Innocent dog put down
- Thread starter Lilavati
- Start date
I actually don't really blame the media for this. Yes, they started the hysteria that certain breeds of dogs were per se vicious.
But there were "professionals" involved in this situation--the police and AC--who should have realized right of the bat that the woman's injuries were not consistent with an attack by a large dog. From the descriptions of the injuries, that should have been completely obvious to anyone whose job is investigating suspicious deaths or animal bites. I suppose they might have thought Zeus knocked her down and killed her with the impact, but that also should have been pretty easy to determine, and is also not consistent with an "attack."
In other words, the people whose JOB it is to determine if a person died from a dog bite didn't bother to make thorough investigation. They just blamed the big dog and went out for doughnuts. Leaving aside the incredible injustice to both Zeus and his human family, that is almost unforgivably unprofessional and lazy. The cornoner report makes clear that, at the very least, the situation was very ambigious. Instead of waiting for the report (which do, I admit, take forever), or doing a serious investigation of their own, they blamed the dog, deemed the case closed, told the media, and killed the dog.
The media, in this case, just reported what it was told. If they had been told that the dog heroically tried to drag his dying mistress to safety, I don't doubt that there would have been a sad little human interest story in the local papers, if not the national ones.
But there were "professionals" involved in this situation--the police and AC--who should have realized right of the bat that the woman's injuries were not consistent with an attack by a large dog. From the descriptions of the injuries, that should have been completely obvious to anyone whose job is investigating suspicious deaths or animal bites. I suppose they might have thought Zeus knocked her down and killed her with the impact, but that also should have been pretty easy to determine, and is also not consistent with an "attack."
In other words, the people whose JOB it is to determine if a person died from a dog bite didn't bother to make thorough investigation. They just blamed the big dog and went out for doughnuts. Leaving aside the incredible injustice to both Zeus and his human family, that is almost unforgivably unprofessional and lazy. The cornoner report makes clear that, at the very least, the situation was very ambigious. Instead of waiting for the report (which do, I admit, take forever), or doing a serious investigation of their own, they blamed the dog, deemed the case closed, told the media, and killed the dog.
The media, in this case, just reported what it was told. If they had been told that the dog heroically tried to drag his dying mistress to safety, I don't doubt that there would have been a sad little human interest story in the local papers, if not the national ones.
Yes. I'm sure that contributed to it. But it doesn't make them less incompetant and lazy. In the absence of a fatal wound, they had an obligation (the police at least) to investigate further. After all, she could have been poisoned or pushed down by a human being . . . it could have been a murder for all they knew. Instead they took the "easy answer" (although what could be easier than heart failure in someone her age?) and called it a day.
I'll bet you that I know what actually happened. When the cops showed up to look at the body, old Zeus, who knew that something was very, very wrong with his mistress, tried to protect her from these strangers. He barked, he growled, he might even have snarled. Cops HATE large dogs that warn them off. The cops at that moment decided they hated that dog, and moreover, since he was threatening THEM, and they are the "good guys" he must be vicious.
AC really should have known better . . . who ever heard of a nine year old dog that wasn't very ill attacking its owner? But they undoubtably also hate large unfriendly dogs, and the cops told them he'd killed somebody. They should have been able to figure out pretty quick he was a good dog, but that's where prejudice comes in . .. that and lots of AC people are NOT animal experts. They just read some BS, catagorize the dog, and never really look at him. That is partially the presses' fault . . .but it is also ACs fault for being unqualified for their jobs.
Blaming it on the press lets these morons off the hook.
I agree.. people do suck- if they act so irrationally
"Authorities" often jump to conclusions before having all the evidence. It's so sad. The dog in the photo certainly doesn't look ferocious to me. Why didn't they do some investigation first, before making such an irreversible decision?
I think they just get irate that a dog would kill / harm a human and take the easy way out, instead of trying to understand what occurred.
My neighbor had his beautiful Spaniel put down because he "attacked" his pregnant wife when she was leaning over the fence to her neighbor's yard. He decided the dog was dangerous and threatening. It's quite likely the dog was trying to protect her, too, because her neighbor was on the other side of that fence.
You just never know what goes on in a dog's mind unless you examine all the evidence to determine all possible conclusions, rather than one driven by anger and outrage.
I agree...
Sylvia
"Authorities" often jump to conclusions before having all the evidence. It's so sad. The dog in the photo certainly doesn't look ferocious to me. Why didn't they do some investigation first, before making such an irreversible decision?
I think they just get irate that a dog would kill / harm a human and take the easy way out, instead of trying to understand what occurred.
My neighbor had his beautiful Spaniel put down because he "attacked" his pregnant wife when she was leaning over the fence to her neighbor's yard. He decided the dog was dangerous and threatening. It's quite likely the dog was trying to protect her, too, because her neighbor was on the other side of that fence.
You just never know what goes on in a dog's mind unless you examine all the evidence to determine all possible conclusions, rather than one driven by anger and outrage.
I agree...
Sylvia
This is a terribly sad story. People die alone in the company of their dogs all the time.
John Neil Bailey, 64 Kitsap Sun
Manchester Wired News - Body of missing dog walker found
Heaven help the poor dog that does not just wander away.
John Neil Bailey, 64 Kitsap Sun
Manchester Wired News - Body of missing dog walker found
Heaven help the poor dog that does not just wander away.
