Please help

[LouDogs_Dad]

I need some BW help here. I've posted before about when Lt. was attacked by the dog in the public park with no leash or collar for that matter. Well we were attacked by him again last night and again no leash no collar. Little background.........There is a couple who walk their 2 dogs in the public park off lead with no collars on their dogs. I went as far as to carry a ball bat with me when I walk now which did come in handy last night because I could at least keeep the dog at bay to a certian degree. Anyways I filed the 1st police report 2 months ago. Then last night I filed another! Well today animal control contacted me and they want me to sign 2 tickets so they can serve the people with them. They want to use 'Dog at Large' & 'Vicious Dog' tickets. Thing is the 'Vicious Dog' ticket is going to get their dog taken away and probbably destroyed. I don't agree with breed specific legislation but let's be honest when you own a 200 lb. dog you have to exercise MORE caution. These people are not! I finally found out the breed of the dog.........It is a Presa Canario........And he is mean or at a bare minimum dog on dog agressive. Should I go through with it or should I try to find the peoples phone number through google and call them. I just want someone to remind them of responsible dog ownership I don't want their dog killed but if they continue to disobey the laws and endanger myself my shit tzu and my boxer well....... What do you think?

 

[sargejimenez]

Sign the tickets if this has happened more than once they should have had them on a leash! Don't contact them if they didn't say or do anything in the park they should be held responsible! Who knows if they even vaccinate their dog.(no collar?) Hopefully you or your baby were not injured.

 

[K House]

I fostered a Presa Canario earlier this year (see photos of Baloo in my gallery!) and yes they can be very intimidating. And they are naturally dog aggressive unless they are WELL socialized as puppies. I would say that you have every reason to be fearful of your and your pets safety if this Presa is dog aggressive and running loose.

They won't just take their dogs away and kill them though. They will ticket them for "vicious dogs" and they will have to go to court and prove that their dogs are not vicious. You will also be asked (but not required) to go to court. If the dogs have not attacked a human, there is little chance that they will be put down. If they attack and kill another dog, it is still unlikely that they would require the dogs to be put down unless they felt that a human attack was inevitable. If the court decides that the dogs are vicious, their owners will be required to follow certain "rules" if they want to keep their dogs. Those rules are usually - the dogs must be confined or on leashes at all times and they must be muzzled in public.

And I hate to say it but... anyone who owns a dog-aggressive Presa Canario and lets it run loose, has no regard for your safety, much less your opinion. IMO, the only way they are going to leash their dog is if the court tells them to.

 

[Doja's Mommy]

Personally, I think this is something you will want to think long and hard about. I wouldn't feel good about doing this unless I knew in my heart that I had done everything in my power to make the right decision. I would go talk to them, but thats just me. Maybe its a misunderstanding, or lack of communication somewhere in this mess. The reason I say this is because, often people will make judgements about our very own boxers, I see this all the time at the dog park, just because of how they 'sound' or 'look' when they're playin around.

Theres probably a lot more you can do on your part to make sure you are making the right decision by signing those tickets. This would be so that you can feel comfortable with the decision that you need make.

 

[JohnHigh]

Although they are good companions, Presa Canario dogs are bred specifically for protection & aggression, and are known to be aggressive toward other dogs (and strangers). A responsible owner should not allow this dog to be off leash, at least in an environment where they will interact with other dogs unknown to them. Like any aggressive breed, I'm sure they can be wonderfully affectionate dogs, good companions, and are not deserving of destruction, but they do need to be owned and kept responsibly. In the situation you describe, it's likely the owner is perhaps a bit reckless and unpredictable (owners similar to their dogs, yes?) which means the owners may not respond to your request for controlling their dogs. I would try once, to be civil, then lean on the authorities to help. Good luck, and keep your babies safe!

 

[Hberry23]

Sign the tickets if this has happened more than once they should have had them on a leash! Don't contact them if they didn't say or do anything in the park they should be held responsible! Who knows if they even vaccinate their dog.(no collar?) Hopefully you or your baby were not injured.

I agree sign the ticket, these people sound irrisponcible I feel sorry for the dog :( it's all about the owner.

 

[LouDogs_Dad]

Yeah the no tag thing

Yeah the no tag thing killed me!!!! No I did not attempt to talk to them after the 1st incident. I was hoping they'd learn their lesson and realize THEY ARE IN THE WRONG. My boy is on lead!!!!! Lt. Had a small cut on his booty from the attack I think I was more traumatized then him. Has anyone googled the breed they are gargantuant!!!! And just like pits apperently bred to fight at least originally. Once again I don't support 'breed specific legisltaion'. But there is a responsibility to restrain all dogs but an even bigger responsibilty to those who own large breeds and bully breeds!!!! I owned a pit before 'Ebony' she was destroyed because she killed the neighbors cat so I am a big fan of pits but there is a greater responsibility when owning one as opposed to say my shit tzu. If my shit tzu attacked you or another dog he might hurt your ankle but a 200 lb dog is quite capable of delivering massive damage. Boxers are too!!! Lt. is the most loving dog but his amount of damage in an attack is much greater than that of my shit tzu's. And a pitbull's damage would usually be far greater than a boxers. I know there are always exceptions to the rules but in general..........

 

[carver1102]

if it were me i would sign the ticket. these people are obvisouly irresponsible people. the fact that this has happened once is one thing, but it happened again, and STILL NO LEASH! seriously, they are not responsible enough to even have a dog. my brother has a 200 lb dog that lives with us, he is extremly people aggressive, and dog aggressive. my boxer and his dog can NEVER be in the same room together. my brother uses extreme caution, when he takes his dog for a walk. unfortunatley, he has to use a choker chain. he has tried everything, but that is the only thing that works for his horse of a dog, (very aggressive). i am a believer in the dog takes the owners personality, but he is a rare case. my point is, people who own dogs that are known for aggression, need to know there are major responsibilty issues. if they are not willing to take the precautions, then they shouldn't own a dog.

 

[Tucker's Mom]

One thing to consider - Presa Canarios are often referred to as "Super Pits" (although they really don't have that much in common physically). They have the same strong will, protective nature, and general temperment as a Pitbull and must be trained and socialized properly. And they are natural alphas with natural dog aggression if not completely socialized at a young age. But, while a Pit is not a dog you want to cross, a presa carario is ten times worse - just imagine the jaws and speed of a Pit on that massive of a body. Even a standard dominance scuff could leave another dog or person crippled or worse, and the presa may not even realize its own brute force (there is a reason that is breed is favored by the idiots who participate in dog fighting, afterall). This is something you should seriously consider. Now, I love both breeds (pits and presas) and would do anything in the world to keep them from being destroyed, but considering that this has happened twice, I strongly feel that you should at least sign one of the tickets, and consider signing the other.

 

[Arty]

man this is tricky. You have done the right thing in notifying the authorities. Now onto the tickets. Hmm...it's always tough to have to have judgement on another person and their animals, when the only encounter you have with them is once or twice at a park.

While I do agree it is irresponsible to have their dogs not on leashes (especially with no collars and tags!), that should not only apply to them. Any dog running "free" can be aggressive.

That being said, here is what I would do first? Do you know of any other problems of other people bringing their dogs to the park and being attacked by them? It is possible(even though the breed is generally an aggressive dog) that this is an isolated incident with only yours. That is where possible some other people who have had this happen come into play. If not, and this has been a problem with other dogs, then I would immediately sign the tickets. Obviously they have not learned their lesson.

If you are unable to find out if there have been altercations with other dogs, then I would talk to them before signing the tickets. They could be very loving parents to this dog, and take very good care of it at home, etc.

Just a quick question about some background, and this may change my answer completely...both times your dog was attacked, where were these people. Were they just standing their watching? Did they make any attempt to break it up? I know you said they didn't say anything, but did they do anything?

Even though this has happened twice, I would investigate just a little further to see if anyone else has had problems.

also, and this is something you unfortunately might have to consider..if you DO talk to them, and then sign the tickets, they will have a pretty good idea where the tickets came from.