Pit bull leaps to rescue

[Guest Anonymous]

Posted on Sat, Nov. 08, 2003

CORAL SPRINGS
Pit bull leaps to rescue
A pit bull may have saved a 7-year-old Coral Springs boy from serious injury after two other dogs attacked the boy.
BY HECTOR FLORIN
hflorin@herald.com

Anthony Romaro got the scare of his life Wednesday night when two Akita dogs, each weighing about 100 pounds, attacked him near his best friend's home in Coral Springs.

But another kind of dog -- a type also known for vicious attacks -- may have saved the boy from more serious injuries.

Witnesses said a 2-year-old pit bull named Missy played the part of hero during the attack.

Missy, witnesses say, pulled the two Akitas -- Cella and Baci -- off Anthony after several struggles during a 15-minute span.

Anthony, a 7-year-old Hunt Elementary School second-grader, is recovering after surgery at Coral Springs Medical Center. The dogs ripped much of Anthony's left ear and bit his skull before Missy fought them off of him, said Anthony's mother, Stephanie McGuire.

''He's doing better today,'' McGuire said on Friday.

Missy suffered scrapes and cuts on the shoulders and buttocks, received a few stitches, and is back home.

''Missy saved the day,'' said her owner, Scott , who asked that The Herald not publish his last name. ``She just went out there and broke the fight up.''

Coral Springs police cited Sandra Ashley, the owner of the Akitas, for not putting a leash on the dogs, not attaching dog tags, not having proper rabies vaccinations and for biting Anthony. The fines are more than $800.

McGuire, who is friends with Ashley, hasn't decided whether to press charges.

The two Akitas are at the Broward County Animal Care and Regulation Division as Coral Springs police complete a dangerous-dog investigation, said animal care spokesman Allan Siegel.

Whether or not Anthony antagonized the dogs, and how the dogs got loose, are among the issues police are investigating.

If the Akitas are found to be dangerous, one of three things could happen, Siegel said. The owner may keep the dogs if she meets certain requirements, such as muzzling them when she leaves the home, and putting a dangerous-dog sign on the property. She may also appeal the decision, or surrender the dogs and have them euthanized.

Police and witnesses said Anthony and some friends were outside Ashley's home when the dogs escaped just before 7 p.m. Wednesday.

''The dogs got out of the house,'' said Sgt. Rich Nicorvo of the Coral Springs Police Department. ``They bit him pretty bad.''

Scott, the pit bull's owner who lives next door, was drinking coffee outside his house when the attack started. He handed another witness a metal pipe to get the Akitas off Anthony.

The unidentified person used the pipe to hit the dogs, but they continued attacking.

''They were really mauling him,'' said Scott, whose son, James, is Anthony's best friend.

Scott then let Missy out of the house to break up the fight. Police did not document any information about the pit bull.

Akitas have been known to attack humans. Last month, doctors euthanized an Akita owned by Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor after the dog bit 15-year-old Jonathon Raof on the arms and legs.

The Akita Club of America Web site states the dogs have ''complex'' personalities and, while intelligent and loyal, can ''exhibit aggressive tendencies,'' though not necessarily toward people.



http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/7213472.htm

[Guest Anonymous]

Scott then let Missy out of the house to break up the fight.

Maybe it's just me, but wtf?! If there were two agressive dogs outside attacking anyone or anything, I would make sure my dog was secure and safe, not set her out so she could get in the middle of it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that the fight was somehow broken up by Missy, but it just seems like a weird line of thought to me.

As a major Akita fan, this is another awful incident. The dogs look like giant teddy bears, and people think they are. It's no wonder this kind of stuff happens.

Amber

[Guest Anonymous]

I agree. But Im also a bit torn, because had it been a Pit Bull...it would be dead.

[Guest Anonymous]

Yeah, pitbulls and Akitas... so different in so many ways, but in the end in the same boat.

I mean, everyone knows what a pitbull is (kind of), and sadly, a lot of people will freak out at the thought of a pitbull, because they think of a viscous monster of a dog, and that is without a doubt a bad thing.

And anyone I've tried to talk about Akitas to has no idea what an Akita is. They all get mental images, which they try to describe to me, but they're never thinking of Akitas. So next to the notorious pitbull, the Akita is pretty much unknown (at least around here). So if you don't know what an Akita is, and all the details of their "complex" personalities, you're going to see a big teddy bear, and have no idea what its capabilites are.

In short, both dogs require a lot of knowledge, and a commitment to training, or else bad things can happen. You're right, though. Pitbulls have the bad press, and if it'd been 2 pitbulls attacking a kid, it might've shown up on the news everywhere, instead of an internet news story.

Amber

[Guest Anonymous]

-mutts4me- napisał(a):

Yeah, pitbulls and Akitas... so different in so many ways, but in the end in the same boat.

I mean, everyone knows what a pitbull is (kind of), and sadly, a lot of people will freak out at the thought of a pitbull, because they think of a viscous monster of a dog, and that is without a doubt a bad thing.

And anyone I've tried to talk about Akitas to has no idea what an Akita is. They all get mental images, which they try to describe to me, but they're never thinking of Akitas. So next to the notorious pitbull, the Akita is pretty much unknown (at least around here). So if you don't know what an Akita is, and all the details of their "complex" personalities, you're going to see a big teddy bear, and have no idea what its capabilites are.

In short, both dogs require a lot of knowledge, and a commitment to training, or else bad things can happen. You're right, though. Pitbulls have the bad press, and if it'd been 2 pitbulls attacking a kid, it might've shown up on the news everywhere, instead of an internet news story.

Amber

Not as many people REALLY know what a "pit bull" is, as you may think. When asked to pick one out from other similar breeds, even some seasoned bull breed people FAILED! Alot of people even put Akitas into the "pit bull" catagory. Akitas are really getting a bad name in Canada, there was three attacks in a month, in either AB or BC. That's freaky. I personally do not care for the breed, since I was biten by one, unprovoked. But I do think all are bad either.

[GIXXSTER]

I have to agree with the others....if it was 2 pitbulls it would have made all the major news channels and papers.

As for the guy letting his pitbull out, well, its possible I guess. But it sounds more like "my dog broke out of the house by its self and did get the other 2 dogs off the kid so I won't give my name but I will get credit for this".

I guess I'm one of these people who don't know so I'll ask. What is an Akita?

[imported_Kat]

The line of defence was idiotic in my opinion, letting another dog out which easily could have ended up mauled and the casualty list would have escalated.

On the Akita Pitbull reference, I don't see how the two breeds can be confused. They are totally different in every morphology.

[Guest Anonymous]

Kat napisał(a):

The line of defence was idiotic in my opinion, letting another dog out which easily could have ended up mauled and the casualty list would have escalated.

On the Akita Pitbull reference, I don't see how the two breeds can be confused. They are totally different in every morphology.

Yeah but people have made that mistake, if you want to believe it or not.

I agree with Image1 I think that guy just said that because his dog was either not leashed, or broke away. I guess it could have ended up worse but it didn't. So I am not going to say any thing negative about it. Some people I suppose just don't like the breed.

And Image1 Akitas are...

http://www.akitaclub.org/

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='"Image1"']As for the guy letting his pitbull out, well, its possible I guess. But it sounds more like "my dog broke out of the house by its self and did get the other 2 dogs off the kid so I won't give my name but I will get credit for this".quote]

I totally agree. I think he thought he might get in trouble as well, maybe. Or was like really I was being careless, but since it ended up ok..I will claim it was ME who made it happen, and I meant to do it.

Kat: It seems impossible for someone to mistake an Akita for a Pit Bull but it has happened, more then once.

http://www.pethelp.net/pits.html

[courtnek]

well, he did say he handed "another witness" (also unnamed) a pipe tp fight the dogs off with....perhaps the other witness could tell what really happened. How did he happen to have a pipe that close by? The story just doesnt track....

However, the owners of the Akkida's are in for it now. They are very dominant dogs, and require strong handling and continual obedience
training. They are very intelligent, to the point that they will deliberately disobey if the prize seems worth it despite the punishment. They should never have been offleash in the first place. As to why they attacked the boy, anything could have happened. The child may have done something,
albeit accidently, to threaten the dogs positions in their view of the heiarchy, or simply didnt respect their ranks....On the surface it looks like these dogs have dominance issues, which havent been handled by the owners. I'd really like to hear other versions, eyewitness accounts, that sort of thing. Maybe from someone who knew the people and the dogs...

[Guest Anonymous]

The dogs should both be destroyed. They attacked a child, this time the child lived, but what if the clearly not smart owner lets them off leash again? What then?

[Guest Anonymous]

Dog Attack
Theresa Freed



A 2-year old Garden City girl is back home, after she was attacked by a neighborhood dog. Her parents say she is lucky to be alive.

The breed of dog that attacked the girl is an Akita; an animal that can weigh between 75 and 100 pounds. At one time, the dog was used in Japan to hunt 800 pound bears. But to a 2-year old girl, the dog just looked like a big stuffed animal.

Cassandra Gonzalez is your typical 2-year old, full of fun and curiousity. But Monday, that curiousity nearly cost her her life.

A 13-year old boy was walking his Akita in her neighborhood, when he stopped in front of a house to say hello to some friends. The teenager warned his friends not to get too close to the dog, because of it's tendency to bite.

Cassandra got too close and the dog lunged at her, grabbing hold of the back of her head. The animal only let go after the boys repeatedly kicked the dog in the jaw.

Cassandra was rushed to the hospital. She was just released this morning. The dog is being held at the Garden City Animal Shelter, where he'll stay for the next 10 days. The dog's owners have been cited for a vicious animal biting a person.

Despite the horrible attack, Cassandra's parents say she apparently has no negative feelings toward dogs, including the family's boxer.

The Gonzalez family will come to Wichita this week to consult with a plastic surgeon who will assess Cassandra's head injuries.


Why is a 13 year old walking an aggressive Akita alone?

[courtnek]

Why is a 13 year old walking an aggressive Akita alone?

good question...here's another one...since the teenager told his friends to keep away because the dog bites, why wasnt it muzzled????

:evil: :evil:

[Guest Anonymous]

courtnek napisał(a):

Why is a 13 year old walking an aggressive Akita alone?

good question...here's another one...since the teenager told his friends to keep away because the dog bites, why wasnt it muzzled????

:evil: :evil:

I wonder the same thing! Geez, that's just an accident waiting to happen. But then again would it be an"accident" when an adult let's their 13 year old child walk and aggressive dog, alone, without a muzzle? It would not really be the child's fault in my eyes, simply because I am strong believer that only people over the age of 16 should be alone walking a dog. Key word alone. It is a lot different if there are adults around.

[Guest Anonymous]

Anonymous napisał(a):

Not as many people REALLY know what a "pit bull" is, as you may think.

I know that. I wasn't trying to suggest that everyone could point a pitbull out from a line up (see a "quiz" I posted a couple weeks ago called "find the pitbull"). That's why I put "(kind of)" after my statement. My point was, when you mention a pitbull, no one says "Oh, what's a pitbull?" And everytime I have mentioned an Akita, I get "What exactly is an Akita?"

This may not be the case in Canada, because of the several attacks up there over the summer. And I've run across many people from Canada who have a very negative opinion on Akitas because of it. That bad press hasn't reached very far into the US as of yet.

Amber

[GIXXSTER]

Anonymous napisał(a):

And Image1 Akitas are...

They do look like fluffy stuffed doggies.

[abker17]

I am strong believer that only people over the age of 16 should be alone walking a dog

I'm sorry to say it, but I very strongly disagree with u. I'm under 16 and I always walk my dogs alone. :-? Actually I don't even like it when my parents walk Abby, because they don't know how to handle her. They don't know her command signals, or how to react to different things. A dog's owner is the person that know's thier dog best, and in my case that's me. So my parents don't walk Abby. I can understand why someone wouldn't want a child walking a dog that's aggresive, but other-wise I don't see a problem with it.
:-? :-? :-? :-? :-?

[Guest Anonymous]

Sorry..I left out "a dog of SOME breeds" like Pit Bulls or Akitas. Not all dogs! :o

Not to mention you have to be over 16 in some areas to walk a Pit Bull and some other BSL breeds, by law. :(

[courtnek]

There are places here in the states (like Michigan) where you have to
be 18 to walk a pit, or any known aggressive dog. Except for the potential strenght of the walker (if this is a powerful dog, can he control it?) I agree that the age is not so important, as the type of dog, the area it's being walked in, and the maturity of the walker. My son is 16, and I get nervous
everytime he wants to walk the dogs, because he is not dog-saavy and
they are both very powerful in the strength department....

In this case, since the dog was known to be dangerous, he should have been muzzled. That was the parents responsiblity.....

[Carolk9s]

I had to login and reply! However the pit got out, she DID help break up the mauling. When Jesse was younger, if I had seen a child being mauled by ANY dog(s), yes I would send him out but I would be hot on his heels! Yes I would be risking his life but YES I would risk a dogs life for a child. Not sure about the girls, perhaps Brittany as she too would NOT bite a child but I don't know if she would take on the two dogs. Candy would surely take on the dogs and also would not deliberately bite a child but she is so small she would not have much chance.
I would like the MEDIA to pick up on this and heap some well deserved praise on the pit girlie who may well have saved that boys life.

[Guest Anonymous]

After giving this some thought, I am changing my stance on "people walking dogs (though I meant Pit Bulls and such breeds) alone should be over 16". I think there are many younger then that age posters on this board that have more common sense dog wise then some adults (maybe even me :wink: ) And I think they would totally be fine walking a dog, be it a Pit Bull or Akita. I think my main concern is that so many younger teenagers, maybe not in your city or mine...but they are out there..are fighting dogs, and using Pit Bulls and other similar breeds as a status symbol, and that bothers me. What other way can you stop that without banning anyone under that age from walking or owning such breeds?

So I think my first post was knee jerk to the new article. And I am sorry abker that it offended you. I do think some people under 16, are totally capable of handling dogs alone, I just worry about the ones that cannot...like that 13 year old boy.

Make anymore sense?

[courtnek]

makes perfect sense TPP - it's not the age of the walker, but the maturity level....

Maturity cannot be quantified...it's as individual as people themselves...

My ex is 47 years old, and is as immature as they come....

[Guest Anonymous]

I can't say that I would do the same as the pb owner int this story, but it is a nice story. No matter how much I trust our dogs in "normal" situations, and even in some not so normal ones, I would NEVER let one of my dogs run out where two other dogs were already attacking someone. They are DOGS, and instinct says to join in the "hunt" and help bring down the prey. Sure, some dogs wouldn't, but even if you think yours isn't one who would react that way, you don't know until they've been put in that situation. Can you imagine if, rather than getting the other dogs off the child, this dog had joined the attack? I'm not just talking bad headlines for the APBT, but the child would have been injured even worse. The owner took a chance when he let (if he actually did let the dog out) his dog out, and while it DID turn out well, it just as easily may not have.

I feel that age restrictions on people walking dogs is about as fair as BSL. There are responsible young people who can handle taking their dogs on walks, and there are some who can't, just like in any other age group. I've mentioned the trouble I've had with the AB around the block from us dragging his owner up to us, breaking the thin cord his owner used to tie him and running up to me and my dogs, attacking other dogs in the neighborhood, etc. The owner of this dog is a 30-some yr old man, who apparently isn't strong enough to control his dog, and is too stupid or ignorant to use tools that will help him keep his dog under control (like stronger rope or a chain to tie the dog with, and possibly walking him on a collar rather than a harness tha he can throw his weight against). The dog has been in 4 or 5 fights just in the 6 months or so that he's had the dog. At the same time, I'm barely an adult at 18 years old, but have enough sense to keep my own dog aggressive dog out of trouble, and not put her in situations where she could hurt someone's dog(s), and have been able to do so since I started walking her about 5 yrs ago.

[Guest Anonymous]

courtnek napisał(a):

There are places here in the states (like Michigan) where you have to be 18 to walk a pit, or any known aggressive dog.

Really? I didn't even know that. Not that it pertains to me or anyone in my family, but it's good to know. Is it all of Michigan? Like, if I see my neighbor across the street walking one or all three of his evil Rottweilers, I can call the cops? ;) (btw, I have nothing against Rottweilers, just THOSE people and THOSE Rottweilers) That's not likely, anyway, they're probably afraid to let them out of the fence, even on leashes :evil:

As far as the 13-year-old walking an Akita? I realize that a lot of 13-yo guys can be strong, and I know that a lot of kids have to promise to walk the dog before their parents give in and get them one... But I started walking my labrador at 11, and that was really hard. Not only could I barely control him (barely a walk went by when at least one person on the street laughed and asked "who's walking who?"), but there were a couple unrestrained dogs that we used to run into once in a while that wanted to pick a fight with Bandit, an unfixed male (though he was extremely passive and never made any aggressive move). That was really scary for me and I eventually stopped taking Bandit for walks, even though it made me look irresponsible to my parents.

So I just can't imagine a kid walking a dog who was twice the size and maybe twice as strong as Bandit, plus had aggressive tendancies. Not good at all :(

As as to my original comment on this thread about not understanding the logic of setting a dog out to break up a fight... Well, if some of you believe your dogs would do just that, then I stand corrected. It just seemed overly Lassie-ish to me, to set your dog loose with the expectation that she'd take on 2 dogs to save a kid, especially one that wasn't "hers." But hey, Lassie has always been my hero :)

Amber

[abker17]

After giving this some thought, I am changing my stance on "people walking dogs (though I meant Pit Bulls and such breeds) alone should be over 16". I think there are many younger then that age posters on this board that have more common sense dog wise then some adults (maybe even me ) And I think they would totally be fine walking a dog, be it a Pit Bull or Akita. I think my main concern is that so many younger teenagers, maybe not in your city or mine...but they are out there..are fighting dogs, and using Pit Bulls and other similar breeds as a status symbol, and that bothers me. What other way can you stop that without banning anyone under that age from walking or owning such breeds?

So I think my first post was knee jerk to the new article. And I am sorry abker that it offended you. I do think some people under 16, are totally capable of handling dogs alone, I just worry about the ones that cannot...like that 13 year old boy.

Make anymore sense?

Yes, thanks for clarifying. :D Friends? :calus:

I agree with the above post that u made, I know kids my age that shouldn't be walking a chi much less a Pittie or Akita. So maturity is a very important factor, whether it be an adult or child. And parents really need to play a role in this to. That 13 yr old should have NEVER been walking a 100 lb aggresive Akita. That was most definatly the fault of the parents, and a little bit of the kid too. A 13 yr old should be able to tell what they can handle, and cannot handle. I think it sounds like this kid was out to impress his friends, so he probably didn't think about what he was doing. :-? I hope he learned a lesson though. :-?