Rachael Ray's dog...

 Maybe I misunderstood it.... I understand damaged ears are common, but to rip the WHOLE ear off?  Different kettle of fish, surely?!

Chuffy

 Maybe I misunderstood it.... I understand damaged ears are common, but to rip the WHOLE ear off?  Different kettle of fish, surely?!

 The dogs I mentioned all had their ears bitten off or most of the way off. How much of the ear gets ripped would depend on where the ear was grabbed. I have seen everything from the tips being ripped to the ear being bitten off near the base (the whole ear) result from dogs getting into a fight or being grabbed though a kennel. Like I said - I don't mean to downplay the dog's issue and I think it is horrible that she has allowed this dog to injure so many dogs :(

Spazzy

Plus, she said it was while the dog was with the dog walker... If the dog is aggressive twords other dogs, you'd think the dog walker would have enough common sense to keep her away from other dogs.  

*puts on her dogwalker hat*

Because we are not psychic? We can't forsee the future? Maybe the other dog came up to the dog in question...we don't know the circumstances.

Spazzy

The dog is an bully breed (Im not sure if shes a purebred APBT, but shes deffinitely a bully breed type) and DA is a common thing in the breed. Im dont know if the dog was rescued or if she got her as a puppy and just didnt socialize her, but whatever the case, they're acting like her DA is some horrible unheard of thing and theres no other choice but to have her PTS.

*puts on her flameproof hat*

I wish, with every OUNCE of my soul, that the pit bull that attacked Pirate and I had been PTS before she could do what she did to us.

 I've had dog aggressive dogs, none of them ever caused damage to another dog. I controlled my dog, walked large arcs when I saw another one approaching. It's not possible to control other people's dogs though. I think many of us have probably had a dog run up to us with it's owner yelling to us to tell us it's friendly. I was lucky that when this occurred, I always was walking a dog who was very friendly with other dogs. Had this happened with my dog aggressive dogs, who knows, perhaps an ear would have been lost, maybe more. In hindsight, maybe my dogs should have been in basket muzzles.

sl2crmeg

Spazzy

Plus, she said it was while the dog was with the dog walker... If the dog is aggressive twords other dogs, you'd think the dog walker would have enough common sense to keep her away from other dogs.  

 

*puts on her dogwalker hat*

Because we are not psychic? We can't forsee the future? Maybe the other dog came up to the dog in question...we don't know the circumstances.

Of course you can never know when another dog might come around the corner, or a loose dog may run up to yours. But, apparently this dog has had several incidents like this before.... and yet they still continued to have the dog walker walk her, WITHOUT a muzzle.

sl2crmeg

Spazzy

The dog is an bully breed (Im not sure if shes a purebred APBT, but shes deffinitely a bully breed type) and DA is a common thing in the breed. Im dont know if the dog was rescued or if she got her as a puppy and just didnt socialize her, but whatever the case, they're acting like her DA is some horrible unheard of thing and theres no other choice but to have her PTS.

*puts on her flameproof hat*

I wish, with every OUNCE of my soul, that the pit bull that attacked Pirate and I had been PTS before she could do what she did to us.

If I remember correctly, the dog was with some loser wanna-be thug, unsecured in the vehicle, and the dog jumped out and went after Pirate. Yea, a powerful and aggresive dog, in the hands of a person like that, would probably be better off for that dog plus you and Pirate if she was euthanized. But Rachael Ray HAS the money, and the resources, to hire a behaviorist and/or trainer... I find it ridiculous that they KNEW their dog had issues with other dogs for a long time now... and they are JUST deciding to do something about it. And their first reaction is thinking of having the dog euthanized, when they have known this was happening for so long and did nothing about it.
If they had been through multiple behaviorists and trainers, with no luck, and have put in the effort and with all of her money and resources could not change, or control the dog, and THEN decided to have her euthanized, I wouldnt see an issue with that. But jumping right to the most extreme option first before trying anything else, is just wrong. 

I don't think putting a muzzle on the supposed aggressive dog would stop a fight completely.  We've had three or four bites from "friendly" dogs who took offense to her not wanting them to bother her.  She's always on leash and has never done the biting despite the fact that she's the unfriendly one.  If you are going to say that then say all dogs off leash should be muzzled too.

Also, as far as Rachel's dog.  There is no training at this point that is going to make this dog predictable with other dogs.  They either have to manage her or not.  It's the same boat I'm in.   And, by manage I mean really manage, as in dog walkers don't walk her for starters.  I mean, I get nervous when my husband walks Willow and he's very familiar with her issues. 

sl2crmeg

I wish, with every OUNCE of my soul, that the pit bull that attacked Pirate and I had been PTS before she could do what she did to us.

I understand what you are saying Meg, I really do.  I've been on that side of it when Willow's been bit.  Right in the middle of treatment for a platelet problem, the fire house dog got loose and tore her ear.  I was LIVID.  She could of bled to death.  She was on Prednisone.  I was beyond any level of anger I had ever felt.  So, I get it. 

On the other side, I wish that somehow morons could be stopped from getting dogs they cannot handle.  And, that these dogs didn't have to get blamed for the owner's error. 

willowchow

I don't think putting a muzzle on the supposed aggressive dog would stop a fight completely.

No, it won't.  Just watch some of the high level muzzle-work done in SDA (a protection/obedience dog sport).  These dogs can do some insane work while fully muzzled, and these are trained dogs, not nerved up aggressive ones.

And I agree w/ Spazzy about dog vs. human aggression.  Two separate things.  Nikon is dog aggressive but around people, he's honestly *too* nice!  And he is trained in bitework/protection, lol!!

Spazzy

If they had been through multiple behaviorists and trainers, with no luck, and have put in the effort and with all of her money and resources could not change, or control the dog, and THEN decided to have her euthanized, I wouldnt see an issue with that. But jumping right to the most extreme option first before trying anything else, is just wrong. 

Yes, for Rachael Ray, the ability to pay for these things is there. I certainly don't have the money to pay for something like that. 

If the muzzle would not necessarily provide complete protection, in this case, and ones like it, the stigma attached with a muzzle may be useful in that it would perhaps prevent jerks who allow their dogs to approach others without asking to think twice with this one. Honestly, we don't know enough details. We don't know the antecedent. We don't know that the other dog wasn't on a flexi and didn't charge up to her, get in her face, and yap at her. We don't know that she didn't offer some appropriate signals before biting. Or on the other hand, maybe she doesn't offer appropriate signals first. There's the other element too that doesn't help the situation, of the human being afraid of what will happen next with the dog. Management is a tough way to live too. Not to say it can't be done, and I offer no judgment either way as to what should be done with this dog.

griffinej5

 I've had dog aggressive dogs, none of them ever caused damage to another dog. I controlled my dog, walked large arcs when I saw another one approaching. It's not possible to control other people's dogs though. I think many of us have probably had a dog run up to us with it's owner yelling to us to tell us it's friendly. I was lucky that when this occurred, I always was walking a dog who was very friendly with other dogs. Had this happened with my dog aggressive dogs, who knows, perhaps an ear would have been lost, maybe more. In hindsight, maybe my dogs should have been in basket muzzles.

 Maybe people shouldn't allow their dogs to go up to strange dogs. Maybe people should keep their dogs confined or restrained. In most places, that is actually the law.

 I have a couple dogs who can be reactive to strange dogs. One will bite strange dogs if they get in her same, yet I have been able to show and title her because I am aware of her issues and manage her accordingly. When she goes to dog shows, I never walk her around the vending area and only me or a select few trusted people ever hold her ringside and give her no extra leash. She really doesn't have interest in other dogs at all unless they get in her space - for her it isn't DA so much as resource guarding. I always keep watch for what ogs are around us and if a potential problem dog comes along, I'll move mine while they pass (she usually doesn't even notice them because she focuses on me so well).

 I had an ACD charge me  another of my dogs (who is leash reactive due to being repeatedly charged by out of control dogs....sigh) while I was biking with her. The owner was walking not just the ACD but his Chow mix off lead down our street. When he saw us, I knew right away by how he acted that the dogs would charge us. He started yelling "NONO!! HEEL!!! HEEL!!! COME!!!" and sure enough both dogs charged across the street. The Chow mix stopped and came back, the ACD didn't. I kept the dogs from getting in a fight somehow. I used my bike and threatening gestures to block the ACD as he was circling around trying to rush in and grab my dog while at the same time holding my ready to scrap dog by her collar. The owner was across the street and Just kept yelling for his dog to "COME!!!!!" as he kept walking away from us. He didn't once come over to try to get his dog, didn't even cross the street!

  Any time I ever try to walk or bike my dogs, we encounter loose dogs and I'm pretty sick of it. Most aren't aggressive but it certainly is never a good idea for a loose dog to be running up to a stranged leashed dog (or sometimes in my case a group of leashed dogs). Most of the time I will stop and actually have to yell for them to come get their dog which is beyond annoying. Then there are the people at the bike path who have their dogs on Flexis and allow them to go up to the other dogs. A Sibe there on a Flexi actually tried to get in my car while I was getting my dog out and when my dog snapped at this dog, the owner got very mad and told me that I shouldn't have an aggressive dog on the bike path.

For the record, I hate loose dogs too. It's beyond rude. I generally have both my dogs--one in each hand, with their 6ft leads wrapped around my wrists a couple of times so that when we walk, we walk.

Every single off-leash dog (where it's the LAW to be on-leash) puts me at risk. If something should happen I'm the one who's the most helples. I don't have teeth (OK, I do have teeth but not dog teeth) and I don't have four feet. I get so mad. It's beyond obnoxious.

And before these two I had a hound and one day some idiot let his 4 Labs off leash and they surrounded us and my hound was upset. And I got tangled up in her so quickly, fell over, was trampled and clawed on by 5 dogs. I went off on that guy but saw him a day later doing the same thing. And AC doesn't do anything. I ended up having to pepperspray his dogs when the came running up to me again. I couldn't risk hurting myself.

Finally, here's an obvious question: You have money, are an advocate for the bully breeds, and you own one who's done damage not once, but 5 times. Why don't you have a smarter dog walker? Just like Lori (Willowchow) said, You don't just let anyone walk a dog who could be ticking bomb with other dogs. Duh.

AgileGSD

 Maybe people shouldn't allow their dogs to go up to strange dogs. Maybe people should keep their dogs confined or restrained. In most places, that is actually the law.

 I

And wouldn't that be wonderful! I dream of the day this occurs. Heck, I don't even want people to allow it to happen with my very friendly dog, for the sole reason of my wanting to teach him that he needs to be allowed before approaching a dog. For his own protection, and it is something I think every dog should be taught to do for their own protection and the safety of others, I want him to stop, preferably sit, look at me, and wait to be told whether we are going to walk in another direction away from the dog, or if he is allowed to approach. For all I know, people recognize Isaboo, freak out that it's Isaboo, and go charging up with their dogs to meet her.

This particular incidence, if the tabloids are counting it, really can't be blamed on Isaboo, but may be contributing to her behavior

http://rachaelrayblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/rachael-defends-isaboo.html

It appears the tabloids at least are considering this one a fight. I wonder how many of the "fights" were like this one. Not to say this isn't an issue, and doesn't need help, but if those were the fights, they would have been prevented by the other owners following the rules. 

 That is probably a serious issue. That, and, she is REALLY cute. Apparently, REALLY cute dogs are not capable of aggression. They have no teeth, and aren't actual dogs, but teddy bears waiting to be cuddled.

Sorry but if that was my dog injured I would be horrified and the scars from that remain with the owner and dog forever.  If her dog handler couldn't have controlled this then I do feel that the dog should be put down.  The liability is too great living in the city.  There are so many friendly dogs that need homes and so much money pumped into a dog that is aggressive doesn't make sense when it could be used for a better purpose.  I am sure I will get blasted but I can't even walk my puppy in my own neighborhood for fear of loose dogs and leashed dogs that aren't friendly comng upon us with stupid owners. 

losinsusan

 There are so many friendly dogs that need homes and so much money pumped into a dog that is aggressive doesn't make sense when it could be used for a better purpose.  I am sure I will get blasted but I can't even walk my puppy in my own neighborhood for fear of loose dogs and leashed dogs that aren't friendly comng upon us with stupid owners. 

Are you saying that if your developed a behavioral issue you would feel it was a "waste of money" to seek behavioral help and have the dog PTS in favor of spending that money on a friendly dog?

 As I said above, I have the same issue with walking in my neighborhood - if I try to take a walk with my dogs before 10pm when weather is nice without a doubt there will be loose dogs to deal with. Poorly managed dogs are poorly managed dogs and regardless as to if they are friendly or not, they can cause problems. Some of my dogs are not all that friendly with strange dogs running up to us, so a fight could happen that way. And even friendly dogs can become territorial with dogs coming into their territory. It is not the dog's fault but the fault of owners who make poor choices and AC that won't enforce the leash law.