Giant Dog Charges Mail Carrier

annem November 25, 2011 at 03:38 pm

So was the dog "dangerous"? I get really sick of any dog that is large or of specific breeds being labeled as "dangerous". Perhaps this dog was just frolicking along having a good time and wanted to greet or play with the mail carrier. Regardless, the dog shouldn't have been loose and I know the mail carrier did what s/he had to do as s/he doesn't know the dog. But the point is that this dog may not have been "dangerous" but it's a Mastiff...so it MUST be. The owner should definitely be cited for not controlling and containing the dog, but I am curious as to whether the citation really needed to specifically state that the dog was dangerous.

Jay November 25, 2011 at 06:48 pm

I'm with annem. Even though the dogs owner should not be letting the dog run loose, It may well have been a big old friendly dog running up to greet the mailman for a pet on the head or a treat. Labelling the dog as dangerous without knowing it's history just because it "looked" like a Mastiff, is labelling all Mastiffs as being dangerous.
As for any dog breed. It is not the dog's fault it may grow into an agressive dog. The blame lies with the owners who think it's cool to train thier dogs to be that way.

Heinz Knall November 25, 2011 at 08:28 pm

Its not so much that we have to protect people from our dogs, as protecting our dogs from people.
ORC 955.11 Transfer of ownership certificate. (A) As used in this section: (1)(a) “Dangerous dog” means a dog that, without provocation, and subject to division (A)(1)(b) of this section, has chased or approached in either a menacing fashion or an apparent attitude of attack, or has attempted to bite or otherwise endanger any person, while that dog is off the premises of its owner, keeper, or harborer and not under the reasonable control of its owner, keeper, harborer, or some other responsible person, or not physically restrained or confined in a locked pen which has a top, locked fenced yard, or other locked enclosure which has a top. (2) “Menacing fashion” means that a dog would cause any person being chased or approached to reasonably believe that the dog will cause physical injury to that person. There's alot of room for interpretation when it comes to labelling a dog as "Dangerous". Another person, more familiar with dogs might have handled it differently and without using pepper spray. Unfortunately for both the owner and the dog, the dog has now been labelled dangerous by law and its a whole new ballgame for them. Sad, that more people don't understand dogs, or the consequences of making that sort of judgement. Chris, are there any more details in the report?

tomcody November 26, 2011 at 04:36 pm

why are dogs always good and people always bad,,??..
..read dog attack statistics by breed,,!!.

Heinz Knall November 26, 2011 at 05:40 pm

Not always good, or always bad, but if you were to pick up a paper and compare stories of people being hurt by dogs vs. people being hurt by other people, you would begin to suspect that dogs are the more reasonable animal. The problem with stories like this is that the reader doesn't know all the circumstances. If we are to give the benefit of the doubt to the mail carrier, then we should also give it to the dog. The dog was aledgedly off of its owner's property without proper restraint so the owner can be cited for a "loose dog". The problem I have with the incident is that the dog was labelled "dangerous" on the word of the mail carrier who may or may not be qualified to render a behavioral evaluation after only one incident. Likely, if the dog, particularly one of that size, had intended to do harm to the mail carrier, the pepper spray would have had little effect. Its also possible that tendering a dog biscuit would have diffused the entire situation. I have to agree with the other comments in that stereotyping is a major problem with dogs, just as it is with people. I don't know what happened on the street that day, but I do know with absolute certainty that that mail carrier lost two potential friends that day.