Click said dogs with a high prey drive — like some terriers, hounds and herding breeds — are becoming more popular and people may not understand the responsibilities associated with owning these breeds.
“It’s just some dogs' nature and that doesn’t mean it’s a bad dog; it’s just that you have to understand your dog has that tendency and you have to take measures against it,” Click said. “You need to confine the dog and make sure it’s well exercised. These aren’t breeds that you can leave shut up all day in a cage and come home in the evening to think it’s going to sit on the couch and watch Netflix with you.”
Dogs should be properly confined with a tether of some type, not electronic means, because “they’ll run through and take the zap,” Click said. She said fences with roofs like covered kennels are a good option for dogs with aggressive tendencies.
Dog attacks
On Saturday, police responded to two separate dog attacks. In the first, a child was severely mauled, according to a Springfield police report. The child was attacked in the backyard of a home on West Liberty Avenue when he was playing with six other children after 3:30 p.m.
According to the grandmother of the child, the kid’s playmates told her that two dogs entered the yard and all the kids except her grandchild ran inside, an incident report states. The dogs chased and attacked the boy. The child was flown via CareFlight to Dayton Children’s Hospital.
At around 3:50 p.m., police responded to Noel Drive, where a woman was attacked on the bike path, suffering “several bite wounds to both of her arms and hands,” according to an incident report. While police were searching for the dog, they heard gun shots to the north and learned a woman had shot one of the dogs involved.
First responders using a drone spotted a black pit bull who appeared injured run to its home on West High Street, but the owners said it was not injured, according to the report.
Police who responded to the shots found a dog that was shot and killed around the area of West Grand Avenue and the bike path, according to a report. A woman with her brother and fiancé told police they heard the child being attacked and ran to help him, before hearing another scream likely to be the Noel Drive attack. While the three were by Grand Avenue, the woman said three dogs ran at them. The three people shot at the dogs, with one being struck; it is unknown if the others were hit.
All dog bites must be reported to the Clark County Combined Health District, which will then require a 10-day quarantine to ensure the animal does not have rabies.
Dog training
Exercises like barn hunting and agility trials can help satiate these kinds of dogs' prey drive, Click said. She said these dogs need more than a trip to the dog park, which may not be a good idea if the canine doesn’t do well with other dogs.
“A lot of these prey drive breeds are also very much a people-pleasing breed, and if you would just involve your dog in some type of dog sport or obedience competition, you could find a great way to spend time for yourself and your dog and you would have your dog under control,” Click said. “It would be a positive impact on the community rather than the negative impact of the dog running loose and killing cats.”
Click said the county is seeing dogs planning attacks ahead of time, going beyond the basic prey drive where they attack an animal because it happened to be in the area. The dogs will feed off of each others' aggressive energy.
“The dog goes and gets the neighbor dog or whatever dog he pals up with ... and they kind of converse between themselves and say, ‘Let’s kill some cats today,' and they go from porch to porch, from yard to yard,” Click said.
“These are not cats that are out on the street; a lot of times these are elderly cats that are sitting down on their front porch to get some sun, and then their poor owner has to watch them be torn from piece to piece on a Ring camera because these dogs think it’s fun to kill cats. That’s not prey drive; that’s vicious and that needs to be dealt with.”
‘Whatever means necessary’
Aggression in dogs will build unless it is dealt with, Click said.
“First it’s a kitty cat, then we’re going to tear apart some possums and racoons and I know people don’t have any (as pets). They don’t really care about that, but my point is, it goes from species to species to species,” Click said. “Then that nippy little chihuahua down the street that yaps all the time — well that’s on their list next. And then little Joey’s carrying his new kitten down the street to show Grandma and —bug little Joey — they’re going to get that cat. And you know what that means? Pretty soon a child gets mauled."
The attacks have kept the shelter busy, and Click said they are short staffed.
People whose dogs have bitten or attacked pets or humans can be held civilly liable, Click said, and those owners run the risk of their aggressive dog not returning home.
Residents have the right to protect themselves, their children and pets against dog attacks, Click said. This can be with sprays, sirens, ultrasonic devices or weapons. She said if a person is threatened with “mortal bodily harm” they can “take whatever means necessary ” to protect themselves.
If an aggressive dog is on the loose Monday through Saturday during the day, county residents should call the dog warden, who will respond and catch or subdue the animal, Click said. During off hours or holidays, residents should call police or the sheriff’s office, depending on where they are.
Anyone who needs guidance on taking care of an aggressive breed may call the dog warden for advice, Click said.
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