What should I do? (Loose Pit Bull in Public Park)

I was at the park today (it's about a 10 minute walk from my house) and I had my Beagle and My dachshund with me as well as my 10 year old sister. Well needless to say as soon as we get to the playground area, a loose APBT came running from a house near the park. I know for a fact that house does not sit on the park's property and I have seen this dog before. She appears to pregnant, but it's hard to tell at a distance. Now I have seen her chained to a tree before, with no food, water or shelter and now it seems the house is vacant and she is now running loose in the park. I love the breed and I know that a loose pit bull in a park is a time-bomb waiting to happen. I'm worried about HER safety though, because the house is near a main road and it appears her owner's are no longer there.

Well today I decieded to take my Beagle Beau and my Dachshund Moe as well as my sister for some fun at the park. As a stated before I just arrived there when she came running for the house. I immeditaly had my sister pick up our Dachshund, because he is Dog Aggressive and I know he would have gotten in a fight with her. I picked up Beau and held on tight to his leashes (I always walk Beau on two leashes because of his habit of running away and I do have a large stick with me for reasons such as this). The Pit Bull started towards us, so I had my sister and the Dachshund get up on the highest slide, as I stayed on the ground and began to wave the large stick I always carry and began to yell at the dog. The dog did stop dead in her tracks and went back to the house. So I hope I did the right thing.

Now I'm worried about going back to the park, and I'm worried about the dog, because she is a pit bull and her running loose in a public park where famlies bring their children and dogs. She does seem people friendly, but still with the rep the breed has, it could end in diaster.

I was wondering should I call Animal Control or the Cops? I'm at loss at what to do....I don't wanna see anything happen to the dog because her owners are stupid and left her behind to fend for herslef, but a loose pit bull in a park is NEVER a good thing. What would you do?
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I would probably take the dog in or find a foster to take it. If you care as much as you say. Animal contol will probably put it to sleep. Containment is the best thing for the dog for now until you find out what other options you have.

 

Sadly that is not an option for me, I would love to take her in and foster her till we find her a decent home. But I already have 6 dogs and 3 of which are VERY DA and I don't wanna put anymore stress on my own dogs. But I do feel bad for the poor girl, so I'm hoping I can get in contact with a Pit Bull Rescue, if I had the room though I would take her, but sadly I don't.
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I'd call AC and let them handle it. That's there job. They will figure out what to do with her...if the euthanize or put her up for adoption. Euthanizing is better than how she is living now, and especially if she's pregnant. As sad as it is to say this, the pups might be better off not seeing the world...who knows where they all could end up. I've learned that you can't save 'em all...unfortunately.

 

I cant agree with that, having had some of my own dogs taken away and killed in the early 90's in my country just because of what they were. [they had done nothing, and were being handled responsibly]

As far as im concerned euthanasia is just a politically correct word for killing a perfectly healthy animal.
This dog has done nothing, you are just supposing it will? not neccesarily the case.

To the op, why not go to the park, without your other dogs and check this girl out? maybe ask some questions of neighbours try and get some background info and go from there. if you find out she really has no responsible owner go from there maybe.:confused:

 

I agree with Crystal.

Also, in the future, NEVER pick up a small dog around other dogs. That is one of the best ways to trigger the other dog's prey drive and not only could your dog get injured, but the person hold the dog could too.

As much as you want to protect your dog, this action works against that end and your and your sister's well being is more important than that of your dogs'.

 

I agree with this.

 

I'm with noway, if your really concerned why not go there without the dogs and knock on these peoples door or the neighbors?

 

I understand what you're saying, euthanasia is not a fun topic. But there is a difference between ones dogs that are well taken care of, not causing a nusiance, and this dog in the park. This breed is already walking on eggshells. What if the dog goes after another dog on a leash? What if the old lady holding the leash gets scratched trying to save their dog? Then it makes the news as an attack. That is why there is an animal control...to control them. Its their job to decide what to do with a neglected or stray dog.

The OP said she can not house the dog, so the best thing is to call AC. There are a ton of good dogs out there waiting for their second chance. You don't know what will happen to this one, maybe they will persue a neglect case on the owners and get her some justice. What I meant when I said if they end up euthanizing her being better, is that its better than living with no food, water, or shelter...especially if she is pregnant. Of course I would like a happy ending and her and all her puppies get wonderful, caring homes. But I have to think realistically, and those homes are so few and far between as it is.

 

I understand in part what your saying, but we dont know all the facts here yet.
also because its a pit bull may be more the issue than its a 'dog' unleashed etc. im sure if this dog was aggressive it would not have backed off wen someone raised a stick.

Im in between two places on this. the fact its a pit bull seems to be more the issue if you follow me, are we all going to be media slaves? oh its a pit so we need to think of our image as pit bull owners etc etc, and yes in part I suppose we do, but my main point is, this dog could be the most loving dog alive, call the ac and it WILL be killed simple.
This dog wont stand a chance too many dogs being slaughtered every day for this one to matter to anyone, it matters to me if I see a dog like this wandering around I personally would do absolutely everything in my power to find answers, going to the ac would be my very last resort.

 

Can you go to the house where the dog lives and talk to the dog's owners?

 

I would check around for foster homes or rescues in your area (there is bound to be one) & the next time you go the park, leash her, load up & take her there where she will be safe. As has already been said, her running loose is a disaster waiting to happen - a disaster for the dog, a disater for any dog she attacks & a disaster for our breed overall. This is why I council such drastic action.

HOWEVER ... should you leash her & find she has ID tags of some kind, I would call the owner. If they went through the trouble of putting a tag on her, they do have some measure of care & the dog may simply be an escape artist. If no tags, off to rescue she goes. Trust me there IS a rescue in your are somewhere.

Good luck!

 

I would be hesistant to recommend a young woman go asking around a neighborhood or knocking on doors without knowing the neighborhood or other factors. She indicated the house appeared vacant now. Would hate for her to walk into a situation that may be less than desirable. IF it is considered a safe neighborhood, she could consider it if she took a friend with her.

Also trying to contain a dog you are unfamiliar with can entail risks. If the dog has no collar on it could be difficult. I've seen dogs that are fine until you grab their collar, then they freak.

I certainly would not blame her if she was more comfortable having animal control attend to it.

I personally don't have a problem asking around and trying to confine a strange dog, but it isn't for everyone.

 

I have always done this. . . and I've done it a LOT. In my area dogs are loose constantly.

first I coax the dog with food or treats into my van. Then I take it to my house and look it over for tags.

If it has tags I call the owner to come get the dog and keep it until they arrive.

If it has no tags and is not a pit bull I call the AC to come get it . . . I keep it outside on my chain setup using one of my extra collars until they arrive and feed it in that time.

If it is a pit bull or mix thereof I call a rescue and find out about possible placement. I will keep a dog up to 5 days if need be. But, we don't have room for any adult dogs that don't already live here long term. In my neighborhood a pit on a chain at night or while we are gone will be stolen, so leaving them out there is not good for them.

I can keep a pit puppy longer because I have extra small crates but no extra large ones.

Do what you can you know. Try and be safe. .but usually a stray will come for food and you can get comfortable with it before trying to leash it. I have never been bit doing this. And, I have always made sure the ac checks for a chip before leaving my property if they pick up a dog.

 

I love pit bulls, had them all my life, changed a lot of minds...........




A mean one was walking around my neighborhood, human shy, dog aggressive, and I made the call. If he came back he was going to get a bolt to the chest:







When it comes to my family's safety, they're going to win every time. I had to talk to another neighbor a few weeks ago because he "saved" some dog that has bit two neighbors and the dog wouldn't let my wife get to her car, he was snarling and growling.

 

Oops, failed to mention the dog stopped coming by so I never had to have it's death on my conscious, which wouldn't have been too much of a weight honestly, he was a problem.

 

I live in a less the desirable neighborhood and the dog "lives" in the house near a trailer park near my house, basically you walk up the hill near the trailer park, there is my house. So I know the people around there, they are friendly enough but I don't trust them, I did get a chance to walk up to the door today, there were at least three different eviction notices and what seemed to be a notice from AC, she is a friendly dog, and there is another dog there as well a little rat terrier mix, it seems. There was no food I could nor was there water, so I did bring down a 5lb bag of food with me and I fed the poor girl and her friend. But I cannont house her in my own home sadly. My westie and Dachshund are VERY dog aggressive, it's not worth putting risk on her and my own dogs. I have been trying to locate a rescue or "no-kill" shelter in my area, and I found one I will be calling tomorrow.

If I had the room I would take her, she's a pretty dog and reminds me of a Pit Bull I had growing up. Shame what happened to her, she's a real sweetheart.

Thanks for all the suggestions as well, if I cannot find a rescue group by Friday, I'll be in contact with Animal Control, and at the shelter they'll try and place her. I called and confirmed that they do adopt Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes.