Dangerous Dog advice

[aceluby]

Except for almost killing another living creature twice, it is perfectly harmless.

I wonder if you would give a person who attempted murder twice the same benefit of the doubt. Something tells me...not.

False equivalencies are COOL!!!

[Ken Stone]

False equivalencies are COOL!!!

Good point. People are capable of self-reflection and can change.

[rozemarijn]

As long as she doesn't let the dogs run around in the street, I really don't see a problem. It is really dangerous to let a dog anle to run on the street but if it cannot get out of the backgarden there is no problem.

And to be honest, even if it is it's none of your business to call anyone. If you are concerned you should talk to your sil and not go behind her back. Sneaking around is not very grown up and its kind of patronizing to think your sil can't think for herself, or the neighbours should be protected. I am quite sure they know she has dogs and will take action themself when your sil seems irresponsible.

[Theda Baratheon]

This is why i hate when animals are brought up in discussion bcus the way people speak about animals makes me feel sick

[DreamSongs]

I don't get annoyed by people getting shelter dogs, I get annoyed by the term "rescue". It sounds so haughty and pretentious.

To be clear, I don't hate dogs. Unlike a large portion of 1st world dwellers I don't put them on a pedestal though. Dogs are essential livestock whose purpose has become companionship. If that appeals to someone, good for them. However when you have a potentially dangerous situation, like small children around a known attempted murderer, that is when I start to have a problem.

There is nothing wrong with the term 'rescue'. They are dogs that were rescued from bad situations. If you want to talk about 'haughty and pretentious', I would point at the entire attitude of your OP. And the word is 'love', not 'lurve'.

Pit bulls, rottweilers, German shepherds etc are just like any other animal. It all depends on training. And no, I would not report the animal because you would be doing it for the wrong reason. Your issue is with your 'estranged' sister-in-law and it sounds to me like you are attempting to justify harassing her.

Knock that chip off your shoulder and talk to her if you are that concerned.

[The Notorious]

This is why i hate when animals are brought up in discussion bcus the way people speak about animals makes me feel sick

You shouldn't really get too work up about that ..... quite many people see dogs either as a potential menacing pet or food source.

[Underfoot]

You shouldn't really get too work up about that ..... quite many people see dogs either as a potential menacing pet or food source.

That's not helping. It's like telling a frustrated customer to calm down, and then throw all of the reasons that they are upset in their face.

[The Notorious]

It is certainly a helpful reminder for people to check their western centric biases when it comes to canine and stop shoving them onto other people's faces.

[Larry of the Lawn]

It is certainly a helpful reminder for people to check their western centric biases when it comes to canine and stop shoving them onto other people's faces.

Righhhht, because Theda's the one shoving biases in faces here.....by showing compassion for dogs? Not the people calling for someone to report a dog that has never shown aggression towards people.

[The Notorious]

those people are advocating a course of action which is preventative and entirely legally justify

[Tears of Lys]

I think Ken's getting wrapped up in semantics here. "Rescued," "adopted," "saved from certain death" - what's the difference? and who cares? One isn't more or less elitist than the other. When you get a dog, what's important is that a wonderful companion has joined your life for a while (all too short!)

As to whether you should call the cops on your SIL's dog... I think you don't have any reason to. The cops will probably not do a thing - they've got actual crimes that have occurred to investigate, y'know? Keep an eye on the situation, for sure, and maybe drop a word to the wise to your SIL about the possible liabilities - $$$$$$ - not to mention the guilt associated with IF the dog attacks a child at some point.

I definitely don't like the fact that the poor "nice" dog is getting its ass handed to it by the "mean" one. What can be done about that situation??

[Ramsay Gimp]

People who "rescue" Pit Bulls drive me up the wall. Playing with fire just to show how PC they are

Any Pit Bull that is found in a seriously abused/neglected environment should just be put down, not put up for adoption or "rescue". They're already dangerous by nature - trying to rehabilitate the ones that have been messed up even further by bad owners is just stupid.

And I realize that isn't "fair," but it's a dog.

[DreamSongs]

People who "rescue" Pit Bulls drive me up the wall. Playing with fire just to show how PC they are

Any pit bull that is found in a seriously abused/neglected environment should just be put down, not put up for adoption or "rescue". They're already dangerous by nature - trying to rehabilitate the ones that have been messed up even further by bad owners is just stupid.

And I realize that isn't "fair," but it's a dog.

Why shouldn't each dog be judged on an individual basis? We had one for 6 years and she was the sweetest dog that we ever owned. It had nothing to do with being politically correct. She was a dog found on the side of the road that was very sweet and needed a home. We had a place a for her.

[Ramsay Gimp]

Why shouldn't each dog be judged on an individual basis? We had one for 6 years and she was the sweetest dog that we ever owned.

That's what the owners always say, until their pooch rips off a kid's face. "He was always so sweet, so well-behaved!" Pit Bulls snap. I'm sure you have a good dog, and have trained it and provided for it well. I hope you don't eventually regret your choice of breed.

Moral judgement has nothing to do with it. I don't blame the dogs, that would be silly, I blame the owners and the breeders. But it doesn't make pit bulls any less dangerous.

Also, certain breeds possess certain traits. There's nothing wrong with generalizing about pit bulls or any other breed/species.

[MercenaryChef]

That's what the owners always say, until their pooch rips off a kid's face. "He was always so sweet, so well-behaved!" Pit Bulls snap. I'm sure you have a good dog, and have trained it and provided for it well. I hope you don't eventually regret your choice of breed.

Moral judgement has nothing to do with it. I don't blame the dogs, that would be silly, I blame the owners and the breeders. But it doesn't make pit bulls any less dangerous.

there is not a single bit of evidence to that.

they do not 'snap.' i could go into a few thousand word post on dog bite statistics, population numbers of pit bull and pit bull type dogs, the number of dogs misidentified as pit bulls, etc etc.

but, your comment is clearly coming from a place too prejudiced and uneducated to bother. instead i will offer a picture of emma.

[Ramsay Gimp]

there is not a single bit of evidence to that.

they do not 'snap.' i could go into a few thousand word post on dog bite statistics, population numbers of pit bull and pit bull type dogs, the number of dogs misidentified as pit bulls, etc etc.

but, your comment is clearly coming from a place too prejudiced and uneducated to bother. instead i will offer a picture of emma.

Pit Bulls lead the pack in fatalities and serious injuries, by a wide margin, in every major study.

The utter denial by their advocates is amusing though

[DreamSongs]

Past tense. She went into kidney failure this spring. I am very well aware of the nature of the various breeds of dogs that I have owned. Dazee was taught her place from day one because of her breed. If our old basset/beagle started with her, Dazee would get old Shellbee into a position where the fight stopped. The dogs were separated when left at home alone because Shellbee didn't seem to understand that she was 6 times older than Dazee and 1/3 the size.

Truthfully, every dog I've ever had that showed aggression and a tendency to be overly protective were my beagles and my half-beagles. My 18 lb Boston Terrier/Beagle mix is referred to as 'The Monster' by several members of my family. The only dog she's ever gotten along with was Dazee the Pit because Dazee was so gentle and would put up with her aggressive playing. I still haven't figured out if Wendy is the most stupid or most clever dog I've ever had :bang:

[DreamSongs]

Pit Bulls lead the pack in fatalities and serious injuries, by a wide margin, in every major study.

The utter denial by their advocates is amusing though

They are the leaders because of their popularity. In the '70's, it was the Rottweilers and the Dobermans. In the '80s, it was the German Shepherds. The '90s weren't good for the Chows. The last 14 years have been focused on the Pits. Don't get me wrong...they can be aggressive when they are trained as fighting dogs. They are a determined, stubborn breed.

Yes, I am an advocate for ALL DOGS. I have been attacked by pits before, but I maintain that the issue was the lack of positive human contact and training.. Both dogs involved in the incident ended up full of lead in my front yard after attacking the investigating officer. The difference was our pit was a family dog that was taught to behave while the attacking dogs were outside dogs that were encouraged to fight each other by the owners and provided nothing but food and water. Despite multiple phone calls regarding neglect of the animals, there was no evidence of fighting on the property or neglect of the animals according to the authorities.

Any dog has the potential to be vicious especially when poorly socialized.

[mdw4950]

if youre feeling strong enough to make a call about the dog, then go for it. its kind of all you can do at the moment. unless theres actually evidence that the dog is a danger to people, theres not really anything that anyone can do about it though. more than likely theyd be more worried about the health of the second dog since it has been attacked already.

things like this really come down to trusting the owners to do the right thing or be responsible with their animals. unless an actual situation happens, its not really any different than calling to complain about a neighbors dog who barks and is territorial but has done nothing wrong.

[The Notorious]

Actually in many cities you can file a noise nuisance complaints for excessive dog barkings. Enough complaints and warnings from local animal control dept and the dog owners will be fined.