Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/05/25

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Subject: [Leica] Canine issue update - good news [very long]
From: "Mitch Zeissler" <zeissler@directvinternet.com>
Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 07:27:08 -0400

All...

What a difference a week can make!

- - Riddy is *much* better, although he had to submit to surgery a second time
because of some stitches pulling out.  If everything continues for him at
the present pace, he'll recover completely and without issue in about
another week or so.

- - I'm pretty much all healed up at this time and about a third of the way
through the rabies series.

- - Through extensive phone calls and back channel checking, I was able to
create a 6 page document tracing events with the problem dogs dating back 3
years to when they first arrived in our neighborhood and submitted it, along
with injury photos, to the animal control officer.  They had attacked 4
other dogs prior to my incident, and had begun to stalk children very
recently.  Only one other victim had the determination to see the justice
process through to an animal event court hearing.  Much of this was a
revelation to the animal control officer and he said it sealed the case
against the owners from a County standpoint.

- - The status as of yesterday afternoon, when I positively identified the
dogs for the animal control officer:

1) The dog that mauled Riddy and bit me was placed under rabies quarantine
until this coming Monday [10 days since the attack].  This is expected to go
smoothly, as both dogs are current with their shots through July of this
year.

2) The owner was fined $100 per dog for allowing them to be at large.

3) The owner was notified that I had submitted an official affidavit to the
court naming him and his animals as being responsible for the attack.  If
found guilty, he is required to pay up to $1,000 of the medical fees that I
have incurred.

4) The owner had taken the advice of the animal control officer and had
begun to make arrangements for a Rottweiler rescue group to permanently
remove the dogs and place them in another location far from here.  Removal
is to occur sometime after the officer lifts the quarantine on Monday; once
they are removed, legal confirmation of the transfer must be presented to
the animal control officer.

And finally, last night was my first evening of blissful, uninterrupted
sleep since the attack.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'll answer all the questions as I have seen them [I'm on the digest this
time around]:

+++++++++++++++++
Thank you, Lea; Riddy is indeed getting all sorts of special treatment, is
milking it for all it's worth and is eating up every scrap.  ;-)

+++++++++++++++++
Yes, Karina; it appears that Riddy will make a full recovery.  While he is
not out of the woods yet, we are heartened by the fact that the swelling
around his wounds is dying down, there is little to indicate any infection
at the moment, he began to wag his tail again, etc.

+++++++++++++++++
Don R, while I know how use firearms and was a good shot when I was younger,
I don't carry a gun for many reasons.  Among them, but not in any particular
order:

- - I prefer to carry Leicas instead [to get back on topic a little bit].
;-)

- - I live in Montgomery County, Maryland, which is *very* liberal and filled
with lawyers.  It would cost me my home, employment, pets and Leicas [back
on topic again] if I were to be caught carrying a weapon here while walking
the dogs through the neighborhood.  Were I defending my home, I *might* get
off, but I would have to have expensive legal counsel to do so.

- - In this region, I would be the bad guy with a gun killing an innocent
animal, rather than the other way around.

+++++++++++++++++
BD, I had to shake my head and chuckle...  ;-D

+++++++++++++++++
Eric, I appreciate the sentiments; thank you.

+++++++++++++++++
Derek, your comments strike a chord with me, but it happened too fast.  I
had just enough time to take Dawn's leash off of my hand and let her go
before the lead Rotti was tearing into Riddy's rear like a hyena taking down
a zebra.  Then it was teeth and me kicking, teeth and me kicking...  When I
struck with my hand, I got bit [stay away from sharp pointy things]; back to
kicking.  Other than soft soled shoes and strong legs, I had no useful
weapons at hand, not even a rock.

+++++++++++++++++
As a follow-up, I have decided to begin carrying a deterrent, as this is not
the first time we have had problems with aggressive dogs, though it is the
first time there have been injuries.  Guns are out of the question in our
neighborhood, but knives, pepper spray, baseball bats and walking staffs are
fair game.  I ran all of those choices past the animal control officer
yesterday and asked for his recommendations from a practical standpoint and
a responding police officer perspective [he is a fully authorized County
police officer, assigned to animal control].  His response is as follows:

- - Carrying a 3-1/2 inch knife is legal in Montgomery County, but sends the
wrong message.  He doesn't recommend it, as it creates all sorts of problems
from a legal standpoint after an event, and can be of limited benefit during
an animal attack [the blade is too short in length to be of much use].

- - Carrying pepper spray is legal as well, and is being recommended by the
County for self defense purposes.  He cautioned not to get tear spray [Mace]
as dogs do not have tear ducts and it is useless against them.  He
recommended using the foam based spray for ease of use and targeting
benefit, with the UV marker for assisting in further identification.  He
strongly encouraged me to purchase this for myself and my wife, not just to
use as a deterrent while walking the dogs, but any time we felt we needed
the peace of mind.

- - Carrying a baseball bat is legal, but sends the wrong message.  He did not
recommend using it.

- - Carrying a stout walking stick or staff is legal and encouraged,
especially wooden ones.  During an attack, dogs tend to snap at whatever is
closest to their jaws; wood is preferred because it has tactile "give" when
the dog bits down on it and this can keep the animal well occupied.  Metal,
on the other hand, has no "give"; once the animal has bitten it and found it
to be hard, it will avoid the metal and look for another target with the
"give" it is seeking.

So I plan to go with the pepper spray and wooden walking staff.

+++++++++++++++++
Fortunately for me there was a witness; one of the town dentists.  The whole
thing occurred right in front of her vehicle and she leaned on the horn the
entire time [the horn didn't phase either of the attacking dogs]; no one
else came to assist, but she did.  She also called 911 and the animal
control board on the spot.  When I reconsider what and how everything was
happening in the melee, I know I would have represented a very real threat
to her, Riddy and the homes in the immediate vicinity if I had had a firearm
with me.

Thanks for all the feedback!

/Mitch Zeissler


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Replies: Reply from "Eric" <ericm@pobox.com> ([Leica] Re: Canine issue update - good news [very long])
Reply from Guy Bennett <gbennett@lainet.com> (RE: [Leica] Canine issue update - good news [very long])
Reply from "lea" <lea@whinydogpress.com> (Re: [Leica] Canine issue update - good news [very long])
Reply from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] Canine issue update - good news [very long])