20 People, Gunshot End Pit Bull Attack

Honestly, I don't think why the dog was on a porch at night is the real question, but, why wasn't the pit bull confined- either by fence or leash or indoors??? This type of dog, obviously aggressive, cannot be let out in the public alone ever. This drives me crazy....an obviously irresponsible PB owner, and now an innnocent dog and owner are paying for it. When you own a powerful breed of dog you need to control it! What if this dog, was a child???

My first question though is, why was the dog on a leash on the porch at night?

Your first question isn't why was there a loose aggressive dog running around?  

Maybe the owner has the dog on a leash and ther were both on the porch. It doesn't say. Even if he wasn't with the dog, people let their dogs out into the yard at night. I know people who put their dog on a tie-out in the yard for a bit at night to go potty. This was a man who had suffered a stroke, so I don't blame him for not actively walking the dog, etc. It's not ideal but doesn't speak to bad ownership in my mind.

This is completely the fault of the pittie's owner, I'm afraid. I don't think any blame can possibly be placed on Baby's owners, as much as we all (me included) try to find ways, both supported and unsupprted, to avoid blaming the attacking dog when it's a bully breed.

AthenaBear

So sad for both dogs.

My first question though is, why was the dog on a leash on the porch at night?

I agree, very sad.

I keep one of my dogs on a leash at all times, even on our porch (b/c he knows how to open the door).  He chases after rabbits and squirrels and we live near a very busy street so for safety precautions he is kept on a long leash.  I don't know that it matters *why* they had their dog on a leash.  Most times we are criticizing people for not properly containing their dogs, so why would they not have their dog on a leash? 

whtsthfrequency

This is completely the fault of the pittie's owner, I'm afraid. I don't think any blame can possibly be placed on Baby's owners, as much as we all (me included) try to find ways, both supported and unsupprted, to avoid blaming the attacking dog when it's a bully breed.

I agree.

There is a video at this link, it shows the tether the smaller dog was on...and the dog itself...and the family. Very unfortunate situation...I feel badly for both dogs, their owners could have protected both better, IMO.

ARTCLE/VIDEO

rwbeagles

...I feel badly for both dogs, their owners could have protected both better, IMO.

The owner of the small dog, Baby, could not have protected his dog; he is a stroke victim.

This was the Pit's owners fault.

The protection I speak of is nothing to do with the attack itself but things leading up to it...that being...tethering your animals somewhere the public has access...and not watching it.

A  LARGE BIRD could just as easily have grabbed/savaged this dog...or a person intent on harming it....or a child intent on teasing it. THAT is what is meant by protecting one's dog...BL

This is an absolutely hideous situation, and I feel so, so horrible for this little guy and his owners.  I hope they find whoever is responsible for this dog and nail them to the wall (legally, not literally of course).

There is no reason and no excuse for ANY dog under ANY circumstances to be allowed to run free unsupervised.  People should be able to have their own animals on their own front porches for the love of Pete, without having to worry about them being attacked/harassed, etc by someone's loose dog.

I seriously doubt they'll find this dog's owner unless it had some sort of ID on it or someone turns the owners in--it's not likely someone will come forward and claim the dog after a news story like that.  So then what will happen?  The little dog has to undergo a long and hard recovery, his owners have to bare the emotional and financial burdens, the pit paid with its life, and the ones who are truly responsible will not only not pay for their actions (or lack of action), but probably go out and get another dog.  Everybody loses, except for the individuals that actually deserve to lose.  

The title of the article is misleading. 20 people failed to end the attack. It took one man and one gun. But media sensationalism aside, that is a lucky little dog. Not lucky to have been attacked, of course, but lucky to have survived and lucky to be walking. The 20-odd people may not have ended the attack, but I have to think they interfered enough to prevent the attacking dog from making quick work of the poor little dog.

People *should* be able to have their dogs safely on their porches, yes. But the reality is that loose dogs exist. THIS DOES *NOT* MAKE IT THE OWNERS FAULT. To be very clear. I'm not blaming them. I think I've had enough run ins with loose dogs to never feel comfortable (personally) relying on the law or what is supposed to happen. So on a personal level, I would not tether my dog in my front yard nor would I ever rely on an invisible fence, because they don't keep other dogs out. Heck, I once opened my front door and a large black lab barreled into my living room. That was quite a surprise!

I think the value in talking about safety is to help other dog owners make safer choices in the future. It isn't about blaming the victims. What happened was awful, and totally completely wrong.

 Aaaargh, please see edit about. I left out "NOT"

Good point, Dog_ma. I always check before we head out on a walk and mine don't go out front? Why? Well, kids run amok here and there are two dog-aggressive dogs that are sometimes let loose. Scary. And a new young neighbor with a pit bull and GSD. So far she seems pretty responsible, but there are times when her front door has been wide open and I just don't want to take any chances.

As far as I know, it is now illegal in TX to leave your dog tethered outside at night, so Baby's owners were not acting very responsibly with their dog.  The dog could just as easily have been stolen as attacked.

Having said that, the owner of this pit bull (if there is one- there are SO MANY stray dogs in TX) needs to be found and held responsible.  NOT because the dog is a pit bull.  Breed has absolutely nothing to do with it.  He or she needs to be held responsible for allowing a dog to run loose in the neighborhood.  This person is making me look bad- it's no wonder people cross the street when they see me coming.

Let me remind you all, though, JUDGE THE DEED, NOT THE BREED.  Don't let media sensationalism sucker punch you.

I think this is a good example of hindsight being 20/20.  When I first read the articles, I got the impression that the disabled man was on the porch with the dog, not that the dog was tied out and left alone for a long period of time.  When I'm outside with my dogs, I have Coke on a line b/c we don't have a fence and he will chase rabbits into the street.  We work on recalls all the time, but some dogs I will never trust 100% and not everyone has a fence to protect their dogs.

badrap

Let me remind you all, though, JUDGE THE DEED, NOT THE BREED.  Don't let media sensationalism sucker punch you.

 I agree , I believe this was the (pits) owners fault all around...not the dog. The dog doesn't know better, but the people do.