Post by RealPitBull on Feb 29, 2008 10:05:58 GMT -5
Community needs to address dog problem
www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080229/OPINION03/802290310/1014/OPINION
This is an open letter to the citizens of this community, as well as a few key people who were involved with me in an incident on Feb. 19.
At around 8 p.m. I took my dog for our usual walk around the new park at Mission Valley Elementary School. As we turned left off of Corvina and started to walk down the west side of the park, I became aware of two people in the ponding basin in the middle of the park. As I looked over, out of nowhere my dog and I were being charged by another dog. This pit bull attacked my dog and tried to grab his throat in his teeth. As I tried to fight the dog off, he bit into my dog's hind quarter and then clamped onto his tail and began to drag him back towards the basin. I was unsuccessful in my attempts to help my pet. Finally the two people with the pit bull arrived, pulled their dog (with much effort) off of my dog, and ran away with this vicious animal in their arms.
To the two young ladies who stopped to help me, thank you for caring enough to stop and help in what I believed to be very uncertain circumstances. Your kindness and concern was very much appreciated.
To the two young men who were with the dog: You did what I could have expected from someone irresponsible enough to have an animal capable of such aggression off its leash, let alone out of a cage. You grabbed your dog and ran, leaving me lying in the grass next to my bleeding and mauled 12-year-old golden retriever. Your actions show your lack of compassion, disregard for society and your desire to not be held responsible for your actions.
To the people of Tulare: It is time we become responsible members of our community and take action to prevent this, or something worse from happening in the future. In talking with the police officer who arrived, he felt he knew who in the neighborhood had these dogs since they had numerous calls relating to pit bulls owned by a particular household. When I described the young men, the police realized this was yet another aggressive animal. How many of these aggressive and potentially dangerous animals are in my neighborhood? I walk my child in this park. There are always families playing in this area. It is attached to a school, for goodness sake. Wake up Tulare! If you want to scare yourselves, Google "pit bull attacks" and look at what comes up. In one article it stated there were 12 deaths and countless injuries in the U.S. during a year attributed to pit bulls; more than half of the fatalities were children.
I realize not all pit bulls are aggressive and dangerous. I understand that some can be loving and loyal pets. However, as is often the case, the few spoil things for the majority. It is people who make these dogs a menace to our community. These irresponsible owners train them to fight. They agitate them and make them aggressive. It is the owners that turn these animals into the dangers they are to every one of us.
As responsible members of this community it is time to step up, and to an extent, take matters into our own hands. I implore you to be on the lookout for aggressive dogs and their irresponsible owners.
Look for animals that display aggressive behavior and are potentially dangerous. Keep an eye open for dogs that are unlicensed or off their leashes and out of the confines of their yards. Be on the lookout for owners who train these animals to fight. When we find them it is our duty as responsible members of society to report them to the authorities and help insure they are no longer a threat to our community.
The story you are now reading is on the editorial page and involved a family pet. If we as a community fail to act, the next time the attack may be on a child and you will be reading the story on the front page of the paper. The choice of action is ours to make.
KEVIN PIRES
Tulare
www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080229/OPINION03/802290310/1014/OPINION
This is an open letter to the citizens of this community, as well as a few key people who were involved with me in an incident on Feb. 19.
At around 8 p.m. I took my dog for our usual walk around the new park at Mission Valley Elementary School. As we turned left off of Corvina and started to walk down the west side of the park, I became aware of two people in the ponding basin in the middle of the park. As I looked over, out of nowhere my dog and I were being charged by another dog. This pit bull attacked my dog and tried to grab his throat in his teeth. As I tried to fight the dog off, he bit into my dog's hind quarter and then clamped onto his tail and began to drag him back towards the basin. I was unsuccessful in my attempts to help my pet. Finally the two people with the pit bull arrived, pulled their dog (with much effort) off of my dog, and ran away with this vicious animal in their arms.
To the two young ladies who stopped to help me, thank you for caring enough to stop and help in what I believed to be very uncertain circumstances. Your kindness and concern was very much appreciated.
To the two young men who were with the dog: You did what I could have expected from someone irresponsible enough to have an animal capable of such aggression off its leash, let alone out of a cage. You grabbed your dog and ran, leaving me lying in the grass next to my bleeding and mauled 12-year-old golden retriever. Your actions show your lack of compassion, disregard for society and your desire to not be held responsible for your actions.
To the people of Tulare: It is time we become responsible members of our community and take action to prevent this, or something worse from happening in the future. In talking with the police officer who arrived, he felt he knew who in the neighborhood had these dogs since they had numerous calls relating to pit bulls owned by a particular household. When I described the young men, the police realized this was yet another aggressive animal. How many of these aggressive and potentially dangerous animals are in my neighborhood? I walk my child in this park. There are always families playing in this area. It is attached to a school, for goodness sake. Wake up Tulare! If you want to scare yourselves, Google "pit bull attacks" and look at what comes up. In one article it stated there were 12 deaths and countless injuries in the U.S. during a year attributed to pit bulls; more than half of the fatalities were children.
I realize not all pit bulls are aggressive and dangerous. I understand that some can be loving and loyal pets. However, as is often the case, the few spoil things for the majority. It is people who make these dogs a menace to our community. These irresponsible owners train them to fight. They agitate them and make them aggressive. It is the owners that turn these animals into the dangers they are to every one of us.
As responsible members of this community it is time to step up, and to an extent, take matters into our own hands. I implore you to be on the lookout for aggressive dogs and their irresponsible owners.
Look for animals that display aggressive behavior and are potentially dangerous. Keep an eye open for dogs that are unlicensed or off their leashes and out of the confines of their yards. Be on the lookout for owners who train these animals to fight. When we find them it is our duty as responsible members of society to report them to the authorities and help insure they are no longer a threat to our community.
The story you are now reading is on the editorial page and involved a family pet. If we as a community fail to act, the next time the attack may be on a child and you will be reading the story on the front page of the paper. The choice of action is ours to make.
KEVIN PIRES
Tulare
I look forward to learning much here