Judge Christina is now my personal hero. She put that sorry excuse for man in his place! I loved how she said that she hopes the police are listening to what she's saying because she thinks he's a loose cannon etc. Finally, some little justice for pit bulls!

Posted by: Courtney | March 31, 2008 08:37 PM

Yeah, pit bulls often pay with their lives for the carelessness of their 'owner'.

Posted by: lynda downie | March 31, 2008 11:20 PM

My dogs were labled as dangerous because one neifghbor in the neighborhood dont like them, so th animal shelter is trying to charge me and my family over 2600 dollars to get them back and it is unfair

Posted by: Reginald King | April 1, 2008 12:42 AM

This is so sad to me. I have a pit bull named Frankie and he is the sweetest, most gentle dog I have ever owned. I cannot imagine anyone hurting these animals as a form of recreation. I just pray that people take the time to learn about the breed instead of jumping to conclusions because of some bad owners.

Posted by: Cali | April 1, 2008 08:11 AM

Thank you for not villinizing the guy who shot the dog. I don't agree with shooting the dog (and I certainly don't agree with his hunting and fishing) but I've had similar problems!

My neighbor's pit bull, rotweiller and brown lab have all come onto my porch and tried to attack me; the dogs have attacked strays I was trying to rescue, and have chased kids in the neighborhood.

It's not the dogs' fault, but the dogs run in front of my car, forcing me to slam on the brakes all the time and almost get hit from behind by other cars!

I spoke to our neighbor at least 12 times over the course of about 4 years and she refuses to fix the situation.

Even if dogs aren't agressive, here's the problem:

1. Large dogs, especially pit bulls, can kill and mutilate people. Even if the dog is just startled, the end result is the same.

Dogs running in front of cars and chasing cats into the road is extremely dangerous. They are animals. We can't say, "oh, they're not aggressive"

It does not matter, there are a million reasons why dogs running loose are a hazard. If a dog gets loose once or twice by accident, that's understandable.

Over and over, over the period of several years, unacceptable!! If something bad happens to a dog that is loose multiple times, IT IS THE OWNER'S FAULT!

Posted by: Maya, CVT | April 1, 2008 09:15 AM

Who exactly misunderstands pit bulls? I doubt the owner of the dog was thinking how good the dog could hold on to a rope swing when he bought it. I am sure he knew exactly what he was getting. I am thankful that the dachshund is safe, though. This is certainly not the dog's fault, but he is the one that is punished. Culpability lies with the owner of the pit bull for buying the dog in the first place. How very sad.

The second amendment is in place so that we may be able to defend our families and homes. If a gun owner is forced to take such action it should not be a joyful occasion, rather, the lesser of two evils. If the pit bull had mauled or killed the gun owner or the dachshund the story would be even more tragic. Hence, the lesser of two evils. Still, a very sad story.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | April 1, 2008 10:01 AM

My mom rescued a pit bull and she's the best dog ever! I keep trying to steal her from my Mom...but so far..no luck.

Judge Perez is my hero.

Posted by: HannaBanana | April 1, 2008 10:36 AM

He should have been bitten in the ass. This m*ther f*cker should go to hell. He should suffer all his life for killing this innocent pitbull. Not all pitbulls are harmful. If you train it to harm, it will harm if not it won't. He is just an example of ignorant fucks in this world that don't care about animals suffering. I would have stopped him if I was his neighbor.
Cold blooded bastard, he was not touched by the look on the dogs eyes at all. He dumps it near construction?
My G-d if that was my dog that man would have deserved a big beating he would have been paralyzed for good. Heck, he would have needed a machine to live. That stupid fuck.
This story sure did touch my heart, with anger. I am very angry at this person, he should have been sued so much he would be left with nothing.

Posted by: Marisela | April 1, 2008 11:52 AM

Cochran,
Do the animals that you hunt a huge favor, take your gun, shove it up your ass and pull the trigger.
Peace!!!

Marisela,
Great post!

Posted by: Judith, Freedom Fighter for Animals | April 1, 2008 03:03 PM

Pit bull owners lose all credibility when they say that pits can attack people's pets.

If that man did not have a gun, the small dog would have been ripped to shreds.

That is going on all over this country. Pets are getting attacked and killed in their own homes by pit bulls.

Ledy Van Kavage of the ASPCA says that pit bulls should be allowed to kill other pets. No wonder the dog fighters and breeders love her!

All she cares about is pit bulls, not other dogs that are dying terrible deaths.

Posted by: kelly | April 1, 2008 03:14 PM

Kelly, that was very well said!!

Let's all look at reality here - all of us can agree, it's not the pit bull's fault. It's the fault of the owners.

And I feel sorry for the dogs, but every law abiding citizen has the right to have their private property be free of trespassers, be it dogs or people.

In my opinion, there should be zero tolerance. Anyone who owns a dog should have 2 free dog escapes and that's it.

After that, they should be forced to pay for a fence for everyone in the neighborhood, and they should be required to be monitored for five years. If the dog keeps getting loose, the punishments become more severe.

There may be problems with that solution, but it's all I can think of if people want the right to own these dogs.

Quite honestly if I were running a town, dog owners would be required to have extremely secure fencing, neighborhood watches and immediate action if the dog escaped.

And there are no easy solutions here, so let's not tear each other's faces off, okay? ;)

Posted by: Maya, CVT | April 1, 2008 04:29 PM

Judith

Love you!!!

I am really impressed with Perez having the courage to speak up for the murdered pit bull on national tv. There is a ray of sunshine yet!!

Posted by: Ana | April 1, 2008 05:19 PM

Maya - I agree. The Pit my mom rescued was found wandering the streets of Joliet, IL...not the safest of locations...and the dog was horribly torn up...and just had puppies! My mom saved her life, showed her love...and now she's the sweetest dog ever! And also in my Mom's home are are chow and a boxer...and there has never been an encounter.

People who talk negative smack about Pits never owned or loved one.

My opinion.

Posted by: HannaBanana | April 1, 2008 05:47 PM

First of all, there are a thousand variations of what is referred to as a "pit bull," so there is no way to classify those dogs as being of a certain type. They are simply dogs, no better or worse than any other. I had a shepherd/lab cross that was extremely dog-aggressive and I had a rottie that got along with all animals. It is up to the owner to take the proper precautions with their pets and I think this boy did. The dog happened to get out. So what?? The dog did nothing wrong and the man had no justification in killing him. Just another example of what happens when you pair a large gun with a very small penis.

Posted by: Antigone1000 | April 1, 2008 10:22 PM

Judith, you are so well spoken. Are you part of the militant arm of Buddhism? What exactly was the man with the dachshund supposed to do when a pit bull comes into his yard and threatens him and his dog? Run and Hide? Call the police? I think it is a horrible tragedy that this poor dog was killed, but I do not think the gun owner is the criminal. He is the unfortunate victim of an irresponsible dog owner. The pit bull was only doing what it was bred to do. Despite what seemed to be a loving caring home, this dog still felt compelled to threaten a wiener dog and a neighbor.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | April 2, 2008 09:06 AM

Love you much Ana!
I so hope you are right about a little ray of sunshine.
The animals really need it.
Judith

Posted by: Judith, Freedom Fighter for Animals | April 2, 2008 09:59 AM

HannaBanana, what a beautiful story!! Your mom sounds like a total saint. How lucky for that wonderful pit doggie!

Also you make such a great point - these people who are so careless, have they ever seen a dog hit by a car with a broken spine? I have, and it's extremely tragic. Often they can't be saved and suffer excruciating pain. And often at a young age!

After I adopted from the shelter, my cat escaped once. I freaked out and beefed up the precautions in our house tenfold. If I had a dog, I would be at least as protective - there are a thousand bad things that can happen to cats and dogs!

You're also right about pits - some of the most well behaved dogs I've ever seen were pits, unfortunately they are often bought for the wrong reasons, status, etc. And it's refelcted in how the dog is kept.

Best wishes to you and mom and the 3 beautiful critters!! ;)

Posted by: Maya, CVT | April 2, 2008 11:47 AM

Face it Cochran,
You live to shoot your guns at anything.
You and Bush=blood brothers
Peace!

Posted by: Judith, Freedom Fighter for Animals | April 2, 2008 01:48 PM

Thanks Maya :) My Mom's love for animals is definately why I also love animals. My Dad finally 'gave in' to her request to make the living room into a rescue bird aviary...she has it all set up for them - all her adorable rescue birds who were given up after they started plucking their feathers. Well...guess whose feathers are starting to grow back after a little TLC? :) Also...the Pit never bothers the birds...they chase her actually!

People just need to be taught to love and respect animals, despite how they are negatively stereotyped, like the Pit Bulls...I recently adopted a few rescue rats and I absolutely LOVE those sweet creatures! And I've been able to change people's negative opinion's about them completely around once they got the chance to 'hang out' with my little guys...

I thank God every single day that we PETA and other organizations like it to educate people...

Posted by: HannaBanana | April 2, 2008 06:07 PM

Hi Judith,
I don't think Cochran meant it that way.He just said that the man had no other way to defend himself and his dog.He just said it a little more aggressive than he should.I stronglly dissagree with malltreating animals eather in any way but when a dog(or anyone) is trying to attack you or someone you love what would you do?

Posted by: ioanna | April 3, 2008 02:55 AM

I love her, irresponsible gun owner hets boom lowered on him - great. Hopes she wins the Emmy she deserves it.

Posted by: Nick | April 3, 2008 08:20 AM

Judith,
If you are going to use only name calling in your pseudo-poetry and not answer or debate the issue at hand, then invariably you will be discounted. What you think about the issue at hand is much more interesting than calling me names. Call me names, fine, but say something with substance while your at it. You trivialize a very important and tragic situation. Perhaps you've never been attacked by a dog and have no frame of reference. Fair enough. Maybe you enjoy being a human sheep and feel comfortable completely entrusting your safety in a flawed and corrupt government. Enjoy your peace, while it lasts.

Posted by: Christopher Cochran MD | April 3, 2008 10:14 AM

Ionna: Maybe you didn't actually watch the case, but the dog wasn't trying to attack anyone. This man intentionally killed this dog because he was angry that he had gotten loose a couple of times. Once this guy went into his house, there was no threat. For him to come out again and shoot the dog was cold-blooded. Period. There is no defense for what he did. He should have called the ACO, not taken matters into his own hands. I would like to see if any criminal charges could be brought against him.

Posted by: Antigone1000 | April 3, 2008 12:08 PM

Antigone is right.

Posted by: Holly | April 3, 2008 01:23 PM

Antigone 1000,
Is absolutely right.
Get angry, use a gun?
NO WAY.....
He killed because he was angry.
Peace!

Posted by: Judith, Freedom Fighter for Animals | April 3, 2008 03:51 PM

I completely agree that the raging maniac should have called AC, and it was cold blooded for him to kill an animal.

However, he was more than generous asking the dog's owner to restrain his dog after it had been loose again and again and again.

The gun man's little dog could have been out on the guy's property the next time, and the pit bull could have killed it. Not just pit bulls, but any large dog has prey instincts and plus they are ANIMALS and it's impossible to know when that bad thing will happen.

This pit bull was a huge public hazard. There was a 16 year old in New Hampshire (animal rights activist, by the way) who swerved to avoid a squirrel and was killed when he hit a telephone pole. This can happen with loose dogs.

I acutally saw a rottweiler kill a kitten. The dog's owner was nototrious for not keeping the dog restrained. How would you feel if that happened to your pet?

All I'm saying is, not enough blame is being put on the dog's owner. The dog got loose over and over again = he didn't give a shit about his dog or public safety.

Personally I would not have killed the dog, but I may have drove it to AC myself the first few times, after that the dog would be found a new home several states away by yours truly.

Posted by: Maya, CVT | April 3, 2008 03:54 PM

I have 3 wonderful dogs, a yorkie, a bischon, and a PIT BULL!! My pit bull is the best dog I have ever had! She is obediant, loyal, and so sweet!! I hate when I see people buying them to look like they are tough and cool..you look like a fricking loser..these dogs are wonderful and their bad rep is not because of them, it is because of horrible people. I love my Pit bull!!:)

Posted by: PitBulllover | April 3, 2008 05:14 PM

I wasn't talkin about this particular video but in general

Posted by: ioanna | April 4, 2008 02:04 AM

...sorry it didn't came out right

Posted by: ioanna | April 4, 2008 02:08 AM

There are no bad dogs, just really bad people that have dogs and teach them badly.
Dogs look at us to guide them the right way, but there are really some terrible, terrible owners, if you must use that word.
Our dogs are such a God send.
They can hardly wait for my husband to get home so they can all cuddle.
Peace!

Be sure to watch Oprah today she will be talking about puppy mills.

Posted by: Judith, Freedom Fighter for Animals | April 4, 2008 11:10 AM

As I read some of these post I am astonished at those people that believe just because a dog is a pit-bull he will tear another animal to shreds. I have a 120 pound pit-bull. (yes, true, full-breed pit-the vet tells me is a puller-bred pit). When he scuffles with my 35 pound shar-pei mix, my pit usually gets the worst of it-he does NOT tear to shreds!! He does not because he is a lover at heart. And that is how he has been raised.

Posted by: Darcy in AZ | April 4, 2008 11:45 AM

Maya: It's impossible to know with ANY dog (or human, for that matter) IF a bad thing will happen. You cannot assume the worst and act accordingly--you must act based on the existing facts.
I disagree that this boy was a bad owner--in fact, I think he did a great job raising what seemed to be a well-adjusted dog that was good with both animals AND people. You have no way of knowing that this dog even growled. The man who killed him said so, but he needs a reason to justify the killing, doesn't he? Do you know for sure he didn't lure this dog on his property intentionally?? It is clear from what he, himself, states on the 911 call that he killed this dog because he had gotten loose several times. (The number of times was disputed by the dog's family, if you recall.) Consider the source before you accept what he says...

Posted by: Antigone1000 | April 4, 2008 08:00 PM

there was a dog, I'm not sure if he was a pit bull, and his owner called the police and said that his dog had attacked him and was now running loose on the streets and he was scared someone might get injured. So the police all went out and searched the area and found the dog and chased it, shooting it over and over again with tasers, only the dog eventually died.
later they found that the owner was a dog abuser who had repeatedly beaten his pets...

Posted by: fillysunray | April 5, 2008 10:35 AM

I watched that episode and became very angry with the neighbor. It appeared to me that the bad neighbor had an issue with the neighbor and that the dog became a casualty of that problem. I've noticed that sometimes pets become casualties of angry lunatics. That guy would have shot his neighbor's dog if it were a lab, poodle, or a pit bull. That neighbor had a lot of animousity for his neighbor. This happens far too often.

There should not be an issue with pit bulls or boxers or any other dogs. Many times people's pets are a reflection of themselves. Mean people tend to have mean pets! If you have pets, consider their personalities. My dog is goofy and very happy. My male cat is a little overweight, he's an emotional eater. My female cat is very nerotic and hyper. All of them reflect different aspects of my personality. They even look like me!

Posted by: Angie | April 6, 2008 12:06 AM

Hi Antigone -

I agree that the guy is probably a whack job and I obviously can't trust what he said. I guess his case is a wash.

My one real emphasis is this: pit bulls may not always be aggressive, but they will always have dangerous jaw power.

Judge Judy has many pit bull cases. She said it best: these dogs are not teacup poodles. IF a pit bull bites, the results can be disasterous or deadly.

You said it perfectly, Antigone. We can't know what they will do. The nicest pit bull in the world can still get startled, or run in front of a car. It's perfectly natural, normal behavior for any cat or dog.

The results for both dog and human can be disasterous. No responsible dog owner on this planet allows their dog to run around like this guy did.

Dog and cat owners can't just "love" their companions; they must also take responsibility and not let them run loose.

Any animal, including pit bulls can get hit by cars, attacked by wildlife, poisoned, lost or injured. And that guy would have no one but himself to blame.

No disrespect intended, friend. ;) Peace.

Posted by: Maya, CVT | April 7, 2008 11:24 AM

You can't just leap to the defense of this dog unfortunately. The pit bull was bred as a hunting/fighting dog. People first associate pit bulls as dangerous, not as a cute pets. If I saw a pitbull in my backyard and I had another dog or small children, I would've got my gun and shot it too. The law would obviously been on the home owners side because stray dogs can be very dangerous in any circumstance, running in front of cars for instance. Unfortunately this dog is dead because of negligent owner/s. Everyone should train their dogs properly, introduce their dogs to their neighbours if possible, and take action on all reasonable complaints.

Posted by: DC | April 19, 2008 09:18 PM

DC: Much as you would like to think you can, you cannot just take a gun and shoot a trespasser, human or otherwise. Even if someone is breaking into your house, you can't necessarily kill them. So--you might want to doublecheck the laws where you live before you go taking a shot at anybody on your property.

Posted by: Antigone1000 | April 21, 2008 05:34 PM