PIT BULL OWNER speaks out after attack on beagle

Trentonian ^

[Chet 99]

Published: Saturday, June 05, 2010

By JOEY KULKIN Staff Writer

BORDENTOWN CITY — The pit bull that attacked a beagle in front of schoolchildren Friday morning was adopted by a woman who defended herself in a phone interview with The Trentonian yesterday.

“I have not gone away in about two years because I don’t like leaving my animals alone,” the 27-year-old woman said while crying. “I go away for one night, and this is what happens. I am not a bad person.”

The woman said she rescued the female pit bull from a Hamilton shelter in 2007 and that a year later the pit was attacked by another dog in Hamilton. “And ever since then she’s been weird about dogs.”

She said the yellow labrador wandering the streets with the pit bull is hers, too. She left them in the care of her sister when she went to a friend’s wedding. The dogs broke out of the yard Friday morning and found their way to Crosswicks Street, which runs between the Clara Barton and MacFarland schools.

Lori Boberg had walked her kids to school and said she was standing at a corner waiting to cross the street when the pit bull leapt over the lab and attacked Allie, a 15-year-old beagle mix with terminal cancer — and then all hell broke loose.

“I feel bad for her, too. You never want to hear that your dog does something like that,” Boberg told The Trentonian yesterday in a video taped at the site of the attack. “She was very sincere and felt terrible and said right away that she wants to pay any bills we have.

“She was very, very nice. I don’t hold a grudge against her, I just wish her dog hadn’t done that. But I don’t blame her.”

The pit bull’s crying owner said her dog has rabies shots and that she reads book after book on how to raise the controversial breed.

“I have a big fence. I take precautions,” she said. “I’m not the kind of person who has a pit bull as a status symbol. I care for her very much.”

She said her pit bull will be quarantined for 10 days.

* * *

Reporter's note: For the next month I will be working on a series of stories about pit bulls. I urge anyone who wants to be a contributing part of the conversation to e-mail me at jkulkin@trentonian.com. I will be delegating responsibilities so that we can collect the best data and provide the most well-rounded series possible. Time is of the essence. July 4 is the target date for the first set of stories to appear in The Trentonian in digital form and in print.

[Eaker]

I came home from work one evening and no one else was there. I sat at my desk and began "working" and watched as that dog walked into the kitchen/breakfast room then into the den in front of me. He then walked into the table between mine and TheMom's desk and bonk.

I realized that for some reason a blind pit bull was walking around the house. I did what everyone else with any sense would do, I called him over and petted him.

A few hours later Tommy showed up and explained that "he" was baby sitting him for a few days and forgot to tell us.

He got along fine with everyone and was a real sweetheart even though he was a bit challenged being blind and all. He did learn his way around really quickly though and fit right in. I was sad to see him go.

Here is him smiling!

[JoeProBono]

[Eaker]

I bet this story would make some of the pit haters here ruin some drawers!

[Eaker]

[shibumi]

Straight-up question Chet.

Are you a member of PETA?

Do you sympathize with their objectives?

(OK, ok ... that was two questions.)

[Chet 99]

No — how about you? PETA loves pit bulls.

[shibumi]

Nope! Not me.

PS - You might want to educate yourself on PETA's position regarding the breed. Turns out they don't love 'em so much afterall. Here it is from their own website:

"PETA’s Position on Pit Bull Bans Legislatures across the country are increasingly seeking to ban pit bulls in an effort to crack down on dogfighting and prevent attacks by pit bulls. PETA supports legislation that bans the breeding of pit bulls, just as we support any spay/neuter legislation as the most effective way to combat the tragic companion animal overpopulation problem. We also support pit bull bans, as long as they include a grandfather clause allowing all living dogs who are already in good homes and well cared for to live the remainder of their lives safely and peacefully.

Of course they leave one question open. Namely, just who is going to determine what constitutes a "good home" and a "well cared for" dog? (Darn! Two questions again!)

Oh, yeah ..... And what are they going to do to the dogs that don't fit their definition? (Double Darn! Three questions!)

And one other thing .....Which breed will they go after once this demon is gone? (You do know they are against humans having pets altogether, don't you?)

[Chet 99]

“Mafia Wars removes pit bulls in response to PETA complaint”

http://blog.games.com/2010/05/11/mafia-wars-removes-pit-bulls-in-response-to-peta-complaint/

[shibumi]

That’s interesting, but I’m not sure I get your point.

[TNdandelion]

I've had a Boxer and like with any dog, you have to be diligent about training. When it comes to big dogs, certain types of playing and rough housing with them is inherently more dangerous because they are more powerful due to their size.

Sadly, many people have wrong ideas about "play" with their dogs and can actually encourage aggressive behavior through it or they simply don't think that an 80-100lb dog could hurt them if they jump, scratch or whatever and they fail to train their dog accordingly.

My brother has a smallish dog that he has turned aggressive through aggressive play and rough housing. He's bitten several people and I won't have anything to do with the dog or let my kids around it. People also don't really take it all that seriously because he's only about 25lbs and they think it's "cute."

[alstewartfan]

OK, I overstated the case. But if you had two “friendly” pit bulls attack you while walking your dog in the past month, as I have, you’d sing a different tune. Your dog may be friendly in YOUR enviros, but don’t trust him outside of it. I’m sure that the woman who “owned” that mauling chimp thought that there was nothing to fear as well... Bob

[Eaker]

but don’t trust him outside of it.

I'll trust my dogs as I see fit and I suggest you do the same.

[alstewartfan]

You trust your pit bull, I’ll trust my weapon, thank you.

[Eaker]

You trust your pit bull, I’ll trust my weapon, thank you.

As my weapon protects my pit as well. I would certainly spill juman blood in his defense.

[solosmoke]

“OK, I overstated the case. But if you had two “friendly” pit bulls attack you while walking your dog in the past month, as I have, you’d sing a different tune. Your dog may be friendly in YOUR enviros, but don’t trust him outside of it. I’m sure that the woman who “owned” that mauling chimp thought that there was nothing to fear as well... Bob”<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Do you think that dogs running loose are to blame for their actions, or do you think the owners should be blamed, since their irresponsibility led to the dogs being outside running loose in the first place? By the way, when a dog is running loose, you can assume that the owner is probably doing a lot more to damage the dog’s temperament than just letting it run around. Same goes for those who chain their dogs or keep them intact. Experts all agree these are the reasons for dog attacks, not dog breeds. This is why there are 13 thousand dog attacks daily in this country (even though we only hear about a couple- the ones involving pit bulls). There are over 50 breeds of dog that have taken human lives, and the vast majority of them involve the same type of owners/situations, according to the CDC.

[alstewartfan]

Good point, of course. When I was a kid, the nastiest dog around was a German Shepherd. And the disgusting people let it loose at times. I do blame the people. A dog is a dog, like any other animal. Bob