So Called Service Maulers and Their Owners.

from a guest blogger...


Today was beautiful; sunny, clear, blue sky, 65 degrees and crisp. As one of the first great days in a region famous for half a year of chilly rain, everyone was out enjoying the day.

This is how I found out we have not one, not two, not three,  FOUR " Service Dogs" for "emotional support". Naturally, ALL are pit bulls.  There may be more, as there are 150 apartments, these are just the ones I saw outdoors TODAY.

There is huge white Am Bull in another building, and a (never leashed) boxer in the front. They probably have ADA excuses too as dogs this size are restricted, as are ALL dogs over #35, and under one yr old. ALL of these people moved in without their pit bull "service dogs". This way they cannot be denied upfront; once they have a lease, they get maulers.

Did I mention these are small apartments, in a densely populated area, with no yards, and no fences between buildings or around playgrounds? It's park-like, which used to be wonderful, now it's a liability.

As far as landlords go, these "pets w vests" are the same as a guide dog by state law, and they cannot discriminate by size or breed if they get a prescription. I was told lots of liberal docs will write one for anything, and we all know you can buy one online for about $65. Their hands are tied. I think this is a new law, because when I moved in, and until a few months ago, I never saw a big dog, certainly not a pit bull, living here. It was great, my small kids could play freely, like I did at that age, my cat could be outdoors unmolested by grippers. It was an oasis, now ruined by the selfish pit owners. I feel I can not be outdoors without hovering over my kids, fully armed. My only hope is that these people will move, turnover is very high here.

Management is just as frustrated and angry as me. I'm not the only person complaining for once, though most are apathetic, or think pits are great/no worry. Site Manager tells me what to document to get them evicted, and he hopes I do it. Corporate is involved now, and this is one of the biggest landlords in the area. They realize the liability is huge, which is why they restricted bigger dogs to begin with! They admitted it will likely take a tragedy to make changes to this law, if at all. (NOT TO ME, NOT TO MINE.)

Now on to the resident "Emotional Support Monsters"...

One apartment in my own building has a red nosed APBT puppy, already big at 7mo. These 2 owners are fit, young, clean cut, Mexican men in their late 20's/early 30's. They can at least control a large, strong dog, keep it leashed, and have appropriate harnesses, etc. They go to work all day leaving "service dog" home... They walk it a few times, otherwise I never see it.

*Their backdoor opens to the playground, and is 10' from it.*

The Second family, has TWO 4 mo old maulers. They are a young, low income, white trash couple w bad tats, stretched earlobes, plus their kids, and the young grandparents. Supposedly mutts, one dog is all pit, the other has a touch of lab, but are related.

One gripper belongs a 9yr old, to "emotionally support" her, so "she stops pulling her hair out". She can barely control a puppy, let alone a full size, raging mauler! The other mutt belongs to the entire family. Each tenant can have their very own service mauler, so I am lucky they have 2 of them not 6. I am unclear about the excuse they used.

*Their door also opens about 50' off the playground, and right to an area where 15+ small kids play, and ride bikes, daily.*

BOTH of these are within sight of one of my doors.

The FOURTH is the worst by far.

This is a mid 30's, white man, tatted up with job stoppers and huge stretched earrings. He lives with his 5yr old daughter, whom roams outside for hours unattended, playing on other peoples patios. Not sure who else lives there.

When asked how he was allowed to keep such a dog, he bragged to me that "there are ways to get around the rules". He did not care that people choose to live there because of the restrictions, to avoid such animals. (Typical pit nutter)

*His back door opens to another building where a lady has an after school kids club. 10+ kids play daily with other small animals. Same apartment is housing a stray and feral TNR and rescue.* The cat population may be out of control, but I don't want the well cared for, s/n cats, torn apart- especially in front of kids.  (The "slow kill" city refuses to PTS, or shelter, all ferals or strays. It's horrible. More on how slow kill is inhumane, and causes maulings later.)

Now, In the category of YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP....

Earlier, I was at the apartment above with my kids, and the club was in session, pets and are everywhere. Nutter comes over, and my friend asks him how he got to keep this dog, and tells him it makes me uncomfortable. He says it's a service dog, for emotional support. Of course. She asks what it is trained to do- she has one that retrieves medicine and other practical things, as she has severe spinal defects.
GET THIS- the dog "helped him through a rough break up, when he almost broke down."

That's it! GTFO. I ask him to keep his mauler away from my kids (which are there).

Then, he goes home, and brings the HUGE mauler out, barely able to control it, with all the kids there. I ask him again to stay the F away from my kids, point them out, He says he will.

**He said he just wanted me to meet the dog, so I would be reassured it's ok.**

I said NO THANKS, please get that thing outta here, if you were ripped up like I was, you wouldn't want them around either. He tells me he got his forehead and part of scalp tore off by a pit, but "it's not the breed! Its the owner" so it's OK!!! OMGF- uber nutter.

As I stare is disbelief, he repeats that he just wanted to reassure me, about 5x.

Then the ladies small legit service dog comes up to say hi to Mauler, the dogs have been friendly to each other for a while now.

AND, PREDICTABLY, THE PIT BULL ATTACKS THE SMALL, OLD DOG!!!!!!! RIGHT IN FRONT OF 12 KIDS.

Owner choke chains the dog quickly, and manages to get gripper off before he locks on. He drags it off while I shout "WOW! HOW VERY REASSURING! THANKS!" The small dog limps away, with a hurt leg, but ends up OK- LUCKY. Several kids were terrified, one so much she climbed the tree to escape (smart kid).

THAT'S WHAT ALLOWING SERVICE PIT BULLS BRINGS YOU, THANKS TO ALL THAT MADE THIS POSSIBLE.

thoughts on dog ownership

by anonymous

I think of myself as a steward of my pets. They rely on me to meet their basic needs and I enter into a moral contract with myself to do so when I bring them into my home. Because I want to be a good owner to them, I look to provide my charges with more than the basic necessities, so I try to create as enriching an environment for them as I can. I take care to not injure them, frighten them or put them in harm's way. As living creatures, I believe they are entitled to my respect as well as my care for the unique place they occupy in the world.

However, if for any reason they become a danger to my family, I reserve the right to remove them from my home. If the safety or health of a family member is compromised by the presence of our animals, I reserve the right as their owner, as well as an obligation, to find a suitable alternate living situation for them. If I, as their owner, deem them unsafe to all around them, I, as their owner, reserve the right to have them humanely euthanized to address a greater need, that is, the safety of those who would come into contact with them. If I deem my pet is suffering and beyond the medical care that would sustain a quality life for them, I reserve the right as their owner to have them humanely euthanized.

Whether we like it or not, pets are property. We can legally buy them. We can legally sell them. In many circumstances, we can legally give them away if we choose. We are permitted to cage them, tether them, ban them from certain areas. We are not bound by law to provide them with education or enrichment. And unfortunately, because they are our property, there exist far too many opportunities for people to abuse their rights and responsibilities as owners.

For too many in the rescue world, though, a belief exists that a dog's rights should somehow eclipse that of the humans who own them. When one starts thinking in this way, it's a logical trajectory from stewardship to antipathy-induced blindness toward the actual rights of humans.

Someone once shared with me his experiences as a child around dogs from another era:

About 65 years ago, this person relates that he played regularly with a crowd of neighborhood kids. He says that an ever-changing collection of dogs followed him and his friends daily in their travels, just at the perimeter of their play area. The kids always had some sort of food with them, and he said they'd sometimes share with the dogs. These dogs were not feral, they were owned by neighbors and known to the kids. He relates that very few people where he grew up during that time paid their dogs much mind. The dogs were typically let out in the morning, had run of the neighborhood, were fed by trashcans, kids and kind souls and then made their way to their homes in the evenings. During the day, they met up with and hung out with other dogs, often on the periphery of where the kids where playing.

The kids would acknowledge them and sometimes interact with them. Once in a while, he tells me, a dog would seriously bite a kid without provocation. He said there were no questions asked and the result was always the same. The police were called and the dog was dispatched on site. He said that often, it was the dog's owner who, once notified, would call the police. It was done publicly and quickly. He said it was always sad, and everyone felt badly whenever it happened. But he said there was an unspoken and informal understanding among the members of the community - the dogs were supposed to be safe. If they weren't, their life was forfeit. No rehabilitation. No rescue. No demands. No excuses.

He's incredulous at the amount of attacks reported in present day society, when, in his eyes, we as dog owners are so much more involved in their care and welfare.

This is a slice-of-life scenario where the aggressive ones really were culled. I believe this protocol existed because there was no blurred line between whose protection was paramount.