Do you treat your pets like children? If so.....

[speedsix]

...I have never found well-behaved children anything but a joy...no matter how talkative or exuberant...I've babysat since I was 9 and have often calmed and quieted children whose own parents couldn't calm...and danced them to sleep...I love kids...but these times we live in have made parents more cautious and folks like me have to expect a watchful, questioning attitude...shame but that's the way it is...I taught my boys "Stranger Danger" and that the nice, clean, smiling person might be as likely to harm them as the dirty, ugly one...
(...I also wore a leash when I was out with my Grandma...first at Niagra Falls, then for sometime afterwards, until either I got more obedient or she got tired of fooling with it...I don't know which...)

[koconcept]

if you go into the irving mall you would swear there was a need for leash laws for children. I have a 4 year old but she has to hold either me or my wifes hand at all times when in any store. Rediculous.

Back in the days of manners, gentility, responsibility and accountability, kids did have leashes and their mothers didn't have tattoos. That would have been circa WW II and perhaps as much as 10 years thereafter. Then came Elvis, The Beatles and Viet Nam, etc., etc...{*SIGH*}

Well I don't have a tat, and my kids don't have leashes. But they are trained to stay with me (children on the whole at least past age 4 being more intelligent than dogs--they usually do) and if you interact with one of them it will be because they think you look like a nice person sitting in the play area and they want to show you their cool cowboy belt/hat/boots!

For the record I don't leash my kid lol, I do what I suspect you do and parent my child.

[Kythas]

I'm a little late to the party, but you mentioned pet insurance for ~$200 per year. Who is your pet insurance through (or where did you get the quote)? I have pet insurance on my dogs and it costs me $60/month, which comes out to $720/yr.

[i8godzilla]

I'm a little late to the party, but you mentioned pet insurance for ~$200 per year. Who is your pet insurance through (or where did you get the quote)? I have pet insurance on my dogs and it costs me $60/month, which comes out to $720/yr.

We did not have insurance at the time. We did get a quote from http://www.gopetplan.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and it worked out to just over $22 a month. Note that just like a human, the older they are the more the cost.

[jmoney]

First off, I recommend everyone take a look at this, it is a very good video and text explaining how to safely break up a dog fight. http://leerburg.com/dogfight.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Second, I have a german shepherd that is going through protection training, and I have to be very aware of other dogs. The sad truth is many people do not properly train their dogs or know that their dogs are not safe to have around other dogs. Just because your dog is ok a dog park, does not always mean they are fine to run up and great any dog. If I am out and about I do no lot any dogs come nose to nose with mine period unless I know this person and that dog and know that it is very well behaved. In a blink of an eye it could be a bad situation my dog will not tolerate aggressive behavior (whether or not you can spot it) and it can become dangerous.

Third, I am very glad that nobody was seriously injured. My neighbors up here right now have a new dog that they leave outside and it constantly burrows under the fence to get into my backyard. Luckily it is a puppy, and my dog is very tolerant of him. Just yesterday I had to give them an ultimatum, get your dog trained, install anti-dig wire, or I am going to have to turn your dog over to animal control the next time it burrows under. People with dilapidated or insufficient fences for their animals should not be tolerated whatsoever. If your dog gets onto my property and attacks my dog or the persons on my property, you better believe you will be hearing from my attorney.

Where I used to live in San Marcos there was a family that bought their teenage daughters two puppy pitbulls. These dogs were completely untrained and, well at 8months old they were out of control puppies. They routinely escaped their fence, chased pedestrians, and bit several one of which was my roommate returning from class. The city did nothing, 3 months later I was out at the dog park while it was empty training my dog when I saw them approach. I left my dog in the laid down position on top of a table, walked over and kindly asked them if they would wait outside for me to bring my dog out. They told me no, their dogs want to play with her. I was in disbelief, they walked right by, unleashed their dogs who immediately charged towards mine. German Shepherds can go through fear periods, and just my luck, mine was going through that stage. She panicked and ran giving rise to the chase. The first bit my dog clean on the haunches and flipped her over, at the moment I caught up I the second was lunching for her throat. One violent kick down to the back of that dogs neck was it, and I managed to grab the second one off using the methods described above. It appeared my dog was dead but she was just in complete shock.

Long story short, at no time did I draw my firearm, but if she had made the bite on the neck, nobody else was in close proximity, I would not have hesitated one bit.

The other family called the police on me, who after speaking to just a few witnesses let me rush my dog over to the vet. The city seized and put down their other dog, fined them, and informed them if my dog had serious vet bills that they would more than likely have to pay for them.


Don't put up with negligent neighbors, or their animals it is just not worth the stress. If I ever have neighbors like that again I will be pestering animal control until something is done, not after.

and btw my dog is fine now but she developed fear aggression that took a bit of time to get rid of.

[Wienerdogtroy]

[/quote]
I am glad your dog is ok.

I had a pit bull in my younger days (given to me as a baby puppy that the giver thought was actually just a retriever puppy). Trained him well, and properly. But even with proper training, after seeing the absolute power he had (crushed door knob and other things) I would never recommend getting one. They are one of the few breeds that I consider to be a se4rious threat to me or my family, enough to draw and shoot.

[Texas Dan Mosby]

1. Always be armed!

Agree.

2. Even though your dogs normally do not stray, keep them under you control. A leash may seem cruel but seems tame to compared to what Jack went through.

Agree.

3. Any dog that encroaches my property will be immediately dispatched.

I don't agree with this approach.

IMO, each dog is worthy of assessment before treating it as a threat and simply shooting it to death. Dogs get misoriented just like people, and, like people, could be approaching people for the help and security we can provide. While not in every instance, in most cases, a dog is a member of the family, and I wouldn't want to be responsible for the pain and sorrow I would cause by killing a family pet for a minor indiscretion.

While we must certainly consider the safety of our families, and our property, I would ask that putting a strange dog down be considered as the last course of action, rather than the first.

6. No matter the breed of the dog, assume ALL can be vicious!

Agree.

8. Most accidents are the result of many things, in succession, that go wrong. Being a pilot I have found this to be the case in almost every aviation accident I have every read about.

Agree, again.

9. The Lord does watch over his flock.

Agree again, however, He also helps those that help themselves.

And for those that don't, or won't, well, the wolf has to eat too...

[jmoney]

I am glad your dog is ok.

I had a pit bull in my younger days (given to me as a baby puppy that the giver thought was actually just a retriever puppy). Trained him well, and properly. But even with proper training, after seeing the absolute power he had (crushed door knob and other things) I would never recommend getting one. They are one of the few breeds that I consider to be a se4rious threat to me or my family, enough to draw and shoot.[/quote]

I agree, I know people that are big fans of them will defend that breed to the death but there is just far too much evidence to the contrary

[alphonso]

I've lived in a trailer park. I've lived in the city. I've lived in a suburban condo and a suburban house. I've lived in the woods. I've lived in a somewhat palatial estate with much acreage.

I have never lived anywhere where someone's mismanaged dog didn't cause me grief or fear or both.

If a dog crosses my property line I am judge, jury, parole officer, and executioner as I see fit.

Love your dog? Buy a fence...

[Dave2]

btw my dog is fine now but she developed fear aggression that took a bit of time to get rid of.

I'm glad your dog is ok. I hope your neighbors realized their mistake and haven't held it against you.

[VMI77]

I've lived in a trailer park. I've lived in the city. I've lived in a suburban condo and a suburban house. I've lived in the woods. I've lived in a somewhat palatial estate with much acreage.

I have never lived anywhere where someone's mismanaged dog didn't cause me grief or fear or both.

If a dog crosses my property line I am judge, jury, parole officer, and executioner as I see fit.

Love your dog? Buy a fence...

Wow, I'm glad you're not my neighbor --no doubt better for both of us. In my neighborhood you'd be killing a lot of dogs. In every single case where I've found a dog wandering the neighborhood, the dog was in a fenced yard and had gotten out when a yard crew negligently left the gate open while the owner was at work.

[alphonso]

I've lived in a trailer park. I've lived in the city. I've lived in a suburban condo and a suburban house. I've lived in the woods. I've lived in a somewhat palatial estate with much acreage.

I have never lived anywhere where someone's mismanaged dog didn't cause me grief or fear or both.

If a dog crosses my property line I am judge, jury, parole officer, and executioner as I see fit.

Love your dog? Buy a fence...

Wow, I'm glad you're not my neighbor --no doubt better for both of us. In my neighborhood you'd be killing a lot of dogs. In every single case where I've found a dog wandering the neighborhood, the dog was in a fenced yard and had gotten out when a yard crew negligently left the gate open while the owner was at work.

Ah, you misunderstood. I didn't say I shoot dogs on sight. Poodles, labs, retreivers, mutts, and many other friendly looking pooches have all gotten a free pass for visiting at our house. Ocassionally they get a bowl of water and some food and a call to their owner if they have a tag. I did shoot an angry pit bull a couple of years ago after it came into our backyard and growled at my wife. I bet you would have shot him too if he threatened someone in your family...

[speedsix]

...and I'll bet he was abused as a pup, and had recently considered going to obedience school, and was trying to turn his life around...as soon as he bit one more lady...

[alphonso]

...and I'll bet he was abused as a pup, and had recently considered going to obedience school, and was trying to turn his life around...as soon as he bit one more lady...

I don't know if he was turning his life around, but he was a great big mofo. The cop (who I called after the shooting) told me that pits and labs were being bread in our area to produce larger pit-like dogs. His jaws were HUGE (the dog, not the cop).

This cop, who works in a pretty small Texas city told me he and his brothers in blue absolutly hate the pits because they have to deal with the dog(s) while the drug dealers are making their way out a back door or back window.

Don't blame me, that's just what I was told...

[speedsix]

...tis true...and that's the plan...

...just what we need, a strain of pit bulls with bigger jaws...