She was so drunk that she had passed out in the hallway. I could see her feet and legs but I couldn't see anything else. I couldn't go any further into the hallway because there was a 120lb. rotti mix showing me all of his teeth.
What had I gotten myself into?
It was my first night as an animal control officer for the city of Fall River, Mass. It was 1:30AM and the Fall River P.D. had called because two of the residents of an apartment house could not get in or out.
The lady I described above came home drunk and was about to let her dog out. As she made it into the hallway she decided to sit down for a moment to rest. She passed out and her dog never made it outside but was now guarding her and the hallway.
Two of the residents that lived there could not get into their apartment because of the large, angry dog patrolling the hallway. My job was to catch the the big rotti mix so the police and EMT's could check on the drunk lady.
I knew she was okay because as I entered the hallway I could hear talking in her sleep. "Do you want some french fries?" she kept saying over and over in a drunken, slurred tone of voice.
Her dog was none too happy with me in the hallway and charged me. With catlike reflexes I jumped to my left and positioned myself on the small landing that was there but I wasn't quick enough and the dog managed to get part of my jacket.
I used the control pole to push the dog away from me and cornered him. I was lucky and got the pole around his neck. I brought him to the van and put him inside.
The EMTs revived the lady and brought her inside her apartment.
I was thinking about this little episode this morning because last night I got to do something that I don't usually get to do.
I was able to sit down and watch a full half hour of one of my favorite TV shows, Judge Judy.
As it turns out, the case being tried was about a guy that owned an Akita that had attacked a Jack Russell Terrier.
I couldn't believe the Akita owner. He said things like: "I never meant for my dog to break loose and hurt his dog," and "I never meant for my dog to attack his dog."
Of course he never meant for his dog to do any of those things but the dog did and he is responsible for his dog's actions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Having a dog is a big responsibility and this guy didn't think that he had to pay the vet bills of the injured Jack Russell.
His dog didn't do this once, his dog attacked the Jack Russell twice!
It all made me think of my animal control officer days. I was always going to the same houses. In a city of 90,000 people I was going to the same seven or eight houses week after week.
The drunk lady that I described above told me that she was not paying for my jacket. She told me that she can't be responsible for what her dog does while she was passed out in the hallway, that her dog was protecting her.
No amount of arguing on my part was going to convince her that she is responsible for everything her dog does.
Anyway, as I stated earlier, dog ownership is a huge responsibility. We have to always know where our dogs are and what they are doing. We also have to make sure that they are not aggressive. One of the best ways to give your dog a good life is to train him and to start from an early age.
If more people took training their dogs and the responsibility or ownership more seriously than they do, we would not have all the dog problems that we see today.
Well thanks for reading my rant. Please feel free to leave a comment.
Your friend,
Eric
P.S. If you'd like to learn more about dog training also see: http://amazingdogtrainingman.com/homestudy1.htm
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Judge Judy
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2 comments:
So true! I volunteer for a local breed rescue and it is amazing how few people anticipate the responsibilities that come with dog ownership. Some of them put more thought into the next pair of sneakers they'll buy than they do when they choose to bring a living creature into their lives. Then they discard the dog when it doesn't behave the way they wish it to behave, regardless of the fact that dogs aren't born knowing how they're "supposed" to act.
Cute little puppies can turn into big, hard-to-control dogs if owners don't take the responsibility of training them properly.
Also, owners have to take responsibility for their OWN actions as well. I'm notorious for leaving the butter dish out on the countertop...it's really not my DOGS' fault when they get into the butter dish. It's my fault for leaving it within their reach. I can't fault them for being dogs since that's what they ARE.
Far too many people these days refuse to take responsibility for themselves and their pets. It's a sad reflection on our "civilized" society when 1000's of animals are euthanized every day due to the inadequacies and irresponsibility of humans who didn't put enough thought into being pet owners.
Having a Dane, whos big & goofy...Im so aware that I am responisible for everything that she does..& its not only responsibility Eric, its committment. Dogs be they large or small demand committment..that is in training, exercise, diet..I live in a rural area & half the dogs that roam is with the owners consent ...
its so frustrating when I work so hard with my dog to ensure she is 'well mannered' that others don't bother
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