The Ongoing Dog Attack Mega-Thread

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I'm curious about what your plan is for the dogs currently in homes, shelters, etc.. and their potential offspring.

Just ban them going forward. Make effective January1st 2017 it is illegal to own one born before October 2016. Proof of birthdate up to the owner. Current dogs must be spade or neutered- huge fine if not.

However I'd say have something like courses to own a dog required is a better course of action.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Just ban them going forward. Make effective January1st 2017 it is illegal to own one born before October 2016. Proof of birthdate up to the owner. Current dogs must be spade or neutered- huge fine if not.

However I'd say have something like courses to own a dog required is a better course of action.

I'm really game for both, as long as dogs currently in the system (or even potential offspring of ones that don't end up fixed) aren't the ones who have to suffer before they've even done anything wrong.

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I'm curious about what your plan is for the dogs currently in homes, shelters, etc.. and their potential offspring.

Euthanization for the sheltered dogs and any puppies of current dogs in homes.

[BigNumbers]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Euthanization for the sheltered dogs and any puppies of current dogs in homes.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

Euthanization for the sheltered dogs and any puppies of current dogs in homes.

[foshizzle11]

full on pitbull bans will never happen. People will breed in private and sell in private. So I don't believe that will ever be an option. The best option is educating people. The types of people that these breeds attract is the issue. They aren't the best dog owners. Some are and I have no issues with the breed, honestly. Owners of bully's need to take extra care because their dogs can cause more harm than most breeds, but there are plenty of great breeders and owners out there that will never have issues. Throwing the book at this guy might help deter some from getting a pure bred or mixed pitbull.

This is such a sad story, just a horrible end for that women. The owner really needs to spend some time in jail.

[pylon]

The pitbull thing has become a huge gear grinder for me. My niece and her boyfriend are insistent on getting one, and my mother and father who raised my niece has said explicitly. "Go ahead if you guys wish, but the dog isn't allowed anywhere near out home, or our dogs." I can understand this, since they have two small dogs, and my mother had an issue with a pitbull in the dog park once. But they are pulling all the "it's just a misunderstood breed." BS

My big issue, is that they both aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer, and really have nor the ability or smarts to train or control an animal like a pit bull. I truly believe this dog is her boyfriend trying to have a 'cool tough dog' as it fits his MO.

I also expressed my dissatisfaction, and expressed the dog isn't allowed near my daschund, who is a total a-hole around big dogs, and even though that isn't exactly a glowing reference to my dog, the difference is, my dog attacks hers, you could remove it with one hand, hers decides to fight back.... It's a festival of horror.

My issue with the breed isn't the behavioral issues. There are a lot of a-hole dogs. Big and small. It's the fact that when they attack, they inflict devastating damage. They can't grasp that concept, and why a couple in their 70's specifically an old lady who had an incident with one, have no desire to have an animal like that around their home. They are taking it personally.

Now they've cut off all communication with everyone, so her boyfriend can accomadate his little small man syndrome dog. It's frustrating. I fully expect to see them with full neck tattoos, and a jacked up F350 in the coming months.

[WhiteTiger]

Here's the update for some folks who were looking a while back, iirc, from the CPS Facebook page today:

CPS Update: Administrative Review into Off-Duty Canine Incident

An administrative review into an incident involving an off-duty police dog has concluded. The review included testing of the dog, a Belgian Malinois, inquiries into the actions of the off-duty handler leading up to the dog biting a 12-year-old boy, and a review of Calgary Police Service procedures.

The incident on Wednesday, March 30, 2016, occurred around 6 p.m., when the dog broke free from the fenced yard of his handler in Aspen Hills, and encountered children playing in the street. One of the children ran from the dog, at which point the dog chased him into his nearby home and bit his leg. The boy’s father, who was in the home, attempted to get the dog off just as the Canine Unit handler ran in to the home to assist.

The handler secured the dog back at his home and returned to help render first aid to the child. The boy was transported to hospital where he was treated and released.

Following the incident, the dog was immediately removed from service and secured at the CPS kennels. As part of the administrative review, the dog was tested by supervisors of the Canine Unit with independent observation by officials with Calgary Community Standards.

The dog underwent socialization as well as obedience and control testing. In all cases, the dog tested above standards. He also completed a recertification, which is typically done on an annual basis, and tested above standards.

Despite the test results, the Service has determined that it is in the best interest of the dog and community to return the animal to the originating broker in the United States.

The performance of duty by the CPS handler remains under investigation in this case by the CPS Professional Standards Section. Once the bylaw matters have been concluded, the member’s conduct review will be completed under the Police Act. The handler currently remains in the Canine Unit.

The Service takes full responsibility for this incident and would like to reassure the public that every precaution is taken by the handlers to ensure these animals are in secure yards when at home. These animals require a high level of socialization when they are off duty and as part of the bonding with their handlers live in residential neighbourhoods. Police service dogs are a critical part of the CPS and help to keep Calgarians safe by tracking and helping to apprehend hundreds of offenders every year.

For additional details about the charges laid under the Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw, please see an earlier press release from Calgary Community Standards - http://bit.ly/1ttpw3m

[foshizzle11]

Sounds like the officer might face some hefty fines if found guilty. Was reading it could be up to $10,000 per charge. I was reading the article on CBC about this.

I am happy they didn't put the dog down.

[monkeyman]

Looks like Montreal is moving forward with a plan to ban pit bulls and other dangerous breeds. If it passes, current owners will not be required to get rid of their dogs but, pit bulls and certain other breeds will have to be registered, spayed or neutered and wear a muzzle in public.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...erre-1.3641450

[Kjesse]

I wonder if the family's lawyer, Barry Steinfeld, does stand-up in addition to representing plaintiffs?

[chemgear]

http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/cps-member...tion-1.2967194

One dog is dead, three men have been arrested, and an officer suffered a serious dog bite following Wednesday morning’s police search of two homes.

Undisclosed amounts of drugs and cash were seized during the searches. Robitaille says the Bankview home was considered to be the 'storefront' of the drug dealing operation while the Coral Springs home was a 'stash house'.

The unnamed woman was arrested and the children were removed from the residence. Officers located several pitbull-type dogs on the property.

[foshizzle11]

I stumbled upon this story this morning, thought it was interesting. The approach being taken in Alberta is different than other places in Canada when it comes to dangerous breeds, laying blame on dog owners and less the breed.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...real-1.3656166

"We encourage education, training, socialization," said Doug Frizzell, superintendent with community standards for the city of Calgary.

"Any dog can and will bite so we found that it's best to really focus on the education end of it and really have people understand what type of dog they're getting and why they're getting it. The majority of it goes down to knowing your dog and making sure your dog is under control at all times no matter what the breed is."

The statistics are interesting as well.

Herding dogs — such as shelties, Australian shepherds and collies — were the breed most likely to bite in Calgary in 2015, being involved in 25 per cent of incidents.

And in Edmonton, there are quite the rules for owning what is considered a dangerous breed.

Owners there of any dog that has been deemed vicious also have to pay an annual $250 licencing fee and the dog has to be muzzled while in public and be kept indoors or an enclosed pen on their property. Vicious dogs can be on a chain while outside, but have to be muzzled and can't go within two metres of the property line.

I wonder if this is enforced and who determines what dogs should be given this treatment? All pitbulls or terrier breeds are treated this way? I would be interested to know how this is going. I would guess that an incident would have had to occur in order for the city to determine if the dog is vicious? Seems like a flawed system in that manner.

[Amethyst]

But if an incident hasn't occurred, how is the dog vicious? An incident doesn't necessarily have to be an attack. I don't know the Edmonton bylaw, so I don't know how they determine that.

I am all for punishing bad owners. A vicious X (any larger breed) can do as much damage as a pitbull and I have seen pitbulls that work as therapy dogs and are very gentle. They have gotten a bad rap because they are seem to be the dog of choice for crappy owners at the moment.

The general public is in no more danger from pitbulls than from any other large dog if it attacks. If we outlaw pitbulls, we punish people who obey the law and those are not the owners whose dogs we need to be afraid of. The people who keep vicious dogs unattended in their backyards (like the one in Montreal) either won't follow a ban or will keep a different vicious dog unattended in their backyard.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Breed legislation will never work. Why?

It is always the owner's fault. Ban a breed, and the same ilk of potential owners will just move on to the next breed.

Italy is probably the best example of this. They started banning breeds as issues arose. How many breeds were banned? They hit 92 breeds before they finally figured it out. It is the damn owners, and legislation should revolve around that.

I really do think that as part of a first time owner licensing his animal, he must go through some sort of a training. Some sort of information. It could be online.

And please, stop chaining your dogs. All it does is make them crazy, and they are just as likely to rip a family member's face off just as much as an intruders. You want a dog for protection? That's fine - go seek out a professional and follow the steps. They will get your dog really trained and obedient, and will make sure your dog has the proper temperament for it (not aggressive, and not fearful - these two temperaments are most responsible for out of control dogs). Chain him up, or try to do the training yourself, is just as good as getting a gun and leaving it out in the open just inside the door. Sometimes you will make it to the gun first, sometimes the intruder will.

I love bully breeds - I love most breeds actually - and I don't think that I should be banned from keeping a dog that has no issues during my responsible care. I would even be willing to go to a class - in person, or online - if the city requests it. I honestly believe everyone that owns a dog (or other animal, actually) should be forced to do some type of traning/information session as it is for the benefit of all parties - humans and animals.

[foshizzle11]

For those of us on CP that are interested in taking some courses or getting personal consultation for your dog's issues the Calgary Humane Society has some available. They have highly trained professionals at their facility and are a good resource. It isn't free but the funds go to a good cause.

http://www.calgaryhumane.ca/what-we-do/animal-training/

So far, this is the best place I have found in Calgary to ask for help when needed.

And the resources available are good for some basics on dog behavior. These are short reads that all dog owners should read. Gives some great insight on how dogs learn and why they react how they do.

[harmony]

what's the law here? most places I lived before, any repeat offending dogs were automatically put down.

[foshizzle11]

I don't know if there are laws like those mentioned in the article I linked for Calgary. I would think that the authorities deal with attacks on a case by case basis but I could be very wrong. Something I'll have to look into.

Nothing about vicious dogs for Calgary. Mostly common sense stuff for most dog owners.

http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/ABS/Pages...opic/Dogs.aspx

[foshizzle11]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...ylaw-1.3780335

Nearly three months after a brutal dog attack that claimed the life of a Montreal woman, the city has passed its contentious pit bull ban.

City council voted Tuesday afternoon in favour of changes to its animal control bylaw that include a ban on new ownership of pit bull and pit bull-type dogs.

I wonder if we will see more cities following suit in Canada. Should be interesting.

This is true and interesting:

"We are extremely disappointed with the council's decision to adopt archaic bylaws that are proven to be ineffective," Ewa Demianowicz, campaign manager for Humane Society International/Canada, said in a statement.

[Ducay]

What's next? Banning white sunglasses? Lift kits? Rap T-shirts? What things will dooshbags have to spend their money on?