[nagdu] FW: [Seeingeye-l] Pit bull attacks guide dog in RoyalOak, Michigan

Tue May 22 01:20:11 UTC 2012

Of course, it has to be near me!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "rhonda cruz" <rhondaprincess at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 7:22 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] FW: [Seeingeye-l] Pit bull attacks guide dog in 
RoyalOak, Michigan


> i  get a night mare. about this happening. to me and my dog. i know. it 
> won't be it's still a scary. feeling.
> i hope the dog. is ok.
>
> On May 21, 2012, at 4:16 PM, Ava Foster wrote:
>
>> This is extremely sad and makes me so angry! This is also just about
>> my worst nightmare. Oh my god, I hope the Leader Dog can keep working,
>> and is not traumatized. To have something like this happen while in
>> class is just unbelieveable to me. The woman owner of the pit bull
>> should not, in my opinion, be allowed to keep this dog: first off,
>> letting her daughter hold the dog, second of all, slapping the dog
>> saying bad dog? My god! Ten men to get the pit off the golden?! I can
>> only pray for the team, and hope they can stay a team after this. How
>> very awful. In a way I am glad an instructor was along, because
>> especially if this was a new handler, the instructor may have helped
>> save the golden's life and relate to the handler the events as they
>> occurred, telling him how to proceed. I am glad the Golden submitted,
>> letting the other dog pin him and not moving. He may have saved his
>> own life by doing so!! What a nightmare. I had a pit bull lunge and
>> try to attack my pet miniature poodle and that was traumatic. I also
>> had an off-leash Labrador pin my first guide, Jet, by the throat to
>> the ground, but at least I knew this Lab was elderly and could do no
>> real harm to Jet - she was about 13 and had very little strength or
>> teeth - and that was scary enough! I can't imagine a powerful dog like
>> a pit going after my dog. Ava and Cocoa
>>
>> On 5/21/12, Tina Thomas <tinadt at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>> Subject: [Seeingeye-l] Pit bull attacks guide dog in Royal Oak, Michigan
>>>
>>> Pit bull attacks guide dog in Royal Oak, Michigan
>>>
>>> http://www.dailytribune.com/article/20120521/NEWS01/120529933/pit-bull-attac
>>> ks-seeing-eye-dog-in-royal-oak
>>>
>>> By Michael P. McConnell
>>>
>>> mike.mcconnell at dailytribune.com
>>>
>>> Posted: 05/21/12 02:32 pm
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ROYAL OAK -A pit bull broke loose from a 10-year girl and attacked a 
>>> Leader
>>> Dog for the Blind that was training with an instructor and a blind 
>>> client
>>> on
>>> Main Street.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The girl's mother, 41, of Jackson left her daughter with the pit bull on
>>> the
>>> sidewalk cafe of the Burgrz restaurant, 410 S. Main, shortly before the
>>> attack Saturday afternoon, witnesses said.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "I heard the girl scream and looked up to see the pit bull scrambling 
>>> after
>>> a seeing eye dog and a blind man who were passing by," said Lana Louys 
>>> of
>>> Wyandotte who was dining at the restaurant's outdoor area. "The pit bull
>>> pinned the seeing-eye dog to the ground and had it by the throat."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> People screamed and about 10 men got involved and somehow pried the pit
>>> bull
>>> off the 18-month-old golden retriever, Louys said.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "One of the men held the dog on his leash while others finally found the
>>> girl's mother about five minutes later," she said. Police said Monday 
>>> that
>>> neither of the dogs needed any medical treatment, though there was a 
>>> small
>>> spot of blood on the golden retriever's neck. The city's animal control
>>> officer is investigating the case.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> A spokeswoman at Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester Hills said it 
>>> will
>>> take another week or two before they are able to determine if the 
>>> incident
>>> will have any lasting effect on the golden retriever and possibly end 
>>> its
>>> eligibility as a leader dog.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Sometimes after certain incidents the dog will have a reaction and they
>>> won't go into harness again," said Rochelle Nissen, a spokeswoman. "The 
>>> dog
>>> was checked out by our veterinarians after the incident and is in good
>>> health. It didn't have any puncture wounds and the blood on the dog's 
>>> neck
>>> might have come from the other dog's gums."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The golden retriever had already completed four months of training and 
>>> was
>>> in its final fifth month when leader dogs typically work with deaf or 
>>> blind
>>> clients, Nissen said.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> After the dog's owner was located and brought to the scene witness said 
>>> she
>>> started slapping the pit bull, saying "bad dog." Several people called
>>> police.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Royal Oak Police Chief Corrigan O'Donohue said the animal control 
>>> officer
>>> will decide whether the pit bull's owner will be ticketed. The owner was
>>> allowed to take the dog with her and advised to quarantine the animal 
>>> for
>>> 10
>>> days.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "What it comes down to is that it is the owner's responsibility to 
>>> maintain
>>> control of their dog," he said. "I don't think it's a good idea to have 
>>> a
>>> child (handling) a big dog like that, especially in a town like Royal 
>>> Oak
>>> where there is a lot of stimulus."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The heavily traveled downtown with outdoor cafes, restaurants and shops 
>>> has
>>> been used as a training ground for Leader Dogs for the Blind for years.
>>> Instructors teach the dog to handle a range of distractions, from 
>>> traffic
>>> and loud noises to the scents of food at sidewalk cafes.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Royal Oak's downtown is a great working environment for clients and 
>>> dogs,"
>>> Nissen said. "We fully anticipate continuing to work there. The 
>>> community
>>> and the businesses are very welcoming for clients, instructors and the
>>> dogs."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> The Daily Tribune and Macomb Daily asked Facebook readers and Twitter
>>> followers if pit bull owner's should be required to muzzle their pets in
>>> public. These are some of the things they said: "All dogs that are
>>> unpredictable and/or known for biting should be muzzled," said Louis 
>>> Martin
>>> Cardamone. "Pit bulls should not be singled out. Also, it is 
>>> irresponsible
>>> to leave any dog of that size and strength under the supervision of a
>>> 10-year-old ."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "So sad," said Mary Adranga. "I think all aggressive breed dogs should 
>>> have
>>> to be tested for temperament before receiving their license,"
>>>
>>> Stacey M. Washington, a defense lawyer in Ann Arbor, said on Twitter: 
>>> "I've
>>> met some very sweet pit bulls. It's the owners and some breeders who 
>>> cause
>>> the problems."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
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