There's a lady out here. She's being attacked
by a bunch of dogs. She's screaming. There's blood.
WESH.com
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Revised: Jan 4, 2013; 19:51 GMT
That would not be a pack of Golden Retrievers attacking her.Chewy, a Bedlington Terrier, was attacked in her front yard in Seminole County, Florida by three pit bulls on January 11th. The owner of the pit bulls, Kathy Hammond, was unable to stop the attack and screamed for help.
The responding officer hit the dogs with a baton, to no avail. The officer then shot two of the dogs in self defense. Chewy died later that day in the arms of her owner.
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Attacks such as this are so common that they barely deserve notice. But details of the case illustrate how many communities fail to protect our more vulnerable animal companions and our communities.
Chewy lived with her family, the Brabbs, in an upper middle-class neighborhood in Lake Mary. The owner of the pit bulls, Kathy Hammond, lives across the street at 456 Gehr Lane. Neighbors in the community have lodged eight complaints with Animal Control since June: that's roughly a complaint a month for over half a year.
According to Seminole County Animal Services, Hammond may be issued a citation as a result of the attack, perhaps for allowing her three pit bulls to run loose.
Even now, the surviving dog cannot be declared vicious.
"Florida statutes require that the animal be involved in more than one attack before we can deem the dog dangerous," said Morgan Woodward of Seminole County Animal Services.A pit bull which has had eight complaints lodged against it, and which then participates in a killing, is not thought to be dangerous?
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We have all heard the phrase certain truths are self-evident.
The horror of this attack lies not only in the attack itself (and the death of Chewy), but in the legislation that protects dogs which kill, and then returns those dogs to the safety and comfort of their homes.
Pit Bull advocacy groups lobby forcefully against Breed Specific Legislation (BSL), and lobby instead for Dangerous Dog Legislation (DDL) like that of Seminole County. Not only do they lobby against BSL; they offer to assist communities in crafting DDL legislation which would protect Chewy's killer. And too many communities have accepted their help.
This madness is equivalent to allowing, or rather inviting, Enron or Halliburton to help craft the country's energy policy.
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Sources: WESH.com Orlando, WKMG 6
Google News: Today's pit bull attacks