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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The Corrections


I sold him anyways. He’s probably in Florida by now.
William Johnson

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This is not a book discussion group for the bestselling novel by Jonathan Franzen; that would be a different blog. This post responds to a pit bull attack and what steps the city should have taken to mitigate the attack.


Albert Gallagher and his family returned from a cookout to find the neighbor's pit bull had invaded his home, attacking his five little dogs. One of the dogs, Isabella, died and Gallagher was left with $5,000 in medical bills for the other four dogs.

Isabella

Animal Control declined to take the invading pit bull. Authorities said the dog had not been deemed dangerous by a judge.

William Johnson, the neighbor who owned the pit bull, claimed that Gallagher's son allowed the pit bull in the home with the five Shih Tzus. I sold (the pit bull) anyways. He’s probably in Florida now.

William Johnson

The Corrections

The following comments and suggestions will be self-evident to most people, but may not have occurred to authorities in Carrick, PA.
  • Any child would intuitively recognize Johnson's winking deception that the dog is in Florida; the dog is probably hiding out across town at a friend's house. Johnson is gaming the Carrick authorities.
  • Animal control should question Johnson to find out where the dog is and have it euthanized.
  • Animal control should realize that if a pit bull is caught in the act of attacking five Shih Tzus, having killed one of them, it is de facto dangerous. Who in God's creation would offer a complaint if the dog had been taken away at that moment? Was Animal Control more concerned with the welfare of the pit bull than with the victims?
  • As in so many cases following a pit bull attack, the victim is left to cover the costs. SRUV suggests two options for covering the costs. The city should arrest Johnson for criminal negligence, and fine him to cover the cost of Gallagher's medical bills. A second option would be that all those who advocate for  fighting breeds including Mike Markarian, Ledy VanKavage, Jane Berkey, Karen Delise, and dozens of others, should send Mr Gallagher a check and their apologies.
On numerous occasions SRUV has reminded readers that advocates for fighting breeds lobby for Dangerous Dog Laws (DDL) over BSL. The DDL in Carrick worked exactly as they hoped: a pit bull which wreaked havoc by invading a home and attacking five dogs, killing one named Isabella, was returned to the safety and comfort of its home, while the animal and human victims suffered without recourse.

SRUV recognizes that some of our corrections are extra-legal, but we dream of a more humane, just world.

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