# My sister fosters pit bulls



## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

all controversey aside, and my personal opinions....my sister has been fostering pitts for the past few months. Yesterday, she had one in her car whom she's had for a few weeks. The dog dropped it's ball and it rolled under the seat. My sister went to retrieve it--it lunged at her hand and clamped down and would not let go. She tried to free herself but quickly figured out the more she did, the harder it clamped. So she got a guy's attention in a car next to her and asked him to call 911. She was bleeding quite a bit at this point, the dog still attached to her hand. The police came and didn't quite know what to do--they wanted to taze (sp?) the dog and my sister refused. They called animal control. They ended up having to mace the dog off of her. They took it away. My sister basically collapsed and they took her to the hospital. She doesn't know what happened to the pitt--they "took him away"--I think she must have been in shock at that point.

Anyway, my sis and I have our differences, but when she is hurt I just FREAK. I was so shaken up when I heard all this. She is not going to foster pitts anymore. Again, all controversey aside, she has fostered dogs and cats for a long time and donates her time at various shelters. It just breaks my heart that she was trying to do something good and it ended like this.

And I just have to vent...she gave a very condensed version of what happened on her facebook page...and the first guy ("friend" of hers) that wrote her back said "you must have done something to irk the dog. I've never heard of that happening before." Let me tell you, I wanted to rip that guy a new one. I won't get into all my thoughts on the topic, but what an ****...

Please send my sis healing vibes and good thoughts.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Unfortunately its not a problem with the breed itself...it is where these dogs come from and the lack of proper evaluations before being placed in a person's home. I'm very sorry for your sister...hopefully her hand will heal up quickly. 

And no, pit bulls cannot "lock" their jaws. Old wives tale.


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

Oh gosh Pam. I am so sorry to hear about your sister. Honestly, this could happen with any breed, not just pitbulls. I know we think of our malts as human like but in reality they are still animals. (Yes I know....I have a hard time with that concept!) Your sister is an amazing person for fostering and helping animals in need. Who knows what could have triggered the attack. I hope she doesn't blame herself. It is just a terrible situation for all involved. I will be sure to keep your sister in my prayers. :grouphug: :grouphug:


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## dwerten (Oct 6, 2007)

jmm isn't it the reason pits are different than other breeds and why they can do so much damage is that the jaw muscle goes from top of head to bottom of jaw and other breeds jaw muscle is from middle to jaw so they have a much stronger muscle when clamping down thus more powerful causing more damage when they bite down on something? I forget where i read or saw that but it makes alot of sense 


QUOTE (JMM @ Oct 6 2009, 09:01 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837125


> Unfortunately its not a problem with the breed itself...it is where these dogs come from and the lack of proper evaluations before being placed in a person's home. I'm very sorry for your sister...hopefully her hand will heal up quickly.
> 
> And no, pit bulls cannot "lock" their jaws. Old wives tale.[/B]


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

OMG! How scary!!! :new_shocked: I hope your sister will be ok and her wound heals completely.

I hope she still wants to foster in the future....maybe a smaller breed next time though. When my daughter was young, her girlfriend's family had two pit bulls. While "playing" with them, one accidently bit off the girl's father's ear. :w00t: Too scary for me!! 

People do love them though, I just can't get by the fear of having a dog stronger than I am.


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## angel's mom (Feb 14, 2007)

QUOTE (dwerten @ Oct 6 2009, 08:07 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837130


> jmm isn't it the reason pits are different than other breeds and why they can do so much damage is that the jaw muscle goes from top of head to bottom of jaw and other breeds jaw muscle is from middle to jaw so they have a much stronger muscle when clamping down thus more powerful causing more damage when they bite down on something? I forget where i read or saw that but it makes alot of sense
> 
> 
> QUOTE (JMM @ Oct 6 2009, 09:01 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837125





> Unfortunately its not a problem with the breed itself...it is where these dogs come from and the lack of proper evaluations before being placed in a person's home. I'm very sorry for your sister...hopefully her hand will heal up quickly.
> 
> And no, pit bulls cannot "lock" their jaws. Old wives tale.[/B]


[/B][/QUOTE]

It happened to be a pit this time, but it could have been any breed. Even in our own sweet breed, a rescued maltese could bite and be 5# of dynomite, depending on the circumstances from whence they came. Your sister is to be applauded for being a part of rescuing animals. Maybe a new thread would be more appropriate to discuss the pros & cons of pit bulls. Seems to me that this one is about Pam's sister and an injury she incurred while performing act of love.

Pam, I'm very sorry this happened to your sister. I hope she will be okay. :grouphug:


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Pits do have muscular jaws. But the idea that they lock is false. 

The provocation in this case sounds like resource guarding. Person goes for dog's toy or food and gets bit is pretty classic. This is why any rescue or shelter should do behavioral evaluations before placing dogs in someone's home. The Animal Planet show about NYC Animal Cops/Control often shows dogs being evaluated at the shelter. Sue Sternberg is very well known for her work with evaluating shelter/rescue dogs if anyone has an interest in more information. 

I was the unlucky recipient of a Springer Spaniel my sister adopted from the shelter a number of years ago. The dog was not evaluated and its extensive bite history was not disclosed. Upon further evaluation the dog not only had some behavior issues from being tied up in a yard, but also had classic signs of springer rage. Luckily it ended up in my house where nobody was harmed. We euthanized the dog for our safety. Not a safely adoptable dog. Unfortunately, be it environment, genetics, or both, some dogs are simply not safe to be house pets.


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

Pam I am sorry this happened to your sister. I hope she heals soon.


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## CeeCee's Mom (Sep 14, 2006)

That is so scary.....Please let us know about your sister's hand. I can't imagine they would want to taser the dog, would the shock not go into you sister??? Wow!!!


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

QUOTE (CeeCee's Mom @ Oct 6 2009, 10:26 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837160


> That is so scary.....Please let us know about your sister's hand. I can't imagine they would want to taser the dog, would the shock not go into you sister??? Wow!!![/B]


yes--that's what my sister thought--tazering the dog could have zapped her, too. Who knows. The whole ordeal she says (she guessed) lasted around 20 minutes. Can you imagine being bitten for that long?? I can't imagine the trauma. And even beside all that, my sister is a very caring, loving person who really loved that dog in the few weeks it was with her. I can't imagine having to see it get maced, either. She said the mace got into everyone's faces because everone was in such close proximity--there was no way to avoid it. I'm not sure why animal control didn't have one of those devices that pries the dog's mouth open/off. The whole thing was just a nightmare.

JMM thanks for clarifying on the jaw locking myth. From what I understand there is nothing anatomical about a pitts jaw that would allow it to literally "lock" on. It's a fact that they are strong dogs with large and powerful jaws and necks. I've also heard it said that they are a "determined" breed and will hang on, but it's not because they are literally "locked" on. Anyway, I don't know what the screening process is for that particular organization but I'm sure my sis will screen carefully from here on out. Even then, you just never know...


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## I found nemo (Feb 23, 2006)

It's not that their jaws lock it's that most fighting Pits are trained to bite down and hold onto their prize, toy, prey. If they let go they are beat, electrocuted , or worse. usually starts as a simple tug of war and the training begins. It can happen with any dog not just a Pit. I have been around fighting Pits for a long time and they most of the time have to be put down. I have also been around Pits who come from loving families and are big bears. It has to do with the training and really knowing what their life was like before. I don't know Pam I think someone didn't do their job right and I mean the person who gave the ok that this Pitt was safe enough to be fostered. All Pits go through a vigorous training process to ensure their foster moms and dads are safe from any behavioral issues, so someone didn't do what they were supposed to or I can say almost certainly that aggression what have been found. It's one of the first tests that are done before fostering and then done again multiple times . Could I be wrong, yes , but I don't think so.
Your sister sounds like a hero to me and I am so very sorry what happened to her.
Sending love and prayers :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:


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## lynda (Oct 11, 2005)

What a frightening ordeal. I will say prayers for your sister's physical and emotional healing rayer: rayer: rayer: .


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2009)

so sorry to hear that. wow ya just never know.


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## momtoboo (Jan 30, 2006)

How awful,that must have been very painful & scary for your sister. I hope there's no permament damage to her hand & she has a complete recovery from the injury.


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## I found nemo (Feb 23, 2006)

QUOTE (camfan @ Oct 6 2009, 10:38 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837162


> QUOTE (CeeCee's Mom @ Oct 6 2009, 10:26 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837160





> That is so scary.....Please let us know about your sister's hand. I can't imagine they would want to taser the dog, would the shock not go into you sister??? Wow!!![/B]


yes--that's what my sister thought--tazering the dog could have zapped her, too. Who knows. The whole ordeal she says (she guessed) lasted around 20 minutes. Can you imagine being bitten for that long?? I can't imagine the trauma. And even beside all that, my sister is a very caring, loving person who really loved that dog in the few weeks it was with her. I can't imagine having to see it get maced, either. She said the mace got into everyone's faces because everone was in such close proximity--there was no way to avoid it. I'm not sure why animal control didn't have one of those devices that pries the dog's mouth open/off. The whole thing was just a nightmare.

JMM thanks for clarifying on the jaw locking myth. From what I understand there is nothing anatomical about a pitts jaw that would allow it to literally "lock" on. It's a fact that they are strong dogs with large and powerful jaws and necks. I've also heard it said that they are a "determined" breed and will hang on, but it's not because they are literally "locked" on. Anyway, I don't know what the screening process is for that particular organization but I'm sure my sis will screen carefully from here on out. Even then, you just never know...
[/B][/QUOTE]

I didn't read your post here, but there should always be a screening process for any dog but especially for a pit and especially when you don't know the background. I think it should be a law that ANY dog needs to go through a screening process before adoption or fostering


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## HaleysMom (Jun 4, 2009)

My thoughts and prayers are with your sis......how is her hand? I cant even imagine what she went through for that long 20 minutes!!! Like someone pointed out she is a Hero!!! :grouphug:


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## gatiger40 (Jun 7, 2007)

That sounds just horrible! I can't imagine 20 minutes like that. I hope your sister is recovering as comfortably as possible.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

Pam, I am so sorry that this happened to your Sis. I can't imagine the trauma. Although I feel for all dogs in rescue, I have always had a prejudice against Pit Bulls. I believe possibly at one time, they may have been a wonderful breed. Now, they have been bred by unscrupulous breeders to increase thier aggressiveness to the point that you cannot trust any of them IMO. Sad for all involved.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

QUOTE (HaleysMom @ Oct 6 2009, 12:34 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837201


> My thoughts and prayers are with your sis......how is her hand? I cant even imagine what she went through for that long 20 minutes!!! Like someone pointed out she is a Hero!!! :grouphug:[/B]


Thank you, everyone. I will pass along all of the well-wishes.

I don't know how her hand is today. She told me yesterday that they bandaged it and put a splint on it. When I spoke w/ her it was right after it happened and I think she still was in shock. I asked if she needed any stitches and she said no. Otherwise, I don't know the extent of the injury.

I'm thinking it had to be longer than 20 minutes...she said the first guy she asked to help her was like "no way am I going near that dog!" and he wasn't offering any kind of help. i think he left the scene because she was calling out for someone to help her and someone finally came and she said "someone" called 911, but she's not sure who. Then the [useless] police came THEN animal control had to come. Poor thing. And I do feel bad for the dog too--it's just an animal, they don't have malice or forethought--just react to things. I feel so badly that whatever happened it it's life that it was in foster care in the first place and then it had to be maced and then who knows what else after that. Probably euthanized. It's just so sad  Thanks for letting me vent....

It funny--your siblings can SO get on your nerves BUT when something bad happens to one of them it's amazing how much it hurts to hear their pain....I see it with my own daughters--their love-hate relationship, lol. But they stand up for each other in a heartbeat when push comes to shove.


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## mamapajamas (Apr 12, 2009)

I am SO sorry to hear about your sister's ordeal. I will definitely pray for her full and speedy recovery!  

I agree with the others here that it's the way the individual dogs were mistreated before rescue that causes the problems. I've always had large dogs... 55-110 lbs (Button is my FIRST small dog!)... and, with gentle but firm handling, never had a problem with agression. Pitt bulls, I suspect, have a reputation as dangerous because they're naturally an agressive breed, but MAINLY because so many of them have been mistreated and trained for illegal fighting. Even an agressive breed can be trained from puppyhood to be non-agressive if handled properly. A properly handled and trained dog is just a fuzzy teddy bear... but a properly trained and handled agressive-breed dog can also be a formidable guardian of your family's safety! 

Over the years, I've had retriever-mix breeds who would have probably invited burglars in and shown them the family jewels, and one massive German shepard/St. Bernard mix (the 110-pounder-- she LOOKED like the biggest, baddest German shepard that ever existed!) who nearly dismantled a man who broke into my house, but never got to do whatever he was planning (the really scary part being that my car was out front, my lights were on, and I was obviously at home!). He hit for the hills and was never seen around here again! All of the 15 years I had her, she was the sweetest, most unassuming dog I've ever had, having primarily the gentle-giant St. Bernard temperament, but when it came down to crunch-time and guarding her Mommy, she MOVED! :yahoo:


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## mi_ku_5 (Jun 2, 2008)

I'm so sorry to hear that your sis and that dog suffered because of the cretons who bred and raised it, before it landed in rescue. I'm sure the emotional damage is worse than the physical. 

On a side note, I'm very comforted by the over all tone of this thread. I've left two other small breed forums b/c of prejudice towards pit bulls and large dogs in general.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Prayers for a speedy recovery for your sister and hugs to you both!

Sweetness and Tessa send puppy kisses too!


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi (Oct 16, 2008)

Oh, Pam. I will certainly send healing vibes and good thoughts for your sister. (and, you too) :grouphug: :grouphug: 

Having been bitten by a dog years ago ... I understand the trauma you sister must be feeling. I don't hate pitbulls. But, I am terribly frightened of them. I wish I wasn't.


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

Whoa! Your poor sister! I hope her hand is going to be better quickly and that the shock of the entire ordeal wears off soon. Of course you freaked out.
This may be a dumb question, but does she only keep one rescued pit bull in the house at one time? I cannot imagine any animal having it's bite into me for that long. 

And those pit bulls have probably been rescued from not the best "homes" either. I knew a pit bull once who was a complete soft/sweet dog..but like most things, they're products of their environments.


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

Oh, gosh, what a horrific experience for her!! I hope she'll be healed soon.


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## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

OMG! How awful! I had a big dog grab and bite my foot and it only lasted a few seconds and it was very swollen and painful for weeks. I can't imagine what she went through. That's a really long time! I'll be praying for her. 
On a side note the owner of that dog had 3 rescue pit bulls who had not had good lives. I was outside petting them first and they were fine. It was the indoor mixed breed who she had it's whole life that bit me.


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## totallytotontuffy (May 16, 2007)

I'm so sorry about your sister, I can't imagine the terror that she felt. I too hope that she completely heals, that has to be so painful. I've experienced a few severe human bites (work related) and they aren't fun, to say the least. As far as tasers go, they cannot be transferred from one person/dog to the next. The (useless) police are not trained as animal control officers nor do they have dog restraining devices as part of their equipment. I'm surprised that they didn't use the taser on the dog despite your sister's wishes. Pepper spray in a confined space will impair everyone.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

Pam, I'm so sorry for what your sister had to go through. It's so traumatizing. Sending thoughts and prayers that her recovery will be good and that no permanent damage has been done. I really don't know how she hung in there for so long without passing out and that she kept her wits about her :grouphug:


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## gigigirlz (Jun 18, 2007)

I am so sorry that your sister had to experience this...hope she heals quickly....


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## Poppy's mommy (Dec 21, 2007)

I pray that your sister has a speedy recovery. I am so sorry.


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## lawgirl (Jul 22, 2009)

I echo everyone's well wishes and concern for your sister. I hope she knows how much we all respect the important and good work she does for rescue animals. Good luck in her healing and recovery.


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## 08chrissy08 (Sep 19, 2008)

What a horrible thing to happen. I feel for your sister, I can't imagine how painful that was. I'm sure she is just as emotionally wounded as physically, if not more so. How heartbreaking to be attacked by a rescue. I feel so bad for the dog as well. Poor guy, who knows what kind of background he came from and now I'm sure he won't get another chance. It's a horrible and sad situation all around. I hope your sister heals quickly.


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

That's so frightening (to say the least), I hope she is doing better today.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

QUOTE (shanghaimomma @ Oct 6 2009, 09:34 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837349


> This may be a dumb question, but does she only keep one rescued pit bull in the house at one time? I cannot imagine any animal having it's bite into me for that long.[/B]


Thank you so much for the kind thoughts...everyone! I will pass them along...

She typically only keeps one at a time but sometimes she'll take another one in and they overlap for just a few days. The dog that bit her...at the time she did have another one at home that day. But as far as I know she called the foster home that night and had them pick it up. I wasn't able to talk to her last night but we exchanged a few Facebook messages and she just said she was feeling ok physically, a bit sore, but just overall sad . I don't know what she'll do for fostering from here on out. I asked her about the screening/placement requirements that the pit foster place had and she said that they were screened, but they are also a new agency. My sis is young and I don't even know if she knew going into it how much to ask about screening, etc. 

On a side note, she's currently volunteering at a raptor rehabilitation center in Vermont which is pretty cool. Recently, Rachel Ray made a guest appearance there. I'm not sure if/when it aired on any of her shows, but it was just several weeks ago.


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## lillykins (Oct 15, 2007)

I'm so sorry about your sister. For someone who's "young" (your words!), she has the poise and wisdom of someone who's lived a lot more years! Please tell her from me that I think she's very wise and I admire her greatly. I hope this doesn't scar her physically or emotionally.

QUOTE (TotallyTotoNTuffy @ Oct 6 2009, 10:23 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837397


> I've experienced a few severe human bites (work related) and they aren't fun, to say the least. As far as tasers go, they cannot be transferred from one person/dog to the next. The (useless) police are not trained as animal control officers nor do they have dog restraining devices as part of their equipment. I'm surprised that they didn't use the taser on the dog despite your sister's wishes. Pepper spray in a confined space will impair everyone.[/B]


Thank you Deb for explaining the view of a police officer. I can't imagine having a position of authority, being spit on when unwanted, and then be expected to effectively solve any and all problems (some which have been smoldering for YEARS) within 5 minutes of being summoned.

I agree with everyone that often a dog's behavior is the result of the dogs' experiences. However, I also agree that a dog's behavior can be the result of bad breeding practices.

A gentleman I once worked with lost his beloved dog to mouth cancer. He got a new puppy, which he and his wife promptly described as "the puppy from heck". He and his wife (experienced dog owners) took this dog to classes, took it to a behaviorist, had a behaviorist come to the house. . . The dog seemed hopeless.

He was able to speak with Dr Patricia McConnell (internationally known behaviorist) who, right away, asked him "Did you get this puppy from such-and-such place?" When he said yes, she said that my co-worker's dog would be the 5th of the litter (that SHE knew of) who would be put down due to agressiveness.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

btw, didn't mean to slam police officers--I have friends that are on the police force, have worked with military police for many years and my own daughter is thinking about being one when she grows up, which I would enourage.

I just think that knowing the situation when they were dispatched, that they could have had some kind of plan in mind. I don't know what protocol is for them when they get a call saying that a dog is latched on to someone's body, but it kind of bothers me that they showed up with no apparent plan and made her sit around, dog attached, while animal control showed up. And then ended up macing it anyway. Maybe I'm just being overly-protective--entirely possible. Plus, I wasn't there.


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## njdrake (Apr 23, 2007)

I'm really sorry about this and know your sister must be heart sick over it. I hope she has a speedy recovery both physically and mentally.


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## KAG (Jun 1, 2006)

I pray your sister has a full recovery. So terrifying.
xoxoxoxo


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## totallytotontuffy (May 16, 2007)

QUOTE (camfan @ Oct 7 2009, 08:46 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837508


> btw, didn't mean to slam police officers--I have friends that are on the police force, have worked with military police for many years and my own daughter is thinking about being one when she grows up, which I would enourage.
> 
> I just think that knowing the situation when they were dispatched, that they could have had some kind of plan in mind. I don't know what protocol is for them when they get a call saying that a dog is latched on to someone's body, but it kind of bothers me that they showed up with no apparent plan and made her sit around, dog attached, while animal control showed up. And then ended up macing it anyway. Maybe I'm just being overly-protective--entirely possible. Plus, I wasn't there.[/B]


Unfortunately, there usually isn't a lot of time to "plan" when you are a first responder to an emergency call. You react based upon the training that you were provided and often times you have split seconds to make a decision and you pray that it is the right one. It's difficult to second guess what happened and why. You mentioned that your sister told the officers she didn't want them to taze the dog and honestly I don't know what other choice they would have had other than to use deadly force if they could do so without injuring anyone else. In a perfect world, we would have police officers in full body protective suits standing by to thwart dangerous dog attacks but we all know that isn't very realistic.

If your sister was adamant about not tazing or destroying the dog, and she was the only person in harm's way, regretably, I don't know if I would have responded any differently. It sounds like it was a very emotionally charged situation for your sister and at the time that it was happening, her main priority was saving the dog rather than herself. I hope that I have been able to shed a little light upon things for you from a police officer's perspective. 

Your sister sounds like a very kind and caring person and again, I am so sorry that she had this experience. I'm so glad that she wasn't seriously injured and I truly hope that the rescue that she was fostering for, immediately changes it's policies so that it doesn't happen to anyone else. Hugs to both of you.


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## susie and sadie (Jun 22, 2005)

Oh my gosh! I am so sorry that happened to your sister. I pray she has a quick recovery. rayer: :grouphug: rayer:


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## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

QUOTE (TotallyTotoNTuffy @ Oct 7 2009, 09:29 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837731


> QUOTE (camfan @ Oct 7 2009, 08:46 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=837508





> btw, didn't mean to slam police officers--I have friends that are on the police force, have worked with military police for many years and my own daughter is thinking about being one when she grows up, which I would enourage.
> 
> I just think that knowing the situation when they were dispatched, that they could have had some kind of plan in mind. I don't know what protocol is for them when they get a call saying that a dog is latched on to someone's body, but it kind of bothers me that they showed up with no apparent plan and made her sit around, dog attached, while animal control showed up. And then ended up macing it anyway. Maybe I'm just being overly-protective--entirely possible. Plus, I wasn't there.[/B]


Unfortunately, there usually isn't a lot of time to "plan" when you are a first responder to an emergency call. You react based upon the training that you were provided and often times you have split seconds to make a decision and you pray that it is the right one. It's difficult to second guess what happened and why. You mentioned that your sister told the officers she didn't want them to taze the dog and honestly I don't know what other choice they would have had other than to use deadly force if they could do so without injuring anyone else. In a perfect world, we would have police officers in full body protective suits standing by to thwart dangerous dog attacks but we all know that isn't very realistic.

If your sister was adamant about not tazing or destroying the dog, and she was the only person in harm's way, regretably, I don't know if I would have responded any differently. It sounds like it was a very emotionally charged situation for your sister and at the time that it was happening, her main priority was saving the dog rather than herself. I hope that I have been able to shed a little light upon things for you from a police officer's perspective. 

Your sister sounds like a very kind and caring person and again, I am so sorry that she had this experience. I'm so glad that she wasn't seriously injured and I truly hope that the rescue that she was fostering for, immediately changes it's policies so that it doesn't happen to anyone else. Hugs to both of you.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Using a Tazer on the dog would have resulted in electrical currents also going through her sister's body as they were connected at that time. Additionally, if she and the dog were both in the car the officers might have also been reluctant to use tazers because it was unknown if there was metal near or touching either your sister or the dog. The safest option at that time would have been to use mace which all officers are trained to use and are exposed to on a yearly basis with it being sprayed directly onto their faces and often times they will be exposed to it in a closed and nonventilated environment so that they learn to work through it.

Depending on where you live the animal control officer might be a town volunteer (such as where I live) or might be the only one on the force and therefore when not on staff must be called in (such as where I work) sometimes you are lucky enough to live in an area where there is a professional team of officers there will usually be a contract between them and the local police that the police are not to respond until animal control arrives to supervise the incident (to avoid bad media).

----

I am so sorry to hear about your sister's situation - hopefully her wounds (both physical and psychological - if they exist) will heal and she will go on and continue to care for animals in some capacity. I can only imagine her fears during her ordeal and her commitment to the dog simply showed how much she cares for them. While scary to read what you wrote it was inspiring to read about her reaction!


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## totallytotontuffy (May 16, 2007)

QUOTE (Hunter's Mom @ Oct 9 2009, 10:17 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=838208


> Using a Tazer on the dog would have resulted in electrical currents also going through her sister's body as they were connected at that time. Additionally, if she and the dog were both in the car the officers might have also been reluctant to use tazers because it was unknown if there was metal near or touching either your sister or the dog. The safest option at that time would have been to use mace which all officers are trained to use and are exposed to on a yearly basis with it being sprayed directly onto their faces and often times they will be exposed to it in a closed and nonventilated environment so that they learn to work through it.[/B]


Wow Erin, I'm curious as to where you got the information about the currents going through because they were connected. Even if that were the case, if the prongs of the taser were on the dog's body and being tased caused him to release his bite, at best, her sister would briefly be tased and not incur damage from it. I'm sorry but I don't know what element of danger you refer to about metal and the use of tasers. It wasn't something that was ever discussed during my training and certification.

I've been tased and while it isn't pleasant, the discomfort resolves as soon as the tase is stopped. I think people are under the impression that huge electrical currents are being surged throughout their body for an endless amount of time, and that just isn't so. Law enforcement tasers allow from a one second to five second trigger pull. The taser is a non-lethal means to stop a combatant. 

I disagree with your opinion of mace being the safest option. Each municipality has it's own set of requirements and frequency of training but I don't know any officer or person who ever "gets used to" being maced in the face, even if they are subjected to it once a year. I think it affects each individual differently and can or cannot incapacitate an officer in the same way that it can or cannot incapacitate a person or animal. I've been involved in situations where it has been used and I've had to use it myself. I can only speak from my own personal experience with both the taser and pepper spray.


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