TheBanyanTree: Reprehensible **Warning - Rant about irresponsible dog owners**

[Margaret R. Kramer]

That’s what the judge said about Michael Vick and his pit bulls.  How can a
man who has the world on the string find happiness watching dogs fight and
also torturing them to death?  It’s one thing to kill a dog using an
injection, but to drown, hang, and electrocute them as a way of amusement is
horrible.  It’s not any different to me than the Nazis gassing millions of
Jews and then watching them die through tiny windows in the gas chambers.

In Minneapolis last week, a seven year boy was mauled to death by his father
’s pit bull.  The dog was chained in the basement.  Evidently the boy went
down to the basement to look at the pit bull puppies and was killed by the
male dog.

Now what I am missing here?  If you have to chain a dog in the basement, how
can it be safe for your children to be around it?  This dog had a couple of
bites on record, yet the owner continued to keep the dog.  And then to breed
puppies!!!!  It’s obvious this owner doesn’t have a clue about raising dogs.
Unfortunately, there is no law against breeding dogs if you’re a moron.

I’m extremely sorry that his son was killed, but maybe a light will turn on
in this man’s brain, and he’ll realize he’s unable to raise dogs properly
and move on to some other interest.  And through his son’s death, other
lives will be saved.  Fortunately, the father shot the dog and the dog won’t
hurt anyone else ever again.

Finally, a mother had to wrestle with a pit bull to keep him from mauling
her four year old son.  This just happened a couple of days ago in a
Minneapolis suburb.  The dog broke loose from its chain across the street
and ran to the boy who was just getting out of a car.  The mother kicked and
pummeled the dog until it let go of her son.  Someone had called the police
and they came and got the dog under control.  The boy got off with some
severe bites to his legs, but he’s OK.

Again, this dog had several dog bites on record.  His owner had given him to
a relative to keep, because he had bitten other people and was not allowed
at the apartment complex where she lived.  The dog was quarantined, but the
owner is having him put down.  Both the owner and the relative are being
fined.  Now what does this owner not understand?  This dog is DANGEROUS!
Why did she keep the dog when it is obvious the dog loved to chomp on
people?

To me, these dog owners mentioned above should join Michael Vick in the
slammer.  They can compares notes about their dog raising techniques.  And
then have the “Bubbas” in prison beat the crap out of them every day.  Or do
other things . . .

When I married my ex-husband, he owned a beautiful German Shepherd Dog named
Rex.  Well, Rex was an alpha dog.  And Tony raised it to show off its alpha
tendencies.  The dog would bite first and ask questions later.  There were
several people he bit who had to get stitches.  He was a one person dog and
barely tolerated other people.  He tolerated me and Asher.  He liked people
who spoke German.  He loved my ex’s brother and mother, but all other people
were suspect.  I had to lock him in a room if people came over, because he
would intimidate them, snarl at them, and sometimes snap at them.  He was a
very scary dog.  I didn’t know as much about dogs as I do now, so I
tolerated his behavior.  If it was now, the dog would be put down, along
with my ex, because he made Rex into what he was.

We put Rex down when he was nine years old because of severe arthritis.  We
went to the Humane Society and picked out a small Shepherd mix female named
Samantha.  Again, if I knew then what I know now, I never would have adopted
Samantha.  She was an alpha dog, too.  And a snapper.  I also think that if
the Humane Society had did a better job screening the dog, Samantha would
have been put out for adoption.  She ended up mauling our neighbor’s arm
when she got out of the house accidentally and he happened to be standing in
our driveway.

I gave that boy everything.  I bought him books and flowers.  I gave his
father our home owner’s insurance policy and telephone number so he could
call and make a claim.  We had Samantha put down.  I felt just awful.

When we brought Samantha into the vet, he told me something I’ll always
remember.  “Once a dog bites a human in an attack mode, it will try again,
because it got away with it.  Then it becomes a dangerous dog.”

After those two experiences, I know dangerous dogs.  I know what they’re
like.  I also know that the owners are the cause of those dogs attacking
people.  Certain breeds of dogs are bred to protect, to fight, and to be
courageous.  Unfortunately, some owners bring out those inbred qualities in
bad ways.

It seems to me for some groups of people in the US, pit bulls are the status
dog of the moment.  Man, if you have a pit bull, you’re a tough dude.  No
one is going to mess with you.  And if you raise that pit bull to be a
fighting machine, then you’re really something special.

And if your pit bull kills children, well, you’re definitely on top of the
heap.  And if you torture your pit bull to death, then obviously, since you
can torture an innocent dog, you’re the toughest dude of them all.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net
margaret.kramer at polarispublications.com

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.  My garden of flowers is
also my garden of thoughts and dreams.  The thoughts grow as freely as the
flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.
~Abram L. Urban