Leashed Rottweiler Chomps Man and His Dog in Clairemont

Wally

By Gary Cornaglia, Feb. 7, 2012

Late Monday afternoon, February 6, a man and his small dog were attacked and seriously injured by a rottweiler in front of their Clairemont home on Boxwood Avenue. The man suffered large gashes to his hand and Wally, his dog, received serious bites, resulting in three broken ribs and a broken sternum.

The man said the rottweiler was beyond the control of the young woman walking the animal. He said the rottweiler pulled the woman across the street and locked its jaws onto his dog.

Paramedics and police quickly arrived on scene to treat the man and take a report. The man said this is the second time in the past three months he and his dog have been attacked and wounded.

The victim and his dog were transported to separate emergency rooms by neighbors. Since the incident, the city's animal control department has quarantined both pets.

SurfPuppy619 Feb. 7, 4:29 p.m.

Great, some idiot has a powerful dog, like a Rotti, and cannot control it while leashed. Owner/Walker needs to be put down.

If you cannot control your animal you should not have one, period. Large dogs can be dangerous, a Rotti out of control is dangerous and it is not the Rotti's fault bu the owner.

Barbarella Feb. 7, 5:23 p.m.

This was the "second" time in recent history that this guy and his small dog were attacked AND wounded? Bad luck, or insufficient survival instincts?

Mindy1114 Feb. 7, 5:40 p.m.

Wally isn't a "small dog." He's a medium-sized dog, a German Schnauzer. There is no "Department of Animal Control" in San Diego. It is the "San Diego County Department of Animal Services." Let's show some professionalism, Reader.

I was a volunteer there for twelve years. I used to eat lunch with the staff and I know intimately what goes on behind the scenes. In my opinion, they are way too lax in handling these matters. If I were Wally's owner and the county had been informed about the first time, I'd sue.

By the way, a person with a low enough income can sign a fee waiver and sue for free.

mngcornaglia Feb. 7, 8:24 p.m.

wally is a football-sized, happy little guy. not a real threat to a bigger animal. small claims can't compensate this guy's pain and suffering. my dog was attacked twice. once by a rottweiler. both times were traumatic. it happens more than is reported. a TV news station reporter arriving late on the scene that day called the incident a "non-event" after deciding not to persue the story. one neighbor here carries a cattle prod on her walks after an attack. some homeowner's insurance won't cover you if there's a rottweiler in the house. always. everywhere. watch out for the other guy.

Mindy1114 Feb. 7, 9:35 p.m.

Actually, the court does compensate for pain and suffering and I think if people held them to it, the county would have to get tougher. Dogs and criminals that hurt dogs get away with literally, murder.

I wonder where I can get one of those cattle prods...

SurfPuppy619 Feb. 8, 2:51 p.m.

OK, carry this on all walks and your problems with other dogs are over;

http://www.amazon.com/Guard-Alaska%C2%AE-Repellent-Registered-Effective/dp/B0053L6WIU

NOTHING is going to happen with this stuff.

Mindy1114 Feb. 8, 8:51 p.m.

Holy Cow! If bear pepper spray doesn't work, nothing will. I'll try it! I've encountered stray pits and rotties. So far, I haven't had problems with those breeds. But a few months ago, a German Shepherd attacked Red out of the blue. He got the worst end of the fight, thank God. Red is a Tazmanian Devil! The GS's hair was all over the place and there wasn't a scratch on my dog. That'll teach him to mess with my dog.

SurfPuppy619 Feb. 8, 11:45 p.m.

Bear Pepper Spray will stop any dog.

Burwell Feb. 7, 9:23 p.m.

The owner of the Rottweiler should have put a muzzle on the dog before taking him for a walk. Dogs tolerate muzzles fairly well.

Mindy1114 Feb. 7, 9:36 p.m.

Strong breeds like rotties and pit bulls break through muzzles easily. That's why some vets won't have them as patients.

Burwell Feb. 7, 9:24 p.m.

The victim won't get much money in a lawsuit unless he was bit on the face and has scars. He could also make out fairly well if the bites caused nerve damage.

Mindy1114 Feb. 7, 9:37 p.m.

It's not about getting money, it's about scaring the sh*t out of irresponsible dog owners and about waking up the government. By the way, from 2005-2008, I won $10,000 in various small claims lawsuits. Bring it on!

nan Feb. 7, 9:29 p.m.

there r collars available 4 that kind of difficult to manage dog...they have claws that surround the collar and roll over into the dogs neck when it pulls to hard...it's a very uncomfortable device for the dog and they learn quick not to pull like that

poor little dog :(

i think i might want to use a stun gun on a Rottie that acts like that with other smaller dogs

Mindy1114 Feb. 7, 9:42 p.m.

Are you talking about a pronged collar? I have dogs that pull anyway. They're oblivious to pain. And idiot dog owners like the girl with the rottie are never the people who know about those kinds of collars. A harness may have helped too. I can't remember the name of ours but it's the only way we can walk Gus.

I believe in tougher laws for offenders. No parent with half a brain would allow a "girl" to walk a powerful dog like that, especially when she has no control; and, they must know the dog is aggressive. The parent/owner/whatever should spend time behind bars. If the dog attacked a child, they might. Too many people take chances with aggressive dogs which is exactly why I put poor Nancy down. Other people don't have the guts to do it but my motto has always been "You either put the dog down before or after it hurts someone else." That's the position I was in.

SurfPuppy619 Feb. 7, 10:52 p.m.

I have the pronged collar for my Pit Bull, she wears it on all walks. I was taking it off except for walks but the fact is she is very easy to control with the thing on 24/7. It is a training collar and I recommend them, exspecially for the more powerful breeds.

Mindy1114 Feb. 8, 8:46 p.m.

I say, whatever works--within reason, of course.

Twister Feb. 9, 7:58 p.m.

It's all because people treat their dogs the same way they treat their children--they ignore them, give them zero direction, and they go off in random directions. They both need direction in their youth, and both should be controllable by voice commands. That requires CONSISTENCY. That gives children and other animals a sense of security and autonomy. The last dog I had only needed quiet commands to, say, "leave the kitty alone." OFF leash.

There is this fiction that leashes control dogs. They do not. Sometimes leashes make behavior problems worse. I used leashes to comply with the law, but I trained the dog to the leash--a LOOSE leash. Control was by voice, a SOFT voice. A dog that pulls on a leash is NOT under control.

I had to learn all this the hard way, by the way--I too, once thought leashes were control devices. WRONG. The provide a false sense of security and a ready excuse for failure to properly socialize young animals--including children.

Having young animals is a big responsibility. It needs to be taken seriously. It may not be the dog's fault, but we put our neglected kids in jail when they are a threat to society. That's an indictment of us.

Mindy1114 Feb. 9, 8:47 p.m.

Yep. There's such a thing as getting a right match too. If the dog is stronger than you are, you should get a smaller breed, or at least not walking the damn thing if you can't control it. Many large dogs prey on smaller dogs. I had a large dog I was pet-sitting kill my little dog once. I think anyone who is in the position that this rottie's owner is in should be charged with negligence. People think they can get away with being irresponsible.

mngcornaglia March 2, 5:11 p.m.

Update on Wally Wally survived his wounds and course of treatment. He has regained enough strength to return to some of his outdoor walks.

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