Dog Missing After Running Down North Decatur Road
Decatur Metro | May 21, 2013
Malika writes in…
My name is Malika Whitley, I’d be so appreciative if you could post an alert for Charlotte–she’s been missing since Saturday morning when she ran down N. Decatur Rd. towards Clairmont Rd. (Her home is between Clairmont and Scott Blvd.) We’ve searched the neighborhood and posted flyers, maybe someone here will recognize her?
Charlotte is a brown and white pit-bull mix. She’s very friendly and intensely missed. If anyone sees her they can call 404-889-9432 or if they don’t have access to a phone or my number at the time, please feel free to take her to a nearby vet or kennel to be scanned for her microchip.
We hope to see Char soon, thanks so much!!
It might irresponsible to encourage people to “take her” to a nearby vet. Pit bulls don’t like to “be taken” anywhere by strangers. Here’s to hoping she’s more “mix” and less “pit bull”.
I’m assuming she probably knows her dog a bit more than you do.
I hope you find her!
I would like to think that most people have the common sense to determine if an animal is approachable and friendly enough to take to the vet. Then again. I would also like to think people have enough sensitivity not to make these kind of comments when someone has lost their pet. I have a pit mix, and it is the most loving and kindhearted animal I have ever owned. Losing a pet is an awful thing. I hope Charlotte finds her way home soon!
THANK YOU, Kate! I was pretty annoyed when I read the OP’s flippant generalization about these dogs (not to mention the insensitivity toward Ms. Whitley’s anxiety over her own pup), but refrained from saying anything because I didn’t trust myself to be civil. You perfectly articulated what I was thinking, and I appreciate it.
Hardly flippant. Please do your research on pit bulls and you may change your mind about whether this breed should even be legal in the U.S.. They are already illegal in many U.S. municipalities.
Just go away. You clearly don’t know what you are talking about. It is not the breed that is the problem, it is the quality of pet owner that tends to get this type of dog that is the issue. Many other breeds, if treated the same way, bred the same way and owned the same way as many pit bulls, you would see a lot of the same behaviors. Your comment was insensitive and silly and instead of acknowledging that and moving on, you choose to double down. Nice.
*sigh*
There’s a reason why pit bulls are far and away the #1 killer of people – especially young children – among dogs. Yes, the way the dog is raised has a lot to do with it, but the breed itself is also a factor.
Otherwise, if dog breed was not a factor, the only way to explain the very high percentage of dog deaths being caused by one specific breed while said breed constituting less than 5% of the total dog population is the owners of that dog breed somehow abuse that breed more than any other. I have a very hard time believing abusive dog owners, collectively, are thoughtful enough to pick a breed first before abusing it next.
Rather, a more plausible explanation of why a dog breed that comprise a tiny fraction of the overall dog population being responsible for the overwhelming majority of the deaths is the breed itself is inherently dangerous.
But, if the macro doesn’t convince you, let’s look at what occurred less than a month ago on April 24th, 2013 to Beau Rutledge, who was only 2 years old:
“The boy was killed while the mother stepped away to use the restroom. The dog was 8-years-old and neighbors said they had never thought it was aggressive.”
Does that sound like an abused dog to you ?
source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States#Fatalities_reported_in_2013
Well if Wikipedia says it, it must be true!!
Yes, and I’m sure the following is a complete fabrication as well. This death of their 2-yr-old boy by the family pit bull occurred in South Fulton county, less than 2 months ago, but we all know how 11 Alive likes to fabricate stories, hire actors, etc.,.
http://www.11alive.com/news/article/289869/40/Police-report-released-in-pit-bull-attack-that-killed-boy
A dog doesn’t have to be “abused” to be brought up improperly. Certain breeds need certain training and many people who get that breed tend to not understand how to raise them. Of course different breeds are predisposed to things more than others. All that is irrelevant to you telling a dog owner that she is being irresponsible. I imagine she would let people know if she had a reason to believe that her dog could be aggressive. And yes, ANY dog can be aggressive.
“it is the quality of pet owner that tends to get this type of dog that is the issue”
Believe it or not, I really hate to jump into this. But, I don’t see your above statement as an important distinction. Isn’t this an indictment of the poster instead of the dog? Does it really matter if it is the dog’s fault or the owner’s fault if your child is mauled? I doubt the “tendencies” you speak of apply to Malika, but how is anyone who sees a pit bull roaming down the street supposed to know if its owner has those tendencies? Regardless of whether you or David are correct, or whether a pit bull is more likely to attack b/c of inherent traits or b/c of mistreatment or it being it intentionally raised to be agressive or just raised by someone who doesn’t know now to properly train a pit bull, they still pose a disproportionate risk. FWIW, I wouldn’t have taken to DM to criticize pit bull owners in general, especially when someone reaches out and asks for help. However, I do agree with David in that I will steer my young children away from them, especially if I don’t know the dog’s owner. If my little lap dog bites you, it probably won’t draw blood. If a pit bull bites a small child, death or disfigurement isn’t unlikely.
The issue here is that making said comments in this post are completely inappropriate. It does nothing to help the situation, only adds to the distress of the owner. In my opinion. If you want to debate the temperament and dangers of pit bulls/pit bull mixes, feel free! Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, this does not seem like the place to do so. And yes, i do watch 11Alive on occasion, DH. I’m Katie, and this is my last word.
Amen, Katie.
What makes pit bulls especially dangerous is the combination of:
1. Looking less aggressive (scary) than other attack dogs
2. Children not knowing what a pit bull is
3. Pit bulls attacking children without provocation
That vast majority of pit bull kills have been children and nearly 100% of those were unprovoked. This is not the kind of dog you want roaming the neighborhood with small children out.
I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade, but I’d much rather be seen as a jerk than have my child or someone else’s child killed due to negligence.
Most of what you keep talking about sounds like parenting issues to me. No one is suggesting that a child go up to the dog, or any dog for that matter. Children need to be taught to respect animals and not to play with things that aren’t theirs, and if they are too young to understand that, they have no business wandering around unsupervised. Not that I am trying to belittle animal attacks on children,certainly a tragic and scary thing, and if that were what this entry was about, you wouldn’t seem like a jerk (your words, not mine), but a concerned parent. However, it is not. It is about a heartbroken woman looking for her dog.
I would recommend placing some flyers around Scott Blvd. it’s a busy road, but lots of people with dogs live nearby, maybe someone took her in and is trying to find you! I live in the area and will certainly keep an eye out.
When I live on the same street as a loose pit bull and have young children who like to play in the backyard, then it’s difficult to avoid the part where there is….eh….a loose pit bull. Kind of difficult to gloss over that part.
That’s profiling. And that’s wrong.
I’m sure she’s very cute and very kind to her owners, but pit bulls have been bred to attack and kill with no warning. The overwhelming number of attacks on children are/were unprovoked. Like I said, I hope she’s more mix and less pit bull.
I’m also not trying to belittle the trauma of having a pet (loved one) go missing. Dogs of all kinds, including pit bulls and pit bull mixes, are very affectionate and the bond between dog and family runs deep. Dogs are part of the family.
I wouldn’t be writing this if said pit bull mix was still in said house, but when said pit bull is on the loose in my neighborhood with my small children, I get upset.
“I’m also not trying to belittle the trauma of having a pet (loved one) go missing.”
Oh my. I can’t imagine what you would have said if you WERE trying to do that then.
I hope the owners have already been to the Dekalb County Shelter. They’ll need to go, not just call and go multiple times as well.
She’s a beauty and certainly more mix than pitty. I hope she finds her way home soon.
She is so beautiful.
I hope that you find her.
I hope Charlotte finds her way home soon.
My dog was lost, then found 4 days later more than 1.5 miles from his home. When scared by car horns, sirens etc I believe they freak and keep running. Post your lost dog signs at all local vets and at major intersections. Folks really will help look.
I hope Malika will keep us posted and let us know if she gets her sweet girl back. I wish Decatur Metro could have blocked the comments from David Harris, they are not only insensitive and misinformed but they may discourage people from posting lost pets in the future.
This is how Internet threads get out of control. I post a reply implying that it was irresponsible to request people to “take her” somewhere and I indeed wished she was more “mix” and less “pit bull”. That’s not exactly a black-and-white indictment of pit bulls and certainly not meant to discourage people from posting about lost pets. However, people should *not* assume a strange pit bull is safe to “take” anywhere.
I hope Malika finds Charlotte and finds her in good health, everyone else is safe, and (some) people simply remember me as a jerk. I’m not hiding behind an alias and I’ll gladly wear the mantle of insensitive jerk as long as no-one gets hurt. Deal ?
Not an indictment? You had six previous posts condemning pitbulls and accusing this poor owner of being irresponsible. She simply wants her dog back; you gave her (and all of us) a long, smug lecture.
I’m not sure where I stand on this, but I don’t think it’s an appropriate conversation considering the circumstance.
Closing thread.