Aggressive Dog RANT @$#^%$#%$*&^#$^@%

[gwoods]

I don't want to start a anti dog or anti dog breed thread. The purpose of this thread is to discuss my situation and what LEGAL options I have.

I live in a neighborhood built in 2001-2004 pre-housing boom most of my neighbors are the original owners and I know almost everyone on my street and everyone within view of my house. We have an HOA, but it is a good HOA if there was such a thing.

The street that intersects my street has a house on either side of it about midway down the street that has aggressive dogs living there. The one house not such a big deal, I will call it house B. At B house they walk their dog, I think there is just 1. They pick up after it and they use a leash. They have signs up and their dog does not try to eat anyone who walks by. At house A if the family is outside the 2 large dogs and one large dog puppy are outside with them. They do not use leashes, no signs and I have not once in the 3 years they have lived there seen the dogs walked. House A is a 2200 square feet single stories on 6600 square foot lots. House B is slightly smaller same size lot.

2 years ago while driving home I witness the dogs from house A attacking a dog of the same breed that a woman was walking on a leash. I had to slam on the brakes to keep from running of the 3 dogs trying to rip each others throats out in the middle of the street. When I the neighbors finally got their animals separated I rolled my window down to tell them they should keep the dogs on a leash. Turns out the neighbors are just as aggressive as their animals. I gave up and went home. Called 911 to report the dogs attacking another dog. While on the phone with 911 the 'man' from house A comes and does a COP knock on my security door. I told the operator what he was up to and they advised me to stay inside they were rolling a unit to me. The officers that responded were not impressed with the situation and left without taking a report that I am aware or.

Tonight the families in house A and B were talking in their respective yards when again the dogs from house A attacked. This time they went after the dog that lives in house B. I was outside and so were a couple of the other neighbors. We all commented on how it is just going to be a matter of time before those dogs eat someone.

So I have witnessed these dogs attacking other dogs twice. What are my legal options?

I live in Maricopa County, Phoenix Arizona. My HOA has no language about dogs of any kind.

[Amays U G37S]

HOA, you need to complain to them, and always file police reports, no matter what happens.

[vocationalzero]

Don't call 911... call animal control and tell them the situation. All the cops can do for the most part is dealing with the owners, not so much the dogs. They will call animal control, but they have to see the dogs basically eating a small child...
*insert small child here*

[dre1507]

That's crazy. Hope you get something done about it soon.

[AZhitman]

G - Call Animal Control. ASAP.

Also, call Phx PD's public relations number, and file a complaint. That's BS that they didn't do anything about the wackjob dog owner coming on your property. THAT is intimidation. F him and his useless "pets".

See Sections 8-14 and 8-16.01: http://library.municode.com/HTML/13485/ ... PELAWELIPE

Here's the deal, and the dog-loving pinheads can spare me their whining: Those dogs, if they're that aggressive, are miserable... they have NO quality of life. AND, it's only a matter of time before they hurt someone badly, and in my world, people > dogs.

In our city (not too far from you), one call and the dog owners are warned. Second call - dog's gone.

My dogs NEVER annoyed a neighbor, intimidated anyone, or did anything to be a nuisance. I expect the same consideration from everyone who lives near me. If they can't extend me that respect, then they can be former dog owners. I don't care.

Sorry, I'm a bit inflexible about that topic.

[hitbychance]

not sure how it works down there but up here we have a 3 strike sometimes even 2 strike rule on dogs, after 2 bites or attacks the dogs are removed from the owner and either sent somewhere they can be trained or they get put down.

[Bubba1]

It sounds like your heart was in the right place, but Animal control is who you should have called. Unless you were being directly attacked/threatened by those dogs, you don't use 911. 911 is for emergencies only. You even acknowledged the owners broke up the fight, so I can imagine the cops being annoyed for dropping everything for an emergency call for something that was clearly not an emergency.

that said, Every state/county has their own rules as far as leash laws or aggressive animals. It might be two strikes or 3 strikes before an attacking animal gets put down. IMHO you might want to speak with the neighbor whose dog actually got attacked twice and suggest she file a complaint at the police station (not 911) to get it on record. You could go as a witness. If the dog required first aid as a result of the attacks, it's more likely the bad dog owner will get a ticket over a warning, and might have to provide proof of rabies shots..

Hopefully that will be enough to convince bad dog owner to keep his pets under control. If he doesn't, then you're a step closer to getting the bad dog put down.

[Rev_D21]

Most dog owners are stupid. They think dogs are a 'set and forget' type of animal. Eventually the dogs become to leaders of the pack and the owners don't do anything about it. I say punish the owners for their irresponsibility. The dogs should be taken away from them because they don't know how to properly care for the dogs. A dog needs to be respected like a loaded gun. They are great animals, I love mine to death but at the same time mine doesn't run the house and is never out of my sight when we are walking outside. Dog problems should fall entirely on the owner. We'd have more responsible dog ownership if more owners were held accountable.

[themadscientist]

I'm just sayin....

[Bubba1]

Most dog owners are stupid. They think dogs are a 'set and forget' type of animal. Eventually the dogs become to leaders of the pack and the owners don't do anything about it. I say punish the owners for their irresponsibility. The dogs should be taken away from them because they don't know how to properly care for the dogs. A dog needs to be respected like a loaded gun. They are great animals, I love mine to death but at the same time mine doesn't run the house and is never out of my sight when we are walking outside. Dog problems should fall entirely on the owner. We'd have more responsible dog ownership if more owners were held accountable.

Well said. There are no bad dogs, just bad owners. But to get the dogs away from bad owners requires repeated documentation with the correct authorities.

[Encryptshun]

Most dog owners are stupid. They think dogs are a 'set and forget' type of animal. Eventually the dogs become to leaders of the pack and the owners don't do anything about it. I say punish the owners for their irresponsibility. The dogs should be taken away from them because they don't know how to properly care for the dogs. A dog needs to be respected like a loaded gun. They are great animals, I love mine to death but at the same time mine doesn't run the house and is never out of my sight when we are walking outside. Dog problems should fall entirely on the owner. We'd have more responsible dog ownership if more owners were held accountable.

Well said. There are no bad dogs, just bad owners. But to get the dogs away from bad owners requires repeated documentation with the correct authorities.

x2

[frapjap]

Interesting story in my local paper this morning.



Weld Street pit bull is put down after killing Chihuahua, biting manText Size: A | A | A
Print this Article Email this Article ShareThisBy Dan McDonald
[email protected]
April 06, 2011 12:00 AMMost Viewed Stories
Suspects sought in shooting near schoolTrawling giant shuts down, blames bureaucratsWeld Street pit bull is put down after killing Chihuahua, biting manEmail hackers are phishing for your personal data — so don't bite! Mark R. LewinDartmouth man pleads guilty in conspiracy to smuggle $8.1M in marijuanaGilberto TorresNEW BEDFORD — A pit bull killed a Chihuahua and bit a man who tried to save the 10-pound pooch outside a Weld Street three-floor tenement Friday, according to two of the building's tenants.

The pit bull has since been put down.

The city's animal control officer, Manny Maciel, said the matter is still under investigation.

Jessica Cornejo, owner of the 2-year-old Chihuahua named Petey, is adamant she knows exactly what happened.

She says her boyfriend, who declined to give his name, was on the side porch of their apartment building when two unleashed pit bulls came around from the front of the house around 8 p.m. Friday. One of them grabbed her pet and carried it in its jaws off the porch. The Chihuahua was momentarily freed and ran underneath a parked Jeep before the pit bull seized the dog again and began shaking its head with the Chihuahua in its mouth.

Cornejo's boyfriend hit one of the dogs with a shovel and tried to scare the pit bulls off. He said he was bit in the hand and lower leg but does not plan to press any charges. Cornejo, who was not home at the time, said the two pit bulls fought over her dog; Maciel said the second pit bull was not directly involved in the attack and has not been put down. The fate of the second pit bull has yet to be determined.

Cornejo said her dog had bite marks to the abdomen, was "gasping for air" and ultimately died of its wounds.

Unruly pit bulls pose a "big problem in the city," said Cornejo, who also owns a pit bull named Diamond, along with a Chihuahua Shih Tzu mix named Bella. "People need to know how to better control their dogs," she said.

The owner of the pit bull that was put down is listed in the animal control report as Melissa Jordan. She lives on the third floor of the 211 Weld St. building.

Cornejo lives on the first floor. Jordan could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Cornejo said she has not seen Jordan since the incident.

Last summer, three mixed-breed pit bulls attacked a 22-year-old college student in the area of County and Robeson streets. The attack left the student with wounds to the arms and face. It also touched off a debate about whether the city should adopt stiffer, breed-specific rules regarding pit bulls.

A proposal regarding breed-specific regulations still sits in a City Council committee.

On Tuesday, one of the proponents of breed-specific rules, City Councilor Debora Coelho, said she wants to revisit the issue.

Coelho wants something akin to Boston's rules, which require a special registration process for specific breeds, require that pit bull owners be 18 and put restrictions on breeding certain breeds. In the past, she has proposed requiring pit bull owners to alert landlords of their presence in rental units.

"I see it firsthand: There has been a rise in teenagers and younger people purchasing pit bulls. They look like they can't handle their dogs," said Coelho.

Coelho said breed-specific regulations "is the way to go."

"This kind of breed has been proving over and over again that they're causing an issue with public safety," said Coelho.

Not everyone agrees.

"For me, the breed isn't the problem, it's the irresponsible owner," said City Councilor Steven Martins. "A dog is only as good as its owner."

In 2005, New Bedford enacted an ordinance regulating dangerous dogs, based on the individual dog's behavior. Ordinance provisions include that these dogs be spayed or neutered, fixed with microchip identification and be muzzled or leashed in public.

Penalties for violating any part of the ordinance are $300 per day.

Sadly this is the way it is here- irresponsible ownership leads to aggravating laws for those who can properly care for a dog.

[gwoods]

G - Call Animal Control. ASAP.

Also, call Phx PD's public relations number, and file a complaint. That's BS that they didn't do anything about the wackjob dog owner coming on your property. THAT is intimidation. F him and his useless "pets".

See Sections 8-14 and 8-16.01: http://library.municode.com/HTML/13485/ ... PELAWELIPE

Here's the deal, and the dog-loving pinheads can spare me their whining: Those dogs, if they're that aggressive, are miserable... they have NO quality of life. AND, it's only a matter of time before they hurt someone badly, and in my world, people > dogs.

In our city (not too far from you), one call and the dog owners are warned. Second call - dog's gone.

My dogs NEVER annoyed a neighbor, intimidated anyone, or did anything to be a nuisance. I expect the same consideration from everyone who lives near me. If they can't extend me that respect, then they can be former dog owners. I don't care.

Sorry, I'm a bit inflexible about that topic.

Man I always appreciate your point of view! I think I will stop in to animal control and tell them what my concerns are. The West Phoenix site is on my way home.

I know that the wackjob intended to intimidate me but I did not feel intimidated I'm a much bigger guy then he is. 911 operator told me not to open the door so I did not.

I think I missed my opportunity since the first dog fight in the street was about 2 years ago. The fight I saw last night was between Neighbor A and B which are buddies. Neighbor B which has the same breed dog that is under control, walked on a leash, this house has a woman who is not. This lady, we call her the block watch lady because she organized our block watch (which is now inactive?). She takes it upon herself to cruise our neighborhood looking for HOA violations putting her own notes on cars that are left out on the street overnight. If someones trash can is out the morning day after the pickup day she leaves a note. I have never received one of her notes but I see her leaving notes when I'm headed to work. She is crazy, I try to stay away from crazy... don't want to get any on me.

I think I might have found a great solution on the Maricopa County Animal Care & Control website:
My neighbor has aggressive dogs. What do I do?
MCACC enforces leash laws, pet licensing, and animal bite issues. However, anyone can file a vicious dog petition, even if the dog has not yet bitten. If you feel the dog is a real threat, file a claim with your local city or justice court.

[gwoods]

I'm just sayin....

I was thinking about adopting a Chihuahua and a 45 ACP. Walk them both around the block every day, when opportunity comes knocking problem solved. The only flaw in this plan is an innocent Chihuahua will probably have to die.

[AZhitman]

Breed-specific rules are stupid.

Aggressive, zero-tolerance enforcement of existing codes and laws is the answer.

The dog owner in George's case should have been cited for leash law violations as well as possession of a vicious dog, and he ALSO should have been issued a stern warning about harassing the complainant (for knocking on his door).

It's unfortunate that people put their "love for animals" above the safety and peaceful conditions of the people who have to live around them.

[gwoods]

Breed-specific rules are stupid.

Aggressive, zero-tolerance enforcement of existing codes and laws is the answer.

The dog owner in George's case should have been cited for leash law violations as well as possession of a vicious dog, and he ALSO should have been issued a stern warning about harassing the complainant (for knocking on his door).

Some HOA's have rules against keeping specific breeds. If you want a 150lb dog you need to know how to take care of a 150lb dog. That is the root problem. IMO my neighborhood is a less then ideal place to keep a dog that is that big and also aggressive.

I'll let you all know what Animal Control suggests and if I make it to court to file the vicious dog complaint. I should have done this after the first attack 2 years ago. I am NEVER outside in the front except for weekly yard work less then an hour. I kind of forgot about it until I saw what I saw yesterday!

[AZhitman]

Scary, nonetheless.

We've been through it with the City of Phoenix... I chose to handle things a little unconventionally, but regardless, it can be maddening.

Might not be a bad idea to find out who the lender is on that property - From there, you should be able to find out who insures it. If they're made aware of the presence of an aggressive dog, they can drop the person's homeowners' insurance.

How much you want to bet the guy never even DISCLOSED that he had the dog? (That's a requirement when you apply for a policy...)

[gwoods]

Scary, nonetheless.

We've been through it with the City of Phoenix... I chose to handle things a little unconventionally, but regardless, it can be maddening.

Might not be a bad idea to find out who the lender is on that property - From there, you should be able to find out who insures it. If they're made aware of the presence of an aggressive dog, they can drop the person's homeowners' insurance.

How much you want to bet the guy never even DISCLOSED that he had the dog? (That's a requirement when you apply for a policy...)

I like the way you think! The problem is the crazy block watch lady.... she thinks the same way and even though the neighbor's dogs tried to eat hers I bet I would have her calling my homeowners insurance and telling them I run a meth lab or something equally crazy. My life is for the most part unbeliveably spectacular I don't want to have a pissing match with the psycopath at the end of the street.

I'm going to try to tell all this to Animal Control today, I have their house address with me. I'll see what they suggest.

In the 911 call, I told the operator this clown is knocking on my front door. She asked if I had any weapons in the house, I said, I live in Arizona LOL. Then she asked if I was armed I said I can be. SIR DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR we are sending a unit to you.

[AZhitman]

Hahaha, nicely done.

I don't blame you for wanting to "lie low", however. I'm exceptionally nice to my neighbors, considering I probably push the limits of the HOA rules with my hobby.

[Chaotic_Warlord]

While I'm not a big fan of Pit Bulls (I'm more of a Mastiff guy), I have to say that Pits are getting a bad wrap b/c of all the thugs and ghetto retards who train them to be aggressive, so breed specific laws are stupid. I'm more wary of a cocker spaniel, pomeranian, or a spitz than I am any other breed because frankly it's the little dogs that are more than likely to be aggressive (Napolean Syndrome). As far as your situation goes Animal Control is definitely the way to go, the police general won't do anything unless a person is attacked.

Most dog owners are stupid. They think dogs are a 'set and forget' type of animal. Eventually the dogs become to leaders of the pack and the owners don't do anything about it. I say punish the owners for their irresponsibility. The dogs should be taken away from them because they don't know how to properly care for the dogs. A dog needs to be respected like a loaded gun. They are great animals, I love mine to death but at the same time mine doesn't run the house and is never out of my sight when we are walking outside. Dog problems should fall entirely on the owner. We'd have more responsible dog ownership if more owners were held accountable.

Well said. There are no bad dogs, just bad owners. But to get the dogs away from bad owners requires repeated documentation with the correct authorities.

The same could be said about kids, OP does the house that has the aggressive dogs also have aggressive kids? If the dogs are aggressive and nasty and the owners are aggressive and nasty I'm willing to bet the kids are or will be your neighborhoods worst nightmare.

[gwoods]

I currently owe 47% more on my house then what I could sell it in 30 days for. But I only have 10 years and 9 months left on a 15 year. I am betting my home loan and the housing market cross paths in less the 5 years when I will move into something with a big yard. THEN it is Mastiff time baby! I have 3 sons so I NEED 3 dogs right?


Not the car Hooch, don't eat the car Hooch, not the CAR!

[snwbrdr435]

I am an "animal lover" but if a dog were to attack me etc. They would probably be shot.

[Chaotic_Warlord]

I am an "animal lover" but if a dog were to attack me etc. They would probably be shot.

Aww c'mon, man up and break that bishes neck all COD style, that stab it in the brain for good measure.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

I'm just sayin....

Does not work anymore...silly feds feeling the need to add a bittering agent so stupid children don't gargle with coolant.

[Bubba1]

I. THEN it is Mastiff time baby! I have 3 sons so I NEED 3 dogs right?

Keep in mind, someone has to scoop that poop, whether it's in your yard or during a walk. Mastiff's produce quite a bit of it. And most parents enter into dog ownership with the expectation that their kids'll take care of it...