An unpredictable dog recently intruded into the lives of one family. It made for an unpredictable day.
"My aunt's husband went to take the Pomeranian, Chizie, for a walk. Now, the owner, who was my grandmother, just died four days prior to this happening," said Brenda Fred.
The man, Robert Rodriguez, was walking Chizie near the former home of Fred's grandmother on Second and Robin Streets in Dunkirk.
"He walked the dog around the corner," Fred said, "and as he was walking, a pit bull came out of a house and grabbed the dog."
The much-larger pit bull attacked Chizie. The Pomeranian was defenseless against the pit bull's strength. Rodriguez did what he could to try to pull the pit bull off of Chizie, attempting to save the small dog.
Eventually, Rodriguez managed to rip the pit bull off of the Pomeranian, but it was too late. Chizie was dead.
"He grabbed the pit bull's chain - there was a chain attached to the dog - and opened the door to the house and put the dog inside," Fred said. "He pounded on the door for someone to come help him, but there was nobody there. How the dog got out of the house, I don't know.
"We lost our grandmother, and now, we've lost her dog," she added. "My grandma has him now up in heaven, but it's just heart-breaking how it happened."
The owner of the pit bull signed the animal over to the authorities, and the pit bull was euthanized, confirmed Dunkirk Police Chief David Ortolano.
After an investigation, Dunkirk Police found that the dog was on a chain attached to the front porch. The pit bull attacked the Pomeranian after it broke free from the chain.
LAZY OFFICERS NOT BOTHERING TO FILE CHARGES
No charges were filed against the owner because the dog had been chained, Ortolano said.
"We have dangerous dog laws. We have running-at-large laws and leash laws, things of that sort," the chief said. "An owner could be charged, depending on the circumstances of each case."
Ortolano explained the dangerous dog law.
"Depending on the severity of the case or depending on the exact circumstances of the incident, we file - what is called - a dangerous dog complaint with the city clerk, and then, the evidence is presented to Judge (Walter) Drag," Ortolano said. "He determines whether the animal is a danger to the community or not.
"Then, at that time, he can put any stipulations on the owner of the animal that he feels necessary for the public safety."
Stipulations could include mandated muzzling, fencing, or euthanasia, among other things.
In this case, involving Chizie and the pit bull, rather than going through a dangerous-dog-complaint hearing in court, the owner relinquished the animal to be euthanized, Ortolano said.
It's no secret that pit bulls have a bad reputation, and incidents, such as this one, often cause people to call on their governments to ban specific dog breeds.
However, the pit bull advocates use the catchphrase, "Punish the deed, not the breed."
The city of Dunkirk has no breed-specific legislation.
DUNKIRK POLICE CHIEF DAVID ORTOLANO TRIES TO DOWNPLAY THE FACT THAT PIT BULLS ARE INHERENTLY DANGEROUS
While they tend to be aggressive and active, pit bulls are not the only breed to have attacked another animal, or even a person.
"Dogs - in general, not specific to this community but any community - you could have a pit bull, as well as a Pomeranian, that could bite somebody," Ortolano said. "Obviously, the larger, weight-wise, a dog is, you would be more concerned because they can be more overpowering.
"But that's not to say that a 20-pound dog would not bite someone versus a 70-pound dog biting someone."
The weight issue is especially of concern with children. A large dog would have no problem overpowering a small child.
"If people own large-breed dogs, they really have to make sure that they have control of them," Ortolano said.
PIT BULLS LOVE TO ATTACK, MAUL AND KILL POMERANIANS
This pit bull attack is not the first to happen in the city. In fact, it's not even the first to happen to a dog in Brenda Fred's family.
In 2002, Fred's dog - a Pomeranian named Sparky - was in her backyard on Lincoln Avenue when it was attacked and killed by a pit bull, she said.
Even after living through these two tragic attacks, she is not an advocate of banning pit bulls. She is, however, an advocate for responsible ownership of large dogs.
"Those owners that have pit bulls need to know what they're doing," Fred said. "When it happened to my dog in 2002, I was throwing a big fit. I was like, 'You know what? Muzzle your dog.' If you're going to walk your dog, put a muzzle on it. You believe that your dog doesn't have issues, but what will it do to small, helpless dog?
"They need to be careful with them," she added.
(Observer Today - April 8, 2010)
