Recently in dog aggression Category

Thanks to Daily Breeze crime reporter Larry Altman for alerting us to the news that a 24-hour tip line to report dog fighting has been launched in Los Angeles County.

The program will pay tipsters up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest or conviction of individuals involved in dog fighting. From the press release:

Beginning today, residents can call 1-877-NO2FITE and provide information about a dog fighting ring, an upcoming dog fight or an individual who is involved in dog fighting.

If someone is aware of a fight in progress, they should call 911 immediately, said District Attorney Steve Cooley.

"Our goal is to encourage citizens to help law enforcement root out a brutal crime that often goes unreported and occurs in the shadows," Cooley said during a press conference.

The Humane Society of the United States is co-sponsoring the program. 

Calls will be answered by a person 24 hours a day.

The Humane Society estimates that dog fighting is widespread in L.A. County. And dog fighting, Cooley said, often leads to busting people of other crimes, including drug dealing and weapons possession.

"We expect that these tips will be a starting point for major criminal investigations," he said.

I still remember talking with a young boy, probably about 10, at the Long Beach dog park one afternoon maybe 15 years ago. He was walking home and stopped by just to visit the dog park with a friend. He mentioned to me that someone in his neighborhood was involved in dog fighting and that the kids sometimes went to watch. I was horrified and urged him never to watch such a thing, that it was both immoral and illegal, and that someone really should report it. But ever since I was sorry I didn't try to get more information out of him about who and where so I could have reported it to the authorities myself.

Animal control and police officers I've spoken to since acknowledge dog fighting goes on in our local communities. But because it operates in such an underground world, they have a very hard time getting enough details in a timely manner to make arrests.

Maybe this hotline and the monetary rewards will help.  

The  SPCA-LA has sent out "House Rules for Children and Pets" in response to a story in today's Daily Breeze (you do read the newspaper, right?).

Crime reporter Larry Altman's article about a family pit bull who grabbed a 17-month-old boy's face in its mouth has generated some 100 comments from readers online so far (see the jump here for some samplings). The toddler apparently touched or pulled the dog's tail and the dog bit the baby in the face, leaving him with severe puncture wounds on his forehead and cheek.

It happened in the family's home in the 1000 block of Palos Verdes Boulevard in Redondo Beach.

The SPCA is urging parents to "never leave a child under the age of 8 unattended with a dog."

Pet owners also need to be vigilant in watching for warning signs such as food guarding or other aggressive behavior.

Specifically, the SPCA offers these preventative recommendations:

• An adult must be present at all times when children and pets interact.
• Teach children to respect pets as living things, not toys or objects.
• Teach the child not to sneak up on pets or tease them. Don't allow children to "ride" the dog.
• Pets shouldn't be handled or picked up by children. Pets should always keep a secure footing.
• Loud noises such as screams and fast moves such as running, hitting, or throwing objects at animals can trigger defensive reactions.
• No child should be permitted to act out aggression or other behaviors on pets.
• Allow your pet to seek solace by reserving a quiet place where children are not allowed, such as a dog crate.
• Don't let a child distrub a pet when it is sleeping or eating.
• Training a pet should be a family affair. Everyone should be involved.
• As a parent or adult, set a good example by following the house rules.

We've  posted before about pit bulls, but the SPCA says "no breed is exclusively good as a family pet."

Agree? Or not?

Sandy's former neighbor Lisa was at a Long Beach laundromat Friday night with her dog, Sugie Bear, a white furball of a Bichon Frise who is Lisa's constant companion. (That's Sugie Bear in the camera phone shot at right, in happier days playing with Sandy's T-shirted dog, Desi).

Sugie Bear was standing in the laundromat's open door -- she'd been taken off her retractable leash for the moment -- like she has hundreds of times before as Lisa was collecting her laundry at around 8:30 p.m. A man pulled up to the curb and opened his car door, presumably to get his laundry out.

Like many of these incidents, time probably clicked into agonizing slow motion for those involved at that point -- the man's pit bull dog charged out of the car's open door and viciously attacked the 2-year-old smaller dog. Both owners tried to frantically separate the animals, eventually succeeding. But not before the near fatal damage was done.

Major surgery and literally hundreds of stitches were required at the animal ER in Bellflower (VCA Lakewood Animal Hospital). Sugie is now home recuperating. But she's far from out of the woods. Aside from still being on large amounts of pain medications, Sugie is on heavy doses of antibiotics which doctors hope will prevent infection. The next couple days are crucial.

"She is the sweetest dog," Sandy said. "They literally had to sew the bottom half of her body back together. She is now fighting for her life."

On top of it all, Lisa lost a chunk of her thumb in the fray.

But that's probably nothing compared to the mental anguish of watching her dog go through something like that. Sandy was told there was blood everywhere in the landromat and in the back seat of the car as Lisa's friend drove the traumatized dog owner -- holding her screaming pet in her lap -- to the nearest after-hours pet hospital.

On the plus side, the owner of the other dog did provide a credit card on which to charge the surgery.

Probably all kinds of "coulda - shoulda" hindsight lessons can be learned here. But this is the main one in my mind: Dogs should never be allowed to simply "jump out" of a parked car uncontrolled. My dogs ride in the back of my vehicle, but after I open the back door, they know they must WAIT until I have a firm grip on both leashes AND give them the "OK" command before they are allowed to exit. 

In the meantime, be sure to send up some prayers this week for little Sugie Bear, the doctors who are treating her, and her owner. We'll keep you posted on the outcome.