Goodbye Lisa

We met a few months after I moved into my current home, probably back in 2007 or so.

Your dog, Babygirl had gotten loose.  Babygirl, a red nosed pitbull, getting loose was like saying a love sponge was sent waddling down a driveway to shower you with licks.  Dog's personalities always reflect their owners.  This was a friendly dog.

Your son Bill, had gone out after her, apologizing the entire way.

I remember seeing you at the door waving and saying hello, then ducking back into the apartment.

You weren't the kind of person that got out and about the town, so by the time we met you, it was our good luck that you moved in across the street. 

We grew to trade recipes.  Later meals would be shuttled across the street.  You made an amazing Lamb Dinner, one that I looked forward to having every year.  The roast beef was excellent, and served up the way I liked them, rare.  I'd return the favor with pulled pork, roast chicken, and the baked goods that I enjoyed making. 

I knew not to bring over the Mango jelly and the raw fruit, you couldn't have them in the house.

It became a warm friendship.  Whenever I'd leave the house, most times, I would just wave at the window where you sat behind.  We knew that nothing would happen without your notice so we were fortunate to have the best burglar alarm we could, a neighbor watching over us.

Your retirement meant that we'd be doing the occasional meals together, trading war stories, hearing about how it was in hurricanes past and how we could better integrate in this environment here in South Florida.  Despite what it appears to snowbirds, South Florida is not as straightforward a place to live as you may expect.

Some of the pictures of our life in the neighborhood together became treasured.  I managed to get your Babygirl to pose, and she wouldn't do that for just anyone.  That picture is still on your wall today, Babygirl smiling in the sun at me, as if to tell me that her own time was short.

Ellie came later and we all laughed as she would get out and run around the neighborhood.  That is to say, I'd laugh at the time, and you'd laugh later.

Your laughter was always there.  Somewhat reserved for good friends only, we got to see it often.

Ellie is a barky dog with a hair trigger, and she is why I got started waving at your window long before I left the property.  She'd bark at me when I was on my own front porch, but she accepted our presence over here and later nearer to the house.  I am one of the few "outsiders" that can calm her down.

Ellie was your protector and companion.  She knew what was happening long before we did, and became more protective as a result.

We all had to intervene on you more than once when you tried to walk her.  Ellie could tow my Jeep!  So for you, walking the dog wasn't in the cards.  You weren't quite up to that task.

As your cancer became apparent and finally diagnosed, we all did what we could to watch over you.

Ellie was there by your side, warning people to stay away.
Bill helped you get to and from your appointments and kept us filled in on events.

It gave me an excuse to bake more and put on another 5 pounds that I have to take off.  On the other hand, maybe all that food helped you stay a little longer, we'll never know.

Eventually you were housebound.  We have your key still in the hiding place.

I had to come over once to help you with a delivery when everyone was gone.  I learned at that point that Ellie completely trusted me.  She was barking at the nonsense coming in at the front door, me.  I told her "Ellie, it's OK" and she quieted down completely behind the closed bedroom door.

What I didn't tell you was I was completely out of my depth.  I was in your house setting things up for your medical apparatus.  It does go together like the pictures, but that didn't help, I was too flustered to remember my glasses.

Not a good time to go in blind, was it?

Eventually I got you settled in, and went home.  Half an hour later I was back when you got a delivery.  Signing for that and taking it in was a bit of a stretch but I became your Other Son (with a wink) and it got to where it was going.

That was the last time I saw you.  The reports coming from Bill became more dark, like an approaching thunderstorm in the wet season.

Finally the 24 hour nurses came.  That went on only for a week.

Yesterday, in the rain, you left.  It was right after 5PM.

Goodbye Lisa, we all will miss you.

Rack Was Attacked By A Pitbull

I will quote myself  here: "Stereotypes are Sometimes Correct.".

Not every pit bull is a vicious dog, but when they are vicious, they are far too "good" at it.

Florida passed a law banning "Breed Specific Bans" in the state.  If you asked me last night when I was knocked off my feet while on the ground kicking the side of this more than 60 pound pit bull to get her off my dog, I would say it was a bad idea. 

Logically I know that pit bulls aren't all bad.   My neighbor had a pit, Babygirl, who was the definition of sweet.  He now has a part-pit Ellie that is Rack's best friend.

The problem isn't the breed, it's the owner.  In this case an owner that did not think that his pit bull had any problems with any other dogs and allowed her off her leash.

My neighbor's part-pit part Heinz 57 dog, Ellie, knew this dog was trouble.   We all met in front of the house the night before.   While Rack was being his usual goofy puppy self, Ellie was doing a much better job of reading this dog's mind.  It decided to pick on the weakest dog of the three in her mind, and started a fight.  I managed to pull Rack out of the middle and Ellie got yanked out as well.

From that point on it became a Dog Of Interest, or One To Avoid.

Last evening's walk I didn't have that option.  This pit bull was off leash in front of the property where the owner rents.  It spotted us before I did, at least 50 feet if not 75 away. 

Rack saw it first and began to back up to hide behind me.

Oh thanks, kid!

When I saw the dog, I grabbed Rack to lift him as high as possible to buy time.   It didn't work.

The pit bull charged me landing on me and knocking me to the ground.  At the same moment it grabbed onto Rack's front leg skin and would not let go.  This was when I tried my best to stop this by kicking the dog off of both of us.

The owner comes and finally collects his vicious pitbull.

He's trying to tell me that the dog is not vicious.  He also told me not to call the police.

My response was "If it wasn't vicious, it wouldn't have attacked us".

He of course said "If you are going to be crazy like that, I am not going to help you".

I then immediately called 911 and got through to the Wilton Manors Police Dispatch desk.

What had to have been the entire police force on duty arrived in under five minutes.

I rehashed the story to the officers who arrived plus Dave in Code Enforcement. 

While you may not have Breed Specific Bans in place, we do have a very good law in town about vicious animals.   Whoever formulated this law has my gratitude. 

I will paraphrase the legislation:

If your dog attacks a human or domestic animal (dogs and cats) and draws blood, causes a laceration or cut, or any other sort of trauma, your dog is defined as being vicious.  Vicious dogs are only allowed in the city limits of Wilton Manors if they are registered with the City Clerk and a bond of $500,000 is posted.  All of this must happen in five business days.  The dog will be retained by the city and sent to the county animal control to make sure that all shots and licenses are up to date at the cost of the owner.   If this bond is posted, the dog may not be allowed off property without muzzle and other protection for the safety and the good of the people and dogs in town.

Since the person who owned this vicious pitbull is a renter and had moved in within the month, I sincerely doubt this will happen.   Most likely the owner is a flight risk, will abandon the dog, and move out of town.  With an absentee owner in Maryland, and the property managed locally, I doubt that he will be allowed to remain in the property.  I think it's fairly obvious that the dog will be and should be put down.

I was told by the officers that we were very lucky in this attack.   Rack will heal.  The skin was ripped open for a "thumb length" and you could see muscle and sinew underneath.  We got him to the veterenarian who remained open for this emergency.  Rack now has a bare patch on his leg with some stitches as well as him wearing a spare T-Shirt.   He's also sitting as close to me, physically, as he possibly can.

There have been pitbull attacks in Wilton Manors before where small dogs had their legs flayed open like a sleeve, and worse.  This is the reason for the law.  There are too many people in this city with dogs of all sizes that are badly trained.   While a Chihuahua with an attitude is bad enough, even comical, an aggressive pit bull is deadly. 

To say "Keep your dog on a leash" is an understatement.  There is never any justification for this sort of situation.  Some people shouldn't own a stuffed animal let alone a deadly and vicious pit bull.  They make it harder for the rest of the people out there that are responsible owners.