[Lara's mom]

Lance, the little Shorty JRT that I rehomed with an amazing family several months ago died died after being savaged by a pit bull. It seems that even in places where they are banned, no dog is safe from their murderous instinct. Lance was a beautiful, bright eyed little boy is being sadly mourned by all of the people in his life. We will do our very best to insure that for once, the justice system works in favour of the victim of this senseless and horrible crime so that his death is not in vain. He was only 2 1/2 years old...

[cigwyllt]

That's so sad. R.I.P. little boy.

[Lara's mom]

It isn't only sad; it is a crime.

[reeskujo]

I'm really sorry to hear that!..May I ask how the Pit gained access to the poor little guy? Also do they know who the owners are?

[Lara's mom]

From what I understand, Lance's Daddy was taking him for a walk. They were only a few doors away from their own house. A man had a pit bull that was not muzzled. He was probably leaving his yard to walk his dog. The pit bull's yard has very thick hedges surrounding the fence so, Henry didn't see the dog. As they were walking by, the pit bull grabbed Lance and although they both tried their best, they couldn't get the pit bull to release Lance until he was so severely injured that there was no hope of saving him.

[Lunareclipse]

I'm sorry. It isn't the pitty's fault though. It's the owner's. I hope the owner gets put to sleep for this crime.

[CorkyMax]

OMG!! I am so sorry to hear about Lance! I just don't know what to say---I am not handling death very well anymore. I saw what appeared to be a little black puppy laying dead on the side of the road today when I was driving and it made me start crying. Just know that I understand how you feel,--you have my condolences and give them to Lance's other parents who are prob. devastated over this sudden loss. Sorry, Pam.

[Lara's mom]

Luna: They are both at fault. The owner wasn't obeying Ontario law which states that pit bulls must be leashed and muzzled at all times. The pit bull is obviously an aggressive and dangerous animal. We will be taking legal steps to have the dog seized and PTS. That pit bull will have a far more merciful death than poor little Lance did.

Corky/Max: Thank you for your condolences.

[lange]

Another circumstance of very likely bad breeding and ownership, I'm just so sorry Lance had to suffer the consequence of someone's stupidity. RIP little Lance...

[Lara's mom]

I'm trying very hard not to blame the dog...The thing is, he killed Lance. What happens the next time someone is walking by with a little dog? I'm not a monster. I hate the idea of anyone losing their dog. I'm sure this guy loves this pit bull but, it has already killed once. If I do nothing and it happens again, I will have the blood of the next victim on my hands because I knew the dog was dangerous and I sat back and did nothing.

[Lunareclipse]

I think the pitbull needs to find proper owners. Our oldest saint bernard killed another dog. It was the old owner's fault. But that pitbull needs to be placed with people that won't let him off the property or anywhere where there are other dogs. The owner should have followed the laws and had the dog muzzled. Should Lance have been muzzled too since he has shown aggression towards other dogs?

[Lara's mom]

When I gave these people Lance, he came with among a million other goodies, a muzzle.

[lange]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

I'm trying very hard not to blame the dog...The thing is, he killed Lance. What happens the next time someone is walking by with a little dog? I'm not a monster. I hate the idea of anyone losing their dog. I'm sure this guy loves this pit bull but, it has already killed once. If I do nothing and it happens again, I will have the blood of the next victim on my hands because I knew the dog was dangerous and I sat back and did nothing.

Unfortunately, there is no justice in a situation like this. At this point there's no good resolution either way. That's why we need to see the problem for the bigger picture it is, so that we can solve these problems by stopping them in the first place, (breeding, personal responsibility, owner reliability, handing off to shelters needs to be better monitored and people held responsible) not AFTER they occur. People should be held responsible as soon as the puppy is born, first by the breeder. Each person should hold some responsibility for the dog. If my son, a very young minor, were to do something illegal who would suffer the consequence? I would! Because he is under my care and he is too young to be held liable because his grasp to understand, his brain, does not work the way mine does just yet. Why then, not dogs? It makes no sense to me.

Regardless of what ends up happening to the pitty, the owner needs to be penalized harshly! He broke the law and obviously should have taken precautions if he couldn't handle his dog. That is why I always stress putting rules down for dogs to many people who come to the forum. Rules are not bad, they're meant to give our dogs the best quality of life in OUR world. It is our world, we decide which dogs are bad, which dogs die, which dogs should be adopted, which dogs conform to 'our' standards. So to do right by the dog we teach them how to live in our world. We are the drivers, not the dogs... Less punishment on the dogs, more on the person.

A dog lives, breathes, thinks, reacts like a dog; big, small, white, black, strong or weak...it is a dog. Luna makes a good point, if Lance too had been aggressive in the past, according to your own previous statements, he should have been muzzled. I don't believe the fact is there to put Lance's owner or Lance down, I think it's meant to open a bigger picture. Breeds aside, human responsibility is where the ball is dropped.

I'm still very sorry Lance was killed...It's really personal & emotional for you. But I am that annoying wet blanket, I think emotions hinder us when problems arise. If you hate what I say, imagine my family who has to put up with me constantly...

Anyway, it's a lose/lose situation no matter the outcome. now both dogs suffer the consequence

BTW, if you or whoever, wants to pursue having the dog pts, I personally can't blame you. I also think it's hard to be in your position...you do what you feel is right. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the pitty's owner will shape up or that he will find him a home where he will do better...so you really are left with the dilemma of making a decision because our decision DO effect future circumstances. Again, sorry sorry sorry for the whole thing..I just hope you can see that pitty's aren't the real problem...

[Lara's mom]

We all talked about we thought should be done and finally came to the conclusion that there was nothing to be gained by causing even more grief. It won't bring Lance back and the owner and his dog are not permanent residents of the neighbourhood. He is house sitting for the people who actually own the house.

I just hope that Lance is the last victim of this dog.

[lange]

That's very big of you all. I'm not sure what I would do if it were me in your place. It's not an easy decision either way. I hope that the owner is being held liable for the attack?
I'm actually taken aback a bit that the dog wasn't even on his own property, having acted out to that extreme... I'm not even sure how I feel about that. I also hope Lance will be the last

[Lunareclipse]

Originally Posted by lange

That's very big of you all. I'm not sure what I would do if it were me in your place. It's not an easy decision either way. I hope that the owner is being held liable for the attack?
I'm actually taken aback a bit that the dog wasn't even on his own property, having acted out to that extreme... I'm not even sure how I feel about that. I also hope Lance will be the last

It doesn't take a whole lot for a big dog to kill a little dog.

[vnairp11]

The pitbull is not a bad dog, usually kids harass dogs and this happens

[Lara's mom]

And that is supposed to excuse that pit bull for killing a little dog so violently? I think not. That sounds like just another of the countless excuses that pit bull owners use to excuse the behaviour of their dogs. Trust me; I've heard them all. The pit bull is always somehow the innocent victim, even as it licks the blood of its victim from its chops. It is nothing but a bunch of lame excuses for people who insist on keeping dangerous dogs and failing to take the necessary precautions to ensure that their dogs are not a menace.

[vnairp11]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

And that is supposed to excuse that pit bull for killing a little dog so violently? I think not. That sounds like just another of the countless excuses that pit bull owners use to excuse the behaviour of their dogs. Trust me; I've heard them all. The pit bull is always somehow the innocent victim, even as it licks the blood of its victim from its chops. It is nothing but a bunch of lame excuses for people who insist on keeping dangerous dogs and failing to take the necessary precautions to ensure that their dogs are not a menace.

What exactly in your terms is a dangerous dog? lol any dog can be dangerous even a yorkie to a poodle can be dangerous.. I am not a pit bull owner but one of my dog is a half lab half pit and he is the best dog i have ever owned. If you didn't know, all dogs prefer a meaty diet. I do not know what you mean by "licks blood of its victim" lol.

[Lunareclipse]

Is a chihuahua that bites another dog any less vicious? Just because it's too small to kill another dog, doesn't mean it's not vicious. I don't understand your hatred of pitbulls. Buster got attacked by a pittbull and I still don't hate them. Luna got attacked by a chihuahua and I don't hate them either. I've been attacked by 3 cocker spaniels, and even though I am leery of them, I don't hate them either. A dog is normally what a person makes it. I normally hate the owners of these kind of dogs.