From Jarrett:
My girlfriend and our dog had an altercation with two aggressive pit bulls we frequently see in the area. One dog was gray, the other white.
She was walking our dog around the corner of 23rd and M, right at the church parking lot. The gray dog first spotted them and began to run at them. She turned around and started running with our dog towards Venable street. She turned around to look and noticed a second, white pit bull now also chasing. That dog caught up with them and knocked her to the ground. Luckily, she had an umbrella and was able to scare him away by hitting him with her umbrella.
She called non-emergency police who said they would have animal control and an officer go to the corner. We haven’t heard any other news. She’s fortunate neither her or our dog are seriously injured (she’s sore from the fall).
32 comments
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I have seen those dogs in the past.
I lived on 23rd st couple years ago and I called police as well, I was walking my beagle, we were charged by Pit Bulls, I fell in the street and almost rolled over my dog. Animal control police never came. There has to be multiple complaints. That was nearly three years ago and it’s still happening.
I complained they showed up days later!
I’ve seen those dogs as well. They were very friendly when we were outside by ourselves but the way the acted when they heard our dogs bark from inside the house made me nervous. I posted about them on this page and another one. Apparently they live a couple of streets over and are out of their yard almost constantly. I’ll see if I can dig up the house description somebody gave me.
We take our pitbull inside or walk in the other direction when we see them walking towards the park. Their owner has told us that his dogs are dog-friendly, but they show signs of aggression every time they see our dog.
Does the owner live in the 700 Block of N 23rd St by chance?
Sorry Matt not my dogs.As you know They don’t even match the description of mine,you know this.You also know my dogs unlike your dog are always on a leash.The dogs live at 2220 M street I’ve had my own problems with them myself.
Not sure exactly which house the dogs belong to, but there is a pit bull owner we’ve seen on the corner of that block, yes.
I really don’t understand the response to these dog attacks from people in this neighborhood. How many times are you going to allow this to happen before there is a story about the dogs attacking and killing someone or another pet?
The desire to be politically correct is going to get you injured or killed. Shoot the dog when it attacks you and be done with it.
There are only two pit bulls in the 700 block of 23rd st. and they are as well behaved and friendly as any in Church Hill.
@6 I can confirm that they aren’t Ross’ dogs, it’s definitely the guy who lives just behind him on M. The “yard” on that house is barely fenced in. I was passing by with my dog a couple weeks ago and they were out on 23rd, but they were pretty easily managed on that particular day. We managed to get them trapped on their porch and woke up the owner. Seems like a recurring issue.
Dog fighting is occurring in church hill. Recently one of the "bait dogs" used was found severely injured beyond help and euthanized. Not saying the two are related, however pitts are loving dogs until trained to aggression. These dogs clearly are not appropriately supervised and need to be picked up and taken to RACC.
(Above) #9 response…..my thoughts exactly! Clearly the owners don’t give two cents about the dogs running the streets!!
Call RACC directly and give them the address. Alternatively, you can get in contact with Gracies Guardians to do possible outreach to these neighbors and assess the situation. Someone suggested shooting these dogs– not okay. For one- many people have pit bulls in this city and you cant go shooting all the gray ones…very ignorant.
Good advice above from Erin. Ring Dog Rescue is also a resource. Hopefully the owner of these dogs can be educated to become a responsible owner. People who own pit bulls have more responsibilities to their dogs than normal dog owners. The reputation of the pit bull breed depends on responsible owners. If this owner does not care to be educated, then the dogs should be removed from his care. Please call RACC – again and again. Also, video these dogs and their behavior, if you can. One of my dogs (a bulldog/pit bull mix) was attacked by an off-lead Siberian husky in Chimborazo Park in early October. The attack resulted in 6 puncture wounds to my dog. The Siberian husky was not injured at all and, in addition, (1) was not neutered (not legal in Richmond), (2) did not have a dog lisence and (3 ) did not have a current rabies vaccine. RACC didn’t press charges because I didn’t have any video proof and it was he said/she said. Disappointing.
This post just makes me sad. There’s been an ongoing saga with a certain labradoodle that just wouldn’t stay in his yard, as well. Please report this stuff to the RACC, people- even if nothing gets done at the time, at least there’s a paper trail.
@9 @13 How can you in one breath advocate personal/civic responsibility and in the other advocate shooting a dog?
As others said, there are resources out there including the enforcement section of RACC at 804-646-5573 (or 911 after hours), http://www.richmondgov.com/AnimalControl/AnimalControl.aspx
@#17,
The city,and the dog owners have responsibilities:
1. To follow leash law, especially with breeds like pots.
2. To Respond to complaints and ensure public
So much dog fighting and mistreatment of pits in Richmond….
@#17,
The city,and the dog owners have responsibilities:
1. To follow leash law, especially with breeds like pots.
2. To Respond to complaints and ensure public safety by removing pets from problem owners.
I have more than one friend who has had a child bitten in the face by off-leash dogs. The Psychological damage and disfigurement don’t ever seem to end.
If neither the dog owner nor the city will act with any degree of responsibility, I cosign pepper spray all day long, and couldn’t say that shooting the dogs was immoral.
Shooting the dogs, while it sounds good on paper,would be an extremely impractical and difficult accomplishment I can assure you. Consider the time required in assessing the threat ,the act of clearing your weapon then drawing from concealment, clearing your background THEN hitting a fast moving object is something that may happen in the movies but not likely to be accomplished by a citizen with little or no training with firearms. The likely result would be harm to others and at the very least damage to property.
I am near the area these dogs occasionally roam and I own two small dogs that would be in danger around these dogs by pure weight alone. I have seen these hounds roaming free several times so I for one will be speaking to the fellow that owns them the very next time I see him.
Perhaps if we all make it a project to call this guy out to be more responsible with these dogs, as well as a continuous complaint effort to the City would be the better solution. Until then be alert when walking your dogs, scan several blocks ahead and carry spray.
@John M Could you reach out to the RACC for advice?
There have been many good suggestions on here, but I think it would be helpful to get information from the official city resource.
I’ve always found RACC extremely helpful and responsive. I’d hate for people to avoid or delay contacting them based on anecdotes.
Whoever is having problems with the dogs are the ones that need to contact RACC at (804) 646-5573. It’s a waste of time for John to do it, since I don’t think he is the one experiencing the problem(s).
@15 was it a brownish/reddish and white siberian husky? That dog has been a real nuisance and is aggressive with dogs and people.
I have had a home on 38th Street for 11 years. My husband and I have been attacked by pit bulls while walking our dogs three times, the most recent was in July and my husband nearly had a second heart attack.
After all of this time….maybe I’m a little slow on the uptake, I have come to the conclusion that allowing dogs to run free is sometimes done purposely to try to get the new folks (viewed as the bourgeois) moving in to quickly move back out.
My advice and response:
1. Continue walking your dogs!!!!
2. Go to Precinct 1 in person and talk to Lt. Brereton about the problem
3. Contact Councilman Newbill and tell her about the problem.
4. Take a photo of the animal(s), call 911, and tell them you are going to contact Lt. Brereton if they give you some non-response answer.
5. Carry pepper spray and water bottle. I’ve used both as a deterrent. Throwing water at them works. I’ve also thrown the bottle itself.
6. Put a loud siren on your phone and use it if you see a dog approaching. They will stop. I’ve used this too.
So let me get this right. A dog attacks a woman and knocks her down, another dog attack nearly causes a man to have a heart attack?
And we still are questioning whether or not the shooting of the dogs is justified? Let me assure you, if a dog runs up on me in an aggressive manner and I fear for my safety I will shoot the dog.
@26 I don’t think anyone is questioning the justification as much as the practicality. Not everyone has a gun holstered and ready for a dog attack at all times. Not everyone has the shooting experience to take out the dog and not their neighbors car in the process.
#25, I have the opposite experience. Based on my personal observations, dogs may be used to intimidate long term residents in hopes that we will move and thus sell our homes. We have not been bitten, but we have have confrontations with people that believe their dogs should be allowed to “be free” even after being asked to get their dogs. When my kid was younger, although there are several playgrounds in walking distance, we rarely went because people would come with their off leash “friendly” dogs that always seemed to run up to us. I would drive cross town to other playgrounds and parks just to feel safer. Once, when my child was two, an off leash dog ran away from its owner and up to my kid face to face (dog was taller). I will admit I told that owner that next time I may have a weapon and I would use it, and I meant that. Never saw her again, so maybe she moved. Another time, I’m teaching my child to ride a bike, owners had two dogs blocking the sidewalk. I had to make them move the dogs, otherwise my wobbly kid may have hit one or both. There are other incidents, but those are the two that come to mind right now.
I have to respond to this. We have lived in Church Hill on and off for 11 years. I was charged by pitbulls while walkingon 25th St. and jumped a fence to protect myself. My husband and our dogs have been attacked twice on N 37 St.. The first time, I watched the owner of a pitbull do nothing while his dog picked my smallest dog up in his mouth for no reason while my husband was kicking him in the head to drop our dog. My husband almost had a second heart attack when it happened in July 2016.
When I saw one of the pitbulls that attacked us in July 2016 running loose on Jan. 27, 2017. I called Animal Control and went to court. It got dismissed because I did not take a picture of the loose animal.
It’s hard to take a picture when you are scared for your life. So, I will no longer be “politically correct”. On a lanyard around my neck, I carry pepper spray and I have used it. I carry a water bottle and have thrown the water out of it or thrown the bottle itself at the animal charging us. I carry a very high pitched emergency noise maker that stops dogs in their tracks. And, if they attack me or my dogs, they will have another more unpleasant surprise waiting for them. I am not going to be helplessly attacked again due to irresponsible dog owners or dog fighters that want to use me or my dogs as practice bait. I’m sorry if I offended anyone. I am going to walk my dogs peacefully and if I’m attacked I will defend myself and my dogs. Running from dogs is a bad idea. Stand and face them.
We have to defend and protect ourselves and our animals from these sometimes predatory and irresponsible dogs/dog owners. I say, do whatever you need to do or become dog meat.