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

[Ava Foster]

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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