Yesterday, we're out giving our 90 lbs., neutered, German Shepard a bath in the hose (he likes it better that way since the tub scares him - go figure).
Just as we finish, one of the pitbulls from the neighbor two doors down comes into our yard.
Loki (our dog) broke free from my wife immediatly and gave a few warning barks. I then stepped in between them, grabbing Loki's collar. I looked straight at the pitbull and told it to "go away" firmly.
The pitbull then growled/barked at me...
That's all it took.
Loki went straight at him, no fear, no pause, no warning, no nothing. I didn't even have time to tell him to stop before he broke away. The fight went very quickly... Loki literally bowled the smaller pitbull over (it was maybe a 50-60 lbs. dog), clamping down on the right rear leg near the hip (German Shepards are herding dogs, and trained ones will almost always go for a leg on a human if the arm is obstructed or has a weapon, with other dogs they'll go after the rear legs if the chance presents itself).
The pit yelps when Loki grabs on and then Loki literally starts dragging him while doing the head shake. If it wasn't so violent it would almost be funny... Loki is dragging this dog around like a rag doll. Finally I got close enough to separate them, grabbed Loki by the collar and wrenched him off the pit, moving away to separate them.
The pit got back to his feet as I'm holding Loki, and then barks and threatens again. Loki breaks free a second time and it's on again... Same deal, circle fast, charge, knock the smaller dog off of it's feet while grabbing the rear leg. Once again, the pit is being dragged around my yard like a toy. I catch them again and pull Loki off for a second time. This time the pit wants no part of anymore of this and runs off.
The pit is bleeding from the rear leg. Loki doesn't have a scratch. I examined Loki carefully afterwards. The one chance he had to grab on to Loki was frustrated by the ruff around his neck and all the pit got was hair (there are a couple of thin spots up top, but no real damage). The pit limped off, obviously favoring it's right rear leg.
We've had no contact with the owner yet. I imagine she's going to be very upset when she finds out who hurt her dog, and don't honestly know what the law really says.
We were watching Loki carefully, giving him a bath. He only got loose from me through sheer strength and after the other dog threatened. The other dog was running around off the leash and had come into our yard unsupervised.
My kids are out of town right now. If they had been out alone, what could of happened? My thought is now that Loki goes out with them at all times. He's obedient and loyal, and obviously fiercely protective. How do I protect my kids from the other dog without being outside with them all the time? What would have happened to them?
A few things I am sure of:
The pit is a menace and puts those around it in danger.
Loki would have killed it if it went that far and if I wasn't outside it would have went that far.
My kids could never have stopped the fight, nor could my wife have. It took everything I had to separate them.
If Loki wasn't neutered, I'm guessing the outcome would have been even worse since he would be even more aggressive.
Here's a picture of Loki:
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Just as we finish, one of the pitbulls from the neighbor two doors down comes into our yard.
Loki (our dog) broke free from my wife immediatly and gave a few warning barks. I then stepped in between them, grabbing Loki's collar. I looked straight at the pitbull and told it to "go away" firmly.
The pitbull then growled/barked at me...
That's all it took.
Loki went straight at him, no fear, no pause, no warning, no nothing. I didn't even have time to tell him to stop before he broke away. The fight went very quickly... Loki literally bowled the smaller pitbull over (it was maybe a 50-60 lbs. dog), clamping down on the right rear leg near the hip (German Shepards are herding dogs, and trained ones will almost always go for a leg on a human if the arm is obstructed or has a weapon, with other dogs they'll go after the rear legs if the chance presents itself).
The pit yelps when Loki grabs on and then Loki literally starts dragging him while doing the head shake. If it wasn't so violent it would almost be funny... Loki is dragging this dog around like a rag doll. Finally I got close enough to separate them, grabbed Loki by the collar and wrenched him off the pit, moving away to separate them.
The pit got back to his feet as I'm holding Loki, and then barks and threatens again. Loki breaks free a second time and it's on again... Same deal, circle fast, charge, knock the smaller dog off of it's feet while grabbing the rear leg. Once again, the pit is being dragged around my yard like a toy. I catch them again and pull Loki off for a second time. This time the pit wants no part of anymore of this and runs off.
The pit is bleeding from the rear leg. Loki doesn't have a scratch. I examined Loki carefully afterwards. The one chance he had to grab on to Loki was frustrated by the ruff around his neck and all the pit got was hair (there are a couple of thin spots up top, but no real damage). The pit limped off, obviously favoring it's right rear leg.
We've had no contact with the owner yet. I imagine she's going to be very upset when she finds out who hurt her dog, and don't honestly know what the law really says.
We were watching Loki carefully, giving him a bath. He only got loose from me through sheer strength and after the other dog threatened. The other dog was running around off the leash and had come into our yard unsupervised.
My kids are out of town right now. If they had been out alone, what could of happened? My thought is now that Loki goes out with them at all times. He's obedient and loyal, and obviously fiercely protective. How do I protect my kids from the other dog without being outside with them all the time? What would have happened to them?
A few things I am sure of:
The pit is a menace and puts those around it in danger.
Loki would have killed it if it went that far and if I wasn't outside it would have went that far.
My kids could never have stopped the fight, nor could my wife have. It took everything I had to separate them.
If Loki wasn't neutered, I'm guessing the outcome would have been even worse since he would be even more aggressive.
Here's a picture of Loki:
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Reason for Edit: "Corrected grammar mistakes."|1092062481 -->