"Pit bull shot, killed by off-duty Hartford police officer"....

Here is the news headline of an incident that occurred June 27, 2016, in the off-lead area of a Vermont Dog Park. An off-duty officer was at the dog park when reportedly his Siberian Husky was attacked by another visitor's "Pit Bull." Read more at WPTZ.com

First, I hate this slang name, "Pit Bull," as it is a favored by unknowledgeable, and many shallow people pretending to know what they are talking about, and worse, the preponderance of gullible people listening, believe them. Many of the individuals who use this slang are one and the same type of characters who contact me for dog advice, and when I ask about the extent of their dog experience, they exclaim that they have owned a dog all their lives and profess they are very experienced. As if having a dog in their house qualifies them to be a dog authority or expert! This same mentality applies to the well-intentioned, hardworking volunteers at animal shelters who claim expertise just because they clean kennel runs every day. Some of which are responsible for identifying the mixed heritage of the shelter dogs. They make an assertion as to what types of breeds make up a mixed breed shelter dog, and they market that to the public. However, unless each of these animal shelters has the budget to run DNA analysis on each dog, these well-intentioned identifications are usually incorrect.

A "Pit Bull" or "American Pit Bull" is a gross mischaracterization of an otherwise lovely breed, principally the Staffordshire Bull Terrier but also another Bully breed, the American Staffordshire Terrier. Mostly, corrupt, amoral, vile people began breeding and selecting for exaggerated tenacious fighting attributes in this normally gentle, but bright breed whose origins evolved around bull baiting. Many began cross-breeding using the Am Staff mentioned above developing and selecting for viciousness and tendency for aggressiveness. The longer a person selects and breeds for this trait, the more inherent it can become. Let us get back to the tragedy. At the time of the incident, the local Police Department published the following statement:

“Park visitors are reminded to keep their dogs leashed or in off-leash areas in sight and under control at all times...Dog owners or guardians are responsible for leashing their dogs at the first sign of aggression...{sic}”

Eventually, after the Vermont State Police investigated, finally on September 14, 2016, they made the following determination:

"The Vermont attorney general's office just completed its investigation, and based on the facts of the incident; it determined Scelza {the off-duty police officer} will not be charged for the shooting. They said Scelza used a variety of non-lethal options before resorting to firing his weapon, no one else was put in danger when he fired, and his actions were reasonable."

I am not going to speculate as to which animal was to blame, nor do I know the extent of the Siberian Husky's wounds. However, the attorney general's decision may have set a precedent, not just in Vermont but elsewhere around the nation. Are there now going to be signs posted at all entrances to Dog Parks stating that enforcement includes the right of law enforcement to discharge their weapon(s) and shoot and kill dogs who are engaged in a dogfight?

What about the safety of the public who may be in the immediate vicinity and a bullet goes astray? What about a police officer overreacting? Consider the possibility that you and other acquaintances are standing around chatting in an enclosed leash-free zone of a dog park, and a dogfight breaks out. I find it hard to believe that a policeman is going to quietly push people back to a "safe zone" while one or more dogs are fighting -- a melee that usually incites other dogs to join the fray but then again only a dog authority is aware of this -- and then runs back to the dogfight and begins shooting dogs without risking the safety of spectators or other dog owners. What if one of the dogs is yours? Are you going to calmly stand there while a police officer in a dog park begins shooting and killing all the dogs involved in a fight, and one of them may be yours?

The occasion for a dog fight at a dog park is neither remote nor unusual and is one reason why I counsel ALL Wolfhound owners not to patronize such public areas. This is a perfect time to remind people to read my Blog article, "Truth and Consequences." I prophesied an event such as this happening and discussed it at length, it is particularly important for people who own Sighthounds with prey drive. If you frequent public spaces such as Dog Parks with your Wolfhound, you must read this article!