This evening I was relaxing, scrolling through the news online and checking out dog pictures and videos on social media, when I came across a story that just made my blood run cold. It was posted by an acquaintance who lives one town away from me, and detailed how her husband had gone out that morning for a jog with their Australian Shepherd Zazu; they take a six-mile run together on-leash, four days a week. One this morning’s run, however, not a block from their home, Zazu was attacked by two Rottweilers, who were loose, with their owners nowhere to be seen.
The police were summoned, the dogs caught and impounded, Zazu rushed to the emergency veterinary hospital, but his wounds were too serious and he could not be saved. A neighbor, who heard the tumult and witnessed the scene, identified the dogs as belonging to a couple who lives nearby. They are older, she told the police – and one of their adult children who also lives there breeds the dogs and sells puppies for extra income. Usually, the dogs are never taken out of the yard – but they do get loose from time to time.
Loose dogs in the neighborhood
Personally, I don’t think there is a place in society for dogs who kill. And while no one is perfect, and everyone has had a dog who has gotten loose before, when you own large, powerful dogs (especially more than one), you have a greater-than-average responsibility to see to it that your dogs can not escape the security of your yard. I hope the owners of these dogs are held responsible for Zazu’s death, and I hope the dogs who murdered Zazu are not released back into the custody of their owners – or, perhaps anyone else.
I know that’s harsh. It’s not the dogs’ fault that they were inadequately contained. It’s not their fault that their owners failed to socialize them adequately, so that they saw a leashed dog as prey or an interloper in their neighborhood, as opposed to a potential playmate. It’s not their fault that they have been denied the stimulation of an active dog like Zazu, locked up with no exercise, reduced to a life of breeding and reproduction, over and over.
It’s not fair. But it’s not fair to Zazu and his owners, either, that two very powerful, aggressive dogs were in a position to kill. What if the dog they attacked had been being walked by an elderly or frail person? The person might be dead, too. What if the dog they attacked was being walked by a mother who also was pushing a stroller with a baby inside? I shudder to think of it.
People who keep dogs in a socially impoverished environment, for the sole pupose of breeding puppies to sell – that’s even worse. This type of person is literally the backyard breeder in the derogatory trope.
I am hoping that the dogs are designated as dangerous and steps are taken to make sure they can’t be a threat to anyone else in the community. And my heart goes out to the owners of poor Zazu; his dad will be forever traumatized by the memory of the TEN MINUTES he struggled to save his dog as Zazu was being fatally mauled.
What steps can Zazu’s owners take?
I asked someone I know who is an animal control officer in a different community: What should Zazu’s owners do? She said, if there is any kind of record of the dogs being loose before, or any previous complaint made about their aggression, the local animal control could take steps to get a dangerous dog designation for the Rottweilers. If there is any sort of record of the dogs doing this before, or even just being picked up for running loose before, she would press the local court for the dangerous dog designation.
But if this is the first record of any complaint about the dogs, then their owners are likely to be fined only for the dogs “running at large,” asked for proof of licensing and rabies vaccination (and possibly fined for lack of same), and charged for the short impound; all that Zazu’s owners can do is sue for Zazu’s final vet bill, including cremation.
Obviously, I love dogs, and don’t relish the idea of any dogs being euthanized. But large, aggressive dogs in the hands of owners who can’t or won’t contain them? I can’t imagine living and walking my own dogs in that neighborhood.
Do any of you have any advice for Zazu’s owners? Have you ever been in a situation like this?
I have had two of my dogs attacked by the same dog over the years. The owner never walks the dog, they would let her out of her yard in the evening to run loose. I walk my dogs daily, on leash. The first time, she came running up to my shepherd cross from the other end of the block and put 5 holes in my dog. The second time, she ran up to my male Great Dane and did the same thing to him. He just sat on the ground and allowed her to bite him. One of the wounds became infected and after paying the vet bill, I delivered the bill to the owner and made him pay me back. I reported this dog to the authorities and absolutely nothing was done. That dog has since passed away but the woman has got another one who is exactly the same, never walked and always ready to attack when people walk by.
I agree with you Nancy, dangerous dogs, just like dangerous people should not be given a free pass. If a person kills someone they go to prison or get the death penalty, what makes it ok for a dog to do it? This problem is getting worse, read the news articles and you see it happens often. It’s not fair to the majority of good people and good dogs that they can’t go for walks anymore for fear of losing their lives. See the story of the little 7 year old girl in Detroit last month that was mauled to death behind her house by vicious dogs. Anyone that thinks those dogs should live to possibly do it again should take a good look at themselves. I’m not talking about a dog biting someone, I am talking about unprovoked attacks on people or dogs with the intent to kill! This is not normal dog behavior!
Please give some thought to your argument. Dogs and people are not the same. Dogs, even when aggressive, are not moral or amoral, deserving of punishment. There may be the necessity to put a dog down because of aggressive behavior, but they will never be deserving of it. If all dog owners start to understand dogs as dogs instead of fury four legged people we would all be better off for it. (you can still adore and pamper them).
For 20+ years in my life I did golden retriever rescue. Goldens are known for their happiness, loving nature, and gentleness. During my years I had 5 goldens at different times who demonstrated aggression toward people or other dogs and, in one case, children only. I had possession of the dogs and completed very intense evaluations of each dog. My job was to find the great home for each and every dog I took in. For one young female who gave me 17 puppies, she was extremely dog aggressive. I was able to locate a young woman who understood the gravity of keeping her confined in the presence of other dogs. She had the physical stature to control the dog on a leash, and this dog lived a very long life with her. The other 4 dogs were people aggressive and by my evaluaton and a behaviorist’s assessment could not be rehabilitated to become safe around people. One particular young male was highly aggitated and crazy when he spied a child. I made the decision to put them down humanely. You can’t place an aggressive dog in the hands of new owners and expect them to keep others safe. This is expecially true of aggressive goldens. The population views them with such love and confidence.
There are so many, many wonderful and safe dogs needing homes that there is no room for aggressive dogs in our society. To know that the rottie owners created these monsters and were breeding possibly genetic carriers of aggressive genes is heartbreaking. But, this type of thing happens so much by ignorant and greedy owners.
I advise Zazu’s parents to sue for anything they can get. And, pursue the dangerous dog status on these dogs. It might take some sleuthing, but this wasn’t their first time being aggressive. But, also take my cyber hugs on this horrific tragedy. I’m so sorry.
I had a neighbor who’s son passed away. Her son had four cats and a Pit Bull.
Pit Bulls are one of the gentlest breeds, unless made aggressive by the owner or tied to a stake outside 24 hours a day, seven days a week and neglected.
My neighbor took all the animals that her son had, but never did anything with them except give them the cheapest food they could find.
My neighbors dog was tied to a tree in their back yard 24 hours a day for several years. They would take it water and food a couple times a week, but that was all the attention their dog ever received.
Their pets, just like their two children, never received any love and attention. They treated them more like a toaster that you bring out for a short time when you want to use it, and ignore it the rest of the time.
One day I was walking my two Chihuahua’s.
My neighbor had the Pit Bull on a leash heading for her house. Her dog jerked loose and attacked my two dogs, almost killing the one dog.
My neighbor blamed me for the attack because I did not turn around and Immediately run home when she was walking her dog!!
Some people just should not own pets (and some people should not have children either)!
“Pit Bulls are one of the gentlest breeds” — no they’re not. Sorry, but that is simply not true; they are bred to be fighting dogs. Just read the comments here. How many of the attacks were from pit bulls? A high percentage. That doesn’t mean that pit bulls can’t be wonderful dogs, but high powered dogs that are capable of inflicting great damage need to be carefully managed. Disseminating a view that pit bulls are by nature gentle flowers is not helpful. Back when I was still going to dog parks, the worst attacks I saw were from pit bulls whose naive owners did not recognize their capacity for doing harm. In my own neighborhood, a pittie recently climbed a 6′ fence to attack a small dog that was walking by on leash. Pit bulls can be wonderful dogs, one of my favorite breeds actually, but they are a lot of dog.
Several years ago my ex and I got a Rottie puppy that turned out to be an unstable dog. Sometimes nurture can’t overcome nature, no matter how hard the owners try. After my ex and I split up, the Rottie continued to deteriorate. He fought with the other household dog, bit the human housemate badly enough to send her to the hospital, and started trying to pick off the resident cats. He ultimately had to be put down. Getting a power breed is a big responsibility.
“Pit bulls are bred to be fighting dogs.” Yes, I’ll give you that…people do breed them AND THEN TRAIN THEM to fight. The dogs that won’t fight for these breeders are used for bait. But I digress. Dogs with strong bites cause more damage and their attacks are more likely to be fatal. That is why we hear about them. What happened to Zazu would not have happened with responsible owners. I am so saddened by these events and angry with the owners of the Rottweilers. The dogs were obviously aggressive and likely not trained at all.The pack mentality didn’t help either. I’m not saying specific pit bulls, or rotties, shepherds, dobermans, etc., aren’t aggressive, just that no breed is inherently dangerous across the board.
There are so many small dogs that are serial biters and are not reported. Damage may be minimal, those bitten may feel reporting is an overreaction, owners brush it off, any number of reasons. There is No Excuse for a dog that attacks or bites without provocation. I have been bitten more than once to keep a smaller dog away from my animals. Most of these dogs are leashed but their owners are oblivious or too far away (retractable leads). The owner says their pet just wants to say hello. While they may believe that, it’s unlikely given the dog’s body language and the owner doesn’t have a clue. It’s not that I fear my pet will be killed, I am afraid my dog will defend himself, or me, and be taken away or labeled as dangerous for reacting to a possible threat.
I like big dogs and I work hard to socialize and train them. I had a Doberman I raised from a pup and we did go to the dog park occasionally. Off hours, when it was less crowded and I always checked out who was there, never taking my eyes off him or his playmates. He did very well with dogs of all sizes but we would leave if owners weren’t paying attention or if any of the dogs got rowdy. One day, a man brought an intact mixed breed and the dog was staring at my Dobie and growling before he even reached the gate. I called my dog over and asked the man to please wait so we could leave. He replied that his dog was friendly and came here all the time (the idiot), and let his dog free. As you might guess, the dog immediately went after Griffin and bit him. I sprayed both in the face with water and commanded, “no, stop!” Luckily, other people at the park helped form a barrier and I was able to leave with Griff. That man had the audacity to tell me Doberman’s should not be allowed at dog parks. Happy to say that several others left with me and said they were happy to have their pups run with mine at any time.
Knowing that some of the dogs I love can scare people, I am always careful. I have to protect my pet from the inappropriate actions of others because it’s too easy to blame the scary dog… I currently have a rescue Doberman/Great Dane mix. He was left tied out in his previous life and attacked by loose dogs, unable to get away. As a result he was very dog reactive when I adopted him. He’s much better now but I try not to put him in a position where he might be scared or have to defend himself. Why? Because the big, black dog would be blamed, even if he was just fighting for his life. Protect your pet and protect yourself. Say something if you observe loose dogs or aggressive behavior.
And people with small dogs? They still need training and socialization. If your dog bites, I’m reporting it.
Just call me “sick and tired of stupid pet owners.”
I’ve worked with dogs professionally for over 50 years, and the number and content of each of these responses to the incident described is SO typical. We haven’t managed to progress much in all my years when it comes to this set of issues, although we are light years ahead in our knowledge and understanding of dog behavior, cognition and emotion (motivation.)
Why on earth can we not get past our obsession with blame and punishment and implement laws and enforcement practices that would actually reduce the number of such attacks by unsupervised, inappropriately raised and irresponsibly owned dogs?
On an individual level, there are more and less effective protective devices one can carry: small, fast trigger operated umbrellas, various sprays, deterrent shake cans, etc. All require a level of vigilance and some preparation to deploy them properly in an emergency.
But public policy? Because we view dogs as property, we are hamstrung to do anything proactive because of how knee-jerk the resistance to interfering with someone’s sacred property rights is taken. Yet dogs are not human persons, and the issues that would arise if they were so regarded under the law are also mind-boggling with unintended consequences. We need a new legal category, between objects and persons, which would acknowledge the reality, the limited autonomous agency of dogs and other beings, and the accountability of those who keep them, similar to the way parents are accountable for both their proper care of children and the impacts of their behavior on others.
What if we calculated the costs of dealing as we currently do with animal transgressions, so as to have an idea of how much public spending goes down this drain. Then what if we created a standard by which people could own, or become registered guardians of, dogs – a new sort of licensure – which in addition to the required rabies inoculation, a puppy would pay extra by way of deposit which would pay for his CGC (Canine Good Citizen) prep class, held often and publicly accessibly, and first test. After passing the test, the annual renewal would be free or minimal, with provision to increase upon any offense upon a person or animal – the amount collected and used to pay for a training class? The penalty for the responsible person not meeting these responsibilities would be an annual fee equal to the puppy fee, and it would be reduced or eliminated by taking the class and earning the certification. Why not motivate owners, financially and with social pressure, to do the right thing by their dogs? We do it with parents of children (and I maintain we would do it more effectively if we let go of some of the judgmental attitude and fixation on blame and punishment and focused more on support and positive reinforcement.)
Would it solve everything? Of course not. But I think a generation-long experiment would show dramatic reductions in terrible things like this, a better use for public money (to support the expansion and deployment of competent dog trainers) — and probably some unintended consequences that, for a change, would be welcome surprises.
Years ago while on a neighborhood walk, my adolescent pup survived an attack by a rottie/pit mix that broke loose from whatever he was tethered to in order to get at my dog. Marley survived, though he needed surgery, and I got bit on the hand while trying to help my dog and lost a week of work. I always carry pepper spray since then, and I’ve discharged it on two occasions . I aim in front of the dogs, and this stopped 2 of the 3 dogs. The third dog paused and then kept charging, so he got a face full and finally ran back into his yard. I’m sorry to hear about poor Zazu. I hope the owners of the dogs are punished.
Its not the breed usually. I have found some Rotties to be pussycats. However when you get two or more dogs you have a pack. I was walking one day pushing a stroller and had a dog on a leash. Suddenly a German shepherd ran out from behind a wall. He was charging at us and barking . What to do in a case like this. I just yelled at him in my loudest and sternest voice. NO! GO HOME
He stopped and went back into his yard. There was not a soul on the street and no one came out.
Dogs know NO. they hear it often I am sure. It has worked for me on more then this occasion.
Mhy two Shelties, both with assortede titles in obedience, herding, ability, Nose Work, and rally and I were walking along a well-used path at the beach with hordes of other people, dogs, bicyclists, skateboarders, and walkers/runners. I looked up and saw an unleashed Pitbull running towards us, head down, tail up, hackles raised, several hundred yards down the path. I yelled to the owner, “Call your dog!!” “Leash your dog!!!” “Get your dog!!!” “Get your F_____” dog” and about the time I got that out the Pitbull was on us, attacking my much smaller dogs. I started kicking him with everything I had in me when the owner sauntered up and said “Looks like you have a problem.” “YOU have the problem” I screamed. “You are breaking the law for starters. Get hold of him or I’m going to kill him right here and now!!” Thankfully the injuries to my Shelties were minor, but they have been left with a deep-seated fear of off-leash dogs and no amount of training or socialization has helped for the last half dozen years. They are fine in classes with all kinds of other dogs, but if a dog is running at them, they go berserk. “The best defense is a strong offense.” The pitbull owner left the scene unscathed and I was too concerned about my wounded furbabies to get information on who he was or where he hailed from. My heart is broken for Zazu’s family. Is there any useful defense (other than a taser or mace) recourse or legal way to reach these CPO’s (Clueless Pet Owners) right when these things happen?
This same thing has happened to me. It is horrifying, and makes my blood boil to this day to have been accused of being “the one with the problem,” when it was THE OTHER PERSON’S dog who was off-leash and charged my dog. I actually wound up needing a minor hand surgery from an injury I sustained during that incident. It is one of many incidents I’ve had over the years with unleashed dogs, or loose unattended dogs.
My dog was attacked by another dog in the neighborhood, and has NEVER been the same. At the time, I would have gone for the aggressors eyes, but there was a little old lady who was screaming and trying to get the dog off. I now carry a product called Halt, which can be purchased online It claims to stop a dog attack in it’s tracks..
To the Rottweiler lovers these dogs need experienced owners and they rarely get them- they do not belong in cities or even suburbs where they cant be monitored the damage they can do is catastrophic.I acknowledge that a well disciplined dog with a strong owner might be OK in civilized society but it is not often the case that the owner is competen and strongt.I live in the city it is a jungle I just avoid all pit bulls , rottweilers shepherds etc.The owner will say ” oh he’s friendly ” and I always politely say well my dog isn’t friendly and walk away and inevitably as I do that the dog will growl and the owner says ” oh he never does that”. My experience with that rottweiler years ago in my building was jarring .My dog has been attacked 3 times in my present building once by a german short haired pointer ( luckily a doorman pulled him off)and by a neighbors terrier mix ( in that instance the terrier mix bit the owner in his rage to get at my dog)and by a small terrier in a store.I am hyper about other dogs and am very tuned in to any sign of aggression . The city is full of clueless young women with head phones on or on the cell phone and totally unaware of their surroundings- usually they are walking pitbulls and to me this spells disaster. I think rottweilers should do what they were meant to do pull carts and work on remote farms- sorry those two that attacked the dog need to be put to sleep – it will happen again if they aren’t.
As a young woman in a city who pays attention with her 2 well socialized dogs, who are submissive, I can say from experience that my submissive growled at another dog once, which surprised me too. After saying he never does that, I realized the other dog was VERY aggressive. He wasn’t growling so it seemed like my dog was the instigator, on the offense to attack, but the stance and body language of that dog was threatening and telling qother dogs that he wanted to attack them. I know this because this dogs made almost all the other dogs respond defensively, a warning reaction (growl, bark) from other well behaved dogs in the dog U Clearly, this dog was telling the other dogs that he was going to attack them and so my dog and the other non-aggressive dogs were responding with a defensive alert. When a person and their dog runs into so many situations of other dogs wanting to attack their dog, there is something wrong. And it’s usually their dog that is doing something to create these situations. Even if there isn’t a verbal clue (bark, lunging) your dog may be displaying aggressive Body language/ mannerisms causing so many dogs to react. My submissive dogs don’t have any instances of dogs trying to attack them, perhaps because of some luck, but also because they have non-threatening body language and can read when another dog is being aggressive and they sit still, or roll on their back to diffuse the situation.
Some truth to this, tho many very small dogs exhibit fear aggression in hopes of scaring off larger animals, especially when on leash.
Also, as the owner of spitz-type dogs I have run into something sometimes known as Husky-syndrome. Many dogs misread this body type as body language signaling dominance. Its the high head, perked ears, arched back and tail held high up over the back. Its bred in.
So back to the main point, training and owner control is paramount regardless of breed or size.
Even the best trained and best behaved dog needs to be leashed in public. My pet peeve, is owners who adopt dogs they are not strong enough to hold back when pulling.
Also, before judging, keep in mind that many of us adopt older, poorly socialized rescue dogs. We work hard at re-training, but it takes years and is not always fully successful. Mine is dog-reactive, on-leash and we avoid other dogs.
Tamara-I live in Chicago with my two Rottweilers. They are well well-trained, well-behaved, and always under control. You are WAY off base saying they do not belong in the city or suburbs. Dogs of all breeds should be trained and responsibly managed.