Need to vent today...Why do people have pets if they can't be responsible owners?

[CraftyGal]

This all started on Friday. I took Leo for a walk. I was checking out a house that I was asked about (long story there) so I decided to take Leo with me. We were enjoying a great walk and Leo was getting spoiled with belly rubs and pets. A dog, a Shibu Inu, came out of nowhere and decided that Leo didn't belong. She went after him. I pulled on the leash and poor Leo ended up doing a back flip landing on his back. Leo has had issues with IVDD (Invertebrate Disc Disease) which required surgery back in January. So what the Animal Control Officer said was that should Leo develop issues that they wouldn't upgrade the charge. I don't get it...If Leo has another occurrence as a direct result of this attack why wouldn't they upgrade the charge? Just because he had surgery before should be taken into consideration with this attack. So far he seems okay but it took 3 or 4 days for symptoms to show.

CraftyGal

Leo after his surgery


Leo Now

[Curmudgeoness]

1. Use small claims court to sue them if you have any problems.

Just because they will not add charges doesn't mean that you can't have redress.

But let's hope that it doesn't come to that---let's hope that Leo is fine.

[badgerpup]

2. I've read a bit about Shiba Inu dogs...

If it's the dog I'm thinking of, it looks like a fox on steroids, right?

These dogs are attitude in a dogsuit and NEED a firm hand and responsible owner and should never be allowed to run off a leash in an uncontained area (according to what I've read, OK?)

They make cats look slavishly obedient when it comes to 'coming when called' if they're after something...:yoiks:

Hope Leo is OK...:hug:

[get the red out]

3. Precious Leo!

I hope he heals quickly!

I don't know why they wouldn't increase the charges if he develops more problems? Pet welfare isn't taken into enough consideration, I LOVE dogs but people need to be responsible, and if making them face charges and pay up is the only way to do it, oh well.

I realized I am VERY fortunate and have a very sweet dog with no aggression issues (who we have worked hard to train and socialize from the start), but there is training and work that people can do with their pets if they find they do have issues. We have a neighbor who has a Maltese that is so human and dog aggressive that they try to keep him away from all living things. When our Layla was about 6 months old we were on our way to the dog park one fall day and the owner had left her back gate open. We live in a townhouse community and my car was parked near their home and when I walked by, Layla quietly beside me leashed, this dog comes flying out and attacks. Layla was already much larger than this dog but just a puppy so it really frightened her and it had issues with getting spooked when dogs played a little rough for a long time afterward. As I tried to get the angry dog off Layla with my foot the owner storms up yelling at me to stop kicking her dog! It would have been nice if she had tried to do something to stop her dog from trying to eat my puppy's head I thought. We had a few "words" to say the least. Fortunately Layla wasn't hurt. This couple does just about everything to keep the dog away from others, but I can't help but wonder if they have ever thought about training him! The back gate is eventually not going to close right, or the front door is going to be opened. People need to realize that working with their dog and putting some time in to socialize and train is much better than owning a ticking time bomb.