hheldorfer Posted October 3, 2014 Author Share Posted October 3, 2014 P.S. Buffy says "thank you" to everyone for their good wishes and support. She is proud to be a member of such a fine, caring community. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkcrossley Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 what a relief to hear that buffy is healing up mentally as well as physically. i hope she never again has such an ugly experience. what a trooper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillscreek Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 (edited) Buffy you're a true cairn, brave and strong in body and soul . Good that you are following up with dog owners. They need to know they should be controlling their dogs. Edited October 3, 2014 by Hillscreek 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josie&holly Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 So pleased that Buffy is healing is every way so well! She deserved to be back as top dog! 1 Quote www.cairnterriertalk.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hheldorfer Posted October 3, 2014 Author Share Posted October 3, 2014 You aren't going to believe what happened today. I'm so furious I can barely write this. The letter/request for payment that I sent to the owners of the attack dogs was delivered today by our mailman, Bob. I had sent the letter via ceritified mail so I would have proof they received it. Bob went to the door to have the owner sign for the letter and the dogs went after *him*! The owner apparently regained control of the dogs before they could do any damage, the receipt was signed by the owner and Bob promptly delivered it to our house. He told DH about the incident and DH relayed it to me. I immediately called Animal Control - not to report the incident (which I did not witness) - but to ask about follow-up from my original report. Animal Control basically said they could do nothing unless more reports were made, and even then all they would do is issue a warning/citation. They blame the police department for not giving the owners a ticket when the incident first occurred; the police department blames Animal Control for not responding immediately. So I am stuck in no man's land. I hope Bob reports the incident - the more people who complain, the better. In the meantime I'm not sure what to do. The woman at Animal Control suggested calling the police department and questioning why a ticket was not issued, but that seems rather pointless because they aren't going to issue a ticket after the fact. Maybe the City Councilman for our district would be helpful. Any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn & Lola Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 OMG that is awful! Honestly, what is it going to take - someone or someone's pet getting killed before these agencies stop playing the blame game and actually DO something?! Firstly, I would definitely encourage your mailman to report the incident. Further, he can stop them from receiving their mail at their house. No mailman has to deliver mail to a house with a dangerous dog(s). Depending on their schedules and how far away your post office is, this could be very inconvenient for them. If it went so far, the entire street could lose their home-mail delivery privileges, which would really upset the neighbors and perhaps put pressure on the idiot owners. Yup, I'd definitely contact the City Councilman's office and the neighborhood watch if you have one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn & Lola Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Have you seen this? http://dogbitelaw.com/statutory-strict-liability-state/illinois-dog-bite-law.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillscreek Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 Do you have a local newspaper? If so write an article or letter re the incidents. Get mailman to contribute. What do the owners of the proprty have say? Could they be held liable also? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanford Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 (edited) Do you have a local newspaper? If so write an article or letter re the incidents. Get mailman to contribute. Excellent idea. If you don't feel up to writing the article, you can simply report it to the newspaper, together with all your documented facts, photos, reports, etc. On that basis they might write it up and... who knows?... They might even choose to pursue it in further depth... Edited October 3, 2014 by sanford 5 Quote FEAR THE CAIRN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bradl Posted October 3, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted October 3, 2014 I agree! The angle of the letter carrier trying to deliver a bill for a dog attack being attacked by the dog that was the subject of the letter is just too perfect to ignore. I'd troll it gently past any local paper city desks, each of the local news stations, etc. I suspect if you offer it up as an ironic "catch-22" story rather than an "I'm going to get those guys!" it will give the media outlet a chance to show their stuff by connecting animal control, the post office, the police, etc. in a way that could be helpful. 10 Quote CAIRNTALK: Questions? Need help? → Support Forum Please do not use PMs for tech support CRCTC: Columbia River Cairn Terrier Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dempsy's Mom Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 (edited) Can a person remain anonymous filing a report? That would be beneficial, because I would bet there are a lot of neighbors that have had a run in or two with these dogs. You have to rally the troops in away that doesn't come across in a radical or revengeful manner but rather as a responsible, level headed, deeply concerned for public safety individual. It sounds like it's just a matter of time before more injuries will occur. I hate it when other peoples problems become ours. .... I guess that's life but it is just exhausting . So happy that our little Buffy is back to her normal rambunctious ways. Edited October 4, 2014 by Dempsy's Mom Quote Elsie, Max, Meeko & Lori Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam I Am Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 (edited) I must say GTTD you have some of the strangest comments! So you would call his supervisor to report that he had shared that there are two vicious dogs that attacked him after what happened to Buffy! Thank goodness this mailman had the smarts to alert surrounding neighbours. Perhaps now more people will pressure the authorities to do something before another dog or child is ripped to pieces. Edited October 4, 2014 by Terrier lover 3 Quote Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. - Anatole France Adventures with Sam &Rosie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shergry Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 This could be seen as a foolish statement...to that I say I am sorry for saying before I write it. "The issue that was discussed by the mailman (to which I give big hugs to Bob....sounds like the kind of mailman I would LOVE to have in my neighborhood!) was started by the family (Buffy's parents!) buying the certification for the envelope to be delivered." "The outcome of said delivered envelope was the discussion to the family that started the issue of certification." So where IS it that he discussed ANYTHING else BUT what the issues WAS???? The envelope was delivered WITH ANOTHER incident!!!!! *I get on my roof top* I am SICK and TIRED of STUPID!!! *gets off roof top* If I lived in the area that the incident happened I would whole heartily support Buffy's parents for ALL that they have been through. And TOTALLY agree that the next incident WILL involve a HUMAN and the family of said "untrained dogs" WILL lose everything! It is so sad that money is the only thing that some people understand...the only way to get them to OPEN their eyes to their BAD decisions! (if you get on People's Court....PLEASE I want to watch how you WIN!!!) (((hugs to Buffy, Ziggy and oh yes....the GREAT PARENTS!!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradl Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 A friend (I haven't seen in years) was a letter carrier many years ago. She once received $10k for a dog bite. She told me that while some carriers feared dogs, she did not and apparently viewed unruly dogs as ambulatory ATMs. However apparently things at USPS have changed considerably since those days and depending on who's delivering your mail there may be some forces in play that make reporting an attack less than the obvious choice — rather than concern from management they may simply be yelled at for making a fuss. That's one reason why I suggested letting journalists probe — they may know how and where to do so effectively, if they have a motivation that aligns with their own contexts. I really don't know but its something I might attempt; others might feel it was pointless, a waste, or the wrong approach. That's cool too I'm just speculating from the peanut gallery. Let's be mindful of focusing on issues, concepts, advice, and even opinions rather than people. 2 Quote CAIRNTALK: Questions? Need help? → Support Forum Please do not use PMs for tech support CRCTC: Columbia River Cairn Terrier Club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillscreek Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 I guess writing to the paper ones self is one thing involving other maybe not such a good idea as I had thought when I mentioned it. As gttd expresses, privacy is a big deal nowadays. We rarely get personal mail any more. Gone are the days when the mailman read postcards, return envelopes addresses, recognized people's hand writing and passed on news to the neighbors on his rounds. Gone the days of shared phone lines that the switchboard operators enjoyed listening to.( was it Ernestine that was so funny?) Now all we have to worry about is what we do/did going viral on every media outlet. And everything we say being collected as important metadata (whatever that is) to keep the country secure. As far as I can tell there's no such thing as privacy any more. Everybody's business tends to be everybody's business. I should mention I live near a very small isolated country town where we tend know our neighbor's business pretty quickly.Hardly need our local newspaper to keep us up to date. I'm done. Bradl delete if you think best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hheldorfer Posted October 4, 2014 Author Share Posted October 4, 2014 A few words about Bob and I'll get back to the subject: Bob loves dogs. He carries treats for them. Whenever DH is home when Bob arrives with the mail, both Buffy and Ziggy practically chew through the front door to get to him so they can shower him with kisses. He rewards them with treats; sometimes he even leaves two biscuits on the porch for them if nobody is home. Bob has also kept us abreast of the latest dog arrivals in the neighborhood so we are aware when a new aggressive dog has taken up residence. He is a thoroughly decent human being and treasured by everyone on his route. Before any comments were even made on the subject of getting the newspaper involved, my first concern was that it would put Bob in an awkward position. I agree that the incident is newsworthy, but the bigger issue is aggressive dogs and their irresponsible owners and what can be done about them. I read our city ordinances regarding dogs. There are all sorts of actions that can be taken if a dog is "declared dangerous" but there is nothing that explains *how* a dog is declared dangerous. Based on my conversation with the woman at Animal Control, they actually can do very little until several reports have been made about a specific dog - unless the dog has both attacked someone (or another dog) and is "running at large". The police officer who responded to my call last Monday did not give the owner a ticket (even though it was warranted), which would have made it easier for me to press my case with Animal Control. There is plenty of finger-pointing and shoulder-shrugging but no real answers. I am going to contact my City Councilman (who also happens to be running for mayor) and see if I can get somewhere. The City Council votes these ordinances into law so I have to believe they have an interest in seeing that the ordinances are enforced. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remltr Posted October 4, 2014 Share Posted October 4, 2014 Print this story out - http://www.latimes.com/local/crime/la-me-dog-mauling-sentence-20141004-story.html Stuff it in an envelope and write "15 years will just fly by" on the face of the envelope and tape it to their front door. 4 Quote Sassy Jan 22, 2005 AM. CH. THARRBARR LITE MY FIRE ZOMERHOF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm's Dad Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I had to post something about this so I put it in the blog section. Didn't think my thoughts were right for this thread. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetsyNoodle Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 What happened was just horrible, and I am so relieved to hear that Buffy is recovering!! Murphy, our Cairn, and Gracie, our Lab, are sending hugs to Buffy!! Hope you can recover the costs of the vet bills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hheldorfer Posted October 6, 2014 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 6, 2014 At last, some good news! Over the weekend I wrote an email to my councilman, briefly explaining the circumstances of Buffy's attack and the fact that a ticket had not been issued, resulting in the inability of either the police department or Animal Control to follow up. I provided the incident number for reference and simply asked how a dog is deemed "dangerous" in our city and what (if anything)could be done to prevent future attacks. Wonder of wonders, I just received an email from Ron informing me that a JPD detective called the house. The original officer is being sent back to write a ticket for the incident! The detective also explained that a dog generally has to have two tickets/recorded offenses before the owners are brought to court and a "dangerous dog" determination is made. The detective wants a ticket written for this first offense so it is on record. I suppose my tenacity paid off. I'm sure it also didn't hurt that my councilman is running for mayor and wants our votes. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillscreek Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Cairns teach us persistence pays off! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remltr Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 That is good news. The officer should bring Buffy along wearing a Police K-9 harness. They can play good cop/bad cop. Guess who gets to play bad cop?? 4 Quote Sassy Jan 22, 2005 AM. CH. THARRBARR LITE MY FIRE ZOMERHOF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn & Lola Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Great news, finally! I'm so happy this attack is going to be on record now. Did you send the councilman the photos as well? Or perhaps a photo of Buffy and Ziggy at their most adorable? I must say that was a very quick reply by your councilman! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanford Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Quote FEAR THE CAIRN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 That is good news! It's amazing how difficult the process is. I want to go back to the postal worker situation. My BIL is in the post office and he has many stories about delivering mail to homes with vicious dogs. Bob can refuse to deliver to any house where he feels his well being can be in danger. I don't know if this was the first encounter he has had with those dogs. Bob should really report this incident to the post office and make a case on the dangers in approaching that house, if for no other reason to have it on record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register after. Your post will display after you confirm registration. If you already have an account, sign in now to post with your account.