Dog Attack

[JG]

We were camping in a area in our Casita & found an Apple Festival was going on. We grabbed out little dog and we were on our way. It was at an apple farm. It was crowded and folks had there dogs with them on a lease. As we were leaving I noticed a man sitting on a loading dock,with 2 Pitbull looking dogs. My wife told me to stop & we need to go another way. A couple walked by us with a black & white collie past the 2 large dogs. The one large dog alerted and the owner put his arm around both dogs necks. The larger dog backed away & the owner tried to stop him but the dog was to powerful. It pulled out of it's harness and attacked the collie in a matter of seconds. It was horrible. The leg & shoulder was injured on the Collie by the time the big dog was pulled away. Some one got a towel & wrapped the dog up & the owner got on her phone to find a emergency vet in the area. What if this had been a child? If your dog is to big to control, leave it at home.

[Crowe]

Then reread the post. Are you blinded by your love of dogs?

Read it quite clearly and understood it quite well. Nope, bashing pit bulls is no different than bashing KOA campgrounds. Some are bad, some are good, some are in-between. Does nothing but fuel flames of an unneeded fire.

On a different tangent, why are dogs at an Apple Festival to begin with?

This is the better question to address. One bad dog can ruin it for the rest. I'm often at events that allow dogs. Mine are generally not with me at such gatherings as I'd rather not have the responsibility. I've seen dogs that shouldn't be there a few times but the overwhelming majority of the time there have been no issues. I agree that almost always it's the stupidity of the owner that's at fault. I am not just a dog lover but a dog person. However, I sometimes question the fairness of having dogs at these events to those who dislike, are allergic to or are afraid of dogs. I don't subscribe to the mantra "if my dog can't go then I won't go". Expecting everyone to adore and be comfortable with your dog is selfish and disrespectful.

[azdryheat]

Why do people think they need to take their dogs everywhere? If dogs were banned at that Apple festival there wouldn't have been an attack. Keep the dogs at home.

OR - if dogs are going to be present, as in this case, take your lovable firearm with you and blow away the attacking dog(s). Sounds harsh, doesn't it? But think about it. I'll bet you the Apple festival was in a gun-free zone. Shouldn't it also be a dog-free zone for the same reason?

[2012Coleman]

Sometimes, I wish I got those forum errors everyone's talking about...

[dodge_guy]

I have had a German Shepard that I wouldn’t hesitate to let play with little kids. I currently have a small mix breed that can’t be trusted around anyone. She was like that from the day we got her. We tried everything and it’s just the way she is. So small dogs are no better than large dogs. So if you can’t control them, don’t take them out in public!

[westernrvparkow]

On a different tangent, why are dogs at an Apple Festival to begin with? They don't eat apples, they can't make apple pies and they don't sing the song "Don't sit under the Apple Tree with anyone else but me." I am no fan of pit bulls, but to me this is a situation where neither dog should have been there, hence no confrontation.

[badsix]

a dog is only as smart as its master!
Jay D.

[philh]

smarty wrote:
This happened to me. I shot and killed the attacking dog. Had all I could do to not shoot the owner...

It was a pit bull attacking my family and dogs that got me into firearms. I carry everywhere I'm legally allowed to carry. Given the OP's situation, 1st, I don't take my dogs into a festival environment, and 2nd, given the probable number of people in attendance, a firearm would be difficult to safely stop the attack.

To your point tho, the owner wasn't attacking you, so he wasn't a threat that needed to be stopped.

[ppine]

One of my neighbor's used to raise Rottweilers. He walked them around the neighborhood without a leash. I had a BC and 2 Corgis at the time. I started carrying a cattle prod. Then all the Rotts were on a leash.

People with big dangerous dogs are often the last ones to use a leash. They need to wise up. I found the cattle prod to be the great equalizer.
My Dad had wild dog problems working in Puerto Rico. He used a lead horse whip that he carried in his back pocket. I had a paper route as a kid with some loose big dogs. I carried the whip in my back pocket. It gave me some confidence and I never had to use it.

[ksg5000]

Over the years we have occasionally gone out of our way to avoid some dogs that give off a bad vibe. I personally don't think anyone should bring a dog which doesn't get along with other dogs to an event where other dogs are going to attend - nobody wants to listen to a dog barking every time another dog walks by.

[smarty]

This happened to me. I shot and killed the attacking dog. Had all I could do to not shoot the owner...

[Jayco-noslide]

Regrettably we seem to be living in a dog loving world where dogs are being given more and more freedom. They can be a big problem in campgrounds or really anywhere. Usually the owners are conscious of other people's rights but not always. In this case it was a very dangerous problem. I would sue and seek to have the owner arrested for contributing to the attack. I enjoy a small well controlled dog but we need to stand up to dog problems and owners or it's going to get worse.

[toedtoes]

Bat-dog has pulled out of a harness. With her body shape, they just can't fit correctly in all places, so there is always a weak point for her to maneuver out of. I use the martingale collars instead.

[Oasisbob]

Common story sadly. Our little dog, on leash, was pit bulll attacked by pit off leash. The owner had to hit his dog on the head with a big rock to get it to release. No apology, no nothing. OSP asked them to leave the state campground.

[Lwiddis]

“Serves no purpose, nor am I sure what the purpose of the post is.”

Then reread the post. Are you blinded by your love of dogs?

[DownTheAvenue]

MFL wrote:
In many cases where a dog attack occurs, the irresponsible owner is the problem.

There are no bad dogs, just bad dog owners. Having said that, there are certain breeds that have a propensity towards certain behaviors. However, each dog is an individual with its own personality. The wisest thing is to never put your dog into any situation where it could be in danger as the OP describes, or put your dog in a situation that makes it scared, over-stimulated, feeling unsafe, or even just uncomfortable. The end result may be like the original post.