Oliver’s off-leash dog park is in the spotlight following a vicious attack on a dog and its owner recently. The victims say the offending dog was a pit bull whose owner quickly left the park after the incident. Shown here are dog owners enjoying the park. File photo
On October 27 Colleen and Steve Holmes, and their dog Chloe, were attacked by a suspected pit bull at Oliver’s off-leash dog park.
According to Colleen, the owner of the dog berated the couple as it tore at Chloe’s head, and left after the attack without even checking if everyone was okay.
The Chronicle’s story on the attack sparked intense debate on its Facebook page, with dozens of people leaving nearly 100 comments. Some of them were too belligerent, factually incorrect or profane to share, but we’ve put together a selection that represents the most interesting perspectives on the debate.
As you might expect, many expressed sympathy for Colleen, Steve and Chloe and outrage that the owner left without an apology.
“I hope this woman is found. How ignorant of her to berate these people and then take off! Get well soon, Chloe!”
“If a person knows they have an unpredictable dog they should have the courtesy/common sense to muzzle it. That could have been a child’s face.”
And while nearly everyone condemned the dog’s owner, many jumped to the defence of the pit bull breed itself.
“I do believe, as does the owner of the attacked dog, that it is not the dog or the breed’s fault but the owner’s. There are some fantastic pit bulls out there and similar breeds to that group and they are lovely dogs who play well with others.”
“There are some questionable dogs that go to the park and it is not, in my opinion, the dog’s fault but the owner’s—no matter what the breed.”
Many people also left website links to stories of pit bulls demonstrating courage, bravery and being honoured for their service to humans.
Other people called for restraint from laying blame in light of the fact that more of the story isn’t known.
“I’m terribly sorry to all involved for this unfortunate incident but I reserve judgment on anyone unless I’m a witness.”
“I wish the dog all the best but I wish the media would not vilify pit bulls without evidence. There are lots of other breeds that look similar to pits and give them a bad name. Ultimately it is usually a negligent owner. Many other breeds look like a pit. Was the owner an expert in the breed? Just because one person in a stressful situation thought it was a specific breed doesn’t mean that’s what it was. It very well may have been but again, there’s no proof.”
The largest number of comments, however, came from people attacking the pit bull breed.
“People’s cute little personal experiences, stories, and pictures with their own awesome pit bulls or time spent in a shelter, rescue or as a vet tech, as a trainer, does not change the fact that pit bull-type dogs are the number one canine killer of children, adults, other people’s beloved pets, and livestock of all other dog breeds combined and of all time.
If all these dog owners would have picked a safer pet like a beagle instead of a pit bull many people, pets and livestock would be alive today.”
“Bad owners own other breeds of dogs too, they aren’t out there mauling and killing. That kind of blows the ‘bad owner’ and ‘it is all in how they are raised’ theories out of the water. All dogs do not bite. Lots of bad owners don’t own pit bulls, lots of dog owners don’t raise their dogs right, those owners and their dogs don’t seem to have problems with mauling and killing dogs. The common denominator seems to be breed.”
“Pit bulls shouldn’t be allowed in dog parks—they are way too unpredictable and were bred for dog fighting, so even if they have good owners, no amount of love or training is going to keep them from attacking once their genetics kicks in. This woman was doing what countless pit bull owners have done before – and that’s to blame the victim, assume zero responsibility and then take off.”
“It’s not about ‘vilifying’ a breed, it’s about understanding their heritage and debunking the ‘it’s all how you raise them’ myth. Pit bulls, by no fault of their own, cannot be trusted anymore than a tiger can.”
On November 28 Colleen Holmes said she is still shaken by the attack, and now sometimes avoids the dog park for fear something similar might happen again. She said she hasn’t seen the woman and her dog again since the incident.
Diane Vaykovich, Oliver’s corporate officer, said no more dog attacks have been reported at Oliver’s dog park since the original incident.
By Trevor Nichols
