Judge Spares Dog Slated To Be Euthanized

[undeterred]

Dog To Live In Animal Sanctuary

UPDATED: 1:00 pm CST December 24, 2008

MADISON, Wis. -- A Middleton dog that was once ordered euthanized got a reprieve from a Dane County judge on Tuesday morning.

The judge ruled that Igor, a bull mastiff that apparently attacked and killed a dog at a Middleton dog park this summer, will be placed in an animal sanctuary permanently.

In November, a judge ruled to put the animal down but reconsidered after private donors came forward to buy the dog from its owner.

However, Dane County Judge Juan Colas said that the dog will remain at the sanctuary for the remainder of its life. He said that the dog will have to be neutered before being moved from the Dane County Humane Society.

"I think also in this case, the interests of the public can be satisfied by placement in the sanctuary with appropriate restrictions," Colas said.

The judge had initially concurred with the Middleton City Council that the dog was dangerous enough to be euthanized. Authorities said Igor attacked a group of dogs at a Middleton dog park in August, killing a 13-pound terrier.

http://www.channel3000.com/news/18345856/detail.html

This was pretty traumatic for everyone involved, but I'm glad there was a solution.

[Muttocracy]

1. I'm suprised given this article further back from that page - dog bit humans before

What an irresponsible owner - letting a big dog with a bite history loose and unsupervised at a dog park?

I hate to pick favorites, but it's pushing my limits for a dog with a human and dog bite history to get a place at a sanctuary when there are so many dogs in need.

http://www.channel3000.com/news/17196542/detail.html

...
"The dog had a history of biting a person," said Middleton police Lt. Chuck Foulke. "As the people were trying to intervene in the dog attack, it's pretty lucky that someone wasn't bitten."

Witnesses did write down the license plate number of the Mastiff's owner and police tracked him down.

Foulke said they've been called there before.

"We've had a history of dog incidents with this man before," said Foulke.

According to police, the man was cited in 2006 when the Bull Mastiff bit a woman. He was cited again in 2007 when the Bull Mastiff bit another dog as it was walking by with its owner.

"We impounded the dog then, but released it back to its owner under the provisions that whenever the dog was outside of his residence that it had to be muzzled and on a leash," said Foulke.

"It wasn't leashed and muzzled," said Piraino. "It wasn't even with its owner. His owner was down the path a different direction."

...

[BrklynLiberal]

3. The owner should have been euthanized...or at least castrated.

Especially since he left the scene and had to be tracked down!! The owner must be of the same ilk as that couple from SF that raised those dogs that killed a woman.

[Muttocracy]

4. same clueless selfish attitude

the dog should have been taken away from them years ago and they should have been banned from having any.

[MadMaddie]

6. Especially without a muzzle.

My Maddie was abused and she is 3 . She is a Rhodesian Mix and I would say she is 1/4 the size of a full Rhodesian.

When she is around many dogs we put her muzzle on. It's not pretty but it's for her safety and other dogs safety.

She is learning how to play, she still doesn't quite have the hang of it but she is getting there. We are very strict with her, she usually picks the puppys or other dogs she perceives weak in some way...we watch her eyes and when she gets that look she is put on the leash and walked away in a kind of timeout.

The owner was irresponsible that's all that's too it.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Bull Mastiffs are not naturally so vicious. I think the owners, who obviously

spent very little time learning about the breed and training their dog, should be the ones to have been ordered to be euthanized.
A small terrier would appear to be prey to a dog like that. Unless they had TOTAL control they had no business taking the dog into a dog park.

Why is that animals have to sacrifice their lives or freedom due to the stupidity and/or ignorance of human beings?

I hope that it is Best friends that the dog is going to. At least there he will undergo some training.

[Azlady]

5. I so agree- why does the dog have suffer from human stupidity

This dog can be rehabilitated thank goodness. Someone who understands the canine and how they think, verses attempting to force our human emotions on the dog, that is asking for trouble.

This man should be hung out to dry, he very well knew what he was doing with this dog, he wanted a mean dog, which is difficult to do with this breed. He should be banned from ever owning any form of pet again. EVER.

I am going to pray that this dog is given a second chance, like Vick's dogs, who are now happy, healthy dogs, loving human contact and helping humans in working offices, hospitals, nursing homes. I wish the best for this dog. I won't tell you what I wish for the human that played with this dogs life.

[undeterred]

7. The dog should never have been taken into a dog park.

But the dog parks are not 'policed' and if you call the police about problem dogs they will tell you that the dog park is an 'area of known risk'. So it ultimately is up to the people who go to the park regularly to 'police' it. Its scary.

[northernlights]

8. at the dog park where I go

occasionally a newcomer will show up with an aggressive, improperly socialized dog. If they don't figure it out very quickly, then the rest of us do, pack up our dogs and leave. The owners of the aggressive dog are essentially ostracized until they do get it and stop coming back. If they show up again, everybody just leaves immediately and comes back later, when it is safe to do so.

We do it to protect our dogs and ourselves, of course, but also to protect access to an off-leash park. The town could shut it down any time and we never forget that. It is a privilege, not a right.

While I blame the owner of the bull mastiff 100% for what he did (and failed to do), *unless he was a stranger to that park*, I also partially blame the owners of the rest of the dogs for not leaving when the bull mastiff showed up.

[undeterred]

9. People with aggressive dogs don't care about being ostracized.

Dog parks are an area of "known risk", or so the police have told me. I once called the police when there were 2 young men with pit bulls behaving aggressively toward other dogs in the dog park. They had no collars or leashes on the dogs, and no control over them. The police would not come because nobody had been bitten yet and no laws were broken. I think if enough people at the park are hostile to the problem people it may work, but a lot of the time people just don't want to get involved.

My puppy was recently attacked by a muzzle wearing dog at one of the dog parks. The fact that he was wearing a muzzle - and hence could only pounce on my dog and not bite him - did not make it less of a threat. I asked the owner why she even brought her aggressive dog to the park at all and she looked at me like I was crazy. The dog owners who were walking with her defended her right to be at the park. I got her license plate number so I know not to go in the park when she is there.

So now I go to another dog park which is slightly farther away. The thing is, incidents happen quickly and people never see them the same way.

The owner of the Bull Mastiff finally lost his dog, but he ignored the negativity of other dog owners toward him all along. He wasn't going there to socialize and make friends, just looking for a legal place to let his dog be off leash.