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

Tue May 22 17:05:51 UTC 2012

Hi all,
This is very scary. When I was at GDB training with Pascal, he was attacked
by a dog. I was working with a trainer in a suburban area. We were walking
by a house and this lady opened her front door and her dog came running
outside. It ran after Pascal and was barking and snapping at him. The
trainer was yelling at the dog and it took the lady a few minutes to figure
out what was going on. She finally got her dog, and started to apologize.
Luckily, Pascal was not hurt and could continue to work. 
Pascal has also been attacked by a neighbors pitt bull. He was not hurt, but
it was very scary. Luckily, that neighbor moved away, and we don't have to
worry about it. But, there is a big German Shepherd in our complex, that the
owner can not control. It worries me, but at least now the owner keeps it on
a leash. 
Even though Pascal has been threatened by some dogs he has continued to be a
good worker. He does have some issues with dog distractions. 
Deanna and Pascal

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Ava Foster
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2012 7:16 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] FW: [Seeingeye-l] Pit bull attacks guide dog in Royal
Oak, Michigan

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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