Home › Forums › West Seattle Rants & Raves › Squirrel Hunting In Lincoln Park
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January 26, 2015 at 11:47 pm #816616
rowseaMemberI witnessed a terrible thing in Lincoln Park this morning (Monday 1/26) while walking my small puppy. Two off-leash dogs, one a golden retriever, one a smaller vizsla type were encouraged by each of their owners to attack nearby squirrels. The golden got one and shook it, almost killing it as the owner cheered! It crawled over the hill and the golden followed it to finish the job. I loudly informed both owners that this is not an off leash park and certainly not a private hunting ground!
There were other witnesses to this horror. They informed me that the retriever and its owner are regulars at the park and the dog is set loose on squirrels all the time. The owner thinks this is fun. This is so wrong. This is so dangerous. Today it’s a squirrel; tomorrow it’s your little dog.
Please do not hesitate to call Animal Control to report off leash dogs. The more it’s reported, the more patrols we’ll get, and the safer Lincoln Park will be for all of us including the creatures that live there.
Animal Control 206-386-7387, option 7
January 27, 2015 at 12:11 am #821154
anonymeParticipantIt’s also illegal to harass wildlife, much less kill it. If these psychopaths are regular visitors, then someone needs to follow them and get a license number or address. Take their pictures, with the dogs. Get a video of the atrocity if possible, and put it on YouTube, so that the world knows who they are.
In this case, I don’t think a call to 911 would be out of order. If I were there, I would probably pepper spray the dogs to stop the attack. If their owners tried to interfere, I’d be happy to give them a big dose as well – it’s the LEAST they deserve.
I’m just horrified by this, although not entirely surprised.
January 27, 2015 at 12:18 am #821155
rowseaMember911 can’t respond, you have to call Animal Control and yes, get a license #, etc.
January 27, 2015 at 12:21 am #821156
anonymeParticipant911 can’t respond to off-leash calls, but they may be able to respond if an animal is in the process of being killed. Worth looking into.
Of course, it took police two hours the other day when I reported a break-in at a neighbor’s house, so the chance of getting a response – even if the call is legitimate – is pretty slim.
January 27, 2015 at 1:09 am #821157
rowseaMemberWe really have to do our own police work in these situations. But, Animal Control will follow up if they are given more information
January 27, 2015 at 1:43 am #821158
JoBParticipantSquirrels aren’t the only creatures targeted by some of those who walk their dogs off leash.
i have seen dogs sent after other dogs…
whether the other dog was on leash or not.
i don’t walk my dogs there any more because if they are attacked, i may not be able to see what is coming at us quickly enough to control and protect my on leash dogs
it’s pretty bad when law abiding people can’t legally walk their dogs because of the behavior of a few people who shouldn’t be allowed to have dogs at all.
btw.. those same people who carry an unattached leash in their hand carry bags they never use :(
January 27, 2015 at 8:50 am #821159
JeannieParticipantWhat a horrible thing to see! I’m glad someone spoke up instead of just standing around gawking. We need to stand up to these a–h—-. I’d be tempted to whip out my pepper spray, though that might end up with me getting injured … or arrested for assault. Nonetheless, let’s do our best to get the license numbers of these nasty jerks. I know it isn’t easy, since they’re often nowhere near the parking lots. But please do call Animal Control and, possibly, take a photo of the loser.
January 27, 2015 at 4:13 pm #821160
JoBParticipanti suspect simply pulling smartphones out and aiming them whether you get a picture or not would be equally effective..
and perhaps equally dangerous
January 28, 2015 at 2:02 am #821161
rowseaMemberPlease call Animal Control 206-386-7387, option 7 if you see anything. Don’t stay away. Let’s fight this.
January 28, 2015 at 4:07 am #821162
westseamikeMember“if I were there, I would probably pepper spray the dogs to stop the attack. If their owners tried to interfere, I’d be happy to give them a big dose as well – it’s the LEAST they deserve.”
And that would be assault, which would put you in jail and probably give you a nice fine. If I saw you do that, I’d be forced to call the police and have them arrest you, even if I think it’s cruel that the dog owner was cheering his dog on for attacking vermin. I like squirrels, but ya… you’re way out of line assaulting a dog and human over this.
January 28, 2015 at 2:31 pm #821163
anonymeParticipantYou are wrong. It is my legal right to spray an off-leash dog that is out of control. If the human makes physical contact to stop me, they are the ones guilty of assault – and I have a right to defend myself. Your choice of the word “vermin” says it all. As far as I’m concerned, the word applies far more appropriately in reference to these dog owners.
January 28, 2015 at 6:01 pm #821164
melissaParticipantI’m with ya, Westseamike. Yes, it’s cruel, but if you run after a dog with mace, you are attacking it. If you run after its owner, you are attacking the owner. And you know what? Squirrels are vermin. That can be true along with the fact that no one in a city park should sic their dog on one. As your preschool teacher told you, two wrongs don’t make a right.
January 28, 2015 at 6:57 pm #821165
JoBParticipantmelissa..
are other dogs and people vermin too?
when you teach a dog to attack, they are not discriminate about what they attack.
January 28, 2015 at 9:52 pm #821166
anonymeParticipantJo is absolutely right: a dog that is being encouraged to attack and kill other animals cannot be considered safe around other animals or humans. To say that stopping an attack IS an attack is just plain stupid, and if that dog is illegally off-leash, it needs to be placed under immediate control. This latest situation is a perfect example of what happens when entitlement runs rampant and enforcement is non-existent.
Most forms of wildlife are disappearing from our parks, due SPECIFICALLY to off-leash dogs. Last summer, I saw a young cormorant, which is protected by Federal law, killed by a dog swimming at Lincoln Park. This has to stop. I’ve never been a proponent of vigilantism, but I’m getting damn close.
January 29, 2015 at 1:41 am #821167
Jd seattleParticipantI would be cautious about thinking you have a “right” to pepper spray someone’s dog in this scenario. While disgusting, injecting yourself into a situation you otherwise would have nothing to do with might land you in hot water. While the law allows for use of force in certain situations, defending wildlife isn’t one of them. If the dog owner decided to sue, it would probably come down to who had a better lawyer. It’s usually better to just be a good whiteness and get as much info as possible.
January 29, 2015 at 1:48 am #821168
CMParticipantWhile I am vehemently opposed to off leash dogs in our parks, and also allowing a dog to harass any other animal, The RCW defines pepper spray as: “”Personal protection spray device” means a commercially available dispensing device designed and intended for use in self-defense…”
Meaning if the dog is attacking or threatening you, you could argue that your use is legal. If not directly threatening you, then good luck. You could get a misdemeanor charge and the dog owner might get a $50 ticket for off-leash.
Not fair, maybe, but the law none the less.
January 29, 2015 at 2:34 am #821169
CMParticipantSorry, I missed Jd Seattle’s post. Same info, different words.
The problem of cooking dinner and posting at the same time. :)
January 29, 2015 at 5:42 am #821170January 29, 2015 at 5:47 am #821171
westseamikeMember“You are wrong. It is my legal right to spray an off-leash dog that is out of control”
Only if that dog is causing physical harm to you or another human. Pepper spray falls into “Use of force” http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9A.16.020
January 29, 2015 at 5:58 am #821172
mehud7Participantwestseamike-Thank you for the dictionary definition of vermin. It is quite broad. Definition #2 refers to vermin as “offensive people,” so I might refer to a person with such a sickening attitude toward wildlife, such as yours, as vermin.
January 29, 2015 at 6:20 am #821173
westseamikeMembermehud7, interesting take. I find anonyme’s comments far more sickening than my reference to a squirrel as vermin. I don’t wish to harm another human AND their pet dog with chemicals that can cause respiratory issues and hospitalization. http://duketox.mc.duke.edu/pepper%20spray.pdf
Maybe we need to regulate pepper spray a bit more since people who carry it blatantly do not understand it’s full effect. Officers are required to be sprayed with it as part of the training process before they can use it. It usually takes them 24 hours to get almost back to normal sensation in their eyes, mouth, nose, throat.
January 29, 2015 at 2:47 pm #821174
JoBParticipantwestseamike..
i understand that pepper spray is not a great solution unless a dog is charging you…
and even then it is as likely to misfire on you as not…
but neither is standing idly by while someone trains their dogs to attack …
when the “thrill” of killing squirrels wears off.. what’s next? all abusive behavior begins somewhere… and i am not just talking about the dog.
We have allowed the conversation to drift so far into the “right” to blatantly break the law that we forget those laws have purpose… and that purpose protects us.
January 29, 2015 at 3:12 pm #821175
anonymeParticipantFrom the urban dictionary:
vermin
“a worthless piece of s*!t. much like a scumbag but if you are vermin, you do not give a s*!t about anything. you do what you want, and you do not care who it effects.”
Truth be told, I would have a difficult time harming any animal. I did discover that there are non-toxic citronella based sprays that can be used instead of pepper spray. But what I find especially “sickening” is that more attention is being paid to the legality of stopping the attack of a vicious dog, encouraged by it’s even more vicious owners, than to the illegal actions of the sociopaths who prompt this extremely dangerous behavior.
One last thing for the record: several species of squirrel are actually protected in Washington State. I sincerely doubt that vermin hunters are either educated or aware enough to tell one from the other. Nor is hunting of any kind allowed in any public park.
January 29, 2015 at 3:44 pm #821176
coltsnobumMemberI believe more focus should be put on the owners lack of since rather than pointing the finger at the dogs which are doing what they were bred for. I’m not saying that the dogs are ok doing what they are doing but they are doing what they’re owners want them to do, so they think they are being good. Those are hunting dogs…
Those owners need pepper sprayed!
January 29, 2015 at 6:41 pm #821177
JoBParticipantwhat anonyme said
“But what I find especially “sickening” is that more attention is being paid to the legality of stopping the attack of a vicious dog, encouraged by it’s even more vicious owners, than to the illegal actions of the sociopaths who prompt this extremely dangerous behavior.”
and that is the bottom line..
the owners need to be apprehended and stopped
and their dogs impounded so they can find loving caring home
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