Update in OP: Stray pit-bull wandering the streets acting "off"

[daisymommy]

Update:
I called the non-emergency line, and they said that while the animal control office was closed, they always keep someone on call in case of something like this. So they dispatched an officer. He came out, and was great with the dog. I watched through the window, and the poor thing looked so scared :( Tail between his legs, ears down. The officer was very gentle with him, and had him in a crate in the truck in only a couple of minutes. I spoke with the officer, who said the dog had no collar, was a bit skinny, and looked dehydrated. So that could be why he was acting off--besides that he was lost and scared.
Anyway, I'm glad he's safe and off the street, and we can come of the house again! Thanks for the advice everyone.
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My neighbor just called to warn us not to let the kids out, there is a stray pit bull wandering the streets, looking sick, acting strange. But he called animal control and they are closed until Tuesday (isn't that always how it goes?!).

So, what to do? The men folk don't seem too concerned, they're out mowing the lawn. Totally dumb if you ask me.

Do I call the police? I mean, what if it has rabies or something?

[liz]

I would call the police.

[Claki]

I would call the police.

[wimama]

Maybe call the police departments non-emergency line and explain the situation and that animal control says it is not open until Tuesday. You would think there would be some sort of policy in place for emergent animal control when the animal control is closed.

[amldaley]

Echoing pp's. Call the police. If your town has a non-emergency line, (look in the blue pages of your phone book) call that number first. Otherwise, call 911 and when they say "What is your emergency", state "non-emergency". They will either invite you to go ahead with your report or transfer you.

But, yeah, someone has to say something about it. Being a prisoner in your own home is never good.

[MomToOne]

I agree to call the police - do you have the number of your local station house?

[daisymommy]

Thanks! I do keep the non-emergency number posted handy. Now I don't see the dog anywhere. I wonder if I should still call?

[amldaley]

Thanks! I do keep the non-emergency number posted handy. Now I don't see the dog anywhere. I wonder if I should still call?

Yes -still call. He can't be that far. And at least there will be a report on file if someone calls again later or if something else happens.

[maestramommy]

I would call the police. I once came across two dogs while out running in the early am. Totally freaked me out even though they were obviously not strays and belonged together. I called the non-emergency number as soon as I got home. They took it from there.

[Melbel]

You can try the police, but I do not think that can/will do anything if animal control is closed.

In May, I took DD2 to a pretty wooded park area to get some 3 year old pictures of her. When I arrived, there was a police car and two leashed pit bulls at the entrance. Before even unstrapping DD2 from the car, I inquired as to the situation and explicitly stated that I did not want to go into the park if the situation was AT ALL unsafe. The police officer reassured me all was fine and that they called animal rescue, blah, blah, blah. About 10 or so minutes later, I hear the jingle of the dogs collars as they come sprinting toward us deep in the park (dense vegetation park with hiking trails/lake). I learned from some other patrons that the police let them loose upon learning animal rescue was closed. I was furious that the police did not bother to warn us or give us a chance to leave. At one point the dogs were licking DD2's toes as I was holding her close up next to me for safety. My heart was nearly beating out of my chest. We were trapped in the park by the dogs (they were between me and the parking lot) until a nice man put them on leashes and attempted to find their owners. I had to carry DD2 and push our jogging stroller on rough terrain for about 1/2 mile trying to evade the dogs (I was afraid to leave her exposed to the dogs in the stroller). I somehow managed to get some adorable shots of DD2 that day, but it was such a stressful experience.

Meanwhile, about a week later, 2 pitbulls severely maimed an older man, completely tearing off one arm, severely injuring his face and nearly severing the other arm. It was a different area of town, but still scary none the less.

Sorry for the long story/hijack. I think I am still traumatized. If someone can leash the dog, that may be a good idea. Are there any other shelters around?

[brittone2]

Where I live it is handled via the police, oddly enough. We had a strange stray fox wandering around in daylight, and it wasn't shy. It was hanging out in my backyard at our rental house last year, and I saw it walk down the sidewalk of the subdivision a few times as well. It was also mangey looking...hair was falling out, etc. I called the township and they told me it would not be dealt with through animal control, but instead through the police. They came out and said "leave it alone, it isn't all that weird for it to be out in the daytime, etc." and were very unhelpful. A few hours after the officer left, it dropped dead in my backyard. I called and asked if they wanted to test it for rabies or anything and I was told only if I wanted to keep it in my freezer ;) until they got around to it. Ummm...no thanks. So DH had to bury the thing!

I have had some issues w/ my neighbor's dogs (house behind me). I called the township to ask how I would proceed if I wanted to have someone deal w/ the issue (dogs charging my kids) and was again told that in my area, this is a police matter.

I have no idea why but apparently where I am it is police, not animal control, that handles such issues.

Maybe the dog is just dehydrated/disoriented from the extreme heat, but at the same time, you can't take that chance.

[TwinFoxes]

I think you should try to call the police. I think whether or not they respond depends a lot on the jurisdiction. Someone posted a few weeks ago about issues with loose dogs, and people's experiences with police/animal control were all over the map. Good luck, I hope the dog isn't sick, and I really hope no one gets hurt.

[wellyes]

Call 911. Unambiguous to me. Sick strong dog = serious risk.

[ha98ed14]

You can try the police, but I do not think that can/will do anything if animal control is closed.

In May, I took DD2 to a pretty wooded park area to get some 3 year old pictures of her. When I arrived, there was a police car and two leashed pit bulls at the entrance. Before even unstrapping DD2 from the car, I inquired as to the situation and explicitly stated that I did not want to go into the park if the situation was AT ALL unsafe. The police officer reassured me all was fine and that they called animal rescue, blah, blah, blah. About 10 or so minutes later, I hear the jingle of the dogs collars as they come sprinting toward us deep in the park (dense vegetation park with hiking trails/lake). I learned from some other patrons that the police let them loose upon learning animal rescue was closed. I was furious that the police did not bother to warn us or give us a chance to leave. At one point the dogs were licking DD2's toes as I was holding her close up next to me for safety. My heart was nearly beating out of my chest. We were trapped in the park by the dogs (they were between me and the parking lot) until a nice man put them on leashes and attempted to find their owners. I had to carry DD2 and push our jogging stroller on rough terrain for about 1/2 mile trying to evade the dogs (I was afraid to leave her exposed to the dogs in the stroller). I somehow managed to get some adorable shots of DD2 that day, but it was such a stressful experience.

Meanwhile, about a week later, 2 pitbulls severely maimed an older man, completely tearing off one arm, severely injuring his face and nearly severing the other arm. It was a different area of town, but still scary none the less.

Sorry for the long story/hijack. I think I am still traumatized. If someone can leash the dog, that may be a good idea. Are there any other shelters around?

Pitbull owners and lovers get mad about the prejudice against their favorite breed; the argument is that it's all about "how the dogs are raised." If you raise them right, they will be great pets, great with kids, etc. Nevertheless, I can't shake my fear of that breed. You just never hear headlines like "Yorkie rips off man's arm!" or "Golden Retriever mauls toddler!"

[BabyDahl]

You just never hear headlines like "Yorkie rips off man's arm!" or "Golden Retriever mauls toddler!"

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/12275--3-year-old-child-mauled-by-dog

It can happen with ANY breed.

[Uno-Mom]

Pits are one of my favorite breeds - I'm always happy to great a calm, happy pit bull who is with their owners. I have no tolerance for an owner who lets a dog of any breed behave badly! I think many of the supposedly "safer" breeds are allowed horrible and dangerous behaviors because people think: "Oh, labs are so gentle ... oh, he's too little to hurt somebody..." Ha!

But if a powerful dog ISN'T properly raised and supervised - it's way dangerous! And if one was wandering free, I'd be scared it was a failed fighting dog who got dumped. I'd totally call the non-emergency number.

We did this a few years ago: there was a female pitbull wandering our neighborhood. She was skinny, her belly was all stretched out and her nipples looked like she was in the nursing phase - KWIM? Obviously a weak dog who got dumped. Nobody went near her and we called the police. Neighbors kind of followed her at a distance so we'd know where she was when they came. Sad and scary.

[ha98ed14]

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/12275--3-year-old-child-mauled-by-dog

It can happen with ANY breed.

I stand corrected. Goldren Retreivers do maul toddlers.

[daisymommy]

Update in OP

[Melbel]

I am happy it worked out for you and the stray dog. Here, it seems like there should also be some sort of back up plan when the humane society is closed. I'm wondering if I should have called in a complaint in our situation.

[elephantmeg]

I'm glad the dog got some help!

[maestramommy]

I stand corrected. Goldren Retreivers do maul toddlers.


http://articles.latimes.com/2000/oct/09/local/me-34015

and a short op-ed that cites the above incident:
http://www.viewshound.com/lifestyle/2011/5/the-pomeranian-and-the-baby-why-breed-does-not-mat

all this to say that Uno-mom and BabyDahl are right, breed doesn't matter when you're talking about aggressive dogs. It's just that larger dogs can do more damage. But even small dogs can be deadly, if the person is small and helpless enough

OP, I'm glad the dog was found and is now being taken care of.

[amldaley]

Update:
I called the non-emergency line, and they said that while the animal control office was closed, they always keep someone on call in case of something like this. So they dispatched an officer. He came out, and was great with the dog. I watched through the window, and the poor thing looked so scared :( Tail between his legs, ears down. The officer was very gentle with him, and had him in a crate in the truck in only a couple of minutes. I spoke with the officer, who said the dog had no collar, was a bit skinny, and looked dehydrated. So that could be why he was acting off--besides that he was lost and scared.
Anyway, I'm glad he's safe and off the street, and we can come of the house again! Thanks for the advice everyone.
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In this heat, you likely saved that dogs life. He will either be returned to his home, find a new home or at least his last days will be spent with food, water & shelter.

[bubbaray]

OP, thank you for helping the dog!

ITA with others on this thread, any breed can maul. Goldens actually have very high bite stats.

[TwinFoxes]

Goldens actually have very high bite stats.

I've heard this too. I'm sure it's because people think they're a "safe" dog, and do all sorts of things around them they wouldn't with other breeds (letting kids play rough etc.)

[ellies mom]

I've heard this too. I'm sure it's because people think they're a "safe" dog, and do all sorts of things around them they wouldn't with other breeds (letting kids play rough etc.)

My sister has a Golden that just does not like toddlers. He has never bitten anyone but she doesn't trust him not to so she watches him like a hawk when little kids are around and keeps him in another part of the house or yard as much as possible.

Whereas, my old pit bull was an absolute sweetheart with children, very gentle and very protective. The only problem we had was when she was young and didn't quite know where her body ended so she would get really wiggly and knock my nephews over occasionally. As she got older and figured out where her bum was, that stopped being a problem too. Heck, she even let my kittens suckle on her for comfort.

[twowhat?]

So glad the officer was good with the dog and that he is off the street and you are safe.

So sad for the dog too because his future is bleak...

Agree with PP that it isn't the breed. But pits are just large and can cause lots of damage, and media love to capitalize on any story involving a pit and tend to ignore those that are less provocative. I've been bitten many times by a chihuahua. My mom was bitten by a GSD. DH was bitten by a shar pei. Our pit mix is the sweetest boy ever - never has he shown his teeth and our girls have inadverdently done some pretty horrible things to him:)

[secchick]

In this heat, you likely saved that dogs life. He will either be returned to his home, find a new home or at least his last days will be spent with food, water & shelter.

Once we found abandoned pit puppies in our yard. Dehydrated and starving, they couldn't even walk at that point they were so weak. It was getting dark and the shelters were closed. We fed them, watered them and penned them outside and they were so affectionate and grateful for the food, water and affection. We were able to call the SPCA and talk them into taking them that night because they were in suc bad condition, so we drove them to the shelter. The next day, we were feeling regrets and wanted to see if we could keep them ourselves and re-home them (we have indoor rabbits, so multiple dogs wasn't going to happen long term) and unfortunately we learned that the local SPCA doesn't allow pit bulls to be adopted out at all. We were devestated. On one hand, they were certainly euthanized, but if we hadn's done anything, they certainly would have died of dehydration in our yard (summer in Texas). At least they were dealt with humanely, but I still feel such regret that we didn't know the impact of what we thought was the best option at the time. In retrospect, I would have taken them to the 24 hr emergency vet clinic myself and paid out of pocket, nursed them back to health, and then worked directly with a pit rescue organization from there.

[blisstwins]

So sad for the dog too because his future is bleak...


Yep. You did not do the wrong thing, but that dog is sure to be put down.I once found a pit bull on the road in MA. I had no idea it was a pit bull, but it was going to get hit by a car. I took it in my car (no kids yet) and it put its head in my lap and was a sweetheart. I got to the shelter and they told me they would take it, but they were required by law to put it down. I was living in a dorm and how no idea what to do. Thankfully, a fellow faculty member knew someone who did pit bull rescue work. They are a dangerous breed because of their strength, but as has been said, any animal is dangerous if they are not properly trained.