Category Archives: Care and Feeding of Canine Companions

Tips

Care and Feeding of Canine Companions, Dog Park Culture

I Don’t Have a Dog in this Fight

2 Comments

I don’t, really. But Robert Marx shot that pit bull at my dog park, on my stomping grounds and people are still talking about it ten days later. I’ve had two people enthuse how I should build a novel around it. This would involve people shooting vicious dogs, and the revenge killings that follow. It would be a blood-bath, I’m told.

Regarding this incident, the press is one sided and inaccurate. Robert Marx isn’t talking and Kaitlynn Hornsby isn’t telling the truth. She refers to Bruski as a “big baby” and paints him as a friendly dog who was initially attacked by Marx’s border collie mix. (Rumor has it that Hornsby has been asked to leave other dog parks and not come back.)

The most balanced reporting was in USA today, which stuck with police reports and did not quote Ms. Hornsby. Other news outlets contain such faux gems as:

Huffington Post: Kaitlynn Hornsby and Silas Parker say their pit bull was being playful with Marx’s dog on Tuesday when the other dog bit it. They say their pit bull bit back and Marx killed it within seconds.

Columbus Dispatch: “He didn’t even give me a chance to break up the fight,” said Hornsby.

Only one of the news outlets I checked have cited any of the witnesses.

This morning, a man I have known for years only as “Moe’s Dad,” was sharing what he saw when I arrived at the dog park today. He is one of two witnesses I’ve spoken with since the shooting.

The first witness I spoke with was sitting with Bob and his wife, Lois, when a melee between a large number of dogs broke out. He stated that Bob was sitting many yards away from the fight and you could here his dog screaming. Bob is 74 and has diabetes. He has limited movement and it took him some time to arrive at the fight. By then it had winnowed down to the two dogs, Bruski and Rowdy.

Both of my witnesses state that neither owner was nearby when the fight broke out. So I want to know, how does Ms. Hornsby know which dog started it? (Another news outlet states witnesses reported seeing Bruski attack Rowdy.)

Moe’s dad said he noticed Bruski behaving aggressively when he arrived at the park that afternoon, and that he told Ms. Hornsby that she needed to control her dog better. Then he took Moe to the back of the park to get away from any possible altercation between the dogs. When the fight broke out, he went to the fray. I forgot to ask him why. Possibly Moe ran towards the fight, as dogs tend to do. He did say he was trying to keep Moe out of it.

He arrived among the circle of onlookers after Marx tazed the dog. He stated both dogs were limp and perfectly still. He saw Marx lean over and “puff up the other dog like a loaf of bread,” Marx then moved around to the side of the dog, pressed his gun up on Bruski’s shoulder, 2 inches to the side of the spine and fired. He stated Bruski did not respond while Marx was handling him. He demonstrated the angle of Marx’s shot, which was about 30 degrees. He stated he was standing on the other side of the dog from Marx and was afraid at the time that the bullet would go through the dog and hit him. He said Bob never looked up to see what was on the other side of the dog when he fired. He also stated that it took several seconds after the shot was fired before Bruski responded by getting up and walking a short distance, then falling down.

Neither witness I talked to was able see whether anyone made any effort to separate the dogs before Marx tazed the dog. It can be concluded by the distance Marx had to cover to get to the fight that there was time for intervention before he arrived. Moe’s dad covered acres of ground to get to the fight and arrived before Marx shot Bruski.

Moe’s dad said Bruski’s jaws were still around Rowdy’s neck after he was tazed, and Marx made no attempt to separate the dogs once they were both laying limp on the ground. We both suspect (but do not know) that the dogs could have been safely and easily separated at that point.

I’m just sick about this.

Neither owner was in the right. Hornsby should have had better control of her dog and Marx should have stopped once the dogs were limp. Regardless of how you feel about pit bull attacks, Marx is guilty of shooting a firearm in city limits. It is against state law to use a firearm to defend personal property. Everyone who completes a concealed carry course is told this. They are also told that pets are classified as property.

As I said, I don’t have a dog in this fight. I’m not about to defend either owner. But there are things we can take away from this.

    1. All dog parks are potentially dangerous places.

    2. Keep your dog under close supervision when strange dogs are around.

    3. Know the difference between “rough play” vs. aggression and predator behavior, and if your dog tends towards aggression, don’t take it to the dog park.

    4. Dog fights are more likely to happen when a crowd of dogs forms. I see crowds of dogs forming because their owners are congregating in large groups, and dogs tend to stay near their owners when others are around. So don’t congregate in large groups.

    5. If you see a large group forming, take your dog to another part of the park.

    6. If you see a dog behaving in an aggressive manner, take your dog to another part of the park or leave.

    7. Dog parks are not a good place for small children. Even if the dogs are just playing, it’s easy for them to knock even adults over.

    8. If your dog starts behaving aggressively, put it on a leash and get it under control. Take it to another part of the park or leave.

    9. The safest way to intervene in a dog fight is to grab the aggressor (both dogs, if possible) by the hind legs, then lift the hind legs up while pulling to the side. A vet tells me she successfully used this maneuver on a pit bull.

    10. Do not bring treats or food into a dog park. Some dogs are food aggressive. Your dog may be fine, but you don’t know about the others.

Dog parks are an invaluable resource for those of us who do not have a fenced yard, have inadequate space for exercise, or want to provide socialization for their pets. To keep access to these places, it’s important to remain alert, be responsible and think defensively.

Aztec Diet, Care and Feeding of Canine Companions, Diet, On Being a Writer

Aztec Diet Day 38: Little Foil Men

Leave a comment

Pounds lost: 18

Pre-Breakfast: apple; Breakfast: Dr. Bob’s Kale Blueberry Smoothie; Lunch: venison stew; Snack: apple; Dinner: low-fat cottage cheese with 2 TBSP chia, topped with an avocado and peach mango salsa; Snack: 2 celery ribs and a small handful of zucchini chips

New Crocs

I think my absences in the evening are upsetting Shadda. This morning I couldn’t find one of my Crocs. After hunting all over the apartment, I found it in one of the dog beds with the strap chewed off. This is the first time she’s eaten one of my shoes in a couple years. So maybe she misses me. Or maybe she’s just tired of me wearing these everywhere, looking like some kind of duck-footed dork.

I’m getting tired of tuna. And venison. I’m longing for a lovely pot of curried black beans. I was thinking about that tonight. Then I looked around me. More than 60 people in my work room, with stations every 4 feet. A sudden influx of beans would be horribly antisocial. That means humus is out, too. Dang it. Curse real jobs, and the need for social acceptability.

I did better than ever with not being hungry at work. I believe stirring 2 TBSP chia into my cottage cheese did the trick. It made a nice meal with avocado and salsa. It’s a meal well worth repeating.

Little Foil Men

As for writing, I’m mostly considering what kind of love offerings Eric can leave for Lia. Something that would appeal to the artist in her and only later strike her as a bit creepy. Like maybe little dioramas made out of scrunched up tinfoil. Never heard of this? It’s one of my favorite crafts. A couple years ago, I made an entire soccer game for the Northside Branch Library. Why? Why not? Does that make me weird?

Care and Feeding of Canine Companions, Life, relationships

Would You Talk to a Dog That Way?

Leave a comment

I was watching a man with his pup the other day.  The dog had scrambled up on the picnic table next to me.  Now his owner wanted his attention. “Sit,” he said.  Pup did nothing. So owner says, “Sit. Sit. Sit. Sit.” Eventually, Pup plops his butt down. Does owner say “Good Boy!” and pat the pup?  No, Owner says, “Sit.  S-i-i-i-t. Sit.”

Sometimes I’ll intervene when I see a newbie making obvious training mistakes.  This time I didn’t. I didn’t feel a receptive vibe, so I kept my mouth shut. But this scene came to mind after I spent some time on the phone with a friend who was dealing with long-standing relationship issues. The problem is, she communicates with her significant other the way this guy talks to his dog.

To explain what I mean, some basics of effective human to canine communication:

  1. Be consistent.  Use the same signals for the same commands.
  2. Keep it simple. Don’t add any extra words or flourishes.
  3. Demonstrate what you mean through action. If you say, “Sit,” and Fido doesn’t,  say “Sit,” once more and gently push his butt down to the floor.
  4. Never give a command unless you are willing to enforce it. Each time you say “Sit,” and Fido doesn’t, you have to demonstrate what it means by gently pushing his butt to the floor.
  5. Never escalate. Yelling at Fido or smacking him because he doesn’t do what you want will never teach Fido anything except to be afraid of you.
  6.  Once Fido sits, shut up.  Repeating the command makes him think you want something else, and he must not have understood you.  If you want him to keep sitting, the command should be “Stay.”

Consistency is important.  You have to follow through each and every time you make a command, or else Fido realizes that sometimes “sit” DOESN’T mean “sit” after all.  So Fido will start testing by not responding when you give that command.  What you do at that time determines what Fido decides “sit” actually means.  I know a dog who has been taught, through his owner’s consistent actions, that “Sit!  Sit!  Sit! Oh, to Hell with you!” actually means “Jump on me and I’ll give you a biscuit.”

Consistency is a pain in the patootie. My first dog was a marvel of obedience, but occasionally Beez would get a wild hair.  One day I walked him (off lead) down to the neighborhood convenience store, like I did every morning.  “Down,”  I said.  He went down, like he did every morning.  “Stay,” I said. I walked into the store and went to the coffee counter.  I looked up, and there was Beez, sauntering by the window.  I swear he looked in and grinned.  I went back out and took him back to his original spot.  “Down,”  I said, “Stay.”  I went back into the store and was pouring my coffee when I spotted Beez lazily walking by.  I went back out and put him back down.

I will make this story short.  It took 17 tries before I was able to buy my coffee and newspaper and get back outside to release him before he took off.  It didn’t help that it was a busy morning and the line was really long.  It didn’t help that everyone ELSE was highly amused.  But it was important to keep at it until he followed directions.  Other wise, he would know that I don’t mean what I say.  Yes, it was very inconvenient that morning.  But sticking to my guns meant that I had a dog neighbors offered to trade their children for.  I want to add, Beez was a feral dog rescued after spending several months in Red River Gorge. If it was possible to teach him, it’s possible to teach anyone.

I have friends who are terrific with their dogs and blow it with their humans.  When they try to set boundaries, they say the equivalent of “No. No. No.  Oh, all right.”  Maybe they add, “Just this once.”  What they communicate is: “Be patient and I will give in.”  They think they shouldn’t have to treat their humans like their dogs.  “Humans can reason,” they say.  “They already know my situation, they know I don’t want to, why do they keep asking me?  Why are they making me be the bad guy?”  Umm.  Because you eventually say yes?  Because your “nos” don’t really mean “no”?

Communicating boundaries is not the same as issuing threats.  At one time I worked in residential rehab for alcoholics and drug addicts.  Our clients were not only addicted, most of them came to us through the criminal justice system. We’re talking chronic professional rule breakers here. My boss was a terrific guy, and he loved helping drunks.  The only thing he had a problem with was clients breaking rules.  His solution was to make the penalty so big that it would act as a deterrent.  “Change the rule,” he said, “If they do that, we’ll throw them out of treatment.” He figured then nobody would break that particular rule.  Except that eventually every rule gets broken. When the time came, no one was willing to levy the consequence because it was too harsh. Which demonstrated to the entire house that the rules had no meaning. (I want to go on record here.  I was vocally opposed to this strategy when he adopted it.) Is it any wonder this wonderful, caring man suffered high blood pressure and heart attacks?

And of course, it is always important to say what you mean.  I’ll never forget my beloved grandmother repeatedly imploring a guest to stay and have another glass of tea.  The woman insisted, no, she really had to go.  Grandma finally closed the door behind this woman.  Then she shook her head and said, “I thought she’d NEVER leave!”  Seriously.  Would you tell your dog to “come” if you wanted it to “stay”?

Do your loved ones take advantage of you?  Do they ignore your feelings?  Try talking to them the same way you should talk to your dog.