Take responsibility

I opened up the newspaper today, and an interesting article caught my eye. Apparently, on Tuesday, the Wichita City Council will decide the fate of a pit bull named "Mr. Bonz", to test the city's new dangerous dog ordinance. Mr. Bonz bit his owner's 5 year old niece on the cheek back in February, requiring 26 stitches and plastic surgery. No one disputes that. However, the mitigating facts in the case are that there were no adults in the room when the attack happened, and, the little girl may have provoked the attack. After the bite occured, the dog was impounded. Animal control officers decided the dog should be euthanized because he had bitten his owner once before on the hand, and because the owner did not have Mr. Bonz licensed or vaccinated. The owner is, of course, appealing that decision, writing in a letter to the council that Mr. Bonz is "a loving, family dog", and that "He has never shown aggression to any human being young or old, to people he knows or strangers that he sees for the first time."

Several years ago, my husband walked in the front door of our house, carrying a small fluffy object in his hands. "Look what the kids found," he said as he handed me a ball of fur. I held out my hands and immediately fell in love with a 4-5 week old puppy, who had been abandoned in a nearby park. We named her Coco, and a subsequent visit to the vet confirmed that she was almost 100 percent red chow, complete with a totally black tongue and that thick fur that chows are known for.

Chows are also known for their sometimes aggressive, territorial behavior. However, we decided to keep her, and my three young children were thrilled. We began the vet visits, the shots, the licensing, the spaying, the dog food buying, and all that which goes along with pet care. As she grew, I would mention to my husband periodically, that at the first snap, growl, baring of teeth, or aggression to our children, and this dog would have to be put down. We continued to watch her carefully, and when my young nieces visited, we supervised them, never leaving them alone with Coco. Even after a year or more and she never ever showed any aggression, still we watched. Our kids grew, and the frequently visiting nieces grew. Coco grew, and became a full grown chow, with a wagging tail and playful disposition. We did, however, see her aggressive side. She became a terror to all the oppossums in the neighborhood. Woe to them if they came in our backyard. With one snap of her jaws, they were gone. And, because of this behavior, we continued to watch and supervise. Every year she had shots and a vet visit, and every time she was around small children, we were there.

Coco lived happily with us for 10 years, never, not one time, ever, showing any aggression to anyone. The man who owns Mr. Bonz spoke words about his dog that are not true, and not only is he not being truthful about his own dog's violent behavior, but he is not a responsible dog owner. He failed to meet even the rudimentary requirements of dog ownership by not obtaining a license and vaccinations for Mr. Bonz. However, these words do describe Coco, and I want to use them here: She was truly a loving, family dog. She never showed any aggression to any human being, young or old. She merely barked at strangers, and always made friends. Our mailman brought her treats every day and she enjoyed a scratch behind the ears as she stood up on the fence. She was a loving, faithful companion.