I was thinking the same thing N,

When a rancher or his wife dies ( a lot closer than a father in law), the stock still gets fed and taken care of.

True that's how the rancher makes his living, the owner of the Pits had two of them, so are they both males or females? I doubt it, I'm sure there has been a Pit Bull puppies for sale sign in there yard.

I know the family this happened to, all I can say is that has any one of you stopped to think that her Father in Law that lived in that same house passed away Sunday night. Do you think they were worried about the dogs, when they trying to move and also have a Father to bury...

Last year I had dropped my child off at school and noticed a loose Bassett Hound I was clear across four lanes of traffic so I couldnt stop to pick it up and get it away from traffic about the same time I noticed two white pit bulls just down the street from the Bassett running its way. The larger pit ran straight to the Bassett grabbing it and rolling it to the ground the Bassett was able to get up and run right in front of a pick up truck to avoid being ripped apart from the pit bull. The poor Bassett was killed I stopped traffic to pick his trembling body off the road as for the pit bull I'm really glad I didnt have a gun with me I would have unloaded it on both of those pit bulls!! I have NO pity for that breed of dog I and I don't believe the crap that its how you raise them-the breed needs to be exterminated!!! I think that anyone that owns this breed should have to have the insurance to cover the kind of damages that these dogs can do-they would'nt be able to afford the dog!!! I doubt the owners of these two loose dogs in the article had the funds to back up the damages these two could have done!!

I heard an add on the radio this morning - the opeing line was "are the pit bulls of the credit card companies calling you day and night?" I thought it ironic, and I knew exactly the message they were trying to get across. If they had said "are the labradors of the credit card companies calling you day and night?" I would have scratched my head and thought "what the heck does that mean?".

I have to agree with you on our animal control being a big joke,because thats Exactly what they are. I've had my share of run ins with the animal control,,and just the other day they were called out to my neighborhood for some reason But. what really got me on that, is that there are about 8 dead deer on the highway, you think they bothered to pick them up? NO,,,,but they'll grab your pet in a heartbeat if they find it loose.And Hey ol' Hicktoria I see that you personally despise animal owners/lovers. Whats up with that?,,,maybe this pit bit the wrong person,,,you reckon? So I guess you think that the dogs that were able to find all the people in the rubble of the twin towers are Worthless creatures. Maybe a pet would do you some good. Now back to you Prov., I agree that in many cases it is how the animal is raised. Many train their dogs to be mean,,and they play very rough with them. The outcome: A Mean dog. But I say this, if you have a large dog such as a Pit,,or any other large dog, it needs to be fenced in and fenced in Good. For if I ever see Any dog attacking someone,,I will do whatever it takes to destroy that animal. Dogs can be man's best friend, if raised right, but they can also be very harmful,,dangerous animals.

Sick&Tired...I second that comment. If anyone else said that the Animal Control is a joke, sorry I didn't read it because I skipped over the pros and cons of pit bulls. I can tell you this, I have personal knowledge of this incident, and animal control WAS called, but for whatever reason, decided to take an ungodly amount of time. Pit Bulls are great animals, but if you're not the owner, then you're not their friend. It's not always this way but would you want to find out? In hindsight, I actually feel bad for the Pit Bull. I'd of done the same thing as anyone else in here would for their personal protection or to protect a loved one. But, back to animal control. I agree with Sick&Tired...Animal Control and that joke of a director, Lemke are a joke!

Let me add my two cents if I may. The animal control in this town is a J-O-K-E, joke! They will not, I repeat, will not respond to any call. I have heard the horror stories from neighbors who have called them then 2 weeks ago had my own unpleasantry. I called them on a Friday afternoon, around 3 when a dog was preventing my neighbor and her child from getting out of the vehicle. Want to know what the man from animal control told me? "We don't have anyone in the area so we will come out on Monday." Are you kidding me? Why are we funding this resource if it isn't performing. Is it going to take tragic event beofre they start responding? They wouldn't even respond when the police department asked them too! Call me wrong, but if any breed of dog puts me or my family in fear of being hurt, I will do what needs done to protect us. If I get in trouble for it, I feel that I have a good defense since our a.c. is lacking in there duties

Pits can be good pets, but can never be completly trusted. Friends of mine had a pit and a cat that were raised together. They played together and lived together, inside most of the time. My friends came home one day to find a headless cat and the pit gnawing on a cat skull.
Hinsley, be aware that if your pit is only one year old it is not fully matured and will go through some major changes this year.

I shed no tears over the death of this loose dog. I also believe this woman should pay a fine for the dog being loose.
I have recently lost 2 cats, who were in MY yard, attacked & killed by wandering dogs. I called animal control, they stated I would have to file a report in person before they would investigate. Fat lot of good that does, considering I had never seen the dogs before & they ran off when we attempted to catch them. The cops couldn't help either. They did say if any dogs wound up dead in my neighborhood they were knocking on my door first. I'm not stupid & accidents do happen.

I have dogs, they are kept in a fenced yard & the fence is kept up so they cannot get out. Anyone want a pure bred Boston Terrier? Cute dog, needs more attention than I can give at this point in time.

Any breed can attack if they are not properly cared for. I was attacked as a toddler by our German Shephard that I was raised with. He bit my face off. Had a niece attacked by her families Doberman. My friend & I were chased by some HUGE teeth attached to a Chihuahua (those are mean dogs). My parents had to get rid of their Daschund because she kept biting the grandkids. You never know with dogs whether they are friendly or if they will bite your face off, best not to take chances.

Call Animal Control first? Obviously, you have never tried that before. They are extremely slow to show up, if at all. This officer did the right thing. Aggressive dogs are nuisance. Unfortunately, our society has elevated dogs and cats to equal status of humans. And in Victoria County we have three brand new, shiny facilties to take care of these animals, much better than any of our homeless shelters or domestic violence facilities. I have a challenge for Victoria - How about we take as good of care of our people as we do our stray animals.

That would be the leader of the pack instinct.
When a pup or younger dog acts up, the natural thing for the dominant dog to do is to bite them on the head kinda gentle,when the pup/younger dog protests by growling crying ect., the dominate dog applies more pressure ie: bites harder.

That's usually why dogs attack young family members, the dog is trying to show them that the are higher up in the pack,the child ,being human only crys louder when bit,the dog understands that as not recognizing it's postition in the pack (the family), so it bears down harder.

That being said,most of the Pit Bull dogs I see in town are chained in a yard with about 12' of chain to run and nothing but dirt around them.
In some cases one dog on each corner of the owners house.

So that tell's me that the dogs are not pets, they are security systems. And real nasty ones at that.

I'm not sure how true this is, but I've heard that sometimes Pits mistake children for other small animals and that is why they attack small children so often.

Here's a story for you...a girl that my daughter graduated with just buried her 2 year old little boy...attacked by the pitbull that they had gotten as a puppy and it grew up with the baby. The grandmother was babysitting..had gone to let the dogs out to potty and the pitbull went straight for the baby...got him by the throat and did not let go until the baby was dead. This dog was not trained to be mean and was not treated mean during its lifetime...but now a 2 year old is dead and the dog was put down as well. These dogs are of NO value whatsoever...the grandmother was unable to get the dog off of the baby and had turned and attacked her after letting go of the child. As far as I am concerned...those dogs should not even exist.

I am a pit bull owner and I know alot of us say the same thing, but I'm saying it too my dog is such a baby. He not only stayes in the house most of the time besides when we're out in the yard (with a fence), but he sleeps in the bed with us. We have had him since he was 6 weeks old and he is now a year old and he has never showed any aggression of any kind not even towards other dogs. I do agree that it is the owner's responsibility for their pets. I also believe that even though pit bulls are naturally aggressive they only act that way when they are not treated right by the owners.

"The dogs could be intimidating, but 'I hate that they were put down,' [Tijerina] said."

Pit bull or not, any loose dog is a nuisance and possibly a danger. I've been chased on a bike by every breed known to man, and my mother-in-law was bitten while taking a walk through her neighborhood. She had to receive rabies shots.

Stray dogs should be shot and a reward given for bringing them in. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I've had it with mutts hassling me and my family.

I guess you are nicer than I am. But, that was a good idea as well!

LOL Hicktoria! I'll tell you what I did to my inconsiderate neighbors:

They had several large dogs that were always running loose. They always pooped in my yard. At first, I approached my neighbors and asked them to kindly curb their dogs but to no avail. Now, I enjoy being outdoors and working in my yard and so I began to scoop up the poop and put it in an old bucket. When it was about half-way full, I put it on the neighbors front door step along with a note explaining that every time their dog pooped in my yard I would place on their door step -- sans bucket!

I never had a problem with them again.

I have to say that Pits get a bad rep. Yes, they are aggressive dogs by nature, but they can be raised in a loving, stable environment and not ever attack anyone. Yes, it is called being a responsible pet owner.

Any dog can and will bite if provoked. Spaying or neutering your dog will reduce the likelyhood of it biting. Keeping your dog chained up makes them more likely to bite because they aren't being socialized. Being chained up makes them feel more vunerable and cornered... how would you react to being chained up day in and day out. Victoria does have a leash law, but I don't think many people take it seriously. And they won't until they are cited for failing to comply.

Banning any particular breed isn't the answer.

Just a little side note about pets. If you have a problem with the neighbors dog pooping in your yard; I have a fix for that. All you have to do is poop in theirs! It kinda like one of those infomercial guarantees. :)

If you don't care about your pet, then why would you even have a pet or any animal at that.....makes no SENSE! I have a known to be aggressive dog, but it's all about the way you raise them, not because they are an aggressive breed. Sounds like this vicious dog, is the result of a "BAD PET OWNER!!!!!!"

Here is a website that gave me some information: http://www.dogexpert.com/.   They give statistics on dog bites by breed. 

Let me guess sthtxgrl... It was old yeller?

Hicktoria, I have been bitten by a dog, not a pit, and the same dog mauled and literally tore up my dog in my yard. Was there an article about it? No. Unfortunately that dog got to live till it died, naturally. Oh and your description of despising pet owners, I've heard others despise kids for the same reasons. But there's no ban on them, and some of them grow up to kill.

I don't think every dog mauling incident is ran in the paper or any media for that fact. What if it was a different breed, or just a plain ol mutt? Would you all have been saying the same thing? Or would it have been in the paper in the first place? There are many incidents with different dogs, but you have to pay to get it reported in the advocate to let it be known.

As for the Rotties, that's another one I would definately have to argue about. Let's not get started on that one.

Forward me all the articles about Cities banning the Jack Russell or the proposed ban on Poodles or the proposed ban on Beagles. Forward me the articles about the mad bassett hound that mauled and killed the children. I'm waiting. Please someone forward me all the articles about the Schnauser that went on a rampage and the Police had to shoot and kill him for fear of losing limbs to the angry Schnauser.

FACT: The majority of maulings and horrible incidents involving loose dogs is almost always Pit Bulls. There is no disputing it.

Save your BS arguments "It's the owner", it's "How you raise them".

No.........It's the Pit Bull. It's the crazies that own them, and it's the Pit Bull that mauls and mames the victims.

I'll patiently wait for the article of the Shitzu that went on the rampageor better yet the Pomeranian that had to be taken out by the SWAT Team.

I'm waiting............There is a common denominator here people.

Send me the link I can't wait to read it.

I personally despise animal owners/lovers. All animals do are eat, sleep, and poop. They have no useful meaning. People who own them usually take things WAY too far with them as well. IE. Making them wear stupid outfits and calling it cute.(puke) Not to mention cat lovers, but the litter box stinks up your house. It is gross and disgusting.

The fact remains that pit bulls can turn on a dime and revert to their basic, inner instincts. It cannot be bred out of them.
There are many, many documented stories about "docile" pit bulls attacking members of the family....many times children and infants. It doesn't matter how well they were trained. These dogs are unpredictable.
Pits should be placed in the same catagory as exotic cats. Normal fences cannot hold them. They need to be in covered, welded cages, which are attached to the ground in some way so they cannot dig their way out. They should never be around young kids unsupervised and owners of these animals should be prosecuted if they do not take special care to keep them away from most people.
These pets should not be allowed in town unless special precautions set by the city are met.
Rotties are just as dangerous.

The reason for all the press is simple... "dog bites man" doesn't sell papers, " Pit Bull mauls man" sells. Just because you don't hear about attacks from other breeds doesn't mean they don't happen. Please don't get me wrong, I feel the policeman was justified in his action. I am a firm believer that everyone has the right to protect themselves or their family from danger. Man or beast. I feel people, dog owners in this case should be held accountable. There is too much passing of the buck today. Ie.. "I'm fat because of Mc Donalds, I'm drunk because of the bar owner, ect. Also I'm confused, where did the jellyfish and Health Dept. come in at???

Maybe their getting a bad rap but seems like whenever you hear of a mauling/killing by a dog there's a Pit bull involved.

I am by no means trying to be an expert here nor do I, or ever have, own a Pit bull (nor want to) but one thing that comes to mind when you hear a story about a child/grandchild, neighbor, etc... that has gotten mauled/killed by a Pit bull dog is the owners almost always say something on the lines of "but its always been such a good, well mannered, dog and has never done anything like this..."

For anyone out there that feels all Pits are horrible animals your an idiot. I have owned all types of dogs over the years from Labs to Miniature Greyhounds. I have to say my Great American Pit bull has been the best dog all around. This includes being around kids, older people, and those who are mentally challenged. She loves everyone and would not purposely hurt anyone that didn't deserve it such as an intruder. I would be more than happy to show off my animal to any one who makes the assumption that Pits should be banned or they shouldn't be pets. She would love to make some new friends and prove some people wrong. If there are any takers let me know, and you can have my contact info. Also on a side note the Great American Pit Bull is a breed any animal that has been crossed is a mutt and not a GAPB which accounts for a great number of the viscous animals out there. GAPB like many species is already a mix of animals and should not be mixed again there are typically behavioral problems in these dogs.

We need to look at this as an opportunity! Let's take the mean pit bull and put him in room with those guys running the meth lab that was raided last week.

Drug dealers vs pit bulls. Winner gets a can of Alpo.

It is not the breed. My pitbull does not attack people as a matter of fact she may bark when she can't see who it is but once you are in the backyard(ie CPL, GAS, etc) she is one big baby. She has a had a problem with other dogs but not all of them, and when she is "attacking or being aggresive" towards another dog I can pull her away without being attacked myself. I guess you can say that is a risk I put myself into. That is why I put her in a kennel now. I've seen one pit that I rather not be around in my neighborhood but there are some that are just as playful as mine too.

sthtxgrl - I bet you would be singing a different tune if you were ever in a situation where you were bit by one of these dogs. With that being said, I agree we should ban stupid people.

I am with everyone who says it's not the dogs or breed's fault. My sister owns a pit bull and that dog is the sissiest dog you would ever see. She is very good natured and loves to be around kids, no matter whos. It's not the dogs you should blame, it's the owners.
As for the one who would charge an owner for the dog biting a strange child who walks into the yard, why don't you blame the child's parents first. Who, in their right mind would teach, much less let, their child go into a strangers yard by themselves. And what if it wasn't a pit? I definately know chihuahuas that are aggressive all the time and bite people, not just kids. But you don't see anything about banning them. Be a bit realistic on your "story", calling people idiots just because they own a dog is a bit foolish. Some might say your'e an idiot for having kids. Think about it.
Oh and about the city ordiance banning pit bulls, what about a city ordiance banning stupid people? You know, you can't fix stupid, but we can sure ban them...or people who don't pay their taxes, or don't pay their bills like all should? Or people who live off the government for majority of their lives instead of doing for themselves? Let's think about that...

I can't believe some of the idiots in this town that own pit bulls. Everyone is aware that this breed attacks people more than all of the rest combined and I don't buy this "it depends on how they were raised BS". My father-in-law was attacked while walking down the sidewalk by one of these nice pets that was never aggressive. Anyone that lives in the city and owns an aggressive dog is stupid. You never know when a young child might wander into your yard and I would be devistated if it was my dog that disfigured a child. If you own a dog that is known to be agressive and it bites a child, they should file child endangerment charges filed against you. My neighbor has two pit bulls which are behind a fence (idiot), but believe me, if they get out and threaten me, they will be shot.

OK Joe, let's look at a ban on pits. Why? Because they are a public danger? I guess you'd like to pass a ban on which ever race of people who are responsible for most of the crime in your neighborhood too? One should not use the term "always" or "never". I guess some of the bloggers today are too young to remember the "bad press" other dog breeds have received. In the 60's and 70's it was the German Shepards and Dobermans. Unfortunetly the animal of choice for illegal activity currently is the American Pitbull Terrier. However there is a problem with all of this. There is a breed that is generally mistaken for the APBT, that would be the American Stafforeshire terrier. This breed doesn't have the temperment of the Pit. It is generally quick to anger, quick to bite, and not as easy to manage as an APBT. Lets remember the dog in the old show "Our Gang" and the dog in the Buster Brown shoes these were both APBT. Again, my opnion is there are no BAD breeds just bad owners. Also Joe if you want to move to a city where they have baned Pitbulls try moving to Key West Fl. the last I heard they had a ban on Pits.

Pits are just like any other animal that can not be tamed. For those of you who would like to argue, go by yourself a tiger or lion and get back to me...

Actually Joe, pit bulls are not aggressive toward people naturally.

Pit bulls were bred for blood sports, as in bull baiting, bear baiting and later on dogfighting. They were never bred to just be naturally aggressive toward humans. If you know nothing of dogfighting, the handlers of the dogs were actually IN the arena with them and quite often even had to take their dogs to seperate them and to remove them from the arena when a fight was over.

As a purebred dog, as many other purebreds, there ARE some negative traits. The dog has a natural "prey drive" which has nothing to do at all with attacking humans. They are escape artists and are extremely intelligent.

They are often dog-aggressive. However, this is NOT nearly exclusive to this breed but is seen in many breeds.

In fact, pits are naturally very loving toward humans and when attached to a family are very much people pleasers. They want to please their masters.

The ownership of a pit bull should be taken on with a knowledge of the breed. As with ANY breed of dog that has the potential of a pit. It is a very intelligent and physically superior dog. While any dog can attack, the attack of certain breeds, such as pits, can result in more severe damage or injury.

This is where responsible ownership comes into play. Raise this dog correctly with a great deal of love and socialization and you will have a friend for life.

Pit bulls should NOT be banned.

EVER HEARD OF A CITY ORIDANCE BANNING PIT BULLS!!!!!!  If we want to continue to attract good families and new residents we need to seriously presure council to adopt the ordinance.  Many progressive cities have done this and see it as a quality of life issue.  Nobody truly owns a Pit for any real good reason. Save your arguements , blah, blah, blah.  Pit Bulls are bred for fighting.  Yeah, Yeah, you might have a "nice" Pit, (probably not) but they are typically  (OK always) aggressive predators.  I have never heard of a Yorkie mauling anyone or killing children.
Pit Bulls are almost always the usual offenders.  I can't recall any Lhaso Apso city ordinances being adopted anywhere.  Save your "Owner's Responsibility" arguements.  Save the "pet owners have rights" arguments. (Pits aren't pets)  Save your stupid "I bought a Pit for Companionship" arguements. Pits are mean, aggressive, blood thirsty, animals who need to be shot when running loose.  End of story!
I was thinking back to all the poodle stories I have encountered over the years where the Police had to shoot and kill those poor creatures................NOT.
Get it?

The article clearly states that the dog was only shot after it tried to attack an officer. If citizens call in about an agressive dog the first thing that is done is that an officer is called to the scene. Most of the time Animal Control will NOT respond until the LE agency checks it out and then requests them.
This dog, unlike the one in Nursery, was actually trying to attack someone. The dog needed to be put down. And there was nothing that "educating" law enforcement could have done to change that. They did EXACTLY what they should have done in that situation.The man in Nursery is having his actions questioned because the dog was just IN his yard. It was not being agressive or trying to attack anyone. Completely different scenario.
I also believe that the woman who moved out of the house should be charged with neglect. If you leave a dog behind obviously the dog is not being cared for. Also since this was in the city, additonally she should be cited for allowing the dog to get out of the fence. Just because you leave the house does NOT relieve you of legal responsibility for the animal.
There IS a leash law in Victoria and I personally am aware of it being enforced. There will be circumstances when it is not though.

This city needs leash laws and laws that will force pet owners to provide adequate fencing.
I have a neighbor whose dog has busted through fences and attacked other dogs and the police did nothing. Told him to secure his fence better.
That was the extent of it.
To get something done to fix the situation, someone would have to take the time and expense of suing.
We used to have pitbulls running around that would chase people into their homes and unless witnessed by animal control we could do nothing. Thankfully, these idiots moved out of the neighborhood.

OK people, enough of the Pit Bull bashing. Once again you are blaiming the breed of an animal for poor owner responsibility. I'm not here to proclaim ALL Pit Bull's are quiet and friendly. However, with proper enviroment and socializing the animal they are loving, devoted members of the host family. Pits are posessive by nature. The willingness to fight is a learned behavior. I've owned Pits since the mid-80's with no problems. There are no bad dog breeds, only bad, irresponsible owners.

Also kids need to be taught not to come up onto a yard with fenced in dogs. I have one girl that tries to pet my fenced in dogs once in awhile. And I have one dog that might bite, because, he don't know you yet.
And they got to walk onto my property about four feet to get to the fence.
I watch my dogs all the time, and they are inside dogs. So please stay your distance, and obey the signs posted on peoples properties.

I cannot believe that anyone would be charged for killing a dangerous animal to protect themselves or others. Texas needs to have statewide leash laws, so that people who live in rural areas have the same rights as those who live in areas that have leash laws.
My neighbors have about 5 large dogs running loose and we were told to shoot if necessary by the local law inforcement. I have a strong feeling that if we shot one of the dogs, we would be sued, so we suffer in silence. Although, if one ever hurts anything I own, they are gonna get sued, since they are liable for what their dogs do.

I think anyone who is threatened by a pit bull should have the right to kill the animal. I have two children and i will shoot any animal that comes on my property and is a threat.
The problem we face today is that some wack jobs think an animal's life is just important as a humans. It is my understanding that Victoria county does not have a leash law. One needs to be imposed and the owners of dangerous animals should be held accountable. Victims that act out to defend themselves or loved ones should not be punished.

Owners should be responsible for their dogs. I had to be responsible for mine when they got out. I own one pit bull now and she is in a kennel in a fenced yard. I took responsibility on fixing my fences when they were damaged so should others.

same issue...my aunt/cousin walked the new creek trail and was afraid as well. They said there are mulitple homes w/ poor fences and mad barking dogs. What happens if they get loose?

We may see more shot dead pets, eh?

Owning a dog or any other pet IS a responsibility. This owner didn't do a good job, but I'd have done the same thing as the Nursery guy or Officer Smetters! I am not taking a chance and thats just the way it is!

Dejavu!  Didn't a similar situation occur in Nursery about six months ago?  It seems like the man who shot the pit bull (Roscoe) out there was charged because he didn't call Animal Control first.  Did the policeman call Animal Control?  No, because he didn't have time to...just like the man in Nursery.  So what's the difference?