OT but need to vent and some advice

[kybert]

ok now please dont take offence to this. my opinion comes from hearing lots of stories and advice from other people who own big dogs. this is purely so you can protect yourself and your dogs in the future.

i wouldnt bother fighting it. if you let go of the leash then thats pretty much it. no court will overturn it and they wont care about the other woman or her baby. they will just say 1. you let go 2. you werent in control 3. you arent in any condition to walk the dogs. id prefer to be dragged and injured and have a leg to stand on if some wacko made a complaint. also, its not just a matter of leashing. if you have a dog that is likely to pull you over and make you drop the leash then you are not in control of your dog. you can be fined for that. have you looked into trying a prong collar with training? they will never try to take off with prong. [and no they arent barbaric for the hippies out there. they are a humane useful training tool!]

you got to remember that when any kind of incident happens, even if it is proven that its the other dogs fault, the bigger dog will ALWAYS be blamed by the council/government/media. and if the dogs are the same size then it will always be the breed who has the 'worse' reputation. it terrifies me as i own a big dog thats also a so called dangerous breed, but thats the way the cookie crumbles. big dogs can get put to sleep just from escaping their yard for 10 minutes or by defending themselves, while little fluffy can do whatever it likes.

 

[Pumuckl]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I would contest the ticket based on the code not being "publically published" at the time of the incident. In order to violate a statute one must clearly be notified and aware of it.

As far as the other parties fault the law would argue that her pet was on her property and thus would not have to be on a leash. So a question would be was her yard fenced, did her dog cross her property line before yours did etc.

False reporting comes to mind as well since she claimed she was "attacked" by dogs. There is a huge difference between loose animals and a vicious attack.

I have never dealt with an animal case but from experience with traffic violations I know that judges are quite reasonable and if you explain your side of the story, stick to the facts, do not get angry etc. they will likely drop the charges.

I know that you are upset but I would not contact CPS over that individual it is just not worth the trouble. However, I would mention in your defense to the judge that obviously your dogs were not seen as such a threat as the complainant was willing to leave her young child exposed to them...

Just some thoughts. Good Luck to you.

 

[Pumuckl]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I would contest the ticket based on the code not being "publically published" at the time of the incident. In order to violate a statute one must clearly be notified and aware of it.

As far as the other parties fault the law would argue that her pet was on her property and thus would not have to be on a leash. So a question would be was her yard fenced, did her dog cross her property line before yours did etc.

False reporting comes to mind as well since she claimed she was "attacked" by dogs. There is a huge difference between loose animals and a vicious attack.

I have never dealt with an animal case but from experience with traffic violations I know that judges are quite reasonable and if you explain your side of the story, stick to the facts, do not get angry etc. they will likely drop the charges.

I know that you are upset but I would not contact CPS over that individual it is just not worth the trouble. However, I would mention in your defense to the judge that obviously your dogs were not seen as such a threat as the complainant was willing to leave her young child exposed to them...

Just some thoughts. Good Luck to you.

 

[Pumuckl]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I would contest the ticket based on the code not being "publically published" at the time of the incident. In order to violate a statute one must clearly be notified and aware of it.

As far as the other parties fault the law would argue that her pet was on her property and thus would not have to be on a leash. So a question would be was her yard fenced, did her dog cross her property line before yours did etc.

False reporting comes to mind as well since she claimed she was "attacked" by dogs. There is a huge difference between loose animals and a vicious attack.

I have never dealt with an animal case but from experience with traffic violations I know that judges are quite reasonable and if you explain your side of the story, stick to the facts, do not get angry etc. they will likely drop the charges.

I know that you are upset but I would not contact CPS over that individual it is just not worth the trouble. However, I would mention in your defense to the judge that obviously your dogs were not seen as such a threat as the complainant was willing to leave her young child exposed to them...

Just some thoughts. Good Luck to you.

 

[fr3ak]

I agree with Kylie on this as well on some things lol....

the only other thing I have to add is that the small dog was in its own yard....

So even though it is tragic that you were only 24 days after a C-section, and you may have known your dogs were friendly the woman in question wasn't to know that.... and being faced with two large rottie dogs is quite scary....and when it comes to dogs its always the ones that owners will profess would never bite are the ones that do bite!


This is nothing against you personally Julie, but it does boil down to owner responisblity and when you own large breeds you need to be able to control them... or have someone else controlling them (like mark or someone that isnt fresh outta surgery, or leave them at home)

Kylie I cringed with your suggestion of a prong collar (shudders) you can get things like gentle leaders, harmony harness etc, and yes prong collars can cause a lot injury to the dog....I am not going to argue with you, its different horses for different courses, but I am a positive reinforcement trainer....and you wont persuade me.... just like I cant persuade you into other methods....


again my arguement is that the small dog was in its own yard whether it was on a leash or not....(shrugs)

 

[fr3ak]

I agree with Kylie on this as well on some things lol....

the only other thing I have to add is that the small dog was in its own yard....

So even though it is tragic that you were only 24 days after a C-section, and you may have known your dogs were friendly the woman in question wasn't to know that.... and being faced with two large rottie dogs is quite scary....and when it comes to dogs its always the ones that owners will profess would never bite are the ones that do bite!


This is nothing against you personally Julie, but it does boil down to owner responisblity and when you own large breeds you need to be able to control them... or have someone else controlling them (like mark or someone that isnt fresh outta surgery, or leave them at home)

Kylie I cringed with your suggestion of a prong collar (shudders) you can get things like gentle leaders, harmony harness etc, and yes prong collars can cause a lot injury to the dog....I am not going to argue with you, its different horses for different courses, but I am a positive reinforcement trainer....and you wont persuade me.... just like I cant persuade you into other methods....


again my arguement is that the small dog was in its own yard whether it was on a leash or not....(shrugs)

 

[fr3ak]

I agree with Kylie on this as well on some things lol....

the only other thing I have to add is that the small dog was in its own yard....

So even though it is tragic that you were only 24 days after a C-section, and you may have known your dogs were friendly the woman in question wasn't to know that.... and being faced with two large rottie dogs is quite scary....and when it comes to dogs its always the ones that owners will profess would never bite are the ones that do bite!


This is nothing against you personally Julie, but it does boil down to owner responisblity and when you own large breeds you need to be able to control them... or have someone else controlling them (like mark or someone that isnt fresh outta surgery, or leave them at home)

Kylie I cringed with your suggestion of a prong collar (shudders) you can get things like gentle leaders, harmony harness etc, and yes prong collars can cause a lot injury to the dog....I am not going to argue with you, its different horses for different courses, but I am a positive reinforcement trainer....and you wont persuade me.... just like I cant persuade you into other methods....


again my arguement is that the small dog was in its own yard whether it was on a leash or not....(shrugs)

 

[luke]

Julie,

First of all...great narrative! To reply, I am a pretty confrontational person but one it comes to neighbors I have found that it is just best to leave well enough alone. I can't stand my neighbors but have found that it is just easier to try and keep the peace. I am sorry that you got a ticket but I would hold off on retaliating, at least to point of turning a parent into CPS. I would just let my dogs use the bathroom in her yard every night(I do that, my big dog craps like a human and regularly uses my neighbors yard facilities)

 

[luke]

Julie,

First of all...great narrative! To reply, I am a pretty confrontational person but one it comes to neighbors I have found that it is just best to leave well enough alone. I can't stand my neighbors but have found that it is just easier to try and keep the peace. I am sorry that you got a ticket but I would hold off on retaliating, at least to point of turning a parent into CPS. I would just let my dogs use the bathroom in her yard every night(I do that, my big dog craps like a human and regularly uses my neighbors yard facilities)

 

[luke]

Julie,

First of all...great narrative! To reply, I am a pretty confrontational person but one it comes to neighbors I have found that it is just best to leave well enough alone. I can't stand my neighbors but have found that it is just easier to try and keep the peace. I am sorry that you got a ticket but I would hold off on retaliating, at least to point of turning a parent into CPS. I would just let my dogs use the bathroom in her yard every night(I do that, my big dog craps like a human and regularly uses my neighbors yard facilities)

 

[kybert]

i used to think the same way as you freak. i was a massive halti supporter until my dog learned to fight it. once a dog learns to fight the halti it is the most dangerous thing out. dogs arent supposed to pull on a halti so when they do its pretty bad. the pressure on her snout was enormous. she wasnt far away from having sores develop. i was also worried that one day she might try to run and damage her neck. haltis are ok for 'soft' dogs but not for strong willed dogs. positive reinforcement alone didnt work. she hasnt got the personality for it. she needed an aversive. i flat out refused to even look into a prong. i thought they were barbaric torture tools. i couldnt believe people would use such a thing on a dog! i couldnt believe such a thing even existed! the pulling got worse and i needed help. a prong was suggested over and over and then i finally gave in.

well, boy was i wrong about the prong. i felt pretty dumb that i had openly poo pooed it for years. i used to use some pretty harsh words against those who use prongs. there are so many myths about it. its biggest myth is that it punctures a dogs skin, and yep i am guilty of spreading that one around too. rofl! i put it around my thigh, my arm, my neck and gave it a good yank and nothing happened apart from even pressure. no pinching, no puncturing. when i first put it on my dog i was terrified. but she didnt give a damn about it. i gave it a pull when she walked ahead and all she did was stop. wasnt in pain, didnt yelp. i still felt bad and i took the collar off and checked her neck. nothing! i have been using it ever since and havent looked back. that mixed in with the positive reinforcement has been a godsend. the prong does not cause any injury whatsoever if used correctly. just like anything, including the halti, if abused it can cause damage.

im not going to argue with you either, but you really should know that the negative stuff you hear about prongs is BS. if you want any more info the dogzonline forum is a good start. plenty of good articles on the net. www.k9force.net helped me a lot.

 

[kybert]

i used to think the same way as you freak. i was a massive halti supporter until my dog learned to fight it. once a dog learns to fight the halti it is the most dangerous thing out. dogs arent supposed to pull on a halti so when they do its pretty bad. the pressure on her snout was enormous. she wasnt far away from having sores develop. i was also worried that one day she might try to run and damage her neck. haltis are ok for 'soft' dogs but not for strong willed dogs. positive reinforcement alone didnt work. she hasnt got the personality for it. she needed an aversive. i flat out refused to even look into a prong. i thought they were barbaric torture tools. i couldnt believe people would use such a thing on a dog! i couldnt believe such a thing even existed! the pulling got worse and i needed help. a prong was suggested over and over and then i finally gave in.

well, boy was i wrong about the prong. i felt pretty dumb that i had openly poo pooed it for years. i used to use some pretty harsh words against those who use prongs. there are so many myths about it. its biggest myth is that it punctures a dogs skin, and yep i am guilty of spreading that one around too. rofl! i put it around my thigh, my arm, my neck and gave it a good yank and nothing happened apart from even pressure. no pinching, no puncturing. when i first put it on my dog i was terrified. but she didnt give a damn about it. i gave it a pull when she walked ahead and all she did was stop. wasnt in pain, didnt yelp. i still felt bad and i took the collar off and checked her neck. nothing! i have been using it ever since and havent looked back. that mixed in with the positive reinforcement has been a godsend. the prong does not cause any injury whatsoever if used correctly. just like anything, including the halti, if abused it can cause damage.

im not going to argue with you either, but you really should know that the negative stuff you hear about prongs is BS. if you want any more info the dogzonline forum is a good start. plenty of good articles on the net. www.k9force.net helped me a lot.

 

[kybert]

i used to think the same way as you freak. i was a massive halti supporter until my dog learned to fight it. once a dog learns to fight the halti it is the most dangerous thing out. dogs arent supposed to pull on a halti so when they do its pretty bad. the pressure on her snout was enormous. she wasnt far away from having sores develop. i was also worried that one day she might try to run and damage her neck. haltis are ok for 'soft' dogs but not for strong willed dogs. positive reinforcement alone didnt work. she hasnt got the personality for it. she needed an aversive. i flat out refused to even look into a prong. i thought they were barbaric torture tools. i couldnt believe people would use such a thing on a dog! i couldnt believe such a thing even existed! the pulling got worse and i needed help. a prong was suggested over and over and then i finally gave in.

well, boy was i wrong about the prong. i felt pretty dumb that i had openly poo pooed it for years. i used to use some pretty harsh words against those who use prongs. there are so many myths about it. its biggest myth is that it punctures a dogs skin, and yep i am guilty of spreading that one around too. rofl! i put it around my thigh, my arm, my neck and gave it a good yank and nothing happened apart from even pressure. no pinching, no puncturing. when i first put it on my dog i was terrified. but she didnt give a damn about it. i gave it a pull when she walked ahead and all she did was stop. wasnt in pain, didnt yelp. i still felt bad and i took the collar off and checked her neck. nothing! i have been using it ever since and havent looked back. that mixed in with the positive reinforcement has been a godsend. the prong does not cause any injury whatsoever if used correctly. just like anything, including the halti, if abused it can cause damage.

im not going to argue with you either, but you really should know that the negative stuff you hear about prongs is BS. if you want any more info the dogzonline forum is a good start. plenty of good articles on the net. www.k9force.net helped me a lot.

 

[JazzysMom]

Speaking from experience......even tho you had control of your dog until her little one came yapping, you ended up losing control. The law doesnt care why. They will "suggest or infer" that you shouldnt have them out if you are not physically able to handle/control them. IF her dog never left her yard then it adds to your defense. Now as far as contacting CPS, that is a door I am not sure you want to open especially since there was no real danger according to you. The only possible thing I can see as a defense of any type is the lack of publication for the code/law you are referring to and/or some type of slander or false charge of being "attacked" by dogs. I am not sure how the law reads, but if she "felt" threatened then it might be justification versus having to actually be hurt for it to be considered attacking. Its times like this that I wish I went to law school LOL! Good Luck!

 

[JazzysMom]

Speaking from experience......even tho you had control of your dog until her little one came yapping, you ended up losing control. The law doesnt care why. They will "suggest or infer" that you shouldnt have them out if you are not physically able to handle/control them. IF her dog never left her yard then it adds to your defense. Now as far as contacting CPS, that is a door I am not sure you want to open especially since there was no real danger according to you. The only possible thing I can see as a defense of any type is the lack of publication for the code/law you are referring to and/or some type of slander or false charge of being "attacked" by dogs. I am not sure how the law reads, but if she "felt" threatened then it might be justification versus having to actually be hurt for it to be considered attacking. Its times like this that I wish I went to law school LOL! Good Luck!

 

[JazzysMom]

Speaking from experience......even tho you had control of your dog until her little one came yapping, you ended up losing control. The law doesnt care why. They will "suggest or infer" that you shouldnt have them out if you are not physically able to handle/control them. IF her dog never left her yard then it adds to your defense. Now as far as contacting CPS, that is a door I am not sure you want to open especially since there was no real danger according to you. The only possible thing I can see as a defense of any type is the lack of publication for the code/law you are referring to and/or some type of slander or false charge of being "attacked" by dogs. I am not sure how the law reads, but if she "felt" threatened then it might be justification versus having to actually be hurt for it to be considered attacking. Its times like this that I wish I went to law school LOL! Good Luck!

 

[Scarlett81]

In the eyes of the court the issue is that your dogs went on <i>her</i> property. The court doesn't care about the details, unfortunately. Its so crazy what people will do.
Growing up on a farm in farm country-our cows would get onto other farmers property, and the dogs would go nuts....we just walked the animals back and laughed it off and waved goodbye to each other. What the heck happened to that? This world is crazy.

 

[Scarlett81]

In the eyes of the court the issue is that your dogs went on <i>her</i> property. The court doesn't care about the details, unfortunately. Its so crazy what people will do.
Growing up on a farm in farm country-our cows would get onto other farmers property, and the dogs would go nuts....we just walked the animals back and laughed it off and waved goodbye to each other. What the heck happened to that? This world is crazy.

 

[Scarlett81]

In the eyes of the court the issue is that your dogs went on <i>her</i> property. The court doesn't care about the details, unfortunately. Its so crazy what people will do.
Growing up on a farm in farm country-our cows would get onto other farmers property, and the dogs would go nuts....we just walked the animals back and laughed it off and waved goodbye to each other. What the heck happened to that? This world is crazy.

 

[NoExcuses]

bottomline:

you have triplets and a husband.

spend all the time you would have spent thinking about this woman and filing CPS repots with your children who will grow up to be better people the more time you spend with them.