.
What triggered the dog’s aggression? Had the owners taken the dog through any training to help understand what their dogs need?
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| My dog friends Charlie and Murray are exemplary canine citizens. |
Now, an innocent dog has lost his life, and the dog’s family is grieving. And two dogs are facing possible euthanasia, and at the very least are being removed from their home to live in a kennel.
Sad.
When a judge demanded that the owners surrender the dogs to a shelter, the owners refused, and hid the dogs at a friend’s house. Then, the owners requested permission to euthanize the dogs, rather than surrender them to a kennel. According to the August 8, 2014 Albany Times Union, the judge demanded that the dogs be surrendered alive.
I know that a kennel is no place to live compared to a good home, but to think that the dog owner’s would wish their dogs dead boggles and saddens me. Is it fair that the dogs should lose their lives because the owners were negligent and left a window open and neglected to properly restrain dogs already proven to be dog-aggressive?
So the dogs were surrendered and are now living in a kennel to await their verdict.What should happen next?
I don’t have an answer. Well, I guess I would say that I’d prefer the dogs to go to a home away from other dogs, with a knowledgeable owner who understands how to care for dog-aggressive dogs. Foremost, we need to protect innocent people and dogs, and when I say that, it’s because I see loose dogs when I’m out walking my dogs, and I am often afraid of dangerous encounters. In most cases, it is the dog owners and not the dog to blame for the behavior. I definitely don’t think such dogs should be returned to the owners. I also don’t think there should be a one case fits all law. Every case needs to be judged on its own.
I’m not sure what will happen to these dogs. What do you think should happen? What steps can we take to keep our dogs safe?
