Dogs could be euthanized for barking at neighbors

[RockaFowler]

http://www.wptv.com/news/region-st-lucie-county/port-st-lucie/stephanie-castro-dog-foster-mom-says-dogs-could-be-euthanized-for-barking-at-neighbors

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A Port St. Lucie woman is fighting to keep two of her dogs alive after animal control workers deemed them dangerous and took them away.

Stephanie Castro says her dogs didn't bite anyone or jump on anyone. She says all they did was bark at someone.

A state statute says a dog can be considered dangerous simply by scaring someone. In this case, her dogs could be euthanized for barking at a neighbor, Castro says.

Castro is a foster mom to 2-year-old Princess, a Whippet mix, and 6-month-old Duke, a hound-pitbull mix.

She says the dogs were taken from her in September. Now, the only time she sees them is behind the fence at animal control.

"It's not the same. I mean, we're not even allowed to touch them," Castro said.

I live in this area and this scares me. I have 4 dachshunds and they bark a lot at people when they walk by our house. This is a horrible law in Florida. Who would have thought that a dog that never bit anyone will be euthanized. My husband and I will be going to the hearing to hope this woman does not lose her beautiful babies.

[DrDan]

1. sounds like she has an issue with the dogs running loose and being agressive

4 visits from animal control?

"beautiful babies"? - not the impression I get from the article

[CrawlingChaos]

6. That could be one neighbor making repeated complaints

There's not enough information in the article, but I had the impression one particular neighbor doesn't like being barked at. All it takes is one who likes to call. Also there was only one clear instance of the dogs getting loose, and they didn't harm anyone while they were out.

I don't understand your "beautiful babies" comment. Dogs are always beautiful babies to people who love them.

[DrDan]

17. any evidence that the neighbor was either fabricating or embellishing the threat?

Are you suggesting the neighbor and the animal control authorities are conspiring?

The neighbor felt threatened -- or stated she was. Any evidence to the contrary? After all, it was a 6-month old pit-mix.

[CrawlingChaos]

29. You are making negative assumptions

The article only mentions a singular neighbor, and there's no dispute that all the dog did was bark at her. You are the one making assumptions without evidence. You have very little information but you've decided to assume the worst about this woman and her dogs.

[DrDan]

31. you are assuming the neighbor just likes to call authorities and complain

what led you to that conclusion?

How do you know the threat is not real . . . the authorities seem to believe it - they have visited the owner 4 times now and a hearing is scheduled. (oh yeah - you don't trust animal control - I forgot)

[CrawlingChaos]

33. I said it was a possibility

Which it is! It happens all the time. You think every crank who likes to pick up the phone is in the right?

And no I don't trust animal control to be fair or evenhanded. Based on copious evidence that I should not.

[ileus]

2. I'd rather be bitten than listen to barking 24/7, the worst owner is one who

has zero respect for neighbors that would like to sit/sleep in peace.

[CrawlingChaos]

7. There's nothing in the article to indicate 24/7 barking

It only states they barked at a neighbor. My neighbor's dog barks at me when I get close to our mutual fence. He's just trying to do his job and guard the property. Hell, he's making my house safer too because nobody, but nobody is breaking into that side of the house without him sounding the alarm. I would never in million years think of making a complaint over such a trivial nuisance.

We don't have enough information to make a judgment about who's in the wrong, but the point is this is a very unfair and unreasonable law.

[artislife]

19. I pet sit for a living among 2 other jobs

There are training methods to stop the barking.

I love dogs, but a trained dog is a happier dog. Dogs bark to relay messages, constant barking means the message isn't received. It is a nuisance to have a dog barking all the time (or what feels like all the time to the nonowner) I imagine in Florida, there are lots of windows open so that must make it harder.

[Sunlei]

3. her dogs were caught out once off leach, and now this is her third 'complaint' by neighbor.

She probably will get off if the 'complaint by neighbor' doesn't match the current violation.

It shows though that if one has a neighbor who doesn't like you they can complain about your pets and cause a lot of trouble.

I suggest if ones dogs bark at passerbys or yard bark whenever neighbors are out in their yard. do not let your dogs do that.

If inside block the window view from the dogs. By letting dogs bark at the window every day, it increases the chance if they get out front they will chase and maybe nip at a passerby they have barked at daily.

If in the backyard, don't let your dogs bark at neighbors when they are in their backyard.

I wish neighborhood associations/zoning 'laws' allowed fencing of the front yard of homes. Its against the law for most neighborhoods. IMO, a front lawn is a useless waste of valuable open space and even a short fence in front yard helps control access to and from your front door.

[teenagebambam]

4. In FLORIDA?!?

My two dogs were BOTH attacked by a neighborhood pitbull in Jacksonville, and animal control would do NOTHING.

[CrawlingChaos]

5. I agree, horrible law

This makes almost any dog vulnerable to being seized and euthanized. And I don't trust animal control cops any more than I trust regular cops. I've heard and read too many horrendous accounts.

I'd be very interested to hear how the hearing goes, if you get a chance to post about it. I'm sure the dog owner will appreciate your show of support.

[RockaFowler]

9. Thanks

I'll let you know what happens

Oh and the ordinance in Port St Lucie states that your dogs cannot bark for more than 5 minutes. That is so bizarre to me. If someone is at my house that my dogs don't know (and it's during the day when no-one is home), I want them to bark. I want anyone coming near my house to be afraid because I have dogs. I have a fenced yard and they stay in it. They bark to protect their home. It's what dogs do!!

[LiberalArkie]

8. Some people are crazy about dogs. I had a satellite installer at my house who

was evidently afraid of my small black lab. Drove me crazy as he demanded I keep the dog away from him. He did not want the dog in the house when he was in the house. He did not want the dog outside the house when he was outside. I would have my dog in the house and he would walk in and demand that I keep the dog outside. When he went back outside he demanded I keep my dog inside. I told asked him what do you want me to do? You and constantly coming in and out. He said I don't care shoot him.

[Bluenorthwest]

11. Some people have an area to confine their dogs when service persons are present.

People in your home to perform a service have the right to feel safe and such persons are in fact subject to dog bites and have no reason to trust persons they do not know.
5,767 postal letter carriers were attacked by dogs in the US last year. About 15 a day.

[LiberalArkie]

12. He was in every room. I would move my lab to my bedroom. The installer would immediately need in

my bedroom. I would move my dog to another bedroom, and he would want in there. I tied my lab to a tree and the installer needed over there to sight something. Note at that time, everything had been working for awhile. So I just got my lab, all 20lbs of him in the car and shut the door. The installer wanted in his van which was about 20 ft from my car and that was too close for him as my lab was secured in my car.

I never figured what his game was. He was Turkish or close with a heavy accent. I do know he managed to be by himself most of the time in my house and kept me jumping moving my dog. I have never be so happy to see someone leave especially after telling me to shoot my dog. I keep saying dog as he was only 8 months old and still acts like a puppy.

[Bluenorthwest]

13. Ah. Likely not safety but cultural disdain for dogs.

I have a friend who does service calls and dogs are a concern but that's far beyond safety concerns. I'd have reported the shooting comment to his employer. That is uncalled for, as is anything beyond securing the animal.

[LiberalArkie]

15. I used to do service work in peoples homes when I was younger. I always had a box of milk bones

in my truck. If the customer was ok with it, I would give one to the mean vicious barking dog and we were friends for life. Now cats I had problems with.

[Nitram]

16. Yeah, house cats just randomly attack people. Not.

[Quackers]

18. It happens. Lol

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Man-Calls-911-After-His-Cat-Attacks-306159131.html

http://www.click2houston.com/news/dangerous-cat-terrorizes-neighborhood-attacking-people-pets/27731070

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/07/06/pearl-river-cat-attacks/

http://www.walb.com/story/29663244/cat-attack-sends-woman-to-hospital


I'm not implying that dogs don't of course.

In my own personal experience, we had a cat that was very loving and sweet until it come to our two year old. The cat would stalk her and attack her until we would pry the cat off. My daughter was left bleeding and needed stitches once. After that, the cat was gone from our home.

[Nitram]

20. You're right, it does happen.

I forget, sometimes, that some people create mentally ill pets due to a lack of understanding.

[Quackers]

21. It doesn't help that pets are mass produced either.

People go to the mall, see a cute animal, buy it for twice the cost it should be. Six weeks later they dump it because it's not what they thought it would be.

[Nitram]

24. The SPCA tries to get people not to choose a pet based on appearance.

Behavior is what people should be observing, but many look at pets as a possession like any other, to be discarded when they get bored of it or when it doesn't meet their expectations.

[Facility Inspector]

25. Some cultures consider dogs

as filthy animals.

[awoke_in_2003]

32. Then maybe they don't need a job

going into people's home. I can't stand dogs myself, don't trust them, so I work in a job where I don't have to be around them.

[Nitram]

10. I had a neighbor with an insane pit bull/labrador mix.

I've never encountered such a vicious dog. Probably because he was mistreated, but he was the first dog that ever scared me. His barking, snarling and growling if I got too close to his fence were chilling. I'd been introduced to him several times by his owner, but without his owner nearby to control him, he sounded rabid.

[dembotoz]

14. years ago our neigborhood had a dog kept outiside in a pen that was a CONSTANT barker

long ago but i sort a remember it being a german shepard??? or some such

we lived far enuf away that it was not much of a distraction...but for the neighbors.....it was awful

love dogs and furry things but we do have to live in a community and there have to be limits

[RockaFowler]

22. I agree with this

And our city has laws against chaining dogs outside and keeping them caged up. I agree with that totally.

The problem here is that these dogs didn't bite anyone. A neighbor may have been scared of them, but she was never bitten. The dogs got out. Some dogs do that. Good training helps them to stop that, but these guys were puppies.

Why euthanize a dog that only barked?? I'm so sad about this.

[Baitball Blogger]

23. I would agree. Poor law, especially when there is a culture here that

thinks it's okay to intentionally use barking dogs to harass neighbors whenever they are out in their own yards.

That's only second to leaving your garage door open and having your good buddies do drive-bys through the neighborhood. I would like to see a law passed that would make that kind of baiting illegal. Reeks of a backwater mentality.

[Champion Jack]

26. Insane

[damnedifIknow]

27. I've had neighbors I didn't like

and yes they've let them out on purpose to bark at me but I never once thought of getting revenge by calling animal control or anyone else. It's not the dog's fault some humans are incapable of getting along. Very ignorant law IMO.

[Arugula Latte]

28. I've developed a bit of adult-onset fear of dogs

from walking through my neighborhood regularly. It's not unusual for me to get barked at menacingly, which aggravates my fears, and then I probably give off some negative vibes dogs pick up on (I'm a huge cat person), and the cycle repeats. Sometimes they're not behind a fence (and of course I start to imagine them rushing me and going for the jugular). So far that hasn't happened. But I don't think they should be euthanized for barking! Jeez.

[branford]

30. From reading the limited information in the article,

it appears that the primary problem is that the dogs are off-leash and off-property when the allegedly menacing barking occurs, and there were multiple visits by animal control. If the allegations are true, the dogs weren't under the owner's control and could reasonably be construed as a threat, particularly if this is a common occurrence. The story is certainly not simply about euthanizing dogs for just barking.

I'm a dog lover, but no one else need be, and if you own dogs, it is your moral and legal responsibility to keep them under your immediate control. If you don't, it should not come as a shock if someone complains, and if the conduct repeats, that it might result in a legal issue.