In one Columbia neighborhood, the problem is illustrated by three dogs’ deaths.
It was every dog owner’s nightmare.
On Nov. 30, 2005, Liz Wallace stepped outside her door in southwest Columbia and saw her neighbor’s dog, Nick, a Labrador mix, being attacked by three pit bulls.
Wallace remembers the scene vividly. As her own dog began barking, the pit bulls ran off, but Nick remained motionless.
“I hollered for him, and he didn’t respond,” she said. “He just sat there staring off into the woods.”
As Wallace approached, she saw that Nick’s ear had been mangled, and there was blood on the ground and around the dog’s stomach and neck.
“It was one of the most heart-wrenching scenes I’ve ever seen in my life,” she said.
Nick’s injuries were so severe that he had to be euthanized. The three pit bulls, a mother and two male puppies, both less than a year old, belonged to a neighbor across the street, Samantha Hudson. Wallace said it was not the first time the dogs had gotten loose or exhibited aggressive behavior, and she was frightened for her children.
“I can’t really count how many times we were run into our house because the dogs were showing signs of viciousness,” she said.
Richard Hudson said they surrendered the two puppies voluntarily to Animal Control, and they were subsequently euthanized. The mother dog, which the family kept, has been declared “vicious,” which carries a host of restrictions.
“Pit bulls seem to be a fairly popular breed, and they have been involved in a significant number of the incidents we’ve had reported to us,” said Gerald Worley, environmental health manager at the Columbia/Boone County Health Department, which oversees Animal Control.
Cases such as Hudson’s and the media attention on attacks have reinforced the pit bull’s reputation as a bad dog. Some communities, including several in Missouri, have banned the breed outright.
There are those, however, who argue that pit bulls can be loving, wonderful pets and that the real problem is irresponsible owners.
Sarah Gray, a Columbia resident, was introduced to pit bulls by a friend who used to bring one over to visit. “He was just the most awesome dog I ever met,” she said. “He became really good friends with my son. We used to set up play dates.”
Gray eventually bought a pit bull and now is selling her dog’s puppies.
Tiffany McBee, who lives in Fulton, serves on the Board of Directors for Pit Bull Rescue Central, a national organization that runs an online listing service of pit bulls available for adoption. Most of their animals come from shelters or other rescue organizations. The group uses a rigorous screening process to evaluate potential adopters and will only accept spayed or neutered dogs that have been temperament tested.
McBee said the biggest difference between pit bulls and other dogs is a history of being bred to be aggressive toward other animals, and she counsels potential pit bull owners that no amount of training or socialization will undo those tendencies.
“It’s not something we’re ever going to change in the dog,” she said. “It’s always going to be there. So, if you’re going to be a responsible owner, you have to accept that.”
McBee, who has two children, said it is a mistake, however, to equate aggression toward animals with aggression toward humans.
“People get that confused because they hear, ‘Pit bull killed Labrador,’ and they assume that means the child is next, and that’s not the case,” she said.
Candace Stormer, a veterinarian at Rolling Hills Veterinary Hospital in Columbia, said as a breed, pit bulls can be good dogs. However, she said their sheer strength can pose problems for owners. She’s also concerned that many people want them for the wrong reasons.
“Unfortunately, a lot of young kids get them as sort of a status symbol,” she said, “and they don’t realize exactly what they can do.”