Dog attack leaves behind many scars

[Westside Lolo]

An hour ago I was in 7-11 and saw the exact setup you described as hillbilies. Ford pu, way up in the air and two pibbles in the back. I was going their direction when all of a sudden they came rushing out of the truck. They had spotted an old man and lady pushing an old heavy van in the street and all ran out and helped push it all the way to the gas pumps. Just another Waianae happning.
HONEST TO GOD TRUE STORY.

[kathy]

Here is an article written from two individuals at the end of this article:

“They tell you they are evil and only owned by people who deal drugs, only to be violent and hurtful towards people, but pit bull owners know different.”
I am writing this letter in reference to last week’s article in the paper about Scott Nelson and council, and last week’s “question of the week” and to everyone who responded as well.
I am ashamed that our mayor and council had the inconsideration to state that pit bulls, and just pit bulls are drug dogs.
I am a proud owner of two wonderful pit bulls and I would like to give the City of Williams lake a little insight to the history of the American pit bull terrier.
To start, pit bull is not a breed of dog, it is a term typically used to group three breeds of dog, The American pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
Pit bulls have no control of what happens to them. They are trained to fight and left for dead. These dogs are never given the chance to live with love and decency. Some people only want to see pit bulls behind bars, or worse, dead. But when did it become guilty before proven innocent? When did it become OK to kill puppies all because of who their parents were? Or simply for what breed they look like? When did it become OK to hear of an abused pit bull, and think it deserved it?
Yes, pit bulls have attacked and killed humans. But you’d be fooled to think that only pit bulls are capable of this. In the U.S., a Pomeranian killed a six-week old infant.
Every year, 440,000 people die due to cigarettes; 40,000 people die in car related accidents; 38,000 people die in gun shot related injuries; 2,000 children killed by their own parents; and three are killed by dogs.
So where does the real epic lie?
We need to stop punishing the wrong side of the leash. It’s the people who train the dogs to behave like this to be aggressive and mean, and it’s you who makes us believe it was the dog.
Pit bulls have been a popular breed for ages. Helen Keller, Theodore Roosevelt and Michael J. Fox were all (APBT) owners.(And I am almost positive they were not drug dogs). Three pit bulls helped find the astronauts from the 2003 space shuttle disaster. One of the most respected U.S. customs drug sniffing dogs is a pit bull. 
Any dog can be trained to be aggressive. Pit bulls passed the temperament test with flying colours — 83.5 per cent when Chihuahua’s passed with less than 72 per cent.
Banning breeds only hurts families. You wouldn’t want a beloved member of yours being taken away simply because of the way they looked, would you? 
I am a very strong believer that pit bulls are wonderful dogs in the hands of responsible owners, just like any other breed. As with any dog there will always be irresponsible owners and poorly bred dogs. That does not mean that all of these dogs are evil. 
Humanity is the evil one when it comes to pit bulls. Because what man doesn’t understand man fears, and what man fears, man destroys.
Veronica Tate
Williams Lake

[FlyEmHigh]

DISPLACED LOCAL BOY wrote:

when I read the head line, I thought Dog the racist bounty hunter was in trouble again

I thought someone was eating dogs again!=)

[Disagree]

Patsy wrote:

The pit bull should be put down with no question. It will happen again.paP

I disagree, you should be put down with no question. Your mouth will happen again.

There used to be a problem with people wandering or shopping through my yard at 2 am...

Not with 2 pitbulls in the yard...

My dogs stay in my yard. Anyone wandering through my yard does so at their own risk. Just read the sign...

"Dogs in yard"...

[Kaileo - missing Hawaii]

OK, Kathy, great article. But the fact remains that there are many, many people out there who have no idea how to handle the special needs of a pit bull. The same can be said for other breeds, true, but let's be frank here: how MANY murderous Pomerainians have you heard of besides the one mentioned in the story? And when was the last time a Chihuahua inflicted damage more serious than a nasty bite?

The authors make a lot of statements that don't make any sense. For example, no one WANTS to punish the breed. It's all about restricting who can HAVE the breed. So the authors are wrong in that assumption.

They also contend that it hurts families since it takes away the dog based on "how it looks". No, it's based on the breed and their temperment--not their looks. I, for one, would be glad to allow families to keep EXISTING pets, provided that they are spayed/neutered, and undergo training.

The fact still remains, even after that passionate story, that pit bulls DO cause serious damage. They require special handling. And there are many pit bull owners out there who simply CAN'T handle this special breed.

kathy wrote:

Here is an article written from two individuals at the end of this article:

They tell you they are evil and only owned by people who deal drugs, only to be violent and hurtful towards people...

[selenesmom]

I am sure Bunny is a much-loved and loyal little dog, and I wish her the best in her recovery. But if that's her in the picture she's not a dachshund. Dachshunds are "weiner dogs" with stubby legs.

BTW even dachshunds have bitten and killed babies -- any breed can be a good companion or a thuggy creep depending on how the dog is treated.

[808Seattle]

love waianae wrote:

My Chihuahua was killed by a neighbor's Pitbull that was running loose and the police and humane society did nothing. Five years before that my wife was attacked and mauled by a Pitbull and nothing was done. She wears the scars today. In both cases, the response I got was, "The owner is on welfare, what ya gonna do?"

Sad that the ones who least can afford to take care of themselves and kids want to have one of the most aggressive dogs around for image purposes. I blame all that MTV, hip-hop, rap culture that glorifies the image of the pit bull. I say if you can't fine the owners, take the dog away from them, just like Child Protective Services for dogs. On the second offense, the dog is taken away.

[kathy]

Kaileo--Missing Hawaii,

We can agree to disagree. I still stand by the article.

Kathy

[Westside Lolo]

Pete, from Little Rascals, was a pitbull.

[my2cents]

MastersDegree wrote:

JMiguel, Here is on for you. I am white, I have a Masters, I own my own house, I love my job, and I own a Pit Bull. She is by far the best dog I have EVER had. She loves to roll and play on the floor with my 3 and 5 year old children. We have a cat in the house that thinks it is fun to pounce on the dog and roll and play. The Pit has not once snapped, growled, or menaced anyone. Heck, she doesn't even bark when strangers come to the door. Don't generalize the breed because of your ingorance and fears.

Would you allow your children to be around anyone's pitbull(s)?

Golden retrievers or labradors are better family dogs.

[Captain Kev]

I recently changed home owners insurance and one of the things required to disclose was if I had a dog, and what breed was it... I don't know if I would have had to pay more if I had a pit bull,(which I don't) but you think the insurance companies pay more in claims nationwide to home owners with that breed.

Miniscule fines of $50 to $500 bucks don't seem to discourage pet owners with potentially dangerous dogs. How about the laws be changed so that the PROPERTY OWNER can face losing their home in court to pay for the scars and trauma of a viscous dog attack. So what if the owners are on welfare... they live in a rented property that has value. This would cause the landlords to refuse rental to pit bull owners if their property was at risk, or their home insurance costs were triple to rent to tenants with viscous dogs. Lawyers can be way more viscous than any pit bull.

[BE REAL]

another dog biting another dog... thats a great story. its sad but its nature.

In all i would like to see more stories of real impact and importance, hawaii economy for one, also am i the only person in hawaii seeing that all the land is being taken and sold for millions to the rich and wealthy. make a story of great impact to the born and raised people of hawaii and how we are being pushed out into the darkness.

be real

[MAUI represent]

I'm with BE REAL .. people love to talk s***.. get a life and worry about gas prices or the land that the white man taking from us!! At least she took responsibility, she could have left the dog at the pound and not paid a penny:) You go girl, no worry I back you all the way .. BTW I am a pit bull owner and proud of it!

[MAUI represent]

It looks like to me JMiguel has no life and maybe he should go back to where he came from! How about you all stop talking s*** and find out the facts. For beginners the pit bull never did bite the boy, she only attacked the dog. 2nd did anyone ever consider how the owner of the pit feels?! And as far as hawaiian jewelry and the rest of your BS get a life cause it looks like to me you're the uneducated ********** here! You must make money by sitting on your a** all day!Anyway I have a life so I need to cut this short, sister I feel your pain and no worry I back you up all the way!

[Bite]

Hold the owner responsible

[Mele106]

Amen to those who say, "Punish the deed, not the breed". It's too bad that we only hear about a dog attack when it involves a pit bull. Never hear about it when the "little" dogs bite. I own 4 pits and they are all in door dogs. I don't dare keep them out side for fear of the harm that will come to them from the insensitive human morons that only want them for one thing. When a pitbull puppy is born, do you think they have a choice of what they become when they become an adult? No, that comes from the humans, they teach that pitbull all they know.

[BSisBS]

my2cents wrote:

<quoted text>
Would you allow your children to be around anyone's pitbull(s)?
Golden retrievers or labradors are better family dogs.

My daught gets angry when my Pitbulls clean my g-daughters face... My dogs are cleaner than that kids face...

[LauLau]

Shoot the pit bull!!!!!!!!

[BSisBS]

LauLau wrote:

Shoot the pit bull!!!!!!!!

Shoot your sister !!!!!!!!!!

She's uglier.....