I’ve blogged extensively over the last month regarding dog bite incidents, Oklahoma law regarding dog bites and discussed the dangers of more aggressive breeds as well as the correlation that environmental factors may play into a dog’s propensity to attack a person. I’ve further been repeatedly attacked by “pit bull” owners who seemingly disregard the dangers of these dogs. Whether environmental, genetic and/or both, a sad incident in Midwest City Oklahoma occurred today where a 52 year-old handicapped man was severely mauled by two pit bulls while another man suffered injuries at the hands of these dogs.
According to the News Channel 4 out of Oklahoma City
a 52-year-old man with a pre-existing physical disability that limited his mobility was taken to Midwest Regional Medical Center with "severe leg injuries." A 27-year-old man was treated at the scene for bites on his legs
The article goes on to say that one dog was killed by a shotgun blast from a police officer while the other fled into a house through a dog door.
A Midwest City police spokesman stated that
We will be seizing the dog that’s alive and citing the owners for harboring a vicious animal and allowing the animals to run at large
Whether you believe in “dangerous propensity” or believe solely in environmental factors of aggressive behavior, this is a sad situation and those harboring these animals must be brought to justice. Can you imagine the medical bills this 52 year-old man is incurring as a result of this incident? There is no excuse and the law of Oklahoma requires that the owners of these dangerous animals that were allowed to “run at large” pay both the medical bills and pain and suffering of these men.
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4 Comments
Steve Lombardi
Jeremy: Good informative post. The City of Des Moines is considering banning all pit bulls within the city limits. I'll be blogging on it later today or this week.
Jane
The dogs were American Bulldogs - I live on the street where this took place and know of the male dog.
linda kennedy
The American Bulldog and the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT ) or now known as "American Staffordshire terrier" are 2 distinctly different breeds. So what breed did the attack??
Since the police shot and killed one of the animals, it shouldn’t be that difficult in identifying - if it was a bulldog or a terrier. So now Mr. Lombardi which breed of dog are you trying to ban from the city limits?
Dogs are not breed to be aggressive. It’s the humans that train them to be. Put the blame where it deserves to be – on the humans and not on the breed.
Let’s shoot and kill all humans that train their dogs to be aggressive and not the dog.
Jane
As I said in a previous post, I live on the street where the attacks took place and know one of the victims. The dogs were American Bulldogs and according to the older victim, his neighbor HAD NOT trained them to be aggressive. The dogs were enclosed in a 6-foot stockade fence, which I've since read an American Bulldogs can scale. No one knows what caused these dogs to "lose it", but they did and could never be trusted again. There was no other alternative but to put the dogs down. Believe me the owners are just as shocked over this incident and are regretful their dogs caused anyone any harm.
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