Odin-Genie Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 This is true, but what if it was something else that had startled the dog? It wouldn't even have made the news then. Say it was a windy day and there was a tarp that suddenly moved, the dog startled and jumped into the road. My dogs have almost done this on several occasions. What if it had been a golden that suddenly jumped out from behind a corner and startled the dog? Other than the pit bull type dogs involved, it's not even worth reporting. Of course it is worth reporting. This wasn't a chance occurance. These dogs didn't 'startle' the victims. These dogs were intent on attacking. If a leashed dog gets startled, the owner can still control it. But these four dogs were attacking and are directly responsible for the death of the dog. If it was a pack of 4 goldens that attacked this aggressively, I'm sure that would be reported as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Other than the pit bull type dogs involved, it's not even worth reporting. yes it is ... it was dogs at large , and being aggressive, causing death/injury. If a tarp flapped /car backfired ,the GD should not have been so scared that it dashed onto the road ... I presume, as in my time of training , any dog who showed this reaction is rejected from the training program.... but obviously a dog attack of this nature is a very different scenario ..and no dog would be expected to stand there . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nawnim Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) ETA: When a dog is reported as pitbull or pitbul type, they really mean bull breed. I don't see how focusing on what breed they are or aren't helps the cause. In Joe Public's eyes, if they aren't pitbulls but bull breeds then maybe they should be banned too? Note: I'm not saying they should be, but it is where things are headed in Vic. Be careful what you wish for., I agree with this. I think the reported breed of the dog is another issue. When I had purebred boxers and I was walking them, more than once I was asked if my dogs were pit bulls. Jo Public has no idea what a pit bull looks like. They believe that anything with bull in its name should look like a bulldog and have a squashed in face. I myself didn't know until a few years ago what a pit bull looked like. Perhaps pit bull fanciers should be educating the public about what a pit bull actually looks like. In this reported instance a guide dog who would have been trained to be pretty unflappable ran on to the road out of fear. Fortunately it was not working with a blind person holding its harness. A sad situation ETA Perhaps it's time pit bull terrier fanciers thought about a different name for their breed who sometimes are even referred to as pitties. The word 'pit' or 'pitty' makes people think of aggressive fighting dogs. Edited August 10, 2012 by padraic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 How bloody horrible.. What a terrible ordeal to witness... RIP Matilda.. I hope the other pup pulls through... I have no words just utter contempt for the owners of the attacking dogs.. I hope they are caught and the dogs PTS... I love my bull breeds but there are so many now (and other breeds) with such incredibly stupid and irresponsible owners... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) This is an article online rom the local paper .... and it seems only one dog was the attacker , but all three are now impounded. UPDATE 2.28pm: BANYULE Council has impounded three pit-bull terriers believed to be involved in a vicious attack that resulted in the death of a beloved Bellfield guide dog.The council is investigating the incident, which also left the family's other dog with serious injuries. Allan Close, 25, was walking the family's cocker spaniel Bosley, 8, and his brother Andrew's black labrador guide dog Matilda, 4, on Plunkett St, Bellfield at 8.40pm yesterday. Mr Close was planning to surprise his 23-year-old vision-impaired brother who was taking a class at Hall's Taekwondo on Bell St and walk home with him and the dogs afterwards. But when Mr Close was confronted by three pit bull terriers at the southern end of the street, his plans changed. He said one of the dogs came over to sniff Bosley before sinking its teeth into the cocker spaniel, prompting Matilda to flee towards Bell St where she was run over by a car. "The owner came to get the dog off Bosley but it took some time, once the pit bull was restrained they just left,'' Mr Close said. He said it took about 20 minutes to realise what happened to the guide dog, later finding her lying motionless on the busy road. Police from West Heidelberg took Matilda to the emergency vet in Plenty Rd but she died from multiple injuries. Mr Close said he took Bosley to a Bundoora vet for emergency surgery. Mr Close suffered a minor cut to his left hand. His brother Andrew, who is a former Heidelberg Leader sport star, said he was very upset when he was told about Matilda. He said she was a great dog, which he often took to the football for Essendon games and even took her to Sydney. Matilda was nearly five years old and had been his Seeing Eye Dog since 2009. Vision Australia seeing eye dog manager Leigh Garwood said he had spoken with the family offering support. "It is shocking to hear about this attack. Attacks like this can have such an impact on someone's life,'' Mr Garwood said. "We will ensure Andrew receives all the emotional support he needs. Every one of our Seeing Eye Dogs is a much loved part of a close knit family and it is a terrible loss for our community." Council spokesman Dave Bell said the pit bulls, which had been registered with the council, had been taken the RSPCA in Burwood East. Banyule Mayor Tom Melican said the incident was "very upsetting'' and the council was offering counselling to the affected residents. Council officers are continuing to investigate. The future of the animals will not be known until investigations are complete. Edited August 10, 2012 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zug Zug Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 What a tragedy - and devastating for the boy/girl whose guide dog was killed. No excuses for the owners of those dogs. They let an angry pack roam the streets...?! Words just fail me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geo Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 http://www.3aw.com.au/displayPopUpPlayerAction.action?&url=http://media.mytalk.com.au/3AW/AUDIO/100812_Policedogs.mp3 and an interview with a police representative and the mayor of the associated council. The cop said it was a bit hard to say the second dog was mauled due to the very minor injuries inflicted. Everyone is saying mauled, cop says minor injuries... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymatejack Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 http://www.3aw.com.au/displayPopUpPlayerAction.action?&url=http://media.mytalk.com.au/3AW/AUDIO/100812_Policedogs.mp3 and an interview with a police representative and the mayor of the associated council. The cop said it was a bit hard to say the second dog was mauled due to the very minor injuries inflicted. Everyone is saying mauled, cop says minor injuries... yup, obviously someone has it wrong. Did those links work for anyone else? i just tried to listen to the copper again and it didn't play. Anyway, here's a link to the 3AW story with links to the interviews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) http://www.3aw.com.a..._Policedogs.mp3 and an interview with a police representative and the mayor of the associated council. The cop said it was a bit hard to say the second dog was mauled due to the very minor injuries inflicted. Everyone is saying mauled, cop says minor injuries... Because all cops are qualified vets ya know... Until you get a dog to the vet and shaved down how the hell would you know HOW injured it was. And here's the thing.. the OTHER dog is dead!! Seriously, if it wasn't for the name of the breed in the media headlines, would people be trying to play this thing down? 4 offlead out of control dogs pin one dog, and chase a guide dog worth $$$$ and the eyes for a person onto a road and people say "its not serious?". Owners grab dogs and do a runner and that's no biggie? I don't give a toss what breeds were involved. Some people are seriously out of line with this one. Have you people ever HAD a dog attacked? Minor injuries or not, its effing terrifying. 4 dogs going yours.... it is NOT a minor event for that person. Edited August 10, 2012 by Haredown Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 This happens every time - people trivialise what happened. If you were attacked by 4 powerful dogs, you wouldn't be making light of it. Especially if one of your pets got hit by a car as they tried to evade the attack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 Yeah, I'm the first to stand up for Pit Bulls, but there's no excuse for something like this to happen, no matter what the breed is. I think any incident where another dog is killed or a person is injured will be reported. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 (edited) 1344571969[/url]' post='5925223']1344571503[/url]' post='5925216']1344571033[/url]' post='5925212']The headline says the guide dog was killed by pit bulls. It wasn't, it ran into the road and was killed by a car. Of course it shouldn't have happened, it's tragic for everyone involved, but sensationalism is stupid. It ran onto the road because it was being attacked by the other dogs. So they are directly responsible for the dogs death. The only thing sensational about the title is the reference to pit bulls. The headline actually says "Guide dog killed after being ambushed by pit bulls in Bellfield in Melbourne's northeast" This is true, but what if it was something else that had startled the dog? It wouldn't even have made the news then. Say it was a windy day and there was a tarp that suddenly moved, the dog startled and jumped into the road. My dogs have almost done this on several occasions. What if it had been a golden that suddenly jumped out from behind a corner and startled the dog? Other than the pit bull type dogs involved, it's not even worth reporting. Oh FFS. 1344580586[/url]' post='5925392']This happens every time - people trivialise what happened. If you were attacked by 4 powerful dogs, you wouldn't be making light of it. Especially if one of your pets got hit by a car as they tried to evade the attack. Because no pitbulls has ever responsible for even looking sideways at another dog or person, don't you know. Edited August 10, 2012 by Sheridan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katdogs Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I was feeling terribly sorry for whoever hit Matilda, but the later report implies all the cars kept driving past Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 1344582306[/url]' post='5925419']I was feeling terribly sorry for whoever hit Matilda, but the later report implies all the cars kept driving past Like it or not, other people aren't as dog crazy as DOLers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 I cannot believe some of the posts in here. This is disgusting, disgraceful, irresponsible behaviour on the part of the attacking dogs owners and utterly devastating for the owners of the killed and injured dog. I just saw footage of the cocker spaniel on the news- it had at least 2 drains in it that i could see. But who cares, can't have been that bad of an attack right. Disgusting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 The fact of the matter is these two poor dog were attacked by unsocialable wastes of dog space that make it hard on ALL breeds of dogs and their owners. Creating knee jerk reactions and calls for blood. Irresponsible owners and breeders of dogs of dubious breeding and poor character, both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 1344582961[/url]' post='5925429']I cannot believe some of the posts in here. This is disgusting, disgraceful, irresponsible behaviour on the part of the attacking dogs owners and utterly devastating for the owners of the killed and injured dog. I just saw footage of the cocker spaniel on the news- it had at least 2 drains in it that i could see. But who cares, can't have been that bad of an attack right. Disgusting. I don't know how much it costs to train a guide dog in Victoria but according to the WA Guide Dogs website, it's around $30,000. That should be the minimum cost of the fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frufru Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 For me,a dog being hospitalised and having two drains, is not minor injuries. The way some people trivialise attacks because they may or may not involve bull breeds is really starting to make this forum into one that I am not sure I want to belong to. Some of the comments on other recent threads have been insensitive at best and really are quite disturbing. :mad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 omg this sickens me how horrific for that poor man and the 2 dogs i feel for the poor soul of the guide dog and i hope the cocker spaniel and the man recover physically i think emotionally they never will ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 from the herald sun: Matilda's blind owner Andrew Close, 23, is devastated and said she was his "perfect match". "They have killed not only my best friend, but she was my eyes, my independence," he said. "I took her to watch Essendon play each week and we gave her a treat every time they scored a goal. "She led me around TAFE and would put her head on people sitting on trains so I could sit down. "It could take years to find another dog like Matilda - she was a key member of our family," he added. How sad Matilda sounded like an amazing dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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