Dog Blog

Could Lillian Stiles’ death on Saturday have been prevented?

Stiles was mowing her lawn near Thorndale when she was mauled by a pack of six pit bull-Rottweiler mixed-breed dogs that had escaped their pen. Pit bulls and Rottweilers are considered aggressive breeds that are blamed for many fatal dog attacks in this country.

Most cities, including Austin, have leash laws that require owners to keep their canines under control, laws that are too often enforced haphazardly. Some county governments are adopting leash laws, too. After 8-year-old Arian Ritchie was mauled by a pack of five dogs near Lake Travis last December, Travis County passed a leash law that makes dog owners responsible for their pets.

In Travis, a complaint about a roving dog can result in a $50 registration fee that marks the dog as aggressive and a requirement that the owner have a liability policy of $10,000 or more.

Cities and counties across the country are wrestling with the issue of how to control dogs, the so-called aggressive breeds in particular. Louisville, Ky., is considering action after two people were attacked and killed this month. A 1-year-old was jumped by dogs and killed in early November, and more recently, a 60-year-old man was attacked while walking to his home. He died from his wounds.

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Five dogs died Monday when a fire swept through a small dog-grooming shop, authorities said.

The fire was reported at 4:57 a.m. in a 400-square-foot wood-frame building at 287 Shiloh Road, on the same lot where the groomer lives in her home, said Fire Chief Doug Williams.

By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze already had killed the dogs, which were in cages, he said.

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Flint Township, MI (AHN) – Peg, a four-month-old puppy born missing an ankle joint, or right paw, will always have “a little hitch in her giddy-up,” says Rex Miller.
Miller, who makes artificial limbs for humans, wants to use his skills to help Peg.
“She’ll be able to walk and run better,” said Miller, who lost his own right leg trying to jump a train when he was 15.
Last week Miller, who owns the Greater Flint Prosthetic Center, made a cast last week that will aid him in creating a new limb for Peg.
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