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Tyler and Tyrone: Killed by irresponsible owners and lax animal control
By Liz Palika
August 17, 2009
Born of champion parents and shown by a prestigious kennel, Tyler, a brown and black brindle American Staffordshire Terrier, had earned her conformation championship by the time she was 10 months old.
An older female dog in her home made life uncomfortable for Tyler, though, so Chris and Doris gave Tyler a forever home.
“We found Tyler to be gentle and sweet with everyone she came into contact with, ” recalls Doris. “She was not skittish around people with disabilities and this put the seed in our heads that perhaps Tyler could be a therapy dog.”
After attending classes at our Kindred Spirits Dog Training, Tyler was certified as a therapy dog. She began visiting at Mission Meadows Elementary School and the Veterans Hospital in La Jolla. She was a model therapy dog, conducting herself with calm dignity while being friendly and affectionate with those she visited.
“The military men she visited at the Veterans Hospital loved the fact that she looked like a rough and tough pit bull yet was so sweet and gentle,” says Doris, who would put bandannas and silly outfits on Tyler to lighten up her appearance and make people smile.
The smiling stopped one night last June.
Chris was walking Tyler with their Papillon, Elfin, when they were attacked by four dogs who were running loose. Chris lifted Elfin off the ground and tried to shelter him in his arms. The only weapon Chris had was a small pocket knife but he tried to save his dogs.
One of the dogs pulled Elfin out of Chris’ arms but amazingly, Elfin survived more than fourteen bites. Chris was also bitten several times but — at least physically – will be okay.
Tyler stood her ground and fought valiantly; she died fighting for her family against four-to-one odds.
Two of the attacking dogs were also mortally wounded, one of them killed on the spot by animal control. The other two dogs ran off and were caught by their owner.
It was not the first attack, Chris and Doris soon learned: The dogs had packed up and attacked an elderly man. Still, the owner was allowed to take the dogs home.
That will not happen again. Tyler’s owners are pressing charges, and pursing other legal options.
The attacking dogs were pit bulls, but beside the point for a couple who have seen their own AmStaff step up to protect her family and die trying.
“I don’t blame the dogs for Tyler’s death. I blame the owner, and I blame animal control,’” says Doris. “I think the dogs should have been removed from the home after the first attack on the elderly gentleman.”
Doris and Chris hope to make something good come from Tyler’s death, an awareness of the problems of irresponsible owners and dogs running loose.
She is joined in this by another grieving owner.
Tyrone was not a champion; nor was he a therapy dog. He was, however, a well-loved pet whose owner Kristina called, “My third kid.”
“My children are grown and on their own. Tyrone was a delightful little guy and the light of my life,” she says.
Last month, Kristina and Tyrone were in their yard when a neighbor’s dog attacked Tyrone. Kristina was bitten twice trying to save Tyrone, but he never had a chance. Rushed to the veterinarian, he was diagnosed with broken back and severed spinal cord.
He died at the veterinarian’s.
The dog who attacked Tyrone is back with her owners after a quarantine period. The owners haven’t even responded to Kristina’s request to pay her dog’s veterinary bills.
Kristina is a wreck. She joined a pet bereavement group and says talking about this sometimes helps. She wonder what she could have done to change the outcome of the incident.
Tyrone is buried under his favorite tree in her front yard.
Two senseless, preventable tragedies. Two innocent dogs killed by the irresponsibility of owners unwilling to properly contain their powerful dog-aggressive dogs.
It’s simply not acceptable, and the fact that “just dogs” were killed does not change that one bit.
As a trainer, I hear about these incidents too often, and tomorrow I’ll write about a tragedy that’s brewing now: Some local dogs whose owners allow them to run loose.
They have now formed up a pack that is getting increasingly bold, and I’ll write more about that tomorrow.
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Stories like these make me sick and reinforce the idea that it’s the OWNERS who are the problem, not the dogs. I feel so bad for those dogs - all of them, not just those who have been killed. They deserve so much better from the people who make a promise to care for them and keep them safe when they take them into their homes and families. And for the people who love these dogs, I cannot imagine a worse nightmare.
Comment by catmom5 — August 17, 2009 @ 7:10 am
Makes me sick at my stomach. I knew little Tyrone, and he was so cute riding inside his “dad’s” jacket at the hardware store, going camping with us, and playing with the family cat. It’s horrible that the dog can’t even be safe with his owner in his own yard.
Comment by Terry Albert — August 17, 2009 @ 7:19 am
I’m appalled and disgusted, but not surprised, to read this sad post. In too many places, Animal Control doesn’t care, and the law is applied in unpredictable and unfair ways.
It seems almost inappropriate, but I think Tyrone’s memory deserves it; I have a small proofreading note. :(
Kristina is a wreck. She joined a pet bereavement group and says talking about this sometimes helps. She wonder what she could have done to change the outcome of the incident.
Tyler is buried under his favorite tree in her front yard.
Surely that should be Tyrone—Kristina’s dog—who is buried in her front yard?
Comment by Lis — August 17, 2009 @ 7:29 am
sigh. I find these stories so troubling. I had a people aggressive blind/deaf aussie that bit my friend’s neighbor while on leash because they insisted upon walking closer. Granted it didn’t help that my friends two dogs were loose, barking and circling. I was loading my other dogs into the car and when I saw her neighbor moving in closer no one could hear me scream “back up” over the other dogs barking. Instead they walked closer so they could hear each other. Her neighbor called Animal Control (AC) and filed a complaint through her county office. Granted her shirt was torn and she had scratches on her legs but thankfully being blind on a leash and aiming with your nose has limitations. AC came to my house at least 5 times. I foster dogs. I take in special needs aussies. My point is: that particular dog was and had been living in a very small bubble. She was not out in public. She wore a basket muzzle at the vets. There were only three places she could go and be out safely. I fully accepted responsiblity even though it happened when someone else was holding the end of her 4’ leash. One of the AC officers did not understand why he was at my house yet another time before the case was closed. I never truly understood either. Why does AC choose to follow up with certain people and not others is unknown to me. The above owners obviously needed more follow up. With continued budget cuts now I wonder if they still would have come to my house so many times. I wonder if they will even make less visits to those that need closer monitoring.
Comment by mcappy — August 17, 2009 @ 7:38 am
Lis, that was my fault. I gave the post quick read last night and moved a couple of things around. It’s fixed, and thanks for the catch.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — August 17, 2009 @ 8:01 am
These stories are so heartrending, such horrible tragedies.
Irresponsible owners. for sure.
And yet we also need to factor in, somehow, that dogs are predators. Dogs kill other animals. Is there a line we should draw about which other animal a dog kills that lead us to call the dog “dangerous” and “aggressive”? We surely don’t call a dog that kills a rat “dangerous”. But we do when a dog kills a cat. And obviously, if a dog kills a person. (now, I believe a dog killing a cat is engaging in normal dog behavior, though owners should prevent it. A dog killing a person is aberrant (generally speaking because some of these killings are truly accidental).)
We absolutely do not want our dogs killing other people’s pets. And in some cases, such dogs do have dangerously over-the-top, and socially unacceptable, prey-drive.
Yet how do we protect our pets, and other people’s pets, while understanding and accepting the nature of dogs?
Comment by EmilyS — August 17, 2009 @ 8:09 am
EmilyS, how does “factoring in that dogs are predators” excuse the owners of the dogs who are allowed to run loose, pack up, and attack and kill dogs who are on leash or in their owners’ own yards? Were Elfin and Tyler being provocative by walking on-leash with their owners in their neighborhood? Was Tyler at fault for defending her family from an attack pack of loose dogs?
Or were Elfin and Tyler’s owners at fault because they didn’t shrug off the attack on the grounds that “dogs will be dogs” ?
And what about Tyrone? Were Tyrone and his owner at fault for being in their own yard when a loose dog decided to attack? Was his owner at fault for thinking the owners of the attacking dog should be responsible for her dog’s medical expenses? Or should she have just shrugged it off, again, on the grounds that “dogs will be dogs” ?
The pack that killed Tyler, at least, definitely had a prior track record of attack—and the previous attack was on a human, not “just a dog.” Did that not create any responsibility for the owners of those dogs to prevent their dogs from having another opportunity? Was it correct for Animal Control to shrug off an attack on a human, on the grounds that “dogs will be dogs” ?
I’m really sickened by the attempt to shift responsibility from where it belongs. Yes, dogs are predators—and that means that those of us who keep dogs have a responsibility to train, manage, and contain them appropriately, and not allow them to attack either humans or other people’s pets.
And no, we’re not being inconsistent when we don’t take the same degree of effort to prevent, or express equal outrage about, dogs killing rats, mice, or squirrels.
Comment by Lis — August 17, 2009 @ 9:00 am
I’m curious to know where this took place. Seems to me that Animal Control isn’t doing there job if they return dogs that have attacked a person and killed a dog.
Citizens of that community should be raising hell that their safety is being put in jeapardy because Animal Control isn’t doing their job.
Comment by 2CatMom — August 17, 2009 @ 9:07 am
Lis, where did I excuse the owners? Please read my post again.. I STRESS the owner’s responsibility to prevent these tragedies.
Comment by EmilyS — August 17, 2009 @ 9:38 am
Although I, too, question animal control - at least in the incident of the pack that had previously attacked the elderly gentlemen - my primary concern is of the owners of these dogs.
Why did their owners allow these dogs to run loose?
If the dogs had been adequately contained, the attacks would not have taken place.
As both a writer and a dog trainer, I have been picking my brain trying to figure out how I can educate those members of the dog owning community who need to understand that dogs cannot run loose. Obviously they aren’t reading Pet Connection nor are they reading my books. So how can I/we reach these people?
Comment by Liz Palika — August 17, 2009 @ 11:31 am
Liz, that’s the $64,000 question, one I’ve been pondering for years, and I’ve found a good answer. My only hope is that if we are all out there everywhere—thank you, PetConnection, blogs, Twitter, MSNBC.com, Examiner, etc.—maybe some of it will trickle out and reach the people who need it. Maybe.
Comment by Kim Thornton — August 17, 2009 @ 11:56 am
Sorry, that should be I’ve “never” found a good answer.
Comment by Kim Thornton — August 17, 2009 @ 11:56 am
My 2 cents here - I think that animal control could do a much better job educating pet owners rather than just issuing fines or seizing animals. The humane society where I live is working hard to offer programs to educate the people of the community, but some attitudes die hard (or not at all).
Hopefully we will get to the point where these conversations are not necessary.
Comment by catmom5 — August 17, 2009 @ 12:53 pm
My cent and a half’s worth.
You can educate and inform, but some people either aren’t bright enough or just don’t give two hoots. Those are people who shouldn’t be allowed to own dogs; I personally wonder about allowing them to have children. This type of person - uninformed, uncaring and unwilling to learn - seems to be the problem, and removing their right to own a pet seems to be the only solution.
Comment by Social Mange — August 17, 2009 @ 1:27 pm
I live in a rural county in Northern Ca where the predominant mentality is “we live in the country, so our dogs can run loose”. These dogs have a very, very short life span. One neighbor has gone through half a dozen dogs. When I do speak to him about restraining the dog, his comment is that “it is cruel to tie a dog up”….my response, so I guess it is NOT cruel to have your dog obliterated by a tomato truck???
Currently another neighbors dogs run at large and come on my place. I have called animal control a number of times, they have spoken with the folks, left notes, etc. I do know our 2 animal control officers, they work hard and have a very thankless job. They have to deal with irresponsible owners constantly, but are limited in what they can effectively do. As a small county resource are very limited.
It all still comes back to how to deal with irresponsible dog owners. When I am teaching classes I try to emphasize the importance of responsibility to the dogs, but how much any of this gets though……..actually it is probably more the ones who do not even consider taking their dog to a training session….And they are harder….all the legislation in the world is not going to help…..
Comment by TEH — August 17, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
I agree with TEH, all the new legislation being proposed here there and everywhere, that lays a blanket over EVERY dog owner, will not prevent these things. Because the dip shits, morons, scofflaws etc… who allow dogs to run in packs, attack other animals repeatedly and ignore and justify (or get off on) their animal’s aggressive behavior Are ALREADY in violation of existing laws and do not care.
What we need is lot’s of education, low cost services, out reach for those who want to learn, who want help. We need to REWARD responsible owners by treating them like adults and respecting the choices they make with regards to their animals.
And we need to bring the hammer of existing law down HARD on those people who chose, often over and over again, to scoff at existing, reasonable laws regarding control, confinement, owner’s responsibility with regards to dogs which act in an unprovoked and aggressive manner and animal welfare. If these laws need more teeth in the form of greater penalties, then those can be adjusted. Passing new laws to penalize thousands of dog owners when only a few cause issues will take AWAY resources that should be dedicated to dealing with the troublemakers.
Comment by JenniferJ — August 17, 2009 @ 2:53 pm
EmilyS, you said:
These stories are so heartrending, such horrible tragedies.
Irresponsible owners. for sure.
And yet we also need to factor in, somehow, that dogs are predators. Dogs kill other animals. Is there a line we should draw about which other animal a dog kills that lead us to call the dog “dangerous” and “aggressive”? We surely don’t call a dog that kills a rat “dangerous”. But we do when a dog kills a cat.
If that is not downplaying the responsibility of the owners of the attacking dogs, and trying to shift the explanation for what happened at least partly to “dogs will be dogs,” I truly have no clue what you thought you were saying.
Comment by Lis — August 17, 2009 @ 4:16 pm
Liz, what kind of dog was Tyrone? Large, small? It doesn’t matter, I’m just curious. And it’s easier for me to ask that then to deal with the nausea I’m feeling. I think of when Ginger was attacked in March and how horrible I felt then, and she was fine after a few staples.
Godspeed to Tyler and Tyrone…and I wish the worst for the people whose pet is responsible and won’t even step up to pay Tyrone’s vet bills.
Comment by Phyllis DeGioia — August 17, 2009 @ 5:27 pm
What happens when a dog runs loose and a car swerves to avoid it? We had an incident like that years ago - 19 year old kid avoided the dog, but hit the telephone pole and was killed.
Does any responsibility fall on the owner then? Maybe that would discourage some of those “we’re in the country, dogs get to run loose” folks?
Comment by mikken — August 17, 2009 @ 6:58 pm
Not a lawyer … I do recall that if your livestock are responsible for an accident because you did not fence them problem, you are in deep doo-doo.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — August 17, 2009 @ 7:19 pm
Anyones dog can get loose once.
You could keep dogs for 50 years and the ONE time the meter reader leaves the gate open and the dog gets loose could be the day it causes a car to swerve.
I think however if the owner had a history of reported, documented negligence and refusal to take steps to comply with the law, then there certainly could e grounds for increased liability.
Same with a dog attack where the owner has foreknowledge of the dogs tendencies but has made no good faith effort to address the problem.
I grew up in the boonies. You are taught from ann early age that unless it’s a car sized animal (horse, cow, moose, elk) you do not swerve unless it’s safe to do so. You stop only when and if it’s safe to check on the animal, call authorities, etc….Tragic for the animal, very hard to deal with for some of us afterwards, but it saves human lives.
And yeah, it’s happened to me. It sucked, I was in tears and still replay it a decade and a half later But it was absolutely the right decision, swerving would have probably killed myself and others too.
Comment by JenniferJ — August 17, 2009 @ 7:29 pm
Gina, it depends on the situation. If folks have complained that your fence is poor and you knew it was a problem, then you are in deep crapola.
If lightening, a predator or weather damage your fence or drive animals through it, you will generally not be legally at fault for the accident as no negligence or willful disregard for public safety was involved
Comment by JenniferJ — August 17, 2009 @ 7:33 pm
well Lis, again my writing, as you quoted, is clear: Owners are responsible for the behavior of their dogs, and dogs will be dogs. I believe both to be true. I’m sorry if this makes me evil in your eyes and that you insist on believing something I did not write.
Maybe you can explain why your statement ISNT inconsistent, other than your assertion that it’s not: “And no, we’re not being inconsistent when we don’t take the same degree of effort to prevent, or express equal outrage about, dogs killing rats, mice, or squirrels.”
How does a dog know whether a particular rat, mice or squirrel is someone’s pet or not? What is the difference, to a dog, between a rat, a mice or a squirrel and a cat or another dog?
Would you kill a dog for killing a rat, mice or squirrel because of its aggression? Would you kill a dog for killing a cat or another dog because of its aggression? When a dog kills a person’s pet, where do you direct your outrage?
Gina, many states are “fence out” for cattle, that is: if you don’t want your neighbor’s cattle on your property, you have to build a fence. And if you hit a cow with your car, not only is the cow’s owner not responsible for the damage, YOU are responsible for the damage to the cow.
Comment by EmilyS — August 17, 2009 @ 9:17 pm
Years ago, I DID have a well loved, well trained, treasured dog of mine put to sleep (re: killed) because she attacked other dogs. I could not change her; I could not assure myself that I could protect other dogs from her; and I could not keep my other pets safe from her attacks. I certainly could not place her in another home and ask other people to do what I could not do.
I cried my heart out but I could not answer my own questions - fulfill my own requirements - and I felt I had no other recourse.
My dog was a danger to other dogs and potentially other people during a fight.
So yes, dogs will be dogs, but they live in our society with us and we, as their owners or guardians, MUST be responsible for their actions.
Comment by Liz Palika — August 17, 2009 @ 11:36 pm
well Lis, again my writing, as you quoted, is clear: Owners are responsible for the behavior of their dogs, and dogs will be dogs. I believe both to be true. I’m sorry if this makes me evil in your eyes and that you insist on believing something I did not write.
Owners are responsible for the behavior of their dogs, and dogs will be dogs, and therefore it is the responsibility of the dog owner to prevent the dog from expressing its dog-ness in ways that harm other people. And yes, this includes preventing them from harming other people’s pets.
Maybe you can explain why your statement ISNT inconsistent, other than your assertion that it’s not: “And no, we’re not being inconsistent when we don’t take the same degree of effort to prevent, or express equal outrage about, dogs killing rats, mice, or squirrels.”
Because cats aren’t rats, mice, or squirrels. Rats and mice in particular are nearly universally regarded as vermin, a threat to public health. Whereas cats are our pet, also, and we expect dogs to learn how to live with them. Some dogs seem not to be able to, their prey drive is too strong—and in those cases it’s the responsibility of the owners to control the dog so that it isn’t a threat to other people’s pets
How does a dog know whether a particular rat, mice or squirrel is someone’s pet or not? What is the difference, to a dog, between a rat, a mice or a squirrel and a cat or another dog?
Pet rats and pet mice aren’t wandering the streets, and it’s specious to pretend that they might be. You’re welcome to show me, if you can, a genuine pet squirrel, and not a partly-tamed animal that the tamer knows perfectly well is still living wild and exposed to all normal risks of predation.
Some dogs don’t learn to distinguish between cats and prey animals. In those cases, the owner—the dog owner—is responsible for controlling the dog so that other people’s pets aren’t at risk.
Dogs can distinguish between dog and not-dog, generally. Large dogs who are not adequately socialized with small dogs may become confused and have their prey drive triggered by small dogs—notice that this goes back again to owner responsibility.
Would you kill a dog for killing a rat, mice or squirrel because of its aggression?
I’d be more likely to praise her for a Mighty Huntress. What part of “rodents are vermin and a threat to public health” is confusing for you?
Would you kill a dog for killing a cat or another dog because of its aggression?
It would depend on the circumstances. Notice that the cases we’re discussing are dogs that are running loose, and have attacked before.
When a dog kills a person’s pet, where do you direct your outrage?
At the owner of the attacking dog.
Comment by Lis — August 18, 2009 @ 4:33 am
I don’t think it’s so easy to dismiss Emily’s point. For some dogs (I’m thinking sighthounds here) a cat and a rat are the same thing - prey. If it runs and it’s furry, it’s a cookie. Do we really expect that praising a dog for killing a rat but scolding it for killing a cat is going to change its basic instincts? For some, maybe, but not for all.
The answer everyone (including me) agrees on is that the owner is responsible for what the dog does. That’s hugely important. But to argue that all dogs see the world and its threats the same way (dog vs non-dog) is nonsense. They don’t.
Comment by LauraL — August 18, 2009 @ 10:16 pm
It’s far more common for a free-roaming cat to get into a dog’s yard than the other way around. Until more cat owners stop allowing their pets free range of the entire neighborhood, they shouldn’t be so harsh to condemn a dog for killing a cat that trespassed onto it’s territory. Many dogs have prey drive, yes. But when you have more cats roaming loose than dogs, it’s clear that the usual one at fault is the owner of the cat, not the dog.
Should all dog owners be expected to pay the costs to ‘cat proof’ their properties so that people who insist on having outdoor cats won’t have to change their routines?
Comment by Pai — August 18, 2009 @ 10:23 pm
LauraL, I think you are missing something.
EmilyS is arguing that dog owners need to be responsible, yes, but Dogs Will Be Dogs, and this somehow lessens the responsibility of the dog owners if their sweet pupper starts actively hunting the neighborhood cats, or packs up with other dogs and is attacking other dogs and people.
I say, yes, our dogs are predators, and Dogs Will Be Dogs, and therefore, we need to know our dogs, do all that training and socialization will do to make them safe, and contain them properly and effectively so that they do not become menaces.
Anyone can have an accident or mistake. One incident doesn’t an irresponsible owner make. But the dogs that killed Tyler, injured Elfin, and threatened their owners already had a record of a previous attack on a human, and Animal Control had done nothing nor had their owners done anything to stop their pack roaming freely. We don’t know whether the dog that killed Tyrone had a prior record, but Tyrone was killed in his own yard.
Pai, we’re not talking here about animals in their own yards when other animals invaded. We’re talking about dogs who were roaming freely. If the dog is properly contained in its own yard, and a cat comes into the yard, that’s an accident the dog’s owner couldn’t reasonably have prevented. And a dog’s reaction to other animals invading its own territory is a completely different issue from hunting and killing all over the neighborhood.
Comment by Lis — August 19, 2009 @ 5:00 am
I am pretty sure that Emily S is NOT a proponent of dogs running the neighborhood offlead, but of course I cannot authoritatively speak for her.
Emily S?
Comment by The OTHER Pat — August 19, 2009 @ 5:39 am