stray pitbull

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I found a young, female stray pitbull this morning on the way to work. It was sweet and obediant, but was very skinny and had an angry gash on her side. I took a piece of cord from my bag and leashed it, looking for a cop. I ended up walking it all the way to Oakland police HQ, and they were dicks... "Is it vicious? You don't want it? Just tie it to the fence, we'll have someone pick it up..." etc. I waited with the dog (who put her head in my lap) until a nice mannish lady cop said she's drive it down to animal control. I was an hour late to work.

Due to the rash of pitbull maulings in the San Francisco Bay Area, I know I did the right thing... but knowing the dog is likely going to her doom, I feel like a heel. In a children's book, I'd be one of the scientist villains.

― andy --, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:12 (twenty years ago)

you killed ET you bastard

― latebloomer: the Clonus Horror (latebloomer), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:18 (twenty years ago)

It's too bad too. Pit bulls can be really sweet dogs if they're raised right & socialized. They're only mean when they're raised to fight. And they're protective of their family, so they get a little pissed off if they feel threatened.

― geyser muffler and a quarter (Dave225), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:20 (twenty years ago)

Great Onion Headlines #435: "Lost Pitbull Travels 1500 Miles To Savage Owner"

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:22 (twenty years ago)

Animal control WILL be killing that dog, fwiw. If you still care about the little guy, find a no-kill shelter and take the dog there (assuming the cops are at all forthcoming with information, which they won't be).

― giboyeux (skowly), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:25 (twenty years ago)

There's a major anti-pitbull movement around here now. Tons are being dropped off at shelters every day. Finding a suitable new owner is probably not very likely, unfortunately.

― andy --, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:27 (twenty years ago)

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/assignment7/020905_assign7_shelter.html

― M. White (Miguelito), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:31 (twenty years ago)

Thanks, bro... that makes me feel a hell of a lot better. I can still smell dog on my hands.

― andy --, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:32 (twenty years ago)

If Luna reads this she's likely to drive up to Oakland to get the dog...crying and screaming that she's going to beat the snot out of the fuckface police officers. *swoon*

― Je4nne ƒur¥ (Je4nne Fury), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:36 (twenty years ago)

That shelter sounds awful.

But as far as that lady goes, why the hell would anyone take their cute little family puppy to a kill shelter if they cared that it might get killed? They could find a family friend to take the dog or ask people at work or take it to a no kill shelter. Or borrow $60. What a sad story.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:40 (twenty years ago)

Andy, I'm sorry. That was depressing without being very helpful. I'm not even sure who to talk to if you want to rescue her. Even if not, you behaved with an eye to her dignity which is to your credit and more than can apparently be said of several members of the OPD.

― M. White (Miguelito), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 17:47 (twenty years ago)

I know, man... it's just sad that 'thug-life' people objectify dogs like that without upholding the responsibility. The dog seemed relieved when I leashed it, and heeled quite well... a very nice, well-behaved dog, but now there's massive scapegoating and I really don't know if they'll even let anyone adopt her. I do plan to make a call and find out if somebody claims her.

― andy --, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:07 (twenty years ago)

andy i feel this dog was meant to live with you

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:10 (twenty years ago)

I don't want a pitbull! Even walking her to the jail, people were staring and giving me a wide berth. I have a small studio and can't have a dog anyway. I put an ad up on Craig's List, hopefully some aficianado will go save her.

― andy --, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:31 (twenty years ago)

i'm pretty sure turner didn't want hooch either, and look how that turned out.

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:32 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, Hooch GOT KILLED.

― Leon C. (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:35 (twenty years ago)

Tom Hanks is a bastard.

― Leon C. (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:35 (twenty years ago)

i wouldn't necessarily blame tom hanks for that, as peter scolari is still alive.

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:37 (twenty years ago)

His career isn't!

― Leon C. (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:37 (twenty years ago)

fine, hooch got killed, but not before turner learnt a valuable lesson about stuff. plus, he inherited a litter of slobbery babies!

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

Hey wait... today is the fifth of July. Isn't the 4th of July like the biggest stray dog day of the year? Especially in East Oakland which has massive illegal firework explosions, maybe she just escaped out of fright. Still, no collar, no tags.

― andy --, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:53 (twenty years ago)

Is there a pitbull rescue operation?

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 18:57 (twenty years ago)

Sarah I sent an email to http://www.badrap.org/ which is a Bay Area based pitbull rescue and advocacy group. However, the site warns that they're being inundated with homeless pitbulls so who knows.. she seemed friendly enough that I think she has a home, I'll try to put some posters up but who knows how far she travelled from home.

― andy --, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 19:14 (twenty years ago)

The whole Bay Area is full of pitbull fear! The laundry man made us go out the back exit because he said he saw a pitbull out front! He insisted!

― eat my replacement (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 19:20 (twenty years ago)

Well, you're doing all you can. It was very considerate for you to pick up the pup instead of just leaving him in the streets.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 19:24 (twenty years ago)

The lady cop said some people train them to attack cops! Crazy.

― andy --, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 19:38 (twenty years ago)

"Even walking her to the jail, people were staring and giving me a wide berth."

You make this sound like it's a bad thing!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:25 (twenty years ago)

I quite like pitbulls btw. Dogs shouldn't be blamed for the shitty things their owners do with them.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:25 (twenty years ago)

This whole thread is making me feel really bad about the time my boyfriend and I got cornered by some snarling, snapping, really angry stray pitbulls who ran out of an alley. We called the cops, and I'm sure the dogs were killed. I love dogs, and it's awful that some of them have to suffer because they grow up around asshole people.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:30 (twenty years ago)

my friends have a pitbull and it's very sweet but I wouldn't let my kid around it if I had one. I honestly think inbreeding has caused weird anomalies in these poor animals.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:33 (twenty years ago)

Well I'd be pretty leary about my baby being around any "big" dog. Babies and little kids are shitty to animals. I don't buy the inbreeding thing (cuz if anything pitbulls are some of the least inbred of these sorts of dogs.)

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:35 (twenty years ago)

yeah the problem lies with owners turning dogs into vicious attack dogs, not with one specific breed. pits, unfortunately for them, happen to possess the raw physical characteristics which make them able to become a better attacker/fighter than any other breed. if you get rid of them (which is pretty much impossible), asshole owners will just switch to another breed, whose ability to inflict pain will be pretty much insignificantly less than pits.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:35 (twenty years ago)

Pitbulls are remarkably trainable, loyal dogs though I wouldn't be super comfortable with my toddlers around any dogs either. Chihuahuas and small dogs are probably the worst nippers, though.

― M. White (Miguelito), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:37 (twenty years ago)

how do you explain dogs that people have had since they were puppies that they didn't train to be attack dogs suddenly mauling people? (note: I don't know how many documented cases of this there are and I'm guessing it's always going to be hard to tell whether an owner is truthful about their treatment of a dog)

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:38 (twenty years ago)

my friends have two rescue pit bulls at their house. one has clipped ears. the dogs were so happy. they liked to run around and schnoof crotches.

― kingfish (Kingfish), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

(xpost)I'd explain that those instances are pretty rare if they even happen at all.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

there's so many possible explanations that it's impossible to give an answer to that hypothetical.
xpost

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

yeah that's one explanation: "shit happens". hell, my cat has attacked me and my friend before! BAN TABBIES!!!

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:44 (twenty years ago)

A woman my mom works with (at least I think that's the relationship: it's hard to recall) has a little girl whose face was completely ripped off by a couple of well-trained pitbulls who had never hurt anyone before. That's why I would never have a large, muscley dog around children, and that's part of the reason I was so scared when the pitbulls cornered me and my boyfriend. We just slowly walked away, but if we'd been little kids, who would probably have yelled and tried to run, we could have been killed.
But god, it makes me so sad! They're dogs! They need love!

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:44 (twenty years ago)

Chihuahuas and small dogs are probably the worst nippers, though.

Try telling that to a Chihuahua getting attacked by a GIANT BABY.

― giboyeux (skowly), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:47 (twenty years ago)

Hahaha

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

That's why I would never have a large, muscley dog around children, and that's part of the reason I was so scared when the pitbulls cornered me and my boyfriend.

Sorry to hear about the girl (my dad has fixed up a LOT of these kids; it's sad)... Still, being big and muscley does not an aggresive dog make. The biggest problem with kids and dogs (as many have said above), is that kids are STUPID and think dogs are stuffed animals. Kids that have never lived with pets are 1 billion times more likely to get bitten by dogs they don't know (I have zero science to back this up).

(and no, they don't "deserve" it. Just an observation.)

― giboyeux (skowly), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:52 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, but...I mean, kids will be kids, right? I think that most responsible parents would understand that, and would not have a dog that could potentially snap over a kid petting him too roughly. Regardless of whether the kid is an asshole.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:54 (twenty years ago)

It has to do with whatever breed is currently in vogue. A new study shows that Rott's bit the most in the 90's, and German Shepherds in the 80's. However, when a pitbull bites, it won't let go.

― andy --, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:55 (twenty years ago)

it's jut living in the now, savoring the moment.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:57 (twenty years ago)

I think that most responsible parents would understand that, and would not have a dog that could potentially snap over a kid petting him too roughly

True. Except that that last bit applies to ALL dogs. Are my parents irresponsible for having raised me in a house with dog(s) that outweighed me significantly until I was, like, 15?

Even little kids can understand that pulling hair, touching nuts and yanking tails are not good things to do. Kids that are rough with the family dog should be treated the same as kids that are rough with their brothers and sisters. Kids are not stupid (haha! I'm all over the place!).

xpost: ha!

― giboyeux (skowly), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:58 (twenty years ago)

When I looked at that badwrap.org website, it said that currently 65% of the dogs in Bay Area shelters are pitbulls.

― andy --, Tuesday, 5 July 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

I wouldn't leave ANY dog unwatched near a child. My sister was bitten really badly by a collie when she was a baby- and collies are supposedly a breed that's great with kids.

Any dog could bite a child, given the right (or wrong, really) situation. My sheltie is super gentle with babies, and very well trained, but I've never taken my eyes off him for a second when he's near children. Babies and little kids don't know not to poke dogs in the face, not too pull their tails, whatever.

It's both the parents responsiblity to watch their child, and when they are old enough, teach them how to behave near dogs, and the dog's owner's responsibility to watch them. Unfortunately, I see a lot of dog owners who say "Oh, puppy doesn't mind having her tail pulled" and assume that their dog would never bite... I would never say never.

Anyway- Bones Would Rain From the Sky. Good book on dogs. Has the best section on dog owners responsibilities for their pets that I've read anywhere, and it covers a lot of other subjects. I recommend it.

― lyra (lyra), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 21:05 (twenty years ago)

You're right, giboyeux, except that some dogs (such as pitbulls) can do a lot more damage than others (such as my dog, which is a four-pound yorkie-poo with teeth like the spines on a butter knife). If my dog suddenly went into a rage, the worst she could do is maybe give someone a bruise, or slobber up their t-shirt.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

One of my dogs I would trust absolutely around babies and little kids -- unless other dogs were around and he got whipped up.

― get to thA CHOPPA / A++++++ SELLER (ex machina), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 21:15 (twenty years ago)

Dogs and Kids are both dumb(ish) animals. Too many Dog and Kid owners seem to forget this. I agree that one can't blame a dog (or kid) for its behaviour, but responsible owners ought to accept that one can never fully understand that behaviour.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Tuesday, 5 July 2005 21:30 (twenty years ago)

Too many dog owners- in my experience- don't understand the huge responsibility that they have. So frustrating.

― lyra (lyra), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 02:13 (twenty years ago)

Incidentally, does Seattle have a no-kill shelter, in case I run across the same scenario as Andy did?

(sorry, Andy, please don't feel bad over anything you did. For all you know, someone may have come over to adopt the sweetie pitbull just after you subitted her.)

I briefly volunteered at a 100% no-kill shelter in Irvine, CA when I was living in O.C.

― donut e- (donut), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 02:42 (twenty years ago)

I ask, because Seattle is notoriously more of a cat city than a dog city, as far as the kennelling politics go, and there are far more ridiculous laws for punishing dog owners than even owners of pot bellied pigs! (OK, so PBPs aren't really known for raucous anarchy and danger in a stray setting, but still.)

― donut e- (donut), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 02:44 (twenty years ago)

I should qualify the "100% no kill" thing. Of course, there is no such thing as a "100% no kill" animal shelter, as some animals are always beyond hope... but I distinguish the Irvine shelter as one that tries their absolute hardest to give animals new owners, and almost all the time, with the animals with hope, they succeed, hence the "100%". Many no kill shelters are just more tolerant and patient versions of regular city shelters, in the sense that they'll wait longer before they decide to put an animal to sleep, and they'll do it in a more dignified way.

(man, sorry for the bummer topic. :( )

― donut e- (donut), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 02:47 (twenty years ago)

yeah, PAWS. a couple of my friends volunteer there.

http://www.paws.org

― lyra (lyra), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 02:50 (twenty years ago)

The fuck? the Omak Suicide Race - "The Deadliest Horse Race In The World".. FUCK EASTERN WASHINGTON!

― donut e- (donut), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 03:52 (twenty years ago)

anyway, sorry for the digression.

― donut e- (donut), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 03:53 (twenty years ago)

I know that Portland has some shelters like that, if that's of any use.

which is no surprise, of course. People DEIFY their dogs out here.

I need a puppy.

― kingfish (Kingfish), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 04:28 (twenty years ago)

The kissiest, gentlest dog I've ever known was a pitbull named fang.

This thread makes me very sad.

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 04:46 (twenty years ago)

There is one island out in the Puget Sound called Vashon Island which is the only island that's part of King County (same county as Seattle, Redmond, Tukwila, SeaTac, Bellevue, etc... i.e. the most populous county by far). The rest of the islands are either in Kitsap, Island, San Juan, or other counties.. ANYWAY, Vashon Island is different because it's a place that is/was famous for being a haven for deserted dogs! People would ferry over to the island, leave their dog there, and then ferry without without him/her.. Very cruel and sociapathic IMHO, but there's a history there.

Anyway, a friend of mine and I go there one day just to see what it's like there, and the Island seems like it's this weird twilight zone where the people are run by the dogs. EVERY open establishment has obligatory free doggie biscuits on the counter, and everyone there talks about their dogs. In the meantime, go off the beaten path, and you're likely to see many stray dogs. Very very odd place. But I appreciate the Twilight-Zone-ness of the island, and the fact that dogs are the center of it. Maybe there's a Master Canine Hivemind that operates there that we can't comprehend.

(also, while I was at the doctor today to get meds to fight off an infection, in the waiting room TV, there was this movie on the USA channel where these children touch this silver animated doggie head on a cane that only they can see but their parents can't, then seemingly fall dead -- to the horror of their parents -- only to be caught into Satan's universe... so, dogs have been on my mind lately, and Andy's thread just compounds it even more.)

― donut e- (donut), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 05:24 (twenty years ago)

i just want to point out that dogs playing with babies are very very cute. presuming the biting never begins.

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 05:34 (twenty years ago)

I heard a thing on the radio the other day about kids and dogs. Apparently small kids can't read body language very well, they can only focus on the face. Because dogs' faces are usually smiley and it's their bodies that tell you how they feel (hackles up, backing away, stiff-legged, all that stuff), small kids can't tell the difference between a happy dog and a pissed off dog until it's too late. In Ireland, most kids who are bitten by dogs are bitten by the dog they live with, and they're bitten in the face, which implies that they've done something to piss the dog off. Most bites come from lab type dogs. Probably because most family dogs are of this type.

The ISPCA is starting to teach adults to teach their kids not to hug dogs, touch their food, or poke them in the face. These seem to be the things that piss dogs off the most.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 06:06 (twenty years ago)

Andy, for what it's worth, even if that dog is put to sleep by injection, it's better than the million shitty things that might have happened to it out on the street. It could be hit by a car, used for fighting, tortured by kids, you name it. So whether it finds a home or not, you did it a favour.

― accentmonkey (accentmonkey), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 06:07 (twenty years ago)

Hey, donut, I'm in eastern wa! :(

..oh wait..yea, you're right, this place sucks.

― Aramyr, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 06:39 (twenty years ago)

Really! Spokane? Pullman? Walla Walla? (for Eastern WA, I'd hope. I mean if I had to choose within Eastern WA... Please don't say Omak)

― donut e- (donut), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 16:43 (twenty years ago)

Hahah..no, not Omak, so there is that at least. Tri-Cities, baby. But definitely thinking of moving up to Seattle, once I get going back to school figured out.

― Aramyr, Wednesday, 6 July 2005 21:44 (twenty years ago)

Aie. You live in Richland, Pasco, or Kennewick? Which of the three is the best? The worst? If they all competed on Hit Me Baby One More Time!, who would win?

― donut e- (donut), Wednesday, 6 July 2005 23:09 (twenty years ago)

I'm in Kennewick. Which would rate as the best, even if I weren't in it. Most people and stuff to do here, which still isn't saying a lot. Richland has got a lot of the Hanford workers, and is thus sometimes argued to be the wealthiest, but I think that's a wash. Besides, the way a lot of their streets are laid out sucks, as does traffic signal placement. Pasco is definitely the loser of the bunch, though it does have a certain charm to it. On the upside though, a lot of good wine is made here, and the summer nights can't be beat in terms of climate.

Hmm..Richland is too milquetoast for a victory, but Pasco has enough moxie I'd give it a slim shot at pulling an upset stunner over the superior Kennewick.

― Aramyr, Thursday, 7 July 2005 00:15 (twenty years ago)

eight months pass...

Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls (my favorite dog site on the whole squinternet)

― Austin Still (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 00:37 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.badrap.org/rescue/img/sunday.JPG

okay, someone's nap is apparently about to be invaded by dogfarts

― kingfish ubermensch dishwasher sundae (kingfish 2.0), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 04:31 (nineteen years ago)

OMG THEY'VE EATEN HHIS LEGS!

― Thermo Thinwall (Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 29 March 2006 05:16 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

Ohhhh it's the most bittersweet site in the world:

http://sorryagain.com

Pitties you are so cute.

― rubisco (Abbott), Saturday, 1 November 2008 22:35 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.sorryagain.com/thurwhite.jpg

― rubisco (Abbott), Saturday, 1 November 2008 22:35 (seventeen years ago)

I like that it's me, Oilyrags (Austin) & kingfisha always singing pit praises.

― rubisco (Abbott), Saturday, 1 November 2008 22:41 (seventeen years ago)

+ forksclovetofu surely

(and me)

― my sweet coconut (rogermexico.), Sunday, 2 November 2008 01:10 (seventeen years ago)

High fives for the five of us!

― rubisco (Abbott), Sunday, 2 November 2008 01:14 (seventeen years ago)

I'll rep for staffordshires

I want a lurcher tho

― czn (cozwn), Sunday, 2 November 2008 01:30 (seventeen years ago)

I'll rep for pitbulls too. I wouldn't mind if people bred dachsunds out of existence though.

― Alex in SF, Sunday, 2 November 2008 02:09 (seventeen years ago)

beagles too

― czn (cozwn), Sunday, 2 November 2008 02:13 (seventeen years ago)

three years pass...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/mar/22/dog-mauls-five-police-officers?intcmp=239

― Ⓣⓗⓐⓝⓚ｡:.ﾟヽ(｡☉౪ ⊙♡)ﾉﾟ.:｡+ﾟ Ⓨⓞⓤ☆ (cozen), Thursday, 22 March 2012 21:36 (thirteen years ago)

grab somebody sexy bite their face

― lex pretend, Friday, 23 March 2012 09:02 (thirteen years ago)

is there an RIP PITBULL U LEGERND page on facebook yet?

― Cantera: Vulgar Display Of Puyol (DJ Mencap), Friday, 23 March 2012 10:26 (thirteen years ago)

nightmarish

― TracerHandVEVO (Tracer Hand), Friday, 23 March 2012 10:27 (thirteen years ago)

lol mencap ps i'm not opening that

― less of the same (darraghmac), Friday, 23 March 2012 10:32 (thirteen years ago)

here's your antidote of good pitbull vibes: http://fort-greene.thelocal.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/a-dog-of-the-day-who-inspires-us-to-love-again/#more-72563

― lou reed scott walker monks niagra (chinavision!), Friday, 23 March 2012 11:15 (thirteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUV1oTciznE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4RqB-HjkdI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5GCDS5Tnmk

― Spleen of Hearts (kingfish), Monday, 26 March 2012 10:29 (thirteen years ago)

grab somebody sexy bite their face

― lex pretend, Friday, March 23, 2012 5:02 AM (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol

― Hungry4Games (crüt), Monday, 26 March 2012 11:10 (thirteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.