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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
“Vicious” dogs euthanized after attacks on people, other dogs
I received a few calls earlier this week from residents of the Beckett Ridge area, concerned about their safety and hurt over the death of two pets.
That led to this story, regarding two dogs considered by their owner as Presa Canarios, who attacked and killed two other dogs and bit a man and his daughter.
Owners of the maimed and killed dogs, Indy and Pepper, describe finding their pets as horrific. The attacks happened over the past week.
Police and the Butler County Dog Warden say the owner of the two dogs (which the dog warden’s office consider a mix breed of pit bull and boxer, according to court documents) said the dogs somehow escaped their confinement and ran for days in the Beckett Ridge subdivision.
Here’s a few things regarding the case that didn’t make it into the story, mostly because of space. But I’ll also explain additional reasons for their exclusion.
First off, I spoke with a board member of the Dogo Canario Club of America, Inc., regarding the background of the Presa Canario. This was not included in the story because, although the owner of the dog said he thought the dog was at least a descendant of a PC, there was no real proof. Additionally, the county’s dog expert, Chief Dog Warden Julie Holmes, said the dog didn’t have the full characteristics of a Presa, and looked like something more of mix between a bull terrier and a boxer.
Now, Randy Green, board member of the DCCA, said it’s “extremely rare” for PC’s to attack unless, of course, if they’re provoked. He said, in fact, no more so than a poodle or a Labrador.
I agree with that. Any dog backed into a corner is capable of anything. What anyone can’t ignore is the fact that a poodle bite isn’t the same thing as a PC’s, a dog that’s historically trained to hunt down cattle in the Canary Islands so they can be slaughtered. Green agreed.
While Green said dogs are a product of their owners, their surroundings and more (instead of possessing a “killer instinct” for example), Holmes challenged that theory.
She said “There are several factors to how a dog behaves. It’s not just how they’re raised.”
On to the “vicious” designation, which has raised quite a bite with local owners, especially those of the bull terrier breed.
That word, “vicious” is a legal term used by the state of Ohio to designate certain breeds’ owners to carry liability insurance in the event of an attack.
That didn’t happen in the Beckett Ridge case, according to Holmes, which is why the guy is charged (times two) with failure to carry insurance in addition to the failure to confine charges.
Holmes also said she understands the frustration with state law, which actually allows for some subjectivity because the law is enforced according to appearance. So if it looks like a bull terrier, it is, by law a bull terrier, and by law considered “vicious.”
As I’ve said here before…not my decision, but them’s the rules.
Thoughts on any of this?
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