I am writing for two reasons. First, to thank the wonderful people of Chestertown and Kent County for their help and support during a recent upsetting experience. Second, to ask that we use what my wife and I have experienced to focus on the need for responsible handling of dangerous animals.
On the morning of Saturday, May 21, 2016, I took my two beagles, Daisy and Tessa, both beagles, for a walk. Our walk began down South College Avenue, toward Cannon Street. At a house just around the corner from my home on High Street, a woman came out of the front door of the house to get her mail. Right after that, a pit bull came out of her front door and headed toward my dogs and me.
The next thing I knew, the pit bull had viciously attacked my beagle Daisy, attaching its jaws to Daisy’s neck. I tried desperately to get the dog off. Every time I got the attacking dog’s jaws released it got away from me went right back to attacking Daisy. This was a brutal attack, completely unprovoked.
Finally, I got the attacking dog off of my dog under my control. However, in trying to contain the attack, I lost control of both of my dogs’ leashes and Daisy and Tessa ran away in opposite directions. Daisy returned to us the following Wednesday, roughed up but in remarkably good shape. Dr. Peck and the team at the Eastern Shore Animal Hospital played a critical role in Daisy’s recovery with surgery and fabulous care. Unfortunately, Tessa is still missing and I am afraid we have to assume now that she is gone for good.
As horrible as this was, my wife Lizzy and I were met with an amazing outpouring of generosity from the good people of Chestertown and the surrounding communities. Many friends dropped what they were doing to help us look for the dogs on a rainy day. Our Facebook post about the dogs went viral across Kent County, and people we did not even know helped search for our beagles. The Humane Society of Kent County did a social media outreach, as did Chestertown Runners. The Chestertown Spy posted a notice. Friends and neighbors took to the streets on foot, on bicycle, and by car.
Lizzy and I are truly grateful and extremely moved by the generosity that the good people of Chestertown. We cannot thank you enough.
But there is a tragedy in this that I hope we can work together to address. It’s not the injury and loss of our dogs, which is certainly sad and heartbreaking. Rather, the tragedy is that this whole event was utterly and completely avoidable. The dog that attacked my dogs had been deemed dangerous, and the Humane Society had imposed specific conditions on the owner to restrain the dog and maintain control of it. Nevertheless, the dog was able to get out of the house with no difficulty, with no muzzle or leash.
The law is clear on our obligations as dog owners. We are required to keep dogs under our control. If you let your dog run loose, you are responsible for any injuries that the dog causes. And if your dog is declared dangerous or potentially dangerous, then you are legally required to take extra precautions. If you own a dangerous dog and do not keep it under careful control, your dog can be euthanized and you are subject to criminal sanctions. The dog that attacked my dogs has been euthanized and the Kent County Animal Control officials are pursuing criminal sanctions against the dog’s owner. I think those are appropriate steps, and I hope county officials will continue to take these steps to address dangerous animals that are not properly maintained. I have asked the Humane Society to consider publishing a list of dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs and where they are located.
Thank you again to the many wonderful people of the community who helped us through this difficult experience. We are so grateful and cannot ever thank you enough.
T.R. Lazo
Chestertown
Tess Hogans says
Mr. Lazo,
I am so sorry about your dogs. We live in town as well and we have a pit bull whom we walk with our 4 year old almost every day. (I stress that she’s a pit because I want to stress that pits are GREAT family dogs, whose loyalty to their owners is abused in disgusting ways when they are trained to be aggressive) I have experienced exactly what you are talking about with alarming frequency: dogs off of leashes. I have been in situations more than once when I have been out with my daughter and our dog, walking on the sidewalk, when a dog has come running toward us out of it’s house or backyard. It’s a terrifying experience to try to keep a strange dog away from your young child and your own anxious pet. College kids on our street who have dogs will walk them up and down the street off leash, letting them run onto my porch (upsetting my dog) and into our gardens. I had spent years working in shelters in my early 20s and could not stress the importance of leash laws enough. I agree that they could be more strongly enforced in our community.
People will argue that their dogs are well trained and don’t need a leash, which is nonsense. If your dog encounters an unfriendly dog, you wouldn’t be able to control the situation. Dogs are animals, and wonderful pets, who need to be kept on leashes. I am so sorry for your family and your dogs. Thank you for your thoughtfully written piece, and I hope Tessa come home.
Gerry Levin says
What a sad story this is, and I’ve heard it more than once. What is amazing to me is that pit bull owners still insist that pit bulls are safe animals, even to the point of having them around small children. Why would anyone have what’s been deemed a dangerous animal when there are so many more loving and gentle animals that need to be adopted into a family. And these owners never seem to take responsibility. It’s a sad story. Hopefully it will make someone think twice about the kind of animal they choose to bring into their home.
Beverly Sutton Lawrence says
Condolences on the loss of Tessa, and all kind thoughts to the possibility that she may yet be located, and to Daisy’s recovery from the attack. People who say, ‘It’s not the breed …’ when discussing pit bull attacks do not understand the specific purpose of all terrier-class dogs. As a group, from the smallest Yorkie to the largest Airedale, terriers were developed to KILL PREY. They don’t hunt with their human, as does, for example, a springer, a pointer, or a setter; they don’t ‘track’ prey, as do the hounds (beagles, foxhounds, bloodhounds); they don’t assist with retrieving prey, without any instinct whatsoever to kill, as do Labs, goldens, Chessies, etc.. They are not ‘herders’, like shepherds, collies, sheepdogs, cattle dogs, corgis. While it’s absolutely true that ANY dog can bite, maul, and kill, the terriers AS A CLASS were developed for that specific purpose. While some terriers were developed to kill small varmint (vermin)-species, the pit bull terrier was developed first as a large-creature killer (bear, bull, boar), and subsequently as a dog-fighting (killing) breed. Does that mean pit bulls are inherently aggressive? Yes. Absolutely. All terriers are inherently aggressive. Much more aggressive than other breed classes, many of which were specifically developed to be NON-aggressive. All terriers ‘see red’ when they’re in ‘attack’ mode. Much as hounds, bred to find and follow a scent, can be oblivious to any other sense (sound and touch – if you don’t think so, try to call a beagle off the scent of a rabbit … you can call until you’re blue in the face – they simply cannot HEAR you – and, you can actually tap them with a foot or crop, and they cannot ‘feel’ you, when their noses are filled with the scent of rabbit), terriers can be oblivious to any ‘interruption’ of the ‘grab, shake, kill’ mode – which is why it’s so difficult for a lovely, loving pit bull terrier to be ‘called off’ even a family member, once that adrenalin kicks in. And, while a fox terrier was bred to kill fox, and a Yorkshire terrier was bred to kill mice, a pit bull was bred to fight to the death other dogs. GET OVER IT, breed enthusiasts. No dog is ‘bad’ – but dog breeds have ALWAYS been developed for specific use, and for traits that enhance that use. There is a reason the Yorkshire terrier is UNLIKELY to be able to kill an infant, a toddler, or another dog … infants and toddlers and other dogs ‘outsize’ the Yorkshire’s jaw; and there is a reason that a pit bull terrier is quite likely to be able to kill an infant, a toddler, or another dog – such ‘prey’ are perfectly sized for the pit’s breed purpose. They were bred for the characteristics (very strong, square jaws) that make such action success in their breed more likely than similar action in, for example, any of the retrievers – which were developed specifically to have a ‘soft’ mouth. GET OVER IT, stop breeding the pits (they’re NOT an ancient breed … as a terrier breed, they’re barely 300 years – while the domestication of canines, and the development of specific breeds for specific purposes is just this side of prehistoric …), don’t keep existing pits in situations where they are likely to encounter other creatures their size, or smaller … and use caution keeping them with creatures that are considerably larger. Bears. Teenagers. Etc. I love all doggies … but under no circumstances would I own a pit bull terrier, while also owning any other dog or creature smaller than the terrier – and I’d be damn careful about letting such a companion dog loose in my house, while I slept. They are fiercely loyal … the the emphasis is on ‘fiercely’ … once in ‘attack’ mode, even those they love are at risk.
Tess Hogans says
“Not everyone needs a pit bull, but every pit bull needs someone”
Owning a pit bull is a huge responsibility. Ours is incredibly loyal to our family (humans and cats) and loving to all people that she meets. Please don’t spread hatred for a breed; we should focus on educating potential dog owners on what they are getting into when they adopt a large, potentially agressive dog, instead.
That being said, I’ve worked with dogs for many years, and have been bitten only by Jack Russel Terriers and Poodles.
Pits are wonderful dogs! Go visit some of the lovebugs at the Kent County Humane Society for proof!
Maryann Ruehrmund says
There’s a story in Facebook today. A beagle was found in the Kennedyville area TODAY! I think it said “with a leash on.” The Humane Society picked it up. Maybe it’s your missing baby? I sure hope so! It was found by Mike Sipala.
Martha Elvin says
This beagle, unfortunately, is not Tessa. A family member came in to the Humane Society and looked at her.