My Dog was murdered yesterday...

[gordruls]

Sorry I guess I need to get this off my chest...I had a special Maltese Dog that was My Dog..He would go everywhere with me ..Anyway Yesterday I chained him up outside and my neighbors Dogs came over and tore him apart!!! You can imagine a LG Shepherd, LG Pit bull and a Bulldog against a tied up 10lb Maltese..My heart is broken...They attacked a little gril a few months ago.The Question I have is should I sue the neighbors and fight to have there dogs put away? Whats your thoughts?

 

[jdragunas]

You definately should, and sue the owners for the value of your dog, as well as emotional damages. If people can't control their dogs, the law needs to step in. I'm surprised the dogs didn't get put away when they attacked the little girl. And don't they have to be on a leash? It's law here in Ohio that they do, but i'm not sure about GA. If it is, you can also have the owners cited for not having the dogs on a leash. There's someone on here that's a lawyer, so you may be able to get all the legal aspects, but you definately have a case!
Sorry to hear about your dog. I had a golden retriever when i was younger, and some punk kid down the street shot it in the butt with a beebee gun. Didn't kill her, but it cause a cancerous tumor to grow... it was the size of a football when we were finally able to have it removed...

 

[bang guy]

I'm sorry for your loss.
If your dog was chained in your yard when it was attacked then the neighbors dogs need to be put down before they kill again.

 

[jcrim]

Sorry for your loss.
Unfortunately in most states, the most you can recover for a killed dog is the value of that dog... they are treated like possessions. No pain and suffering or emotional distress damages are available.
What you should do is make a police report. I'm sure there are misdemeanor violations for them harboring a vicious dog and having their dog off leash. At least that way, if the dog is vicious, it will be taken and put down by the court.

 

[gordruls]

I did call the police and they did give them a ticket..This is there 2nd ticket..They go to court om Jan 10th..The police stated that they could not put the dogs down because it didn't meet the criteria. (what ever that means) The last time the owner was put on probation for the Dogs attacking the little girl.

 

[darth tang]

Originally Posted by gordruls
I did call the police and they did give them a ticket..This is there 2nd ticket..They go to court om Jan 10th..The police stated that they could not put the dogs down because it didn't meet the criteria. (what ever that means) The last time the owner was put on probation for the Dogs attacking the little girl.

Where the hell do you live? The dogs trespassed on your property and attacked an animal and apparently before attacked a person. In this state the dog would have been put down the first time. The second time for sure and the owners would have paid damages...including pain and suffering.
You have a good civil suit. Go after it.

 

[jcrim]

If you go to court, you'll have an opportunity to speak... generally at the sentencing. The judge can order the dog destroyed, or the judge can at least order the dog removed from that particular city.

 

[cartman101]

I bet that really broke your heart. Your neighbors should definitly get rid of their dog. I would go and take their dog away from them and put it in the pound. When i lived in florida some people across the street had a dog (forgot the breed name) and it attacked my grandma when she was walking. We called the police they gave them a ticket, like you mention, but they never took the dog. So one day my dad saw that same dog in our lawn and we took it to the pound

 

[jcrim]

Originally Posted by Darth Tang
the owners would have paid damages...including pain and suffering.
This is not true in most states... maybe yours is the exception.

 

[darth tang]

Originally Posted by jcrim
This is not true in most states... maybe yours is the exception.
Then I would have to pause and research if it is illegal to discharge a firearm in the state that doesn't put down violent animals and hold owners responsible. But that is just me.

 

[tizzo]

Wow...that makes me nauseaus and it wasn't even MY dog!!!
I did a search and of course I can't find any "regulations" where these dogs should be protected but if they are then I would really make it a priority to call animal control every single time you see these dogs loose and then maybe after some time the state will remove the animals from an irresponsible owner. Maybe you could even ask that they do that now...

 

[darth tang]

This pisses me off. You do not even understand how pissed this has got me. If the courts do nothing AGAIN, 9.99 for some anti-freeze is pretty reasonable. That might be the darkside speaking to me however.

 

[gordruls]

When I went to SCREAM at the owners I entered there open garage witch leads to there kitchen door and had my son stand guard ..GOOD thing I did ...As there child went to wake them up.. My son yell for me to look out and the 3 dogs came into the garage growling at me ...I had to run into there house and I just made it as the shepherd got his head inside the door. I slammed the door on his head and he ran off!.

 

[cartman101]

i suggest you go out and by a shotgun......

 

[tizzo]

Originally Posted by Darth Tang
This pisses me off. You do not even understand how pissed this has got me. If the courts do nothing AGAIN, 9.99 for some anti-freeze is pretty reasonable. That might be the darkside speaking to me however.

Antifreeze!! I really like that idea, in this case. Those dogs, since they have attacked a child, mamed a chained up pet in it's own yard AND attempted to attack you (gordruls) then due to the incredible irresponsibility of the owners then THEY are deeming their death.

 

[fedukeford]

sorry to hear about your dog, SUE THEM, but dont try to get their dogs put down, think about if they were your dogs, would you want that to happen to them??

 

[jdragunas]

oh i would try to get them put down. When dogs are that out of control. you can't have them running around a neighborhood. You could claim that it is decreasing the marketability of your neighborhood, because no one wants to move in when there's crazy dogs that attack people, and therefore it's decreasing the value of your home... it's a stretch, but so is suing because your kids are fat from eating too much mickey d's...

 

[dragonladylea]

I have friends that run animal rescues and believe me dogs that are that vicious would probably be put down even at the rescue..

 

[qreef]

sorry to hear about your dog.

If the police or court are not doing anything to make it fair for you. I would sugguest you some how find out who is their homeowner insurance company and call them report the problems. I sure this will taking care of. insurace company does not like any kinds of this problem because it could cost them $$$$$$$ and this way you dont have to get a lawyer. You can take them to court on your on and sue them for burial cost and a replacement dog for your kid.

 

[mimzy]

the dogs have to have tickets issued three times against them in order for a court to be allowed to make the decision to put them down.
Do not poison the dogs, you'll only get yourself in HUGE trouble.
What I WOULD suggest, however, is possibly trying to BAIT them. Get something else to happen, get them to attack something/someone else, report it, and voilla - they have their third violation and the dogs will be eliminated.
Jcrim is right, however - the only thing you could win in a suit against them is the monetary value of your dog.
We learned all this in the "law" section of our vet-tech courses. No state will allow for punitive damages to be rewarded in the case of an animal/pet. One case did happen to award a woman punitive damages in the lower courts, but when the defense appealed the case it was promptly overturned. Animals, according to the law, are regarded as possesions. Nothing more.
I am so sorry this had to happen to you and your beautiful dog. No one should ever have to endure this, and I am rooting for you.