Armed Neighbors End Dog Attacks

http://carrollwood.tbo.com/carrollwood/MGAIHP0ZMBD.html ^ | 2/1/2003 | SEAN C. LEDIG

[2nd_Amendment_Defender]

TAMPA - Teresa Castellano knows that some folks saved her life. She just doesn't know who they are. Castellano, 25, her daughter, Alysa McBride, 6, and her daughter's friend, Kaitlyn Green, 8, survived a recent attack from two Rottweilers and a pit bull.

It is an amazing story of horror and heroism.

Castellano said it began while she was watching the girls at Kaitlyn's home on Jan. 18. Kaitlyn's father, Sean Green, had stepped out for 10 minutes to run an errand.

Castellano, of Land O' Lakes, said she and the girls laughed at something on television, and that apparently sparked the dogs to start barking and growling. She soon realized the dogs were not playing, and she sensed it might get worse.

She asked the girls to quiet down so the dogs would relax.

It never happened.

The dogs attacked.

``When [the Rottweilers] saw the fear, one of them started biting Kaitlyn,'' Castellano said. ``I told them to stop screaming because they were making the dogs upset.''

Castellano said she laid on the girls to try and protect them from the dogs. She then tried to block the dogs to give the girls a chance to escape to a bedroom.

Nothing was working. The Rottweilers were going wild.

So Castellano and the girls bolted outside the house at 8126 Bay Drive. The girls ran to safety in a neighbor's house while Castellano distracted the dogs. The pit bull, Petey, joined in the attack.

The commotion outside attracted the attention of neighbors and a motorist passing by.

John M. Anderson and his wife were in their car and leaving a friend's house nearby when they passed by and saw three dogs attacking Castellano, according to a Hillsborough County sheriff's report. Anderson drove into the driveway and began blasting the horn and yelling out the window, trying to scare the dogs and allow Castellano to get into the car.

It seemed to work. The dogs stopped biting Castellano, but she couldn't make it to his car.

Anderson, 22, was about to get out of his car when he looked over his shoulder and saw a man toting a pistol. He kept honking his horn and sped away to get his friend, Justin Turner, who lived nearby.

The man with gun was Winston H. Harr, a next-door neighbor. He had heard screaming outside and grabbed his Kimber .45-caliber pistol. His wife, Deborah, came, too.

Harr said he saw Anderson's car moving back and forth in the driveway, and three dogs attacking a woman. Harr fired three shots into the ground to try and scare the dogs. They screamed at the dogs, but it didn't seem to matter. Deborah Harr called the dogs by name, and they stopped momentarily.

Then, without warning, the dogs charged at Harr. The pit bull bit him on the leg before Harr trained his pistol and fired, hitting the dog in the head. He also fired at one of the Rottweilers, and it fell to the ground.

Harr, a librarian's assistant at Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library near Carrollwood, said he fired the rest of his bullets at the third dog, and it seemed to back away. He bolted for his house for more ammunition and a flashlight.

Turner, who had heard the screams and was told by Anderson of the attacking dogs, grabbed his Glock .40-caliber pistol and ran to the scene. He was told there were three dogs, and only one was dead.

Turner, 33, told deputies he positioned himself between the wounded Castellano and the Rottweilers. When one of the dogs made a move toward him, he fired. Deputies believe it was his bullet that wounded the dog.

At that point, both Rottweilers retreated into the house.

Also arriving at the scene was neighbor George Lease, a Tampa police detective. Carrying his 9mm pistol, he found Harr and Turner at the house with their guns.

While Deborah Harr and Anderson comforted Castellano, the three armed neighbors searched the house and found the dogs, one wounded and on a couch and other other laying on the living room floor.

The wounded Rottweiler was euthanized later that night at Florida Veterinary Specialists, said Dennis McCullough, an investigator for Hillsborough County Animal Services.

The other Rottweiler was placed under quarantine at Animal Services until Wednesday, when it was euthanized.

Alysa was released from St. Joseph's Hospital on Jan. 26; Castellano remained hospitalized this week due to infections from the bites. Both mother and daughter needed more than 100 stitches each to close the wounds on their bodies.

Kaitlyn's injuries required 20 stitches, said her mother, Jennifer Harvey of Town 'N Country.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said no one will be charged in the incident.

For Castellano, she said she doesn't know who fired the shots that spared her from the dogs.

``I thank them with all my heart. They saved my life.''

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

I had a wonderful dachshund. But you're right, they do bite. Mine, under duress, bit two people that I am aware of. Instead of being one-person dogs (like a chihuahua) they are one-family dogs. Kind of a "chihuahua lite."

My LEAST favorite dog is a Chow.

I used to ride my horse through our rural neighborhood in Florida. There was a Rot on the corner, and the owners let him out all the time, and he was vicious. One particular day he got after us, and I just stopped the horse and said, "okay, Phoenix," and then felt the impact of the horse's hoof meeting the Rot's body. He never got after us again.

Right now, we have an elderly golden. He will be our last dog for awhile, I think. He's never bitten anyone.

[Rasputin_TheMadMonk]

Another glaring indictment of the ten round magazine legislation.

God save us from fools and Demonicrats.


BTW : Who do we have to lobby to get these guys recognized as citizens of the year?

[applemac_g4]

"I am most definitely a breed bigot when it comes to pit bulls, most rotties, and most dobermans."

Yeah, I am too. These three breeds really are trouble outside the hands of really skilled dog handlers...which most private owners are nowhere near being.

[ccmay]

My Black Lab was the apex of dog evolution.

Boy do I love Labs. I've had half a dozen over the years and they were all great except for one lovable hyperactive knothead that never quit chewing stuff. I don;t have one now but we are going to get my young son a dog for his birthday - a chocolate Lab, of course. I just love them to pieces.

-ccm

[185JHP]

"Drivin' 70 and carryin' a .45 - Texas like it oughta be" BUMP

[Blood of Tyrants]

To be fair, the .45 Kimber is a variation of the 1911 government .45 which holds only 7 shots in the mag.

[Blood of Tyrants]

P.S. Are you aware that the 10 rnd mag limit as well as the AW ban expires next September?

[Nov3]

I've had half a dozen over the years and they were all great except for one lovable hyperactive knothead that never quit chewing stuff.

They all chew when they are younger! The breed is truly wonderful and I hope it doesn't get ruined. I am glad this dog is not some status symbol for badasses.

[pabianice]

“Violence is never the answer... If someone comes at you with a knife or gun (or teeth), say, ‘I know you’re upset.’ We all want to be valued as human beings.”

-------------------------------------

Jessica Flag, spokeswoman for the 4% of a Million Mom March, Washington, DC, May, 2000, Gore-for-President Rally

[kaylar]

One vet says that if you have a child under 5, treat a dog of any breed as if it's a wolf, no matter how tiny and pathetic it appears to be. Where the dog is huge, even more caution is needed. Even a gentle big dog could do damage if it's startled. Here's two teeny dogs who did terrible damage.

Dachshund mauls infant

A 6-week-old St. Mary's County, Md., boy was in critical condition Monday after being dragged from his playpen and mauled by the family's dachshund, police said.

The infant was sleeping in a downstairs bedroom Sunday morning when his mother, Andrea Meyers, heard cries coming from a baby monitor, according to a report from the criminal investigations unit of the Maryland State Police. When Meyers reached the bedroom, she found the dog attacking the boy, police said.

The dog had chewed a hole through the mesh of the playpen and pulled the baby from it, the report states, before biting his legs and feet. When police arrived at the home, the baby was alert but had numerous lacerations on his lower body, a detective sergeant said.

State polic Cpl. Roger Redmond said police were continuing their investigation to determine whether charges should be brought against the child's family.

Police said the incident was unlike any they could remember, particularly with such a diminutive dog. Dachshunds have short legs and long bodies. Even the biggest of the breed weigh only 16 to 32 pounds, according to the Dachshund Club of America.

Pomeranian Kills 6-Week-Old Girl Pomeranian Kills 6-Week-Old Girl

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A small Pomeranian dog killed a 6-week-old baby while the infant's caretaker briefly left the child unattended to warm a bottle of milk, authorities said.

The relative, who was caring for the infant girl, found her head buried in the dog's mouth Saturday night, sheriff's Deputy Cruz Solis said. The girl died of head trauma at an area hospital, he said.

The baby's name was withheld because her parents were out of the country and had not been notified, Solis said.

The relative has not been charged. Animal control officers took the dog.

Pomeranians are a breed of miniature canines that have a foxlike face, pointy ears and long, fluffy hair. The deputy said Pomeranian attacks are rare.

``Obviously it doesn't take much to kill a 6-week old baby but it's not something that happens with that breed,'' Solis said.

[Gilbo_3]

Y'ever notice that no one is mauled by a happy Golden Retreiver? Or by miniature dachshunds?

i can NOT believe the gullibility of some of the posters on gun/dog threads.

My brother had FIVE rots and was pretty much neglectful at times too. Not once in 15 years , 4 of the originals have died of age or illness and since been replaced by 3 others and still NO attacks of idot friends that payed rough with them. I slap boxed the entire pack more times than i can count, but they knew that they were loved and cared for , and they enjoyed the roughhousing games. Would i ever let my kid play with them like that or be alone with them? HELL NO !!! they are animals.

Just like the wiener dog that bit me in the face as i was sweetly talking to it next to ITS car. only time ive ever been bitten in anger/defence. Know your animals, know your marksmanship abilities, dont be knee jerks.

[blau993]

I'm with you all the way on the labs. I have two males, ages 7 and 5. They are big boys, with big barks, and they can be reasonably intimidating when they are "on alert." However, anybody that knows the breed would just have to say a few soft words, stroke an ear or two, and they would be his friends for life.

[kaylar]

Just like the wiener dog that bit me in the face as i was sweetly talking to it next to ITS car. only time ive ever been bitten in anger/defence.

Dachshies are pretty bad tempered, aggressive little dogs. They get away with it because they're cute, they know it, and they use it to manipulate people.

I've been bitten by three of the four dachshunds I've owned. Not seriously, and always on the nose. Weiner dogs have this weird "thing" about lunging at human noses. Their eyes get all blank and spacey-looking, and they lunge right at the nose, nipping it.

Then when the human scolds them or smacks them on the muzzle-they get an attitude!Like it was their right.

Weird little dogs.

Gary Larson did a cartoon I wish I could post here. It showed a man lying on the ground, his nose wrapped in padding. A dachshund is latching on to the nose as its pack mates watch. The caption reads, How attack weiner dogs are trained.

[AnAmericanMother]

Boy do I love Labs.

Me too! I had never had a dog before, so I did a lot of research and visited a lot of kennels before deciding on my chocolate girl. She was the "boss" of her litter and I had almost decided on another girl who was quieter, but she went straight to my kids, stood on their feet, and shouldered away any other pups who came near them. With an endorsement like that I had to take her home!

She has turned out to be VERY energetic but highly trainable and a sweet lovable dog. She is very small (21 1/2", 45 pounds) She has NEVER offered to growl or snap at anyone, even when my little boy plays roughhouse tug-of-war games with her. But if she doesn't like the look of a person or a dog she will do the same shouldering routine - get herself between us and the other and just stand there, staring. Dogs seem to respect this and approach no closer, and people definitely back off.

We have her in agility training to give her something to do with all that energy.

At her first agility trial.

[Republicanus_Tyrannus]

Hmm. I think I should amplify my original posting.

MAULED. MAULED.

Not bitten. Not barked at. MAULED.

The fact is that certain breeds DO have a tendency to go berserk. And they can easily kill people. And do.

Do I mean your well mannered dogs are secretly sneaking out the back and eating children in neighboring towns?

No, of course not.

Did I mean that Golden Retreivers and Miniature Dachshunds are never bad-tempered rotten dogs?

No.

People. I simply made an observation that certain breeds are ON THE WHOLE safer - as well providing what I thought was a slightly amusing image of someone pointing at a weinerdog and saying "It mauled me, officer!"

Given a choice between dealing with a single aloof or strange Rottweiler and five hundred barking Miniature Dachshunds - my choice is with the weiner dogs.

They very seldom leap successfully for the throat.

And you can kick'em a dozen feet, easy.

[BabsC]

I like your tag line. My 80 lb. labrador barks but my 5 lb persian cat attacks. Cutest and meanest little thing you've ever met.