Owner prefers jail to dog's death
I wrote several posts ago about Dozzer and how he was suppose to be put down, but his owner has been fighting this and refuses to give his pet up to be put down. The woman got bit when trying to come in between the two dogs. Here's an update.
Owner prefers jail to dog's death Thu, December 8, 200
Plans to defy city order to put down pit bull after Ottawa woman bitten
By DONNA CASEY , OTTAWA SUN 
"I'm not God -- I can't decide if he lives or dies," Jeff Hickey says of his dog, Dozzer, who was ordered put down for biting. (Geoff Robins, SUN)
The owner of a pit bull the city wants killed says he's willing to go to jail for his beloved pet.
"That could be my grieving time. I'll tell the judge that. He might as well lock me up for six months if you're going to kill my dog because then, at least I can grieve," Jeff Hickey said yesterday as he counted down the final hours in a two-day ultimatum given by city officials to have Dozzer put to sleep.
Earlier this week, Hickey became the first Ottawa resident charged under Ontario's new pit bill ban. Under the tough new provincial legislation, any pit bull that has bitten someone must be euthanized.
Hickey's refusal to have his dog put to sleep means the saga of Dozzer will continue in a courtroom next week.
Hickey will appear in provincial court on Dec. 15, where he could face $10,000 in fines and six months in jail under the Dog Owners' Liability Act.
"I'm not in a position to take my own dog's life. That's up to the courts, not me," said Hickey, who says he spent time in both Ontario and Quebec jails as a teen when he was "young and stupid."
"I'm not God -- I can't decide if he lives or dies," said Hickey, who is already facing more than $1,500 in fines after being charged under four municipal bylaws.
STITCHES, BROKEN HAND
The charges were laid after Dozzer slipped through the front door of a Kimito Private home in the Hunt Club and Conroy Rd. area on Nov. 21. The dog bit Cheryl Hume, who was walking her Siberian husky, Chico.
The 43-year-old woman needed more than 20 stitches to close cuts to her thumb, and her left hand was broken.
Susan Jones, director of bylaw services, said the city gave Hickey the chance to turn the dog over to be euthanized, a move that likely would have let the court treat Hickey with more leniency.
"We've commenced legal action through the Dog Owners' Liability Act, so I guess we'll see him in court on Dec. 15," said Jones.
Dozzer spent the last two days with Hickey's mother in Arnprior, where the pooch ran around in open fields.
Hickey said his six-year-old pet seems to sense his days are numbered.
"He's really sad, so he has to be around people that he knows," said Hickey.
Dozzer spent 11 days in quarantine at the Ottawa Humane Society, where Hickey said the dog lost 10 lbs., became dehydrated and developed kennel cough.
'HE'S SO DEPRESSED'
"When I got him back, he was just skin and bones. He's not the same dog he was 11 days ago. He's so depressed, he just doesn't get off the floor," said Hickey.
Yesterday, Hickey tried to get Dozzer checked out at an area veterinary clinic but was turned away after the vet said he feared for his staff.
"It's the big pit bull thing. Everywhere I go, I get blocked," said Hickey.
6 comments:
Poor Dozzer. Maybe he didn't get the right socialization when he was young, and maybe he has aggression issues with other dogs, but it's his owner's fault that he got outside by himself, not his. If this is his first offense, then no, he should not be put down. What would the punishment be for another breed that did the same thing? It's not fair to be harder on a particular breed.
If I'm not mistaken, I recall he went crashing through the screen door or somehow he got out by accident. It's sad that an accident could lead to this and harder still because it's becoming much harder to continue socializing them with other dogs.
I think about the times my youngest grandson (2 at the time) would open the patio door and naturally Shasta would barrel out as we didn't have our nightly playtimes anymore. Prior to that, she had no reason to run out or take off, because if good, she knew she woulf have her playtime with me around 9PM.
The amazing thing was that she would go pick out her toy within 15 minutes of the time. I always thought that pretty impressive.
So, I'm not sure who is at fault here. I see dogs off leash all the time and it's law they have to be leashed when not on private property. ALL dogs from the tiniest to the biggest...yet people look away unless it happens to be a Pit bull.
Who is making our dogs unsosialised? The owners are trying with all their power, but it's hard when they have to be leashed and muzzled all the time.
Shasta, who always enjoyed her walks, now looks away when she see's the muzzle. She still enjoys her walks, and although she gets plenty of human interaction, I notice people with dogs don't slow down to socialize anymore. I'm hoping because it's winter and cold, but even so, how does Shasta sniff out another dog with this big cage on her face? She can't.
This is a sad situation. But Indy is right, what would happen if it was another breed?
That is true Connors - if everyone is terrified of Pit Bulls and ignoring them, then who can you socialize your dog with besides other Pit Bulls? That does make it very hard. Princess Anne's English Bull Terriers attacked two children and was ordered to get training ofr the dogs and had to pay a fine (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2497531.stm). The world is so unfair.
The sad truth here is like that Bull Mastiff that killed Courney Trempe. The dog owned by a lawyer in Toronto, had many (I've heard 16) previous aggressive experiences. Courtney died in the ambulance from blood loss and effixiation from the attack to her throat.
Her parents have payed so much money to get some kind of restitution, along with their greatest loss, their daughter Courtney,
The Toronto police were 'too busy' to come. TOO BUSY!!! Yes you heard me right!
The lawyer has not had to pay one red cent, plus he still has his dog.
The reason this is such a big case is because when Bill 132 first came out, Michael Bryant invited Donna Trempe to speak out. He was SURE she would be for the Pit bull Ban.
But she sure shocked him and many others when she asked, Would a Pit bull ban of saved my Courtney? It wasn't a pit bull that attacked and killed her and matter of fact, she is against the BSL. She wants a law made in Courney's honour called Courtneys Law and that is what we are going for. Educate children, pet owners, the general public and service workers. Keep a record of all bite statistics (what caused the dog to bite? was the dog provoked? etc.) Keep records of owners and dogs of aggressive dogs. Nail the owner for the dogs aggressiveness. ANY dog...ALL dogs! And make amendments to the DOLA.
Just like Dozzer, had he not been a pit bull, he probably would have gotten a muzzle order for a few months. But because he IS a pit bull, he gets DEATH! Now you see why Pit bull owners are angry and upset.
It never said what happened before Dozzer got out of the door. Did the womans dog see him and bark or growl? We'll never know.
I don't know how the Bull Terrier people pulled it off, but they got themselves and their dogs off the list that they were first on. Once thy heard that, they left parliment. They didn't even stay to show support to the rest of the dogs on the list.
I'm psying out good money that I can't afford to have Shasta trained and certified as a 'Good Neighbour'. It's a temperment test to see how (and this is only for Pit bulls) they respond to loud noises, non treats and treats. How they reposd to someone other than their owers, etc. The reson we think it is important even though the cost is high, is because when Michael Bryant decided to re-evaluate we will have certificates proving they are non agressive for the proper situations.
Not only that, but say there IS a neighbour issue, the certificate is proof that the person is lying. But we are paying through the nose to prove what we already know, but the certificate is the proof.
We (the Pit bull owners) just received from the city a check off list of all the things we mus have to get our dogs registered before the end of 2005. Some of these require veteranary forms as proof. My vet said no problem and is mailing me her rabies documentation. She wears a tag on her collar, but THAT'S not good enough. But where I had her spayed, when I phoned and asked, they said it would cost me $25 to have a copy made. $$$$$$$ And normally we can just send everything in the mail, but not with the Pit bulls, we have to deliver it in person and it's hard to get to and wayyyy on the other side of the city.
Do Pit bull owners feel victimized? You bet your bootie we do and we ARE! It's coming to where we are scared anymore as we are abiding by all there dumb rules, but ANGRY because something always comes up and the Pit bull owners have to do it differently than other dog owners. IT'S NOT FAIR and IT'S NOT RIGHT!
I better go put Shasta's muzzle on me for awhile before I bite or attack someone! *an attempted giggle* *sigh*
major snow over here! come see the chocolate playing in the snow
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