I have never met anyone with a pit bull that wasn’t a rescue. I guess there are pit bull breeders out there and I guess there are some people out there who willingly get one from a breeder, but in my UMC liberal circles, all the pits are rescues. I’d be super duper surprised if there is a pit in bethesda that’s not a rescue.
Recently volunteered with dd at a pet adoption event. They had so many “shepherd / retriever” mixes that looked nothing like a shepherd. Googled it and found it’s usually “pit mix”. It’s harder to tell when the dog is very young for someone who’s not very experienced with dogs. So I can see how people end up with pit mixes from rescues. In any cases it’s very sad.
Anonymous wrote:Can we discuss the pit bull eating the dead dog in the yard??? I’ve had dogs my entire life and have never known one to eat a dead animal. What the hell is that? I’ve even had retrieving bird dogs. Was this dog starved? I just can’t imagine another dog killing and eating another.
Any IDs on the breed of the leashed dog that the pit killed?
This happened in my neighborhood, and I know the owners of the victim dog, a very sweet small/medium doodle mix that was always leashed on walks. The grapevine says the aggressor dog was a pit that apparently a neighborhood family was fostering (and doing a shockingly poor job of that, clearly).
People are out walking their dogs constantly around here, and everyone is shaken up and feeling horrible that our neighbor and her lovely dog had to endure this. We are all thinking about what we would or should have done if it happened to us. Does everyone else walk around their neighborhoods with bear or pepper spray just in case? Are those actually effective in dog attack scenarios?
Oh, goody. Gossip. That'll help.
This information is actually responsive to the thread topic, unlike the bizarre rants from the pit apologists.
I’m curious about what others do, if anything, to be prepared should they or their dog be attacked by a dangerous animal in their neighborhood?
1) leash your dog (no retractable leashes. 6ft max, 4 is better)
2) keep your dog under your control (by your side, quiet, focused, not wandering off-trail, not barking at passers-by)
3) stay alert and scan for hazards. You are on-duty. No headphones, no phone, stay present, eyes scanning for hazards (the more time you have to respond, the better your response is likely to be)
4) carry dog repel spray (something like this: https://www.amazon.com/REPELLENT-Repeller-Agressive-Attack-BICYCLE/dp/B01FYAIE80) and/or pepper spray and, most importantly, know how to use it
5) carry a walking stick or other 'break stick' in case you need to break up a fight so you're not using your hands/arms
But really? the first 3 will keep you safe. Most people invite trouble with an off-leash dog, or a dog that's too far outside their control, don't train their dogs not to bark ("don't start none, won't be none" applies in the dog world, too), and are half up their own backsides, talking on the phone, or texting, or...
Are you saying that if you ‘invite trouble’ by say, having your dog on a long lead while hiking that it’s okay that your ‘sweet pittie’ mauls that person and their dog to death?
Yes, fool, if you're inviting trouble by not having control of your dog, you become complicit in what happens to your dog. Same as if they get bit by a snake, get into poison ivy, or snap a leg in that gopher hole you would've avoided by having them on trail with you, like you should've.
The new dog owner's mentality of "close enough" isn't. There are rules for a reason, and if you care at all about your pet's well-being you should follow them. There are all sorts of actual liabilities you'll avoid by doing so; you don't need to make up horror stories about packs of mauling pit bulls.
Y'all treat this like it's playtime, when it's actually supposed to be taking responsibility for a living creature. No pride, no sense, just everything's a playzone and you can half-ass it.
The two women, the subject of this thread, were injured trying to save their poor doodle from the pit mix. Whether their doodle was heeling or 4 feet away from them, they couldn't save it and were injured themselves.
You're right that pitbulls are not "playtime". They are dangerous. And they are ubiquitous, on every neighborhood. Because of rescues.
You were there? You saw it? The two women weren't gossiping (like you) while their dog on a retractable leash started barking at an unleashed dog? You're sure of it?
No, you're not, because no, you weren't. And this is why nobody takes you haters seriously. You're so incredibly willing to talk out your arse and claim facts not in evidence, and you speak as if you know when you clearly do not.
Dog ownership is not playtime. Not any breed, not any size, not at any point. If you have different standards for different breeds, you're the problem. All dogs can bite, should be assumed to be unfriendly unless known, and all dog handlers should be focused on their dog(s), which should be under the owner's responsible control at all times.
This is how we keep ourselves, our dogs, and our neighbors safe.
And those young women shouldn’t wear such revealing clothes either. Basically inviting the rapists over to her.
No. One is an example of humans minding their business: women are allowed to dress however they please within the law. The other is an example of people not following the law (dogs are supposed to be under their owners control at all times).
On a leash is in control
On a retractable leash 10 feet away while you're on your phone is not in control.
Legally, morally, and ethically, it is.
Wrong on all counts (DP here).
Here is the Montgomery County rule regarding unwanted contact from dogs:
Unwanted Contact -
The pet owner must prevent unwelcome or unsolicited threatening physical contact or close proximity to a person or a domestic animal that occurs outside the owner’s property that may cause alarm in a reasonable person, such as biting, chasing, tracking, inhibiting movement, or jumping. ($500 fine)
Since retractable leashes and leashes over 4-6 feet do not adequately prevent "unwelcome or unsolicited threatening physical contact or close proximity to a person or a domestic animal" then you are violating the law.
I personally prefer DC's rule (which simply required dogs to be on leashes of 4' or less in any public area) because it's a clearer bright line that is harder to argue with. But the rules have the same goal and that's to require dog owners to control their dogs on leashes in public areas. A dog on a long lead or a retractable leash cannot, by definition, be controlled.
Morally/ethically is a judgment call but since it's not cruel to leash a dog (and if it is then I guess we should ban dogs as pets because we cannot have dogs as pets without leash laws), I don't see the issue here.
Leash your dog, no retractable leashes, no long leads.
Not sure what your point is. A dog owner walking their dog on a retractable leash can be fined if that dog is 20 ft away and bites you. A dog owner walking their dog on a retractable leash, however, without unwanted contact, has their dog leashed.
Whether this dog had a 4-6' leash or a retractable leash, though, didn't save it.
I'm reminded of the dog that was killed in front of its owner, while on a leash, in Falls Church, by a crazy man with a knife. Being on a leash didn't save that dog either.
The goal of a leash is not to protect the dog. The goal of the leash is to protect everyone else from the dog. We have different laws to address crazy people with knives -- these laws, unfortunately, are not 100% effective.
But actually, technically, a dog owner walking their dog on a retractable leash can be fined if they are unable to prevent unwanted contact from the dog. Their dog doesn't have to be 10 feet away and they don't have to bit anyone. If the dog is not under the owner's control, they owner is in violation of the law. I can film you walking your dog on the long leash and report you to authorities.
I'll give you this: MoCo does not explicitly ban retractable leashes. So if you keep the retractable leash retracted to a short distance and never unlock so the dog can extend it (in other words use it the way a shorter leash would function and only that way) then you might not be in violation of the law. Though I think this is stupid since retractable leashes can fail and the way the handles work make them easier for a dog to rip out of an owner's hands, so I don't get why you wouldn't just get a regular leash. Also retractable leashes are explicitly banned a lot of places (because they don't work like leashes!) so you need to be ready to check the local laws if you take your dog outside the county. Good luck!
Honey, I live in Nova, not Moco. But I can look up their leash laws.
You are blaming these women for allowing their dog to be killed by an officer leash dog, and getting injured in the process. It's bizarre, the lengths you are going to in defending the pit bull.
No I'm not blaming these women for anything. And do not "Honey" me.
We don't know what happened with the dog attack. We don't know how the dog who was mauled was behaving or how he was controlled prior to the attack. There's no point in arguing it because we don't know
What I'm saying is that retractable leashes are not responsible. They don't allow you to control your dog. This is why they are banned many places. A lot of newer dig owners might not realize the problem with them (they just think "oh great if the leash retracts then I can let my dog wander but still pull him back if I need to" not understanding that a retractable leash is not a good way to do that). So I am attempting to educate people in the problem with retractable leashes and explain why under MoCo law, you are much better off with a shorter, solid leash and training your dog for recall.
Why is there an implication that the dead dog deserved it??
No one is implying the dead dog deserved it. Even if the dog provoked the attack somehow, it would be the fault if the owner. Dogs have no moral or legal culpability for their behavior. They are dogs.
All of these posts about retractable leashes are criticism of the dead dog's owner, implying that she is at fault. If she isn't responsible for getting her dog killed, or failing to prevent it, then she should at least be fined for not having control of her dog, regardless of how long or short the leash was.
It's almost like the knee jerk DCUM blame-the-,OP has transferred to the dog owner. Anything to avoid blaming the pitbull.
You'd rather blame "the pitbull" (has anyone been able to link to any actual, confirmed source saying was, in fact, a "pit bull"?) than the owner.
The. Dogs. Are. Not. At. Fault.
The dogs exist because of their owners. So if you want to blame, blame the people. And if there was one dog on a leash and one off, well, it's pretty clear who's responsible for the exchange. The extent of the damage any victim(s) might recover would be dependent on mitigating factors, so the leash issue may be relevant, but in the case of a leashed dog vs. an at-large dog, culpability for the interaction will be presumed to belong to the unleashed dog's OWNER (not the dog; as much as some of y'all would love to see it, the dog is NOT on trial, the owner would be).
Oh? If the dead dog's owner is not at fault for an off leash dog killing her dog and injuring her, then why are you still focused on the retractable leash?
If the attacking dog is a foster, as was posted upthread, then is the foster capable? Or the rescue? Or is it just one of those unfortunate things that happens when you walk through a neighbor, which, after all, as a PP put it, isn't playtime (which returns to blaming the dead dog's owner)?
None of the liability/culpability questions can be answered on DCUM at this time. There is no formal report detailing what happened, and the best-case scenario is that someone will be able to piece it together and reconstruct. Is the foster liable? I dunno. Did she leave the gate open? Did the dog dig under a fence? Was she walking the dog and the leash/collar broke? I don't have the answers to these questions, and so far, neither does anyone else here. Was the first dog to die leashed? I don't have that information. Was it barking its head off, acting aggressively, 15 feet away from its owner at the end of a retractable? I don't have those facts. I have a pp or two upthread who claim to know the dog who died in the attack. They're anons on an anon board; these are not facts.
I haven't seen anybody blaming the dead dog's owner. I've mostly seen people blaming a dog, which is ridiculous non-logic from a bunch of presumed adults. Responsibility for this situation will rest with at least one human, possibly several. As for how it may divide, nobody here has enough intel to make that call.
What people should take away from this situation is basic dog handling and rule-following that would help keep the whole neighborhood safe, dogs included:
Check your fences.
Don't leave your dogs outside unattended.
Check your gear (make sure there are no tears or weak spots in your dog collars, leashes, etc.)
Throw your retractable leash(es) in the trash where they belong. If your dog is going to attack they won't do much to help you stop it, and if your dog is being attacked, you don't want them 10+ feet away at the end of one of those useless things.
Teach your dog to STFU. Yes, you can. Yes, even your little purse pooch (they are the most likely to be a yippy little mouth-off, and the most likely to be seriously harmed in a fight).
Don't wear headphones when walking your dog. Stay off your phone. You have a job to do: be alert and visually sweep for potential problems.
Do not allow your dogs off leash in public (if your dog has no/poor recall, you should have them drag a leash even in your own yard until they improve)
These aren't things responsible dog owners should need to be told, and now you've been told. No excuses. Do better.
Anonymous wrote:I just did a search for the word pitbull and there it was
The algorithm is trying to show you what it thinks you want to see. And since you subscribe to snap judgments, clickbait and tropes, finding you what you want is easy.
I have never met anyone with a pit bull that wasn’t a rescue. I guess there are pit bull breeders out there and I guess there are some people out there who willingly get one from a breeder, but in my UMC liberal circles, all the pits are rescues. I’d be super duper surprised if there is a pit in bethesda that’s not a rescue.
Recently volunteered with dd at a pet adoption event. They had so many “shepherd / retriever” mixes that looked nothing like a shepherd. Googled it and found it’s usually “pit mix”. It’s harder to tell when the dog is very young for someone who’s not very experienced with dogs. So I can see how people end up with pit mixes from rescues. In any cases it’s very sad.
It is sick how the rescues lie.
It's sick how the people who don't volunteer say hideous lies about those who do. If y'all weren't out here spreading hateful lies about "pit bulls" "pit mixes" would be easier to rehome. Some shelters do put the mix first. I doubt the dog looked "nothing like a shepherd" because most people don't really want them either (nor should GSDs and their type be treated any differently from the "pit bulls"; they share a lot of the same "dangerous" characteristics, including high bite strength and high energy/drive).
You should volunteer. We can teach you, and then you'll know better and suck less.
Anonymous wrote:I just did a search for the word pitbull and there it was
The algorithm is trying to show you what it thinks you want to see. And since you subscribe to snap judgments, clickbait and tropes, finding you what you want is easy.
It’s empirical evidence at this point. GROW UP
You think the algorithm's search results represent "empirical evidence"?
I mean, I don't exactly expect much from someone all-capsing "GROW UP" on an anon board, but... damn, that's stupid.
You assume so much, probably because your brain is so small.
And how are you going to feel when the attacking dog(s) turn out to be purebred and the victim's dog was a beloved, scrappy shelter mutt?
Just stay quiet and be stupid by yourself, okay? Nobody needs your garbage take.
Ask anybody in animal control 90% of the attacks are rescues
Boo-hoo 🩸 ❤️
Facts are facts
Really? Well considering 90% of dogs in rescue are pit bulls, it figures. So many county resources wasted on those pitbulls. Wish they were banned. Seriously - more funds for MCPS or for animal control?
I have never met anyone with a pit bull that wasn’t a rescue. I guess there are pit bull breeders out there and I guess there are some people out there who willingly get one from a breeder, but in my UMC liberal circles, all the pits are rescues. I’d be super duper surprised if there is a pit in bethesda that’s not a rescue.
Recently volunteered with dd at a pet adoption event. They had so many “shepherd / retriever” mixes that looked nothing like a shepherd. Googled it and found it’s usually “pit mix”. It’s harder to tell when the dog is very young for someone who’s not very experienced with dogs. So I can see how people end up with pit mixes from rescues. In any cases it’s very sad.
It is sick how the rescues lie.
Why are there no repercussions for this kind of misrepresentation?
I have never met anyone with a pit bull that wasn’t a rescue. I guess there are pit bull breeders out there and I guess there are some people out there who willingly get one from a breeder, but in my UMC liberal circles, all the pits are rescues. I’d be super duper surprised if there is a pit in bethesda that’s not a rescue.
Recently volunteered with dd at a pet adoption event. They had so many “shepherd / retriever” mixes that looked nothing like a shepherd. Googled it and found it’s usually “pit mix”. It’s harder to tell when the dog is very young for someone who’s not very experienced with dogs. So I can see how people end up with pit mixes from rescues. In any cases it’s very sad.
It is sick how the rescues lie.
Why are there no repercussions for this kind of misrepresentation?
Probably because it's not 'misrepresentation'. Shelters specifically acknowledge that they may not have breed details, and are making their best guess. If you want genetic testing, you can provide that. You can even go into the shelter and swab the dog you're interested in (though they probably won't hold it for you while you wait for the results).
To sane people, the 'percentage of possible pit" doesn't matter.
I have never met anyone with a pit bull that wasn’t a rescue. I guess there are pit bull breeders out there and I guess there are some people out there who willingly get one from a breeder, but in my UMC liberal circles, all the pits are rescues. I’d be super duper surprised if there is a pit in bethesda that’s not a rescue.
Recently volunteered with dd at a pet adoption event. They had so many “shepherd / retriever” mixes that looked nothing like a shepherd. Googled it and found it’s usually “pit mix”. It’s harder to tell when the dog is very young for someone who’s not very experienced with dogs. So I can see how people end up with pit mixes from rescues. In any cases it’s very sad.
It is sick how the rescues lie.
It's sick how the people who don't volunteer say hideous lies about those who do. If y'all weren't out here spreading hateful lies about "pit bulls" "pit mixes" would be easier to rehome. Some shelters do put the mix first. I doubt the dog looked "nothing like a shepherd" because most people don't really want them either (nor should GSDs and their type be treated any differently from the "pit bulls"; they share a lot of the same "dangerous" characteristics, including high bite strength and high energy/drive).
You should volunteer. We can teach you, and then you'll know better and suck less.
I've worked with rescues. They're all crazy. Most of them are liars, too.
I have never met anyone with a pit bull that wasn’t a rescue. I guess there are pit bull breeders out there and I guess there are some people out there who willingly get one from a breeder, but in my UMC liberal circles, all the pits are rescues. I’d be super duper surprised if there is a pit in bethesda that’s not a rescue.
Recently volunteered with dd at a pet adoption event. They had so many “shepherd / retriever” mixes that looked nothing like a shepherd. Googled it and found it’s usually “pit mix”. It’s harder to tell when the dog is very young for someone who’s not very experienced with dogs. So I can see how people end up with pit mixes from rescues. In any cases it’s very sad.
It is sick how the rescues lie.
It's sick how the people who don't volunteer say hideous lies about those who do. If y'all weren't out here spreading hateful lies about "pit bulls" "pit mixes" would be easier to rehome. Some shelters do put the mix first. I doubt the dog looked "nothing like a shepherd" because most people don't really want them either (nor should GSDs and their type be treated any differently from the "pit bulls"; they share a lot of the same "dangerous" characteristics, including high bite strength and high energy/drive).
You should volunteer. We can teach you, and then you'll know better and suck less.
I've worked with rescues. They're all crazy. Most of them are liars, too.
Not in this area you haven't. Not recently, but probably not at all.
Prove me wrong: Name them (rescues, plural), and a contact's name.
I have never met anyone with a pit bull that wasn’t a rescue. I guess there are pit bull breeders out there and I guess there are some people out there who willingly get one from a breeder, but in my UMC liberal circles, all the pits are rescues. I’d be super duper surprised if there is a pit in bethesda that’s not a rescue.
Recently volunteered with dd at a pet adoption event. They had so many “shepherd / retriever” mixes that looked nothing like a shepherd. Googled it and found it’s usually “pit mix”. It’s harder to tell when the dog is very young for someone who’s not very experienced with dogs. So I can see how people end up with pit mixes from rescues. In any cases it’s very sad.
It is sick how the rescues lie.
It's sick how the people who don't volunteer say hideous lies about those who do. If y'all weren't out here spreading hateful lies about "pit bulls" "pit mixes" would be easier to rehome. Some shelters do put the mix first. I doubt the dog looked "nothing like a shepherd" because most people don't really want them either (nor should GSDs and their type be treated any differently from the "pit bulls"; they share a lot of the same "dangerous" characteristics, including high bite strength and high energy/drive).
You should volunteer. We can teach you, and then you'll know better and suck less.
No, they shouldn't volunteer. I volunteered for 15 years and completely checked out and will never volunteer again because of the shady practices surrounding bully breeds and mixes. I could not handle sending unsuspecting families home with what I considered to be a loaded gun and sleep at night. The dog laundering from shelter to shelter, the erasure of bite histories, the "nanny dog" thing, it was just too much. I still donate and foster for a breed specific rescue but I'm done with the big no kill places forever.
Anonymous wrote:They are bred to bite down and not let go. The opposite is something like a Lab that is bred to have a soft mouth when they retrieve ducks when hunting.
I dog sat for a friend with a pit bull. Very friendly girl but she would bite down on toys or bully sticks and wouldn't let go. It was almost like her jaws were locked. If that had been a part of my body, I would've bled out if nobody was around to call for help.
This is a myth. Do your research before spreading fake info.
Pit Bull's "Hold and Shake" Bite Style
A pit bull's bite is designed to inflict the maximum damage possible on its victim. Through selective breeding, pit bulls have developed enormous jaw strength and a "hold and shake" bite style. The pit bull's jaws lock onto its victim and violently shake the victim, refusing to let go. Even Good Samaritans who attempt to free the victim by employing hoses, hammers, bats, and pipes on the pit bull are often unsuccessful.
The pit bull's "hold and shake" bite style can cause severe bone and muscle damage. The injuries inflicted are often permanent and disfiguring. Injuries suffered by the victims of pit bull attacks are comparable to those suffered by shark attack victims.
That first case is illuminating. Maryland (or MoCo) has allowed pitbulls since first learning in 1916 that they attack children and gravely injure or kill them?
Anonymous wrote:We do not need to kill all pit bulls. What we need is immediate spay or neuter on all. Within 15 years this awful breed will be eliminated. And yes, we need to go south and make them fix their dogs too. These pits are shipped from the south.
In addition, we need to halt “rescues” from shipping in dogs from other states. They keep importing dogs, importing problems, and our shelters are full.
These stupid rescues are bringing them up here because the shelters in the south are kill shelters. I too would like this prevented. Can states stop dogs from being imported like this? I know the US stopped allowing rescues to bring dogs into the US for similar reasons.
Maybe we need a ballot initiative. I am sick of paying for pitbull care through my taxes.
Anonymous wrote:We do not need to kill all pit bulls. What we need is immediate spay or neuter on all. Within 15 years this awful breed will be eliminated. And yes, we need to go south and make them fix their dogs too. These pits are shipped from the south.
In addition, we need to halt “rescues” from shipping in dogs from other states. They keep importing dogs, importing problems, and our shelters are full.
These stupid rescues are bringing them up here because the shelters in the south are kill shelters. I too would like this prevented. Can states stop dogs from being imported like this? I know the US stopped allowing rescues to bring dogs into the US for similar reasons.
Maybe we need a ballot initiative. I am sick of paying for pitbull care through my taxes.
What you need is a universal dog owner license, and exam to prove competency, additional animal control officers (the call in question? animal control wasn't there for 25 minutes, and they were responding priority (source: the actual dispatch transmits: https://openmhz.com/system/mocomdps)), and a heavy penalty system that generates income for shelter/rehab facilities and discourages backyard breeding.
If you could stop being a pathetic hater of "pit bulls" for a bit, you could actually solve the problem
Anonymous wrote:They are bred to bite down and not let go. The opposite is something like a Lab that is bred to have a soft mouth when they retrieve ducks when hunting.
I dog sat for a friend with a pit bull. Very friendly girl but she would bite down on toys or bully sticks and wouldn't let go. It was almost like her jaws were locked. If that had been a part of my body, I would've bled out if nobody was around to call for help.
This is a myth. Do your research before spreading fake info.
Pit Bull's "Hold and Shake" Bite Style
A pit bull's bite is designed to inflict the maximum damage possible on its victim. Through selective breeding, pit bulls have developed enormous jaw strength and a "hold and shake" bite style. The pit bull's jaws lock onto its victim and violently shake the victim, refusing to let go. Even Good Samaritans who attempt to free the victim by employing hoses, hammers, bats, and pipes on the pit bull are often unsuccessful.
The pit bull's "hold and shake" bite style can cause severe bone and muscle damage. The injuries inflicted are often permanent and disfiguring. Injuries suffered by the victims of pit bull attacks are comparable to those suffered by shark attack victims.
That first case is illuminating. Maryland (or MoCo) has allowed pitbulls since first learning in 1916 that they attack children and gravely injure or kill them?
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