Pitbull scare near Webster and 32nd

[enginerd]

My wife just had a scary incident dropping our youngest son off at daycare. After she had pulled her van up to the curb, one of the other parents waved to her and motioned for her to stay in the car. Just then, a loose pitbull dog at the sidewalk began barking at them from just outside the car, basically trapping them inside. After a minute or two of this, the dog continued on down the street. She was able to get our youngest son into the daycare and was coming back to the van when she and my oldest son saw the dog directly across the street. The dog noticed them and followed their movements from across the street, even keeping pace after my wife told my son to “run” for the van. The dog never crossed back to come after them, but it certainly was a dramatic moment, especially for a 5-year old. The other parent told my wife that he would be calling the authorities regarding the loose dog, but if anyone knows the owner of the animal, could you please inform them that their dog is menacing a daycare facility of all things. The incident occured between Holden and Webster on 32nd.

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[hammerhead]

you need to report this to animal control NOW

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[kellym]

I can’t say with 100% certainty but I do know that one day late summer I was out on my parking strip(I live on that block) and several pitbull puppies came bounding across the street from a white house. I hear a lot of barking from there time to time so that may be the source.

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[enginerd]

kellym, any chance you could provide the last two digits of the address of the white house?

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[kellym]

I can look tonight when i get home….but another hint is it’s on the West side of the street and the only white house on the block with a double lot.

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[enginerd]

Thanks Kelly,

Your description is very useful, just checked out Zillow and I think I found the house and address and will call it in.

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[furryfaces]

Yes…call Seattle Animal Shelter immediately…if you haven’t yet done so. Here are the contacts:

Request a service, file a complaint or for information:

Don Baxter, Enforcement Supervisor

donald.baxter@seattle.gov

(206) 386-4289

Ann Graves, Enforcement Supervisor

ann.graves@seattle.gov

(206) 386-4288

http://www.seattle.gov/animalshelter/contact.htm

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[wsmom02]

Thank you for taking action on this! I walk around this area a lot with my kids. How scary!!

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[JoB]

it’s a good idea to report any unattended dog…

and always wise to be prudent around any strange dog..

but let’s not over-react.

had the barking dog been a cute little poodle instead of a pitbull…

this would be a non-story.

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[yeah-me]

But a cute little poodle probably can’t maim or kill the woman’s five year old son.

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[kellym]

Well if it is the same dogs, they are no longer little or particularly cute. To small/young kids any dog running after them and barking can be scary and potentially ruin the whole dog experience for them for many years. I’m not sure what constitues over-reacting here by reporting loose dogs?

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[JoB]

yeah-me…

sad to say..

but that cute little poodle can maim…

and if given the right opportunity..

could also kill.

i have the cutest little shiba…

people routinely reach out to pet him even when they have been told he is not friendly…

appearances can be very deceiving.

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[JoB]

btw…

for the parents following this topic …

it’s not really a good idea to teach kids to run from dogs.

If you watch dogs at play.. you will see them chasing after one another and nipping at heels and necks… at best…not a good thing for kids…

unless the dog is contained by a fence or tethered.. they can easily outrun your child.

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[enginerd]

C’mon JoB… most people wouldn’t think twice about walking right past a yappy little poodle. I would be hesitant to even be near an unattended pitbull even if they were rolling on their backs and wagging their tails.

How can you accuse anyone of over-reacting when the fact is that an unattended dog of a species that is widely held to be violent and dangerous was behaving in violent manner in an unprovoked situation (rightly so or not, I am not in the minority in believing pitbulls are inherently dangerous animals, especially when on the loose and acting without supervision… “going wild” if you will).

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[enginerd]

But yes I agree, “running” from a dog could be a bad move.

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[JoB]

enginerd..

i wasn’t meaning to be critical of your family’s reaction in any way… i understand that your wife and children were frightened by that dog.

However.. i would caution people to be wary of all loose dogs.. no matter what size or shape … and to report them to animal control.

Even cute fuzzy little dogs can inflict real damage on children.

Just because pitbulls became the dog of choice for owners who trained them to be vicious doesn’t mean that they are a bad breed… it means that there were some really bad owners out there.

for all you know.. that dog was a highly socialized animal who regularly plays with children and escaped from it’s owner’s yard to go look for kids to play with.

A loose dog isn’t necessarily “going wild”.

I wouldn’t make any assumptions one way or the other unless i knew the dog and owner well… and even then i am cautious.

i encounter unleashed and unattended dogs every time i walk my leashed dogs in local parks and have been bitten several times coming between someone’s “friendly” dog and my dogs. The most vicious of those bites was from a small chihuahua cross breed.

the “vicious” pitbull is the dog of choice in other societies to watch over small children while they play…

it’s all a matter of perception.

the more information you have the safer your children will be in these kinds of situations.

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[funkietoo]

Based on the media and the way dog attacks are depicted, I can understand your fear.

At the same time, I agee with Job on several of her points.

1) assumptions = stereotypes = discrimination

2)which leads to creating ‘exceptions’. For example, a nice social bully breed dog is the ‘exception’ or ‘all men with beards are bad drivers, and if one happens to be a good driver, they are the ‘exception'(this is my dad’s stereotype of men with beards)

3) fear creates a scent the animals pick up on instantly and you have just lost the alpha position.

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[JoB]

funkitoo..

do they pick up on the scent of fear?

or simply react badly to humans giving them mixed body signals?

dogs are the only animal that we have proven can accurately read human body signals… which is why we are able to communicate with and train them so easily…

but that is a mixed blessing because humans who send dogs mixed body language signals make the dog anxious and fearful…

which can lead to a bad end for everyone involved:(

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[enginerd]

Are we now defining whether a dog is generally perceived to be dangerous or not by assessing its disposition, the intentions of its owner or whether or not the breed has received a fair shake in the media?

Hey guess what, that Great White Shark that swims up next to a surfer but does not attack them is the “exception” too, it doesn’t change the perception that the shark is a vicious and dangerous animal.

My suggestion for lessening the assumptions, stereotypes and discriminations…. stop owning dog breeds that kill or severly injure people or other dogs in unprovoked, vicious attacks.

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[JoB]

enginerd…

when one dog breed is outlawed or policed more rigorously..

those who turn dogs into vicious predators simply move on to a new breed.

I have joyously shared my home with most of the “dangerous” breeds … rottweilers, pitbulls, german shepherds, Akitas … even an out of control mountain dog…

many of them coming from really abusive situations…

dogs people think should be banned or put down…

but even the rescued fighting dogs were pussycats once they figured out someone cared.

I have been a very lucky woman to have so many incredibly forgiving dogs love me.

I am a lucky woman now sharing my home with the most abused and least socialized of them all… although you wouldn’t know it when he decides it’s time to snuggle …

and he barely tops 30 lobs.

Public education and a little understanding are a start to lessen assumptions, stereotypes and discrimination…

but what would go further is holding our neighbors accountable for obeying the animal welfare and control laws already on the books …

promoting fear doesn’t make anyone safer.

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[enginerd]

JoB, I don’t doubt you for an instant that your dogs have been “pussycats” with you and around you.

Would you guarantee though that your formally abused and dangerous dogs would not cause anyone any harm if they were to be wandering the streets unsupervised (either by accident, error or negligence)?

I guess my assumption is that as a domesticated animal, dogs have been bred over generations to inherit certain qualities, traits and personalities. Many people own various breeds in order to exploit these traits for whatever purpose, whether it be for work, defense, or dog fighting. Just because a particular dog does not display these traits explicitly, does not mean it does not lurk within its genetic code.

I am not calling for a ban on certain breeds, just a little education and understanding that a dog breed that possesses sharp teeth, a powerful jaw and a known propensity to attack unprovoked and fight to the death is probably not the right animal to own in an urban environment.

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[MAS]

If it was truly a pitbull and not the boxer that roams that area, it’s attacked me and my dog as well as at least one other dog (Amber’s owner, you might want to chime in if you’re reading this.) The owner lives in a small white house on the N side of Webster between 31st and 32nd and apparently doesn’t like keeping his dog on a leash. The dog hurls itself at the fence hard enough to hurt itself every time I walk by and I expect based on the attacks I’ve witnessed – would be a danger to children.

If it’s the brindle boxer that lives on the opposite side of Webster, it seems harmless (again, based on observed behavior) but allowed to wander around the neighborhood, which will likely end tragically some day for the dog and the poor driver that accidentally hits it.

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[JoB]

enginerd..

where do you get this stuff?

“a dog breed that possesses sharp teeth, a powerful jaw and a known propensity to attack unprovoked and fight to the death”

All dogs possess sharp teeth. All dogs will threaten to attack if sufficiently provoked… Most dogs have strong jaws. And except for a few rare cases… the fight to the death stuff is macho fiction.

You asked if i would have guaranteed the dogs i rehabilitated wouldn’t cause harm if they happened to be wandering around unattended?

If you are asking about my current pup.. the answer is no. But he is such a sweet little cute thing that everyone wants to pet and hug him. I have trouble keeping people away from him.

However, the greater answer to your question is that yes, I did trust those great big “aggressive” rehabilitated dogs out in public without a leash and i took them everywhere with me… even to rugby tournaments.

They never as much as growled at another person.

I trusted them unsupervised with my grandchildren when they were small.

Some of them lived their whole lives with me. Some of them stayed long enough to trust humans again and found forever homes elsewhere.

They were incredible companions with big hearts who would have done anything for people who treated them with kindness.

I no longer walk any dog unleashed because I have learned how dangerous that can be… nor do i leave them unattended. They are either kenneled or with me.

but there are an incredible number of dog owners who think the rules don’t apply to them and put themselves, their dog and others at risk by not adequately controlling their dog’s behavior.

that says more about dog owners than about dogs…

and that would apply to all dogs..

not just the big scary ones who have gotten a bad rap in the press.

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[hammerhead]

FYI Sharks are NOT vicious they are doing what they are supposed to do. Humans are in THEIR oceans.

Ok back to the subject. “Bully” breeds are always getting the bad rap. Look at the bullmastifs that “attacked” a 10 year old boy. The boy WENT over the fence into their territory, when he could have gone to the front door. So guess who gets to suffer the dogs. Still waiting to find out the plight of those dogs but they DO NOT deserve to KILLED.

Job is right for the most part the bully breeds are bullied themselves. Oh don’t blame the dog blame the HUMAN, they are the ones not being responsible for their dog. Even reporting it does not guarantee that the owner will be found or even fined.

I understand everyone’s fear. Even chihuahuas are aggressive and bite all the time you just don’t hear about it.

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[enginerd]

JoB and Hammerhead… please reread my original post… I offered an account of a harrowing run-in with a canine of a breed widely perceived to be vicious, even deadly, if it ever attacks. Clearly the animal displayed behavior suggesting it may wish to harm my wife and children in a completely unprovoked attack. There were two main goals to the original post…1) to warn others in the area that a potentially dangerous dog was loose in the area, and 2) to ask if anyone knows of the dog so that the owners can be notified that their dog is loose. End of post.

From that simple post, I was questioned as to whether I was “over-reacting” and that if it “had been a cute little poodle… this would be a non-story”. On that point I agree, had it been a poodle I doubt anyone would care. But I disagree strongly about the over-reacting part. It is precisely because this was a pitbull acting in an aggressive manner that I thought it was important enough to alert my neighbors and ask for assistance.

JoB, many of the points you raised are valid… not running from dogs, be wary of strange dogs, report all loose dogs, etc…. but on the point of whether I am over-reacting just because a pitbull was involved in this encounter, I respectfully disagree. Any animal that is loose in a neighborhood and behaving in an aggressive manner just a few feet from a daycare center is a matter of concern to many of my neighbors. The fact that this was pitbull may make the situation even more dangerous to some readers, and some not.

Google “American Pitbull Terrier” and read any of the descriptions about the breed, and among the many praises of loyalty and obedience blah blah blah… you will surely see the words “powerful jaws” and “fight to the death”… perhaps my belief that the dogs are known to attack unprovoked is just urban legend though…

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