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

Mon May 21 23:22:07 UTC 2012

 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."
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> 
>> Seeingeye-l mailing list
>> To post a message.
>> Seeingeye-l at list.web.net
>> For general information about the list or to modify your subscription
>> visit.
>> http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/seeingeye-l
>> To unsubscribe, press enter or click on this link.
>> <a
>> href="Mailto:seeingeye-l-request at list.web.net"?Subject=unsubscribe
>> For questions/cncerns/etc please contact one of the list's administrators.
>> seeingeye-l-owner at list.web.net
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nagdu:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/avapup.7%40gmail.com
>> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/rhondaprincess%40gmail.com