Tot survives 2-dog attack

[Rene Allegrini]

Link and article provided by fightBSL group and Jodi Preis


Hamilton Spectator - News

Toddler attacked by rottweilers (Ontario, Canada)

A three-year-old boy is recovering after being attacked on Christmas Day by two Rottweilers in an east end park.

The toddler was in the park behind Memorial School in the Ottawa Street North and Main Street East area, around 4:45 p.m., when the dogs attacked him.

He was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery. "He will recover, but more than likely will have many scars," said acting Staff Sergeant Maggie Schoen.

The boy suffered injuries to his face and hands. Police do not know who owns the dogs, which were running loose at the time. The dogs are now in the custody of animal control.

[marianne]

Rene, you always seem to find all the dog bite issues.
I thought you were keeping us informed on BSL. Every time you post about BITES you are giving the oppostion team more FUEL for their fire!

Please stick to legislation pending. We can help more with letterwriting to the proper officials.

[TR Young]

Originally Posted by marianne

Rene, you always seem to find all the dog bite issues.
I thought you were keeping us informed on BSL. Every time you post about BITES you are giving the oppostion team more FUEL for their fire!

Please stick to legislation pending. We can help more with letterwriting to the proper officials.

While this is heartbreaking, I think it is good that Rene keeps us abreast of these stories. It will help keep us from becoming complacent about them, and we all need to be aware of the constant state of ignorant ownership.

Rene, I thank you for your vigilance, and I believe it is good for us to hear these things, even if they are terrible. Whenever we read these stories, we should work twice as hard to get the word out about proper, responsible ownership.

[spidey]

Originally Posted by marianne

Every time you post about BITES you are giving the oppostion team more FUEL for their fire!

Please stick to legislation pending. We can help more with letterwriting to the proper officials.

Sorry, but you don't speak for me when you tell Rene to "stick to legislation pending", it's up to the moderators to decide what's appropriate and what's not.

And irresponsible dog ownership is most DEFINITELY a subject that those concerned with BSL should stay abreast of - the bites are HAPPENING, bite stories are EXACTLY what anyone who cares about BSL should know about, pretending that these bites aren't happening and/or downplaying/ignoring them is what adds fuel to the pro-BSL fire and in addition makes anti-BSL people seem like they are either out of touch with reality or don't care about the reality of how dangerous a big powerful dog can be when mismanaged, neither of which makes those who are concerned with this issue any more likely to listen to what anti-BSL people have to say.

[Canadianrotti]

I live next to Hamilton, and this incident is a shame. I have heard more about what happened than the origional article presents. They found the owner, he lives in a house next to the park, the dogs broke through the fence that is adjacent to the park. The guy that owns the dogs has also been given citations in the past for having dogs running at large.

I will let you know about stuff that I hear on the local news about this one. such a damn shame!

[Rene Allegrini]

Originally Posted by spidey

And irresponsible dog ownership is most DEFINITELY a subject that those concerned with BSL should stay abreast of - the bites are HAPPENING, bite stories are EXACTLY what anyone who cares about BSL should know about, pretending that these bites aren't happening and/or downplaying/ignoring them is what adds fuel to the pro-BSL fire and in addition makes anti-BSL people seem like they are either out of touch with reality or don't care about the reality of how dangerous a big powerful dog can be when mismanaged, neither of which makes those who are concerned with this issue any more likely to listen to what anti-BSL people have to say.

Thank you Amanda. The irresponsible dog owners and stories such as this are EXACTLY why we are dealing with BSL and the threat of loosing our right to own the breed of dog of our choice.

Ignoring the "dog bite" stories IS what gives the opposition fuel for their fire. There's no need to pretend that incidents such as this are NOT happening. If we work together, we can get the word out about "responsible" ownership.

Originally Posted by marianne
Every time you post about BITES you are giving the oppostion team more FUEL for their fire!

Marianne, who on the opposing team would be reading my posts here??

[Dugganmom]

Originally Posted by marianne

Rene, you always seem to find all the dog bite issues.
I thought you were keeping us informed on BSL. Every time you post about BITES you are giving the oppostion team more FUEL for their fire!

Please stick to legislation pending. We can help more with letterwriting to the proper officials.

I want to know about these...It effects all of us when something like this happens...IMO...Thanks Rene for keeping us posted!

[TrishB]

I'll echo the others. Rene is simply posting about what has already happened and fueling our DISGUST in irresponsible ownership. It wasn't her dogs that attacked or that caused so much pain to this tot. Let's keep our eye on the ball here.

[Karyn]

Again, I thank you for keeping us informed. I believe we need to know what is happening so that if it is ever thrown at us we will be aware of the incident. I truly appreicate your efforts and assist whenever I can by contacting the proper authority to voice my opinion/concerns.

[Rene Allegrini]

Originally Posted by Karyn

Again, I thank you for keeping us informed. I believe we need to know what is happening so that if it is ever thrown at us we will be aware of the incident. I truly appreicate your efforts and assist whenever I can by contacting the proper authority to voice my opinion/concerns.

Thank you all for your support and opinions. Stories such as this should impress upon all of us the importance of education and responsible dog ownership.

[schwitzm2003]

another dog owner makes it harder for the ones that do right

[observer]

The bites are the TRUTH. Why NOT talk about them? And, they are the force behind BSL. What we CAN do with this information is teach the difference between responsible dog ownership and the kind of ownership that leads to these stories-- and show that banning the BREED is not the answer... promoting responsible dog OWNERSHIP is.

[Colt's mom]

So true! We all need to set good examples and thoroughly screen potential puppy buyers. You hate to blame it all on BYB, but resposible dog owners DO NOT let their dogs loose! Down south we hear mostly about pit bull atacks(thank goodness) I have a six foot privacy fence and still have to watch out for children climbing over it to retrieve a ball. Some one once told me that having a beware of dog sign was an admission of guilt by saying you know your dog will bite so we have a sign that says Rottweiler at Play instead!

[lilbitotrouble]

Originally Posted by Rene Allegrini

Link and article provided by fightBSL group and Jodi Preis

The boy suffered injuries to his face and hands. Police do not know who owns the dogs, which were running loose at the time. The dogs are now in the custody of animal control.

I just read this at the Ontario Globe and Mail:

The owners of the Rottweilers, too, remain anonymous, although they are known to local authorities because the dogs had escaped their backyard pen at least twice before, said Jim Gillis, who heads municipal law enforcement in Hamilton.

When bylaw officers contacted the owners on Boxing Day morning - roughly 18 hours after the attack - "they believed their dogs were still in the backyard," Mr. Gillis said.

His office has nonetheless concluded that the couple were "responsible owners," who took good care of the 16-month-old Rottweilers, a male and a female that appear to be from the same litter.

The dogs had food, water and shelter and their owners had attended obedience classes with them, Mr. Gillis said. And on learning about what happened, the "very distraught" couple immediately surrendered them to authorities.

That means after 10 days of scrutiny for rabies at the city's animal control shelter, where both were confined yesterday, the Rottweilers will be euthanized.

And there, it seems, the matter will end, to the dismay of Mr. Berka, who believes that "if you want a dog like that you should be held accountable."

But there is little scope in the Criminal Code for laying charges for a dog attack of this type, and Mr. Gillis said his office, too, is unlikely to pursue matters.

"The owners signed the dogs over right away, we've got them off the street, and they will be euthanized."

What will linger, however, at least for those involved, is the memory of a day in which joy and celebration were interrupted by a savage, bloody assault on a defenceless little boy.

"This was not a Christmas Day anyone wants to repeat," Ms. English said.

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[Cdn1050]

I for one would like to hear about these stories. This one hits too close to home. Ontario just last year implemented a ban on pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, American pit bull terriers, and any dog that has an appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially similar to those of dogs referred to. It's only a matter of time with these irresponsible owners on the loose that Rottweilers will be next. I need to know this information so that one day I can be the responsible proud owner of a Rottie without government harrassment.