German Shepherds, Rottweilers and Pit Bulls… Oh My! — They are almost always gentle, loving creatures. Almost always.
For those who want to avoid the story of a pit bull attack, skip to the Pet Friendly Lofts section. Some will really hate this blog post because it sounds like an angry rant. Maybe it is — because my life has been strongly impacted by a serious injury from another mishandled pit bull down the street. Even so, this is not about bad dogs. It is about enjoying loft living by preventing injury and death caused by dangerous dogs with dangerous owners. #petfriendly
While anyone with children and small pets will likely understand what I’m saying, some readers will get defensive and aggressive like an angry wolf. I saw how Alta residents reacted when I recently discussed this topic on the Alta Lofts Community Yahoo Group. First, the lady who dropped her pit bull’s leash, letting the dog loose at Alta (because she had other more important matters to attend to) apologized to me in person (after she was caught on video breaking the HOA rules). Later, she would sadly show her true colors. #lofts #dtla
After I mentioned online that Alta homeowners should think twice about tacitly approving of guard dogs, large aggressive dogs and fighting breeds, the mishandling pit bull owner saw the post urging safety HOA rules enforcement. She began attacking me personally, blaming me, even absurdly accusing me of attacking a pit bull. The truth is that my puppy and I were attacked by a pit bull that ran up to us as we were simply walking 15 feet away, bit me and mauled my chihuahua.
After the pit bull horrifyingly ran up and began biting us, the “gentle” beast attempted a classic pit bull lock grip on my small dog. The enormous mouth of the leaping pit bull bit down on my puppy causing him to scream in agony. I knew I had to use all of my might to push back in order to save my pup. It worked, I was able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Without my extreme force to destabilize the pit bull at that point, the horror scene would have ended with my puppy’s slow, painful death in the jaws of the pit bull. It’s painful to imagine. Loving lap dogs are killed like this all the time.
Because I persisted for several days discussing Alta’s unusual acceptance of aggressive dogs on Alta Lofts Community Yahoo Groups, the mishandler’s friend joined in to attack me personally, even trying to attack my real estate career. Then another Alta Yahoo Groups reader, a former client, complained that I was ranting, and demanded that I stop discussing it on the Alta lofts community forum. Thank God I have my own blog where I can rant as much as I want because these are life-or-death topics. Thanks for reading and caring. Please tell us what you think and leave a comment.
While I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE large dogs, and have usually owned large dogs, my thoughts are with the owners of small pets. They have the most to lose from mishandled big dogs. The irresponsible pet-owners are the primary danger.
Wikipedia agrees with me as the dog fatality page linked below has a huge amount of research. It clearly shows that large, fighting breeds and guard dog breeds require special handling and the right environment that they don’t always get.
The ultimate problem is the dog handlers. When pit bull owners carelessly put down the leash, their “gentle” giants sometimes attack, injure and kill neighbors, small women, children and especially small pets like my puppy-baby Zzyzx the Wuppy. The dog handler (and often property owner such as the HOA) is liable for allowing their property to lead to any injury or damages.
Now, back to getting serious. Forget about offering sympathy or not for my worsening injury. That is not the point of this “rant.” The point is about safety, and preventing attacks that result from ill-equipped dog handlers and human error. Putting down the pit bull leash is a warning sign that the pit bull is not being handled correctly, and possibly has not been trained correctly. That mishandled pit bull is more likely to be one of the few that will attack and cause serious injury or death of a small loved one.
Pit Bulls and Mastiffs lead the way with the largest number of deaths. Even though pit bulls cause a disproportionate number of deaths, they should not be singled out unfairly. HOAs should be concerned with ALL dogs capable of killing a neighbor or pet. This includes large guard dogs, large-aggressive, dogs and large fighting breeds. The focus also needs to be on the dog owners and handlers. Homeowners associations such as Alta Lofts that allow the fighting breeds should think twice, and should check with their HOA insurance carrier to see what the insurance company says about dogs on the property.
Find 823 references to fatal dog attacks at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States
Dogs and lofts can live happily ever after.
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About the Author: In addition to being the publisher of the L.A. Loft Blog, Corey Chambers is a life-long animal lover. While always placing people first, Corey has helped to train and handle award-winning show dogs, including large, aggressive dogs for more than 45 years. Tell Corey what you think.
Copyright © This free information provided courtesy L.A. Loft Blog and LAcondoInfo.com with information provided by Corey Chambers, Realty Source Inc, BRE#01889449 We are not associated with the homeowner’s association or developer. For more information, contact (213) 880-9910 or visit LAcondoInfo.com Licensed in California. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Properties subject to prior sale or rental. This is not a solicitation if buyer or seller is already under contract with another broker. | COMMENT