I was half in tears after reading this personal (yet of public interest) essay- "An Unleashed Dog, Sentenced to Death After an Attack" written by Susanne Craig and published in The New York Times on January 26, 2021. We never want our dogs to attack another, and we definitely do not want our dogs to be attacked or be caught in a vulnerable position in which they're traumatized or injured from rough play.
I am relieved that the writer's dog Chloe survived the attack, and felt sad for the attacker Jasper who gave in to his instincts, and for his humans who didn't leash him in spite of his history. Or fence up their compound. (That's a whole other story about securing permits from the building authority and your neighbors to build add-ons to your property in America and Europe.)
The woman fought hopelessly to gain control over Jasper. As she grasped at his collar, he bit her hard.
On our walks we see all sorts of dogs, and owners. There are the off-leash dogs who come bounding toward me. The owner is always nearby, assuring me their pet is friendly. This drives me crazy. These people are taking a huge risk, blindly betting their dog will mix with mine.
Then there are dogs like Jasper, dangerous and often roaming around alone. After Chloe’s first brush with Jasper I bought pepper spray. But when he came for her this time, I wasn’t carrying it.
In the days after the attack I heard from friends who felt that Jasper’s being a pit bull was to blame. I fault only the owners, who failed to leash Jasper. After Chloe was attacked I watched “The Champions,” a documentary about the fate of the pit bulls abused by Michael Vick, the professional football player who served time in federal prison for operating an illegal dogfighting operation. Dozens of pit bulls were seized and rehomed. The movie is a testament to the idea that many dogs, regardless of breed or the conditions they were raised in, can be rehabilitated with proper attention, training and love.
In the right home, with informed, responsible owners, even Jasper could have had a safe, happy life. But in that home, on that morning, he was only dangerous.
While I emphasize on training and matching the right dog to the appropriate family with the right attitude, I'm also glad for Singapore's laws on dog ownership. We're improving on regulating breeders and responsibilities of dog owners to hopefully decrease percentage of abandonment of pets in the country. We also ban certain dog breeds and require dogs to be leashed at all times in public, and some breeds are required to be muzzled at all times in public too. I rarely let Choya off the leash in public. Well, we've got a lot of work to do on her recall. Hahaha.
When out on walks, I'm quite frightened of unleashed small dogs charging at humans or other dogs. This isn't at school or at the dog parks. The other leashed dogs knew their expected behavior on walks. Faced with a charging dog, even the trained dogs wouldn't know what to expect, and would always react defensively to an invader. You can't fault the canines for that. An unleashed chihuahua, can cause fairly deep puncture wounds in your calves and ankles, or nick an artery in your dog's hock and thighs. Your cute and maybe well-behaved dog at home, isn't so cute when dealing with strangers and other dogs.
And, I wouldn't hesitate to kick a dog that I perceive to be attacking mine. I'm not going to wait for blood to be drawn before acting. Choya is small and I could always carry her up to safety. I mind being bitten, but I would hate for my dog to be injured. If I am bitten, I'd love to settle the score with the attacker's owner. It all depends on the owner's attitude. At the end of the day, the dogs are innocent. The owners need to bear a huge responsibility for the behavior of their dogs. Nobody wants to see their dog impounded and put down.
“It’s for the best and we all know it,” the father wrote.
As I read the email, sitting in my car in the parking lot of a local Home Depot, I began to sob. I was devastated for Jasper and his family. I believed they loved their dog. I wanted to find him another home, a pit bull sanctuary, something. I imagined their goodbye at the humane society. I wished we’d never walked by their house that morning. I wished Jasper had been leashed.
Chloe is recovering from her injuries. For weeks after the attack my body was covered in bruises from holding Chloe tight to me as Jasper attacked her. Shawna is anxious on walks now and carries a large stick. I do not leave the house without pepper spray.
A few nights later I saw a post about Jasper on Instagram. He looked peaceful and sweet in the photograph. “Rest in peace Jasper, my heart is breaking,” the caption read.
It made me sad for everything that didn’t have to happen.
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