Comments on: Lawsuit abuse kills puppies

By: s kennedy

s kennedy — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:03:39 +0000

It is apparent that neither the SPCA nor members of the public really understand what is happening in regard to dogs being adopted out or not, to families w/kids? As an attorney and canine rescuer, I have seen countless adults who know nothing about dogs–adopt a dog for their family, fail to instruct the kids on safe dog-child interaction, and fail to properly train the dog. The size of dog is not determining factor–but it has been shown via credible evidence that more than 50% of the fatal attacks by canines HAVE been caused by either rescued, rehomed, or shelter dogs; even though these dogs only comprise about 15-19% of total dogs owned (total dogs owned estimated at 65-70million in US) and where the TOTAL number of fatalities by canines might only be 35 in the US. As we can see, the 15-19% being involved in the 50%+ of fatalities is indeed suspect. For more info, see http://www.petdefense.wordpress.com/
Any member of the public with children would do best not to adopt a shelter dog unless they are fully competent with canines, instruct their kids re safety with canines, and supervise their kids w/the dog at all times. If they cannot do this (and most cannot) they should not obtain a rescued or shelter animal. Blaming the SPCA and attorneys is misplaced. It is the dog owners who either don’t recognize behavior signs of dogs, don’t supervise the dog/kid, and don’t train the dog properly. And it is rather unlikely that the SPCA would lose a case unless the new owner could prove the SPCA knew the dog was a biter, or had reason to know.

By: Jim Collins

Jim Collins — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:07:38 +0000

My first job was with the local branch of the Humane Society. We had a farmer who wanted to adopt 15 cats. He wanted barn cats for his farm. The woman in charge refused to let him adopt the cats. They had a bunch of strange rules concerning cats. Two days later I put down 20 cats because of overcrowding. I guess it is better to kill them, than to allow them to be adopted in less than optimal conditions. Since working there I have never volunteered or donated money to any organization of this type. I have a thing against hypocracy.

By: matt

matt — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:36:17 +0000

just to make this absolutely clear i do not agree with how the spca handled this (instead of killing the animal what they should have done was taken it to dog training classes see how it behaved . . . and then made the descision to adopt or not) you sure this was the spca and not animal control?? (most private shelter are low -kill, i.e. if its fataly ill or violates a bite qaurantine)

By: matt

matt — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:26:42 +0000

The answer is clearly to lie on the screening form about having children. Even if the courts won’t recognize a waiver, misrepresentation should accomplish the same thing in the event of a dog bite incident.

but this ignores the underlying condition
will the dog tolerate children? if not all lying does is get the child bit!!!

and again then what the dog gets put down,

animal shelters are not here to give dogs away to the first person to get there!
they are trying to find the right dog for the right family (and vice versa)

have any of you handled a scared or aggresive dog?

By: Deoxy

Deoxy — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:42:28 +0000

Sadly, this is more likely than a waiver to actually work. Even more sadly, it still is not foolproof (“Why didn’t you invstigate to see if they had children or not?”).

By: Dylan

Dylan — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:08:14 +0000

By: William Nuesslein

William Nuesslein — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:59:56 +0000

Some people are crazy when it comes to dogs. My neighbor at the time had an adult Doberman Pinsher Dog as a pet and pre-school children. The dog charged through the screen door and pinned my step grandson to the ground. The boy was 5 or 6 at the time. The neighbors then got a companion for the Doberman. It was a Rothweiler. The two dogs would go into a frenzy every time I parked my car. They scared me. Either dog would likely cause serious harm had it snapped at a child, or an adult for that matter.

Dog bites are a serious problem, but a well behaved dog can be a man’s (or child’s) best friend.

By: matt

matt — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:36:15 +0000

it really does depend on the dog, some dogs just will not tolerate small children ( and if they do renege on the agreement what about the dog?) does it get taken back to the shelter putting stress on all involved (including the dog) or does the dog get put down cause it bit someone (at the very least i believe the animal must be placed in a 14 day quarantine)