Two More Rampaging Pit Bulls Killed by Officers

[PistolBob]

From a story I read in the Indianapolis Start (exerpt)



Police shot and killed two pit bulls they said attacked an Indiana State trooper on the Westside Wednesday.


The trooper, Eric Streeval, had shot and wounded one of the dogs in the 6500 block of Pierson Drive near the Indianapolis International Airport at about 1 p.m. But police said the dog remained aggressive, even while hurt, and charged Airport Police Officer Robert Engel, who had responded to Streeval's call for assistance.


Engel said in a police report he shot the wounded dog when it charged him. He said after he shot the dog it attacked another police officer at the scene. That officer and Streeval fired several more shots at the dog to kill it. In the meantime, another airport police officer found the other dog cornered, and fatally shot that one, too.


On Tuesday, an IMPD officer shot and killed a charging pit bull in the 3900 block of Graceland Avenue.

 

[RelicHound]

There was a pit bull attack down here a couple of weeks ago.
Evansville woman mauled during morning pit bull attack | MAP Evansville Courier & Press

I absolutely love dogs but pitbulls are a breed that should not be messed with by just anyone...I'd say its a safe bet that maybe one in every twenty pitbull owners are responsible enough to own this breed. they are dangerous dogs. I have seen their aggression first hand...this was an attack from two pits that seemed to the perfect dogs,they where playful,well behaved and did well with children...then one day they decided they didnt want to behave anymore and attacked their owners. the attack was so bad that my cousin and her daughter have been going through re constructive and various other surgeries for the past few years.
These attacks will continue until people start to realize that they are not a breed for everyone and should be treated with the utmost respect. seems now everyone wants them simply for the intimidation factor and they have no clue how to properly care for this breed.

 

[snowman46919]

We have absolutely no frame of reference on this, so I will point out a few things that I see wrong with what we do know. An injured animal, no matter what it is, is far more dangerous than a healthy one. A cornered animal, no matter what it is, is far more dangerous than one that is not. Until blood tests prove otherwise two dogs were killed by officers.

 

[Love the 1911]

We have absolutely no frame of reference on this, so I will point out a few things that I see wrong with what we do know. An injured animal, no matter what it is, is far more dangerous than a healthy one. A cornered animal, no matter what it is, is far more dangerous than one that is not. Until blood tests prove otherwise two dogs were killed by officers.

Are you implying that a blood-borne illness may have actually killed the dogs?

 

[snowman46919]

Are you implying that a blood-borne illness may have actually killed the dogs?

No I am implying that these dogs very easily could be misidentified, OP stated that one of the dogs was acting aggressively so they shot it but did not maim or kill it. The second dog was cornered, any person with common sense does not corner a dog or try to approach an injured animal without EXTREME caution.

 

[Expat]

This is not directed toward anyone on this board as I don't know any of you. But it seems like in my area that most of the people that have pit bulls have no business keeping any animals.

 

[snowman46919]

This is not directed toward anyone on this board as I don't know any of you. But it seems like in my area that most of the people that have pit bulls have no business keeping any animals.

More than welcome to meet mine.. mind you he may try to lick you to death especially if you look at him funny

 

[Love the 1911]

No I am implying that these dogs very easily could be misidentified, OP stated that one of the dogs was acting aggressively so they shot it but did not maim or kill it. The second dog was cornered, any person with common sense does not corner a dog or try to approach an injured animal without EXTREME caution.

I have no more details than anyone else on this matter but I think it depends on where the dogs were located. Could they have been interfering with a runway? Near a hangar where they could potentially put people in danger? Sometimes, LE does not have an option to wait to be cautious to approach an animal. A blood test will not prove that the dogs were not acting aggressively and it doesn't matter what breed the dogs are if they were acting that way.

 

[snowman46919]

I have no more details than anyone else on this matter but I think it depends on where the dogs were located. Could they have been interfering with a runway? Near a hangar where they could potentially put people in danger? Sometimes, LE does not have an option to wait to be cautious to approach an animal. A blood test will not prove that the dogs were not acting aggressively and it doesn't matter what breed the dogs are if they were acting that way.

If the breed doesn't matter then why include it? This touches a very sensitive area with me right now and if you haven't read it go here to see why.

touchy subject

 

[silverspoon]

A couple more misguided dogs. I feel for the officers involved, I'm sure it was a scary situation and I also feel for the dogs and blame the owners.

 

[Love the 1911]

If the breed doesn't matter then why include it? This touches a very sensitive area with me right now and if you haven't read it go here to see why.

touchy subject

I did read that post but did not connect the dots that you were the OP. I love all dogs and realize that most "problem" animals are the result of poor ownership. Pit bulls are great dogs but must be "put in their place" by a strong owner or there is great risk of the dog becoming dangerously aggressive, as opposed to a mistreated poodle that will become aggressive but not nearly as dangerous.

If there is a more loving breed of dog, I haven't met one. Pits will protect their family to their death and won't back down from any threat, which makes them a common target for getting shot by LE or citizens with guns as we don't recognize boundaries the same way dogs do.

 

[OiRadio47]

Ill avoid commenting on this thread. Trying to get through to someone that doesnt like pitbulls, is like trying to talk to someone that doesnt like guns...

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

It always amazes me how many people own "pit bulls" and do not even know what breed of dog they are.

I do not mean people that own pit bulls and do not know they are pit bulls... I mean people who say a dog is a "pit bull" when it is a cross of five unknown breeds.

Ever ask someone "what type of pit bull" and see a blank reaction, as if you asked them what type of air they breathe?

Someone alluded to 1 in 20 pit bull owner are probably responsible enough to own one... I think that is being generous, but can likely be applied to all dog ownership in general. I think maybe 1 in 50 "pit bull" owners knows what breed of dog they have.

I do not blame an officer for shooting an aggressive dog that was out causing harm. They did their job, and if the dog's owner was more responsible, they would not have been put in that situation.

What I do blame, is the media... A pit bull being shot is a more interesting headline. I have watched animal control "experts" in Indianapolis label golden retrievers "pit bulls"... WHAT?!...

It would be nice to list the breed of dog when the media covers a story....

 

[purple72]

Kinda like an "assault" weapon.

 

[snowman46919]

I have a blue fawn and blue American Pit Bull Terrier cross and as such can not qualify him much other than blue and mine. Is that good enough for you

 

[Benny]

If the breed doesn't matter then why include it?

Because that's the first thing people would ask if it wasn't.

If they would have had to cap a raging Yorkie or Chihuahua, the story wouldn't make as much sense.

 

[Marc]

here is how i look at things. calling pit bulls a mean and aggressive dog is like calling people racial slurs not all of them are that way. also how many of these attacks are actually done by pit bulls, when just the name to the general public makes them sound dangerous... for all we know the officer was attacked by a french poodle and said it was the ever ferocious "pit bull" to justify him killing an animal and saying he was defending himself.



the way dogs look at things are, if they see someone they dont know walking up the dog goes into protection mode cause he thinks you are NOT supposed to be there and is defending his territory.


its not the animal, its the owners and it because of people like this is why this breed of dog has the reputation it has now


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWjp_fUrVGM[/ame]

 

[Hornett]

The trooper, Eric Streeval, had shot and wounded one of the dogs in the 6500 block of Pierson Drive near the Indianapolis International Airport at about 1 p.m. But police said the dog remained aggressive, even while hurt, and charged Airport Police Officer Robert Engel, who had responded to Streeval's call for assistance.


Engel said in a police report he shot the wounded dog when it charged him. He said after he shot the dog it attacked another police officer at the scene. That officer and Streeval fired several more shots at the dog to kill it. In the meantime, another airport police officer found the other dog cornered, and fatally shot that one, too.

Obviously a pansy 9mm. Should have used a 45. Preferably a 1911.

 

[snowman46919]

Oh and since the point was brought up else where one of the most gentle dogs was trained during the wars in england to attack men on horseback, the Irish Wolfhound. Yet the pit bull was used to maintain and protect livestock from predators..

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

I have a blue fawn and blue American Pit Bull Terrier cross and as such can not qualify him much other than blue and mine. Is that good enough for you

American Pit Bull Terrier is a breed, "pit bull" is a generalization of many types of breeds. So yes, I would consider "I have an APBT" an acceptable answer to the question "What type of pit bull". As far as the colors, they are just that - color variation.

Because that's the first thing people would ask if it wasn't.

If they would have had to cap a raging Yorkie or Chihuahua, the story wouldn't make as much sense.

Yes.. but a Yorkie, or a Chihuahua is an example of a breed. A "pit bull" is not... so they do not even include the breed truthfully.

Some examples of breeds considered "pit bull type" dogs:
American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Bull Terrier, Olde English Bulldogge, Am Bully

Dogs commonly confused with "pit bull type" dogs:
Dogue De Bordeau, Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Presa Canario, Cane Corso, Patterdale Terrier, Alpana Espanol, Boerboel, Ca De Bou, Boxer

I am sure I am leaving some out, but off the top of my head I think that is a pretty good list.

To further complicate the matter, a great majority of "pit bull" dogs you would encounter are not even one breed - they are mixed breed dogs. Since people commonly confuse the dog breeds, owner X has a male APBT while owner Y has a female AST. They decide they want to breed their "pit bulls" - and the result is a litter of mixed breed dogs. These dogs may then be bred with someones half APBT half Boxer "pit bull" - resulting in a "pit bull" that is a mix of four breeds. While the general public will associate the phenotype of this dog with a "pit bull" - it would not be any true "pit bull" breed.

After years of confusion what you end up with is many mixed breed dogs, whose owners claim "since their mother and father were both pit bulls, they are both pit bulls". Eh, maybe.. but not really... if you mix multiple dog breeds, you have a mixed breed dog.

So if all these breed types are lumped together as "pit bulls" when any of them bite - obviously we are going to see a lot of "pit bull" attacks....