Monday
Mar082010
Monday, March 8, 2010 at 09:10PM
To read a free downloadable version of the e-book Dangerous by Default click this link
http://www.scribd.com/doc/27983921/Dangerous-by-Default-Extreme-Breeds-by-AnthonySolesky
1) Click the top left "Download" button to download. (2) A message should then appear on the type of document to download, Click the "PDF" option.
If you experience technical diffculty, please contact us by e-mail twotons@comcast.net we will send you a free copy. Our only request is that you take the time to share a comment about your impressions of the website and/or the e-book. Either by posting at the bottom of this page or better yet at the link below
http://www.dogsbite.org/blog/2010/03/dangerous-dogs-by-default-extreme.html
Thank You
Anthony K Solesky
Reader Comments (14)
Tony, this is a compelling story. It has all the elements of a good novel, not to mention a good spinning of a true story. The following edits I am suggesting are done in good faith, with my professional writer/editor's hat on and with love for you and your family. Please remember that I want to contribute to the telling of Dominic's ordeal and the good you are trying to extract from this tragedy and reserrection.
1. The beginning is a bit longwinded and unnecesarily detailed. While you need the family heritage for set up to the event, I think it could be shortened to flow better. Also what does the transition from golfer to boater add to the reader's understanding of the events of the attack and the aftermath both good and not good?
2. The central part of the story is good. It conveys the terror of the attack, a parents' worst nightmare, the heroes that saved him and the follow up care and support from friends and strangers. It is quite touching and actually uplifting! It carries the whole book.
3. The post attack parts covering the litigation and legislation are a bit preachy and prolonged. You seem to be impaled on the horns of a dilemma. On one hand your\ an outraged parent of a child that was nearly killed by a notorious breed of dog. You are frustrated by the nit picking decision in the civil case and the lack of meaningful protections afforded citizens by the bureaucrats in the Health Department. On the other hand you make points about the particular breed and its propensity to not only bite but to do so with a level of viciousness and prolonged aggression unique to its breed. You can do both but as a scientific editor I suggest you clearly set apart a chapter on the general nature of dogs, their socialization, the difference in defensive "snaps" that leave a puncture wound and the bite, jaw lock, tear, bite release and repeat of the cycle that rips open large wounds. Also some discussion of the brain development of lower mamals and how that base brain instinct is employed and directed by breeders and trainers to create dogs for specific purposes.
and jobs (herding is merely the hunt/attack instinct redirected and limited.)
You could support the opinions you have by citing the results of animal behavior studies at leading vet schools (Penn, Auburn, VA Tech, etc). Otherwise your approach to the subject of breed specific protections appears to be that of a vengeful parent and not analytical and supported by fact. I don't believe you want the arguement seen as one of the hysterical parents/neighbors that we see post attack on the evening news and which is replaced by another story the next night. If you cannot support your contentions with some scientific facts then they are opinions and it is tough to get opinions made into legislation unless you have a ton of political power. Quantification of behavioral aspects is a powerful arguement.
4. You might expand your arguement by working the "potential for damage" aspect. That is: dogs such as Jack Russell terriers, dacheshounds (sp?), and small breeds that were created to hunt for vermin probably bite ten times the number of people that Pits do. I think they are a bunch of ankle biting, needle toothed terrorists that should all be exterminated. However the bites they inflict are usually small punctures that require a tetinus shot and a bandaid. The bites are way under reported and thus they are cute in the public opinion. An eighty pound pit can kill and does so because the breed HAS THE POTENTIAL to destroy its prey due to selective breeding. Pits have the same instincts as other dogs they have been bred to have a lower threshold for violence. They are designer dogs in their own way.
Tony, you may have covered these things and I missed them in my quick read. You have a great story here and I hope what I have written will enhance it. If not then this is still a good read and I think would make a great made for TV movie!
See you tonite!
Lloyd
Lloyd,
This will serve the open minded reader well as it is not only informative, it is beautifully balanced. It shows people I do not surround myself with non thinking beings and I enjoy the synergy that comes from their insight. Some will take offense, some will take ammunition for each of their own opinions for and against these breeds. Those who really take the time to digest your comments, I hope will ask the single most important question I want the reader to ask themselves. Not how but where do they draw the line. I hope the answer is anytime the effort of the endeavor exceeds the value of the pursuit. And so starts the cycle, dare I say "Vicious Cycle".
Maybe a good title for a book.
I will see you Sunday
Tony
PS I wanted to end my post with; " fools the eye" but I forget how to write that (tromp lol)
Quite a compelling read. One truly feels what it is like to be a member of your neighborhood. There needs to be a compromise between the knee-jerk reaction to protect rights of dog owners and the right to safety. We already require licensing of dogs and the proper shots. As much as I hate more government we need dog owners to understand what their dogs are capable of doing and what they need to do to protect the public. I'm quite sure that the insurance industry can quantify the probability and likely severity of a dog attack based on it's breed. Perhaps a minor adjustment in the laws would prompt the insurance companies to require proper training for the owners and containment facilities for the animals. They are probably the most qualified and the most motivated to get it right. If the dog owner's insurance had to pay medical costs directly they would be motivated to ensure the owner's took proper and reasonable precautions with the dogs. Maybe discount the policy for every year your dog doesn't bite someone! Would also make those annoying Geico commercials with the gecko a lot more amusing. Like everything else in life the danger from pit bulls (and other dogs) can't be eliminated but it can be minimized through education and reasonable restraints.
John
I don't think I could have hoped for two better comments to start a thread as were given by Lloyd and John. It is important to remember that Lloyd did not imply there was no science to back my opinions, rather he hinted there was. He simply stated not siting any limited my arguments effect only to opinion. Knowing the science reveals a fore gone conclusion , I went right to the core philosophies fostering this problem. The use by animal advocates of philosopy and platitudes passed off for science as a means to thier own end. When it happened to us we recognized it immediately as what are commonly refered to as "Junk Science".
You will never hear animal advocates address the epidemic of carnage from animal on amimal attacks by these breeds. Why? Because it doesn't often make the news. Ironically, P.E.T.A. supports breed bans because they said these breeds hurt other animals. You will never read where advocates push for mandatory insurance as part of the solution. Many insures don't cover certain breeds and breed advocates, the same as uninsured drivers, don't want the general public to know this gap in protection exists with some dogs. They expliot the natural assumption responsible people have, that they are protected by some criminal or civil recourse. The uninsured are rampant among residential rescue fanatic's: often young childless renters. When I confronted one animal Lobbyist on the issue, she said I don't support insurance because many companies won't cover these dogs. To which I replied "And your point !!! This is what I mean when I say in the news and in the chapter : Every Dog Has Its Day. I said" I want to close the gap between what people think protects them and what actually does". Currently animal advocates by avoiding the insurance issue, knowningly exploit our ignorance.
Tony
Tony,
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read your e-book. This was clearly a labor of tremendous proportions.
I agree with Lloyd's comments--I wanted to have more information about the specific problems associated with a lock-jaw pit bull bite and more scientific research relating to the distinctions between breeds, both in anatomical structure and in breeding and behavioral habits.
I am amazed by your ability to recall the specific details of the incident with such clarity. Obviously it was a hugely traumatic event and would be indelibly etched in your mind. However, you also do a great job navigating the travails of the legal process, the roadblocks and frustrations, and you provide the details to make it real for the reader.
Lastly, thanks for including Dominic's chapter. More than anything, this makes me see the experience through Dom's brave, optimistic eyes and is incredibly moving.
Thank you for all of your efforts on behalf of Dom, your family, and your larger community. Keep up the good fight!
Liz
Liz,
Yes Lloyd really touched on the readers prespective and sets up a better guide and overview then I ever could have hoped for. He is a trusted friend.
Liz, Thank You for taking the time to share your thoughts, you and your family are cheerished by the Solesky's
The constant theme I hear is that all agreed the central story touched their soul. At the deepest level I understood that there is a certain science to writing from the heart. I understood that it is a more difficult achivement for us as humans then we care to admit, ultimatelly it was the only authority I had over convention. I even came to understand that my opinions were a trinity, married, born and I believe statistics validated; in this very incident. I believe that the books greatest value, is in wearing the imperfection of the heart on the sleeve. Not much different from the quiet reflection that comes after Irene and I have a heated Greek and Italian (argument) debate. Somehow we never reach an accord, until we are each left alone with our thoughts. Then we move on without apology but instead resolve. This book, I hope provides the emotional fuel that shakes the soul and settles in that same sensibility.
Tony
Tony, I just finished reading it - absolutely incredible. I certainly felt it, can't even begin to imagine what Dominic and your whole family went through. Thank you for sharing.
Stu
Stu,
Thanks for the kind words and most of all your compassion, you are a true friend.
Tony
edit remove
Even though the victim of the Pit Bull attack was my nephew, I don't think that I would have reacted any differently to the content of this book. When I read the chapter involving the actual attack, I was so moved that I had to pause for a full ten minutes to regain my composure before I could continue reading.
My hope is that, this book won't cause a wider gap between Pit Bull owners and those of us who see the danger in this breed. Instead, that If you are a Pit Bull owner, you might think before breeding more of them. Please ask yourself, "how much of my desire to own and/or breed this dog, is based in fear?"
Phil Solesky
Phil,
Thanks your words means a lot to me.
You know I always used a simple rule when I go into a strange home to do an estimate. First- If the dog retreats under the dinner table when I stomp my foot, it is a good all around pet. Second-If it stands it's ground or comes toward any threat , not so good. Now no matter how it acts, if it is a breed that can kill you, if it's only purpose is to serve as the family pet, it is a really dumb pet. At that point any sense of respect I would normally have for that clients judgement, goes right back out of the door with me.
Tony
This story shakes me to my core. The very next day, April 29, 2007 my good young horse was attacked by a pit bull as I rode him in a park near my home. The attack was horrific, it lasted 20 minutes and covered a mile, the horse was simply mauled. At the time of the attack, the owners of the dog were walking her toward a Park Nature Festival, a huge event, hundreds of people, children every where. If that dog had not triggered on my horse she would have been part of that crowd with the opportunity to create another Dominic . A child would never have lived through it. This thought has always been at the back of my mind. We were in that place and time for a reason.
The owners of the dog that attacked us had no remorse. The horse did live, he will never be the same, and neither will I. Bully breed owners rarely accept responsibility for the violence of their dogs. For this reason the law must regulate them.
Carol Miller
Carol,
You know when I hear about an animal being attacked, it no less affects me emotionally then when I hear about a human being attacked. I can say the same about any cruelity inflicted on either. Your incident hits me hard both ways. In fact it is these personnal feelings that makes me believe that what seems like so inexplicable of an incident, is not inexplicable at all. You may remember when groups like the ASPCA used to be devoted to animal abuse issues. Over time just like so many other venues and organizations, they have been highjacked, in this case, the ASPCA by animal rights groups. Most people like me, did not know the difference between the two philosophies and so I was unaware that there is such a tremendous lobby and grass roots effort to elevate animal citizenship to the stature of our human society.
Animal rights activist I believe, are actively targeting unwitting people to form bonds with clearly unsuitable domestic pets. They seek people as with any cult type approach, that are vulnerable to a surrogate need / relationship with a pet. These vulnerable folks find a sense of purpose with these pets and the whole pet advocacy life style. Faced with the downside realities and even after experiencing it personnally as the dog owner in your incident, their anthropromorphic relationship with pets is so distorted that it is in every way equally as perverse as those who abuse animals as a part of their opposite but equal social disfunction. Ultimately these types react as a human parent might for a child, often in denial. I believe that the same way the term animal rights is different from animal abuse. So is denial response different from a contrived lie, Ironically I would come to learn that denial is a triggered human response. In this case almost as indominable as the Pit Bull breed attack style itself.
In the end Irene and I experienced our efforts to create BSL as nothing more then a power struggle between comon sense and nonsense. Their base is well organized, not above resorting to deception as a means to justify their end and they prey on needy people. This all to fulfill and please quote me, " their wacky agenda". Your gut wrenching ordeal and the maiming of your beloved horse, should be more then enough for common sense to prevail in the drafting of some type of regulation. I am sad to report that currently it is not.
Thank You for being where God needed you and for sharing your story
Tony
Thank you for taking your time and passion to deliver this message. It is a message that many parents have but is not being heard. I invite you to join in efforts to stop these attacks on innocent children, pets, the elderly, by making your voice heard. Although we don't have the monetary element to our movement, we do have the truth behind us and it has to prevail.
www.pitattacksbystate.blogspot.com is my blog, an effort to help to put an end to stories such as yours. And of course, www.DogsBite.org, the website that opened my eyes to this issue.
HonestyHelps
HonestyHelps,
I checked out your website people need to see and know about it. This is just the medicine for the cure the public needs. It seems the link can not be activated in our comments sections. I would direct any one reading this post to view these incrediblly awakening websites. Simply click on the WEB LINKS section here at this website and go to page (2), you will find the links to these very enlightening sources of completely factual information.
Thank You For Your Vigilance
Tony