Have a problem in the neighborhood

[pearcrazy]

Date: 9/9/2005 11:26:38 AM
Author: strmrdr
I guess no one here has worked on a farm with livestock where any animal that would threatened or messed with the people or livestock was delt with.
Usualy a bullet in the head.
Sounds cold hearted but when it comes down to human life vs a dogs life the dog loses every time in my book.
Dogs are not humans and any that has shown that for any reason cant live in society without causing problems must be delt with.
Sad but a fact of life.

A bullet to the head= quick and humane
Poisoning by way of tainted meat=slow, painful and EVIL

There is a difference strmdr, I''m very distressed that you can''t see it.

 

[noobie]

Date: 9/9/2005 11:26:38 AM
Author: strmrdr

Sounds cold hearted but when it comes down to human life vs a dogs life the dog loses every time in my book.
Dogs are not humans and any that has shown that for any reason cant live in society without causing problems must be delt with.

Although I agree with this, that''s not the point. At the heart this is the irresponsible behaviour of the owner and caretaker that is resulting in these problems. Holding the animal responsible with extreme measures is not treating the root cause.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Okay, kids, lesson of the day:

Companion animals bred for human companionship are NOT livestock (although no animal deserves to be tortured).

I think we can all agree that the safety and welfare of the people involved is the number-one priority, and self-defense in the face of an attacking dog is totally understandable as opposed to premeditated murder.

But as several people very intelligently pointed out, this woman is the root problem and must be dealt with very serioulsy to ensure there won''t be another dog of hers doing this 6 mos from now. As far as the immediate safety concern, a fence may be a great idea--then go after her for its cost.

 

[strmrdr]

Ill admit that I would never consider the second option because I would use the first and if that would cause too much trouble the 3rd but it would be a toss up the owner or the dog for the 3rd option hmmmmmmm.
But it was interesting the reactions around here.

But a couple points stand:
1: You can never rely on the government to solve all your problems.
2: when it comes down to human safety or a dogs life, human safety wins every time.

Im apologize to anyone who had too say hello to the porcelain goddess over this thread.

 

[pearcrazy]

Date: 9/9/2005 12:37:20 PM
Author: strmrdr
Ill admit that I would never consider the second option because I would use the first and if that would cause too much trouble the 3rd but it would be a toss up the owner or the dog for the 3rd option hmmmmmmm.
But it was interesting the reactions around here.

But a couple points stand:
1: You can never rely on the government to solve all your problems.
2: when it comes down to human safety or a dogs life, human safety wins every time.

Im apologize to anyone who had too say hello to the porcelain goddess over this thread.

Actually, strmdr I think most folks here found YOUR responses the most interesting and telling of all.......

You just don''t get it and never will, so with that statement.... I''m done here. No point in beating a dead horse.

 

[moremoremore]

He probably does that too!
Kidding, but I agree, some people just don't "get it"

I hope this gets resolved quickly shay...that would really make me very nervous! Get that paper trail going...It sounds kind of stupid, but when you're outside, carry an old tv antenna..it's thin and light....if you had to, you can extend it and give the chap a few wacks with it to back off if you had to...clearly not the best idea to get the dog even more worked up so it's only if he was being very aggressive and god forbid coming at you and you absolutely had to...that could backfire...but it might help to make you feel safer too just to have it..

 

[strmrdr]

Just to clarify my position and in responce to a PM.

if a dog is no threat I dont care if it runs around.
there have been times when my dog got lose.
A dog running around is not a reason to kill it.
Poop in the yard isnt a reason too either.
Showing agression to humans, livestock or my pets would be.
There is a line between harmless and harmful that dog has clearly crossed over.
Could getting it fixed and a knowledgable loving owner bring it around?
Maybe maybe not some just get too far gone to bring around.
Would the best thing for the dog be for someone to try.
Yes it would.
But if someone took the dog to train and love it you can bet the if the lady found out where the dog is she would call the cops and have them arrested for theft and guess what that would be the time the .gov actualy did something.

 

[Mara]

AHHHH.....I just saw this thread for the first time...other comments now make more sense. Disturbing all the way around.

Bad dog owners who don''t take responsibility for their pets are the absolute worst.

Shay what a horrible situation...I don''t even have any advice other than keep your kids out of the front yard until something positive is done...who knows what. Do you have a fenced backyard they can play in? Or what about building a fence around the front yard, aka a white picket would be pretty, not too expensive, and you could make it fairly tall and plant rosebushes or similar thorny plants around the borders to keep any unwanted critters out.

 

[Shay37]

Well, what an eventful morning. I called the police. I finally got to talk to someone with some sense. I was my sweetest, most sugary, southern belle. It was disgusting. However, I made it plain that this was an ongoing problem. I was going to enlist contractors to give me estimates. Then I was going to bill everyone in court responsible for depriving me of the lawful use of my own property. (legal speak for sue the pants off the town and the police dept. as well as the owner)

My goodness, less than an hour later who should appear on my doorstep? Yep, you guessed it. Droopy the Dog Officer. He had just come from the woman''s house. (Oh, it must be another bull mastiff. It couldn''t have been mine.

) Droopy er David let me know that he was now on the case, and I should not fear. I now have his extension, his pager, and instructions to phone him day or night should a problem arise. I told him that if I see that dog loose one more time that I want that dog removed from her care and control (what little of that there is). He also told me that since everything has been carefully documented, that if I have to shoot the dog because he is in my yard, that I should feel free.

I told him that I was disappointed that it took a year to get a response considering the fact that there is an elementary school less than 200 feet from my yard. The kids release at 2:30 every afternoon in the yard across the street and cross through my yard to get to the road and all the side roads to their houses. (under care of a crossing guard) I told him that it was a recipe for tragedy, and that if I saw anyone in danger, I was going to take care of it. He said that he would rather file a report for a righteous shooting of menacing animal than respond to a "child killed by dog call." Basically, I let him know that the southern belle was taking off her gloves and if I have to deal with this situation again, everyone gets to meet the Texas he##cat who grew up on a ranch and can shoot very well thank you very much. I also know how to call an attorney, and I have no problem getting as many reporters here to listen to the stories of the people in this neighborhood.

The topper is that this woman''s son is a police officer in another town. (wonder how much that has influenced this in the past?) He used to be the...wait for it...you guessed...the DOG OFFICER in yet another town.

She should know better.

Storm, I did not take offense at your suggestions. I really didn''t think that you were serious about #2 anyway. Having said that, I did grow up on a ranch with livestock. I think that I showed great restraint in dealing with this situation. I don''t expect the "govt." to fix my problems. I expect that police officers whose salary is paid by the taxes I pay to DO THEIR JOBS!!!!!!!!! That is all I have wanted. I don''t want to terrorize this woman, but I am done being nice.

Thank you guys for all your suggestions. Let''s hope that this is the last time I see that dog loose.

Shay

 

[Patty]

Good for you, Shay! I hope that this does the trick. I imagine you might still have to deal with the dog being loose but it sounds like you will at least get a response now if you have to call them again.

 

[strmrdr]

Shay you have restored my faith in the American people.
All I can say is BRAVO!

 

[AGBF]

Great job, Shay! Don''t let it happen again without attention (and I don''t mean shooting the dog). Just don''t let the owner or the town officials backslide. If they get away with one more incident, they''ll think they can push it even more on the next occasion after that. If it happens again, file a claim in small claims court for damage to your grass or something! You won''t have to pay a lawyer, and they''ll know you meant what you said!

Good luck!

Deb

 

[Shay37]

Date: 9/9/2005 3:42:51 PM
Author: strmrdr
Shay you have restored my faith in the American people.
All I can say is BRAVO!

Glad to hear it, Storm.

Shay