UNCONTROLLABLE & FURIOUS: Owner’s hand punctured trying to...

Above freeze-frame: The blurry moment a wounded terrier looks up at his owner before being surrendered to Barnstable Animal Control…

HYANNIS – One source compared it to bloody crime scene…

As you will hear in the following video, police officers and rescue were dispatched to an out-of-control dog fight Tuesday evening – 9/20/16.

Three un-neutered powerful male terriers ‘got into it’ inside of a residence on Maple Street, and the handler was unable to bring them under control and keep them safe.

HN has been to the same address before for a similar situation involving the dogs…

Although typically very gentle with humans, and even with other pets, when large powerful terrier breeds begin to show aggression to one another, a strong handler is needed to keep the peace.

The female owner obviously had strong feelings for her pets, but was unable to keep them from harming one another. She received a puncture wound to her hand, which was treated by rescue at the scene…

The good news is the police were able to get the dogs isolated in a room, where the situation calmed down a bit.

The bad news is two of the dogs needed to be voluntarily surrendered to Animal Control.

The following video highlights the call audio and scene…

[Press play… select HD in the settings and enlarge player for best quality…]

HN NOTE: In general, powerful terrier breeds make great family pets. They’re loyal and love their humans. However IMO, because of their strong nature and muscular builds, terriers require constant training, reinforcement, and attention. With a lot of work, they can be very good with other dogs and even cats… but in home situations, because of issues regarding attachment to their humans, jealousy, etc… I’ve found they can become possessive… food aggressive, etc… I do not recommend terriers for first time dog owners, unless they have the proper amount of time for tons of learning, training, structure, and constant daily walking with a leash. These are very athletic, high energy dogs; one terrier is typically more than enough to keep the average family very busy. More than one terrier can become problematic for a litany of reasons. I’m not saying it is impossible to own more than one terrier, it’s just an unusual amount of dedication and work – owners need to be more realistic about what they can and cannot handle. Again, this is just my opinion which comes from decades of handling my own terriers. (I’m not saying this was the actual case in the above situation. It’s just a general observation.) It’s sad whenever any dog loses his home. Tuesday, two dogs lost their home… but will hopefully find new, safer ones. So please remember, whenever choosing a dog of any breed, please know that it is a HUGE commitment of time, effort, and emotion. If you don’t have 15 or more years to commit to your new companion, please choose another pet…

…maybe a gerbil or a fish. Really, not everyone can or should be a dog handler. Again, IMHO.

9/22/2016

Robert Bastille