An unpreventable tragedy, Part I

Past performance is always a good indicator of future returns. There is no real surprise when a situation comes to its entirely predictable conclusion.

Klonda Richey of Dayton OH was killed by her neighbors PitBulls while taking out the trash this past February 7^th. Dogsbite.org has all the details.. read about that here.

Before I dissect that, I want to dissect a similar situation that happened in my area a couple of years ago. The dissection of that situation will segue into a dissection of the Richey incident in later essays.

On June 10^th 2011 Roy McSweeney of Hawthorne FL was attacked by his neighbors pit bulls while he was gardening in his back yard.

The dogs tore off one of his arms, partially severed his other arm, and bit down on his head in a manner that "left his brains hanging out". The dogs belonged to Deanna Blitch and her son William Braxton.

Blitch and Braxton hid the bloody dogs from authorities, claiming they had shot them and dumped the bodies in a nearby lake.

McSweeney died on June 15^th 2011 as a result of the injuries sustained in the attack.

Guess what boys and girls! The dogs had Prior Attacks.

Strike one: In January 2010, another man was bitten by the dogs, according to police reports. The man said he was caring for the property next door when the animals "came through the fence and knocked him down and attacked him," biting him all over his body, according to the reports. Now, that man is suing Blitch and her ex-boyfriend for his injuries.

Now, what was done about so called "Strike One"? Not much. The dogs were quarantined and returned to their owner. Well, I'll be dipped in shit! Attack by dog is legal as long as they are up to date on their shots!

Strike two: According to police reports, the dogs attacked a 23-year-old man last month [ this would be May 2011 ] as he entered the back door of Blitch's home to visit her son. He had to get more than 40 stitches and is still having trouble using his hand, according to his family.

Blitch, however, said the man wasn't invited and shouldn't have been trespassing.

Whats a hand between good friends, anyway? Good news is, the dogs got what they wanted. This scenario is proof positive of Overclass Status: Pursuant to Strike One dog owners not only have an unconditional right to unlimited violence on their land, they also have an unconditional right to unlimited violence on OTHER people's land!

Strike Three: Two pit bulls that mauled a 74-year-old man who was gardening in his own yard, ripping his right arm off and partially severing his left arm, ultimately leading to his death, were no strangers to attacks, according to police reports. 
 

Yes, but it seems like the police are strangers to holding dog owners accountable for the behavior of their mutants! Who could have seen THIS coming?!? Look, they can't be psychic. Give them a break, already!

Listen dog owners! In my state, killing somebody with your dog is a SECOND DEGREE MISDEMEANOR! Its way up there with other heinous crimes such as: Driving with a malfunctioning tail light, building a tool shed without a permit, and other unspeakable acts so WATCH IT.

On a lighter note, Deanna Blitch Pleads Out.

Yes, boys and girls, BLITCH was sent to jail for the horrendously long duration of NINETY DAYS! Oh, joy – I get three WHOLE MONTHS of peace and safety! Thank you Government! Justice is served. Well, if you want to be technical it was 45 weekends in jail. I am safe on Saturdays and Sundays at least.

Interestingly, BLITCH got the hard time NOT due to the canine homicide, but due to the fact that she and her son lied to the cops about the dogs. See, killing someone with your dogs is Okey-Dokey if you are upfront and honest about it. Lying to the cops bumped it up to a FIRST DEGREE MISDEMEANOR. I am really glad they throw the book at these criminals! Moral of the story? If you kill your neighbors with your dogs, please be upfront about it... remember that Fido was "just doing his job"!

So, what do you think is going to happen in the Richey case? More on that later...

Trust no one

In an age of activist politics you can trust no one in authority to protect your rights. Do you really think the fact that you pay someone's salary makes them obligated to you? Do you really think they are obligated to follow the law? They are not. Activist politics means that, they take your money and proceed to do whatever they want. There is no rule of law: The law is what THEY say it is. Enforcement agencies, executive boards, and courts are stacked with ideologues that have ONE priority – promote their cause at all costs.  They make up rules and regulations to fit their ideology, and if any extant rules don't fit, just ignore them!

The above is not a true conflict of interest. A conflict of interest indicates that one has competing interests where one interest may outweigh the other. In many cases, authorities have NO conflict of interest – they are motivated ONLY by ideology and their job mission / description is far below consideration.

I got "flamed" on Craven Desires the other day. Stow the kleenex... I can handle it. Apparently, somebody got a bug up their ass because I indicated they should protect their livestock from at large dogs (pit bulls). Short version: Somebody had taken ownership of a miniature horse and it was on their property for barely a couple of hours before the neighbor's pit bull ripped its face off. I then suggested they should gun up and shoot every mauler on their property. The flamer was incensed that I suggest they take affirmative action. Well, if YOU don't who will... the pit nuts running your AC, LE and circuit court? Bwahahahaha!  You will see me ice skate in hell before THAT happens.

Seriously, what did they think was going to happen? Dog owners don't restrain their dogs, nor are they expected to. The government does not restrain dog owners, nor are they expected to. Therefore, if you are a horse owner you are completely on your own. Before somebody flames me again... listen, I did not create this regime nor do I contribute to it. Please do not shoot the messenger.

As I have noted in the past, I am forcibly prevented from housing a horse on my property. According to the activist ideologues, one horse is worse for the community than 30 dogs (or whatever the backyard breeder du-joir can handle). Even if horse ownership were legal, I would be foolish to do so as neighborhood dogs are free to kill it via unlimited means. Sorry pit bull haters, I have seen MANY horses literally harassed to death by non-Pits. Is running a horse into a fence or a road full of cars really that worse than ripping its face off? You are debating velocity, not trajectory.

In any case, the reality is that NO you cannot house a horse or any livestock unless you are prepared to kill any potential predators 24x7. Why not? Because you are OWNED, that is why. Authorities are firmly on the side of those who want to KILL your livestock. You think they are going to jail them for killing your horse? Think again... all they care about is promoting the interests of dogs and dog owners.

Off Leash Lunacy

I often wonder: Do the Doggers really think their consumer product can make its way in the world as well (or better than, as they would like to think) as the rest of us sentient beings? I figure they must, as they let them run off leash at every opportunity.

I spent New Years holiday up in Brevard, NC. I have a little travel trailer I use as a base for day hikes and I stayed in the Davidson River Campground. It was a great week, and I had some friends come out to hike with me.

One of the best hikes in that area is Johns Rock. The Rock's prominence is over 1000 feet (~300 meters) and is probably one of the highest cliffs in the eastern USA. In any case, we had a great hike up to the top. The view from up there is spectacular. It can be a very dangerous place, as many wilderness areas are – the vantage point is a granite outcropping that slopes gently downward at maybe a 1-2 degree angle. Given that it is not at the very top, during cold wet weather water will flow over this granite sheet and FREEZE making it a literal skating rink with a slight downward slant.

Everyone have a good mental picture? Super.

So, after we finish up we stop by the forest ranger's office to get more hike info and BS generally. The ranger tells us that a dog had died on the hike just recently. Apparently, some genius had let his dog off leash up on the Rock, it was running around, hit that ice sheet, and slid over the cliff. This would be roughly equivalent to falling off the Empire State Building. More interesting was the fact that this was NOT the first time something like this had happened!

What is the terminal velocity of a dog? More than fast enough to kill it.

I wonder what the genius owner had been thinking... that Dog is is really God spelled backwards and that a God can defy the laws of gravity? Perhaps after destroying his neighbor's property values and quality of life with his yard barker he figured that that, similar to the laws of man, the laws of nature did not apply to him and his Dog? Perhaps he anticipated that Fido would hang in midair, and even fly like Superman? As we all know, Dog created nature: How could the laws of nature apply to Dog?

All that is irrelevant. What is relevant is, there are a lot of things out there that can kill your dog. Don't believe me? Hang out at the bottom of Johns Rock for a while.... the answer will literally hit you on the head.

You win some, you lose some Part II

In a fight?  Sometimes you win some and you lose some.  If you DO lose, do not hand the winner their “win “easily.  Make them pay for every bloody inch!   Make it hurt SO badly they will not try it again! 

I had a rather nasty loss on the Animal Uncontrol front the other month.  I surrendered that particular hill, but I made them pay dearly for that win.  Pay they will!

Here is the good news.  After two years of dog nuisances emanating from across the street, and a nearly non-stop battle relating to same, the malicious dog nuts suddenly moved away!  I want to dance in the street!!!  Yeah, baby!   Who’s Your Daddy!!?!

I don’t want to critique others TOO much.  Every situation is different.  Sometimes, it is better to fold rather than raise.   I may have surrendered my volunteer hike leader position to the nutters but I have PEACE IN MY HOME. 

Let me tell you something:  Peace in my home did NOT come cheap.  There were multiple calls to authorities.  There were certified letters sent to both the miscreant and their landlord.  There were screaming matches in the street and on my front porch with threats given and received.   There were many days with endless loud barking, shits on my lawn and endless other problems.  I was slandered throughout the neighborhood.   However, I did NOT surrender my home to these scumbags.   This win did NOT come easy.  I EARNED peace in my home.     I earned it, it is MINE and I savor it every day!

Whatever your situation is, even if it is hopeless, DO NOT give the miscreant an easy win.  Make it as painful as possible for them in this day by day Armageddon.  Only when faced with the threat of painful consequences will they change their actions.  And, make no mistake:  This is a HUMAN problem.

You win some, you lose some Part I.

It’s always 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.  Who was the unqualified winner in the Pacific Theater in WW2?  That would be the ALLIES, namely the United States with plenty of help from various allies such as Australia, New Zealand, UK, and others.  However, this was not an easy thing:  We all lost a LOT along the way.  Consider this for a moment… the US Navy’s submarine losses during WW2.   there was plenty of bloody ground lost during that war.

In any war, the losses are terrible, even for the winner.  Sometimes you have to ask yourself… is this worth it?  If you believe so, you soldier on.

I have suffered a colossal loss as well as a crushing win on the Animal Uncontrol front the past few months.   I always start with the bad news first, so here goes…

I stepped up to Chairperson of my local state hiking organization in the beginning of the year.  As I had noted here and here, we have a BIG problem regarding uncontrolled dogs in the woods in my state. 

In any case, after a particularly bad episode regarding an uncontrolled dog, I decided to put my foot down.  There would be NO off leash dogs at any events.  ALL pet nuisances would be reported to both authorities AND property managers immediately.  Last but not least, ALL miscreants would be banned from the organization for good.   Accommodating troublemakers is the kiss of death, and these punks would NOT be accommodated under my regime PERIOD.  I had received many complaints from many people and many folks were threatening to quit the organization. 

Consider that a few folks thought it entertaining to turn their dogs loose to harass wildlife (usually ducks and geese).  Note that this is considered to be poaching under state law and may result in the owner being arrested and sent to prison.   If a state game warden witnesses such an act, the perp WILL be arrested.  

It goes without saying (but I will say it anyway) that anyone who turns their dog loose in the subtropical jungle that comprises this state is dumber than a box of rocks.  I mean, they are so dumb that calling them stupid is an insult to stupid people.   These woods are filled with ALLIGATORS, RATTLESNAKES, WATER MOCCASINS, BEARS, PANTHERS, BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS, and other assorted wild nasties that absolutely DO NOT CARE about your impossibly stupid supremacy arguments!

Back to the political battle.   The entire leadership group was against me, and in fact turned the whole ordeal into an analysis and subsequent character assassination of Yours Truly.  This was not a hill surrendered lightly:  There were daily arguments, threats, screaming matches, fingers in the face… all of this went on for OVER A MONTH. 

I will not compromise my standards.  I would not be part of an organization that uses pets to destroy what we are chartered to protect!

I only have so much fight in me.  In May I submitted my resignation.  The dog nutters  “win” this round.   Of course, what indeed have they won?  They still have the government, property managers, and the public against them.  As I noted above, poaching is a felony in this state and I believe sufficient grounds to shoot a dog.  Partially due to my urgings, the state park service has initiated a pogrom against irresponsible pet owners.  I, and many others, continue to hike “hot”…. Get the point, Fido owners??    Maybe you won THIS round, but stay tuned….

Good Guy Excuse

Do the supposed good works of criminals, miscreants and tyrants excuse their bad behavior?  For example, if I save a life am I now fully empowered, entitled and enabled to murder an innocent at random?  May I arbitrarily take the life I just saved?

I have an acquaintance (NOT a friend, simply someone I know) currently serving 8-10 for vehicular manslaughter.  The individual in question “pounded” over a dozen shots of liquor at a gathering and then hopped in his vehicle and proceeded to crash head on with another vehicle, killing the driver and critically injuring the driver’s 3 grandchildren.  His BAC content at the scene was over .20.  Note that the legal limit in FL is .08.  During the pleadings and at the trial, everyone said but “Joe” is such a super guy!  Everyone likes him!  He is the life of the party!  He has 4 kids of his own!  He was in the Air Force for 20 years!   You never met a nicer guy!

OK, so let us, in our utter magnanimity, assume that “Joe” is in fact a truly super guy… does that give him a pass on breaking the law and killing someone in the process?  I say that is an unqualified NO as whatever “nice” things “Joe” has done in the past do NOT place him above the law and rules of good behavior.  “Joe” broke the law and behaved with a complete disregard for the safety of others, resulting in the death of another and the injury of several others.  “Joe” BELONGS in Jail.  People like “Joe” are the reason we HAVE jails!

It is noteworthy that the Judge, upon hearing all the pleading in Joe’s favor, was lenient with the sentencing.  FL law generally calls for a sentence in excess of TWENTY (20) years in cases of DUI manslaughter.   So, “Joe” got a semi-pass on his bad behavior.   Deserved pass?  No.

It is also noteworthy, but not legally relevant, that “Joe” was not the “Saint” that the resident apologista made him out to be.  As someone who knows a lot of people who know “Joe”, “Joe” was known to have done the following:  Commit adultery; pursue sexual affairs without disclosing STD status; used various scummy legal tricks to avoid paying child support; verbal spousal abuse; verbal and physical child abuse; frequent public drunkenness; frequent DUI (never cited);   DUI with children in the car (never cited); At least one other DUI vehicle crash (never cited).   “Joe” also attempted to recant his confession and tried to claim it wasn’t he driving the car at the time, even though it was HIS car involved in the crash and he was standing right next to it when police arrived!  I guess your “Transporter” must have malfunctioned that day, RIGHT “Joe”!

I suppose you folks have noticed that I’ve been quiet for the past couple of months.  A few reasons:  Busy at work, busy with holiday prep, lots going on in my volunteer work, etc… I’d also run out of things to say for the interim.  I don’t like saying the same thing over and over, and this is not a “news” site.  My peers at other sites keep everyone up to date on the latest pet-related outrage.

In any case, I recently found out that someone had left a comment on my “Monsters Among Us” essay.  That involved a Rottweiler miller causing the death of a neighbor back in September.  The comment was worthy of another essay:

“Jerry Lenton has been a friend of mine for over fifteen years and I've never known a kinder, gentler, more generous and generally all around good guy. I was not aware that he owned all those dogs nor do I know why he owned them, but his owning dogs does not speak to the character of this man. I would like to suggest that y'all should stay on topic and stick to discussing the dog situation and leave his vocation and religion out of it as that is in no way related to the issue at hand. I have no first hand info about the dog situation, but I do have significant first hand knowledge of Jerry and his character and none of the comments above are correct. It's ok to have an opinion, misguided as it may be, but please don't presume to comment on something you know absolutely nothing about. Jerry is a good man, a great guy and a true man of God, and no I don't go to his church and have never set foot in it. BTW, I own 10 dogs myself, not rottweilers or pit bulls, however I am an animal lover and I rescue unwanted dogs and find good homes for them. My dogs might damage your hearing from barking to greet you or they may lick you to death, but that's the extent of the harm they would inflict on anyone.”

There is absolutely nothing substantive in the above comment.  The author has done absolutely nothing to excuse Lenton in any way.  Jerry is a “Man of God”?  SURE he was, and so were the Catholic Priests who molested young boys…. The point is???  Hey, I’m sure Bin Laden was a Man Of God, too!

How does “Knowing someone for 15 years” excuse their bad behavior?  If I had known Ted Bundy for 20 years would that get him off the hook?   Hey, Ted is a super guy… let’s just turn him loose!

The bottom line is, I don’t care if Lenton really WAS the greatest guy around.  Everything Lenton’s friends say about him is curious but totally irrelevant.  Similar to “Joe”, Lenton’s disregard for the law, health and safety of others lead to a horrifying death.  And, YES, it is illegal to turn your dogs loose!  The fact that Lenton MAY have done some good things in the course of his life does NOT give him a pass on his reckless conduct.  

When you OWN a dog, YOU OWN everything it does!  QED.

As a footnote, it appears that the Lenton’s ARE being held accountable!   If Jerry’s buds can make the case that Jerry truly IS a super guy, maybe the judge will cut the sentence in half.   I think 8-10 for Lenton would be appropriate.

Modern Savagery

If you live by the sword, you will die by it.  What goes around, comes around.   Actions have consequences, in spite of the fact that you may have secured “protection”.  These are rules of life from which one cannot escape.  Indeed, if you merely PROMOTE “living by the sword” you may die by it! 

A well crafted set of rules protects EVERYBODY.  This premise is the foundation of civilized society.  In the past, I wrote about non-aggression rules:  In order to enjoy the protections of society, each and every member of that society must respect the rights of all others in that society.  Essentially, I don’t shoot you and you don’t shoot me.   Thank you very much!

Refusal to respect the rights of others is plain savagery.  The savage believes that only the strongest should survive, and he with the mightiest sword always comes out on top.  The savage has a complete disregard for civilization, society, or the rights of others.  To them, “might always makes right”.

However, the Modern Savage is an interesting animal.  Too cowardly to engage others in a true free-for-all, the modern Savage expects protection from the State while demanding that everyone else endure their savagery!  In other words, the rest of us must adhere to a set of rules while the Savage does/should not!  This new Savage selfishly enjoys the various protections and comforts that society provides while disregarding the rights of all others around them! 

The current arrangement represents a huge inequality that will end rather nastily for the Savage one way or the other.  In the past, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek short story about what life would be like for the Savages if their State guaranteed protections were simply removed.  Hey, if there is no protection FROM them, there should be none FOR them, either.   You want to take me for a walk?  FINE, lets go!  I am NOT paying the government to promote your interests over mine!   If you do NOT want the police to respond, then they will no longer do so!

If you start hitting below the belt, sooner or later you can expect your opponent to do so, regardless of the set match rules.  People will assert their rights whether those are legally recognized or not.  AND, you Savages will not have a leg to stand on (perhaps literally) as YOU will have eroded or eliminated the rules with your Savage behavior!  Imagine YOUR life after you have dragged everyone else down to your Savage level!

Consider the excellent article by Your Quiet Neighbor.  Link to the original news item is in the article.  A puppy left home alone was hanged from the neck until dead.  Police are going all out to find the culprit.  A few thoughts:

-          How do we know the owner didn’t hang the dog?  In spite of the modern Zeitgeist, SOME dog owners are in fact imperfect!  Indeed, a few may even be cruel!

-          How do we know the dog was not hanged by its own tether?  This is not uncommon.  Of course, we HAVE to blame the “HaterZ” for anything bad that happens to a dog, right?  Dogs, being divine beings, are NOT subject to the laws of physics or nature, RIGHT?

-          Why was the barking situation (disorderly conduct) created by the dog owner NOT ameliorated by authorities?  Oh, wait, THAT is because they are NOBILE savages and none can take action against them!

-          Why is it that authorities are always “too busy” or “too broke” or “can’t do anything” when a dog is used as the instrument in a crime, but there is ALWAYS PLENTY THEY CAN DO when the dog is the OBJECT of a crime?

So, here is what you have:

-          Savage dog owner refuses to obey the law.

-          Savage dog owner refuses to respect the rights of others.

-          Savage dog owner refuses to care for their pet properly.

-          Savage dog owner demands full protection from the state.

-          State refuses to uphold the law when broken by Savage dog owner.

-          State springs to action and upholds the law to the letter when interest of Savage dog owner compromised.

-          The Savage dog owner receives full protection from state.

-          Victims of The Savage get no protection.

It’s obvious to me that authorities in these cases (and there are many) are promoting savagery.  Our neighborhoods sound like kennels, we are not safe in our own yards and public places, and our soil and water is befouled by dog shit.  These are ALL hostile, aggressive SAVAGE acts!

It’s unfortunate that the animal in question had to suffer for the Savage behavior of their owner.  Indeed, perhaps for the acts of ALL Savage dog owners!  Due to the protections that dog owners enjoy, the DOG had to die by the proverbial sword that their owner had chosen to live by.  The true perps in this case were the dog owning Savage and authorities who had protected and promoted the Savage.  Ideally, authorities would prosecute the Savage for animal neglect and creating a nuisance.   The best way to ameliorate actions of this type would be to restrict the behavior of the Savage. 

Non aggression rules.  Live by them or die without them!