December 29
It was mid November or around Thanksgiving, the time frame is blurred to me as I am days away from putting down 3 healthy American Bulldogs. I have lived in the same community for 17 years. Before we had acquired 2 of them, I had a German Shepherd whom was a great dog as well. Our community was under different ownership at the time and there was different ownership when we got our 2 Bulldogs. The other individuals that live in the park have Rotweillers, Pit Bulls, Shepherds, Chow Chows, and other breeds of animals all sizes and shapes.
I have to make poignantly clear that if you know anything about the breed and are educated in the make up of their personality, they are very protective and dominant. They are loving towards their own family, their pack if you will, but they do have a protective instinct.
We live on a street where our neighbors do not respect the boundaries of our yards, meaning that children come into our yards or balls or objects are thrown in and around our cars. Or a child may pass by trying to imitate the dogs barking and in a way harass the dogs. It is the responsibility of parents to educate them in what is right and wrong behavior when near or around animals. It is called ethical treatment for animals and their habitat.
I certainly don't want to sound as though the animal should be thought of first, but I have been placed in a unique position. We have a very large deck that surrounds our house, which has high rails, locked gates, which are locked from the inside and signs posted around the property.
An individual ignored the signs 2 years ago and decided to reach over the gate and unlock the gate and enter the deck, please keep in mind there is a back door and this individual knew it was there, because he had been coming to it for 15 years. My husband had our front door open and was just coming out with the dogs on the deck. Unfortunately, the dogs just heard someone on the deck and ran around the house toward the front gate to find a person, whom one could say was not part of their pack. The dogs proceeded to protect my husband from what they conceived as a threat.
Needless to say, the individual did have a couple minor wounds, but fortunately my husband was able to retrieve the dogs so the gentlemen could step outside of the gate. My husband proceeded to put away the dogs and tend to the gentlemen that had entered our private property.
Over the past 6 years we have had stones thrown at our house from the neighbors below the bank, up on our deck. We have had bee-bee guns shot into our yard from below the bank and have had drunk, intoxicated people come into our yard from below the bank trying to initiate an argument. That is all documented almost in entirety in police reports. Our park is under new ownership, which by the way is less than perfect. I will include pictures of violations of disgrace able conditions that exist around our property.
What I am attempting to do is give historical data as to why the animals are protective.
In or around mid November I was walking one of our dogs around our house on leash, as I always do, however unknown to me her leather collar had weakened, which I will always hold myself accountable for not seeing it, not only for her sake but for the boy across the street that day. Just as he saw her being walked, her collar broke and I was left with a leash and a collar intact. As he started running and screaming she chased him over to the next property and I called after her and issued the command Touch, which she came back. I got her in the house and went over to make sure he was all right and apologized for the accident. I can't imagine till this day how frightening that was for him and his mother. I can certainly understand how upset they are. I did call the police so there would be a formal report not only protection for us, but for them as well.
She did not bite the boy, but I am sure she scared the hell out of him. When my husband got home, he went over to apologize as well and to make sure everyone was ok.
In the mid part of December, we received a letter, which stated we had to get rid of our 3 dogs or face eviction. Granted during the last 6 15 years, everyone has had many sizes and shapes of dogs in our community and still do.
Saturday, I went around taking pictures of dogs tied outside without any supervision and other conditions as well. One of the dogs belongs to our daughter, which we are keeping for her while she is in school. So, in actuality we have 2 dogs, which are medium sized animals, which are healthy physically.
We have tried the American Bulldog Rescue, but there aren't enough foster homes to go around and each of our dogs has their own personality, which depicts what kind of family they should be placed with. It is much easier placing a boxer than an American Bulldog; because of the handicap they carry being associated with Pit Bulls.
What bothers me most is that our community office goes on a website to get pictures of Pit Bulls and turns around and calls our dogs Pit Bulls. I have no idea where that couple hundred thousands dollars went for the Vet training at Penn. Our vet has supplied a declaration that these dogs are American Bulldogs and we have supplied pictures, but to no avail they still look like Pits.
If we got rid of all the breeds that may be dangerous in here, the Shepherds would have to go, the Rotweillers would go, and oh lets not forget about the Jack Russell Terriers, too, which by the way one got loose this summer and bit my husbands ankle, but no apology was given, but my husband understood that sometimes unfortunate accidents do occur or the time our neighbors across the street had their son chasing their dog in our front yard and we would of never known, but by fortunate timing we just pulled in to our parking space. What a scene, the parents at the edge of the property and their son, who has asthma chasing their dog around in our front yard, oh! No apology there either.
We've been told were not being singled out for the breed that we have, I don't believe that either, not a chance!!! So, even after requesting to keep one dog, which we were turned down, on January 3rd, our 3 dogs will be euthanized and brought home on the fourth day of the New Year.
My public apology goes out to the family of the young boy my dog chased, however I wonder will the vindication be sweet for them; will they have a good laugh; a feeling of accomplishment when they look across the street and see a grieving family as well.
If it had not been for my dog Cleo and my husband in I would not of made it to 2007.in I had lost my Shepherd, been diagnosed with melanoma, lost my Pop to cancer, my mother had double bypass surgery, and I had 2 stents placed in my heart, had a hysterectomy and bladder surgery. That young pup never left my side during recovery. She has been a god sent, even when I was diagnosed with diastolic heart failure. There's nothing better than unconditional love that one receives from an animal, which helps us all to bear the disappointments in our lives.
My husband and I have said that we want something positive to come out of this, but right now we are just grieving, plain and simple truth. The dogs are our children and we have exhausted every possible avenue, to save even just one, but to no avail. We have always been kind to all of our neighbors in one way or another, even by not associating, because personally I don't want someone that close in my life, that lives that close in proximity.
In reality, we have politically incorrect animals, since there has been so much media coverage about Pit Bulls and other bully breeds; the public only hears the horror stories, it is what sells news copy.
We love them with all our heart, its mystery is absolute, what we have shared could not exist outside the walls and boundaries of our property. They could not survive without us. We are eternally grateful for the time spent with this breed and hope that the future will bring their stature understanding and fairness in the public eye.
If you like, please view information about the American Bulldog and the characteristics of the breed at: http://www.geocities.com/abrescue/faqs.htm.in no way is this article intended to hurt or intimidate anyone, however, I feel it is our time to speak.
I will include pictures of our family and of the violations I have taken pictures of in our community.
We feel an injustice has been done and just recently another person in this park, bought a mixed Pitt and Labrador into their home.
Going forward I am warning that all children, adults stay off our property and parking spaces unless invited. If you not invited I will initiate a charge of trespassing. I don't want anything thrown at my house. I want lose cats rounded up, so they stop pissing around my home. They are to be in the house as well; obviously they're breeding somewhere, over in the empty trailer perhaps. My dogs were not violent, aggressive dogs either, that comes from pure ignorance. Their trainer will be writing a letter to the DLN about them as she had been given the responsibility of their training capabilities.
To put something in the right context the individual that entered our deck, had to reach over to unlock a gate, any person with common sense would of know to go to another door. As far as I am concerned he came on private property which there were signs for and he knew there was a back door. So that tells me he had a agenda planned. What he did was not only irresponsible, but I would hope he would take heed by the signs he saw.
I will include pictures of deplorable conditions in here not just to the naked eye, but animals tied outside alone.
This letter does serve a formal; complaint letter as it depicts certain things on the street that are down right annoying, luck our parking spaces are not turn arounds for Ed's vehicles or for his cats coming into our yard as well as the wilder ones.
I would like to see no preferable treatment to anyone as we have had here in the past and someone can do whatever they want, just because they know the manager. I think that would require more investigation. I hope everyone on the street is happy now, the 3 beautiful dogs (our children) are dead. As a Memorial to them and be remembered we will pay tribute to them on their birthdays and the day they died, on our property.
We were singled out, I don't care what you say. Nobody pays any attention to your rules and regulations, even you. After I've seen the amount of trash sitting around and haven't even gotten to photograph the whole park yet.
Regretfully and kindly
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