Woman strangles Rottweiler

[AussieBoy]

Port St. Lucie woman strangles neighbor's Rottweiler, police say

By Will Greenlee
Port St. Lucie News
Posted December 10 2004, 9:57 AM EST

PORT ST. LUCIE -- Police are investigating a woman who strangled a neighbor's Rottweiler after it attacked her Yorkshire terrier.

Shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday, the 130-pound Rottweiler, named Rox, bolted past owner Rebecca Hartley and grabbed Candy, a Yorkie owned by Robin Bush, in her mouth in the 2900 block of Southwest Ventura Street.

Bush said she was in the kitchen talking on the phone while her son, Jacob, 10, took Candy, who weighs about eight pounds, and her Chihuahua outside.

"I heard my son screaming and heard a cry from my Yorkie," she said. "It was a God-awful screech."

According to Hartley's statement to police, Bush threw a beer bottle at Rox and chased and kicked the dog. Bush's son then took the Yorkie inside.

"Bush then allegedly grabbed the Rottweiler's collar and began choking the animal, screaming she 'would have it killed,' " the report states. "Bush continued to choke the animal, then began slamming the dog's head against the side of her house."

Hartley, 20, said she was trying to calm 1-year-old Rox, but Bush twisted the dog's collar with one hand and had her other on Rox's snout, repeatedly striking the dog.

"I told her, 'You're killing my dog, you're killing my dog, someone please dial 911,'" Hartley said. "I could not get her to let go of the dog, and within two minutes or less Rox had suffocated."

Bush, who said she weighs about the same as Rox, said her actions were justified.

"The dog was as big as me, it seemed," Bush said. "I was afraid to let go of this dog because I thought it was going to hurt me. ... Nobody was helping me.

"I was trying to defend my animal, my child and myself," she said. "I didn't intentionally kill this dog."

Prosecutors are reviewing an animal cruelty warrant application to determine whether to issue a warrant for Bush's arrest, said Officer Robert Vega, police spokesman.

"There's always two sides to every story. The officer felt ... this should be written up and forwarded to the State Attorney's Office to make a final decision," Vega said.

Hartley said Rottweilers get a "bad rap" as being "ferocious," describing her dogs as "very friendly."

"You would think that out of instinct if someone were choking you, you would resist," said Hartley, a lifelong Port St. Lucie resident. "Rox did not resist at all, she just sat there calmly and felt the woman was playing with her."

Bush denied slamming the dog's head against the wall.

"I'm not a cruel person," Bush said, noting she tried to revive Rox. "I feel wholeheartedly my dog and myself were the victims."

Hartley said Bush had a "severe overreaction," and a witness told police Bush was "flipping out."

As for Candy, an animal control supervisor said the dog had three small marks on her belly that didn't puncture the skin. Bush said Candy is "traumatized" and "not moving well."

"You can't hardly pick her up; she just lets out a terrible cry," Bush said.

Eric Bush, 34, Robin's husband, said Candy was bitten more than once and will remain under a veterinarian's observation for possible internal injuries.

"They said it could be fatal," he said.

Hartley said the incident left her "kind of numb."

"On the one hand I want retribution, but you can't bring the dog back," she said.

- will.greenlee@scripps.com

Copyright © 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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What a sad story. It leaves me feeling sick.

[hmeadq]

So sad!

It must have been a pretty good dog, even if it did grab the Yorkie. Or else it would have hurt that woman and killed the Yorkie!

[Burnsway]

Although it makes us mad or hurts us to hear of a dog dieing lets not forget the dog was trying to kill her dog. She may have over reacted once the other dog was safe but it is hard to just turn Adrenalin off and I agree that I also may have been afraid if I let go the dog may have come after me. Not sure what I may have done in this situation but I don't believe charges should be filed.

[Tag]

If this rottie had actually attacked the yorkie, I would think that the yorkie would have at least 1 puncture wound. They are claiming that the yorkie has internal damage, but no wounds? This is 130 lbs, biting down on 7-8lbs.. This dog may have been playing, but I doubt she attacked the yorkie.

Still the rottie should not have been in a situation where this could happen... But that woman is wrong for her action towards the dog. If she were affraid of the dog, she would not have grabbed the dog to choke her after her dog was safe. The chase and choking of the dog was after her dog was safe, not during the "attack"

[Burnsway]

Originally Posted by Tag

If this rottie had actually attacked the yorkie, I would think that the yorkie would have at least 1 puncture wound. They are claiming that the yorkie has internal damage, but no wounds?

My dog killed a squirrel last week. Nothing but a nice wet dead body after-wards. No bite marks, no visible wounds, no blood. A dog most defiantly can give an animal internal wounds and also kill it without drawing blood.

Since I wasn't there I can't say the women over reacted or not but I still think she shouldn't be fined anymore then the owner of the unleashed Rottweiler should be. She had 2 seconds to react. In her mind she was protecting her dogs and possibly her child.

All this could have been prevented with Leashes on all the dogs. Thats the sad part.......

[Judi W]

Nope, many a dead cat could attest to the fact that a quick grab and shake that breaks the back or neck is all that is necessary to dispatch a small critter. The assumption that the Rottweiler, or any other prey driven dog would need to maul in order to snatch and kill is quite mistaken.

[Karyn]

Wow. She must be a strong lady. I don't think my hands are strong enough (or big enough) to strangle a rottie.

[Edgar Waterson]

Yes it is possible. My brother and i call it blunt damage. I have felt this myself when my dog bit me (by accident) when i stopped a fight. She never slashes though, even when she disciplines the other dogs.

Blunt and slash damage.

[lblax]

why is anyone defending this dog ??

[sophie's-mom]

Some additional information. Several things to ponder.

A woman who strangled a neighbor's Rottweiler on Wednesday evening after it attacked her Yorkie in her back yard is under investigation on a possible charge of animal cruelty in the dog's death, police said.

Robin Bush said she grabbed the large, unleashed dog firmly by its collar because she feared for her life. She said the dog had escaped from its yard, run into hers and attacked her 8-pound Yorkshire terrier.

But the owner of the 130-pounder Rottweiler named Rox told police her dog was not being aggressive toward Bush and that Rox went after the Yorkie because she wanted to play with the little dog, which she described as being "about the size of one of Rox's chew toys."

"My neighbor came running out of her house throwing things at Rox," Rebecca Hartley said. "I had my dog by the collar, and she grabbed it. She twisted the collar until the dog suffocated, and I had my hand on the dog the whole time trying to calm her down and tell the woman to stop."

Hartley also told police her neighbor threw a beer bottle at her dog and strangled it while bashing its head against a wall.

Bush said she was defensive because she recently learned she was pregnant and her two young children were just feet away.

"I'm so sick to my stomach over all of this," she said Thursday, crying. "I didn't know I was choking the dog — I was just holding it by its collar and trying to keep it away from me, and I was yelling for someone to call 911."

Both women said Rox stopped breathing after a couple of minutes, and Bush tried to perform CPR on the dog but was unsuccessful. The Yorkie, named Tandy, was in a local animal hospital Thursday, being treated for a dozen deep scratches, Bush said.

Police reached the home at 2902 S.W. Ventura St. — just south of Gatlin Boulevard and a few blocks west of of Port St. Lucie Boulevard — minutes after the 5:30 p.m. struggle and continue to investigate the statements from both women and other witnesses.

The State Attorney's Office is expected to decide whether to charge Bush.

[Karyn]

Not defending the dog! Just wondering at the woman. She certainly as rage issues. Think about what it takes to strangle the life out of a living thing! That is scary.

[Burnsway]

Originally Posted by Karyn

She certainly as rage issues. Think about what it takes to strangle the life out of a living thing! That is scary.

When children are at risk it wouldn't take much for me to kill a living thing. Even a Human. Many of us see, love and care for our dogs as we do our children.

I still couldn't say weather this women is at fault of over reacting or not. Each article seems to take a side which makes it a she said/she said sorta thing. So without being there it is almost impossible to know if she was in the wrong or not but the statement"

Rox went after the Yorkie because she wanted to play with the little dog, which she described as being "about the size of one of Rox's chew toys."

Doesn't help me side with the Rottweiler owner anymore thats for sure. No way do I ever want a 130 pound dog to mistake me, my kid, or another dog as his chew toy. I DON'T CARE IF HE WAS PLAYING I HAVE SEEN WHAT MY DOG CAN DO TO A CHEW TOY WHILE PLAYING.........

All I can do is go by a legal standpoint to develope some sort of opinion. It happened on the property of the small dogs. They were on their property. The Rottweiler was not.

[Judi W]

If the Rottweiler owner had her dog by the collar, and was dragging its ass back home instead of standing there looking dumb, the Yorkie owner wouldn't have had to take hold of it.

[JeanT]

Originally Posted by Karyn

Think about what it takes to strangle the life out of a living thing! That is scary.

It is. There must be something terribly wrong with her... If I witnessed an animal (most likely a dog) killing one of my beloved pets, I know that I would be as physical as necessary and possible to try to stop it, but I don't know that even in the immediate heat of the fight that I would be capable of actually killing it. Certainly not once it was over, even if my pet were dead.

If I were the owner of this Rottweiler, I would have done terrible damage to the killer if necessary to stop her, probably beyond what would be legally justifiable.

[JeanT]

Originally Posted by Burnsway

When children are at risk it wouldn't take much for me to kill a living thing. Even a Human. Many of us see, love and care for our dogs as we do our children.

To save a human life, especially that of a child, is entirely different. I expect that most of us could do something we would not otherwise be capable of in such a situation.

If the killer had turned on the Rottweiler's owner, I would find that understandable. Not killing the owner of course. And I'm sorry it didn't, because ditto what Judi W said.