Dog that chewed tires, tore bumper off Chattanooga police car sentenced to obedience classes

Associated Press
Last update: March 26, 2010 – 8:58 AM

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – A pit bull mix in Tennessee has been sentenced to obedience training after his dogged attack on a local police car.

Winston didn’t bite anybody, but he mauled a Chattanooga police car in what might have been a confused attempt to take a bite out of crime. The persistent pooch managed to tear off a section of the front bumper and damage the tires.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that a judge ruled that Winston had been a very bad dog. He was sentenced to obedience and canine good citizen classes, and he’ll have to wear a tag that says he is “potentially dangerous.”

Charges against his owner will be dismissed if the classes are completed successfully.

Owner Nancy Emerling said Winston got out of a fenced-in area at a welding shop March 14.

My Opinion:

This obviously should have never happened, but a couple things make this situation a little more tolerable. The fact that Winston escaped his fenced-in area shows that the owners at least made an attempt to be responsible. Also, the officer was on private property when this took place. Some other articles and videos suggested that Winston has never been aggressive towards people, but only objects which make loud noises such as lawn mowers and apparently police cars!

The fact that the officers didn’t shoot Winston and that he’s getting a second chance through obedience training is an incredible victory against breed prejudice. Hopefully this will make a small wave in the legal system when dealing with animals who show aggression. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Owners are responsible for their pets. Winston should have been corrected the first time something like this happened. My guess is, his owners blamed it on so-called breed characteristics and ignored it since no one got hurt. Now they’re getting a rare second chance. We can only hope they take advantage of it because I think a lot skeptics will keep be waiting for the result of Winston’s obedience training and hoping to use this as an example if he can’t be corrected which is unfortunate.

Good luck Winston!

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Pablo had to get some things off his chest.

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If you’re in California, Southern Nevada or even Western Arizona and possibly in a position to adopt a small, wonderful dog or you know someone who might be, please read…

A friend of mine is fostering this poor little pooch name Gracie. Gracie was going to be put down, but Catherine stepped up and took Gracie home to foster her to avoid the unthinkable. Catherine has had Gracie for about a month, but she’s just not in a position to be able to keep her. So we really need to find Gracie a permanent home!

The adoption would be through San Luis Obispo Animal Shelter in California. The cost is $95 which includes spay, initial vaccination series with rabies, microchip and a collar with ID tag.

Here is some info that Catherine included about Gracie:

“She is somewhere between that age of 4-6, maybe even 7. She was categorized as a Norfolk Terrier mix but could definitely be something else. She loves to cuddle, go for walks, be outside and lay on the couch. She adores people, once she has gained your trust. Gracie is housebroken/crate trained and will cuddle in her crate when her family has left for the day. At times, I forget she is here because she is so very quiet. She has never barked but may whine to get your attention and a lap cuddle. Gracie was brought into the shelter extremely fearful and covered in dirt, hair mats and other filth. With a little extra care, she has blossomed into a lovely dog.She is in search of a loving family and hopes to find her forever home.”

If you are interested in adopting her, please e-mail Catherine at catherine.becker3@yahoo.com

International Version

I had to upload a fresh copy of Doberman Defeats Chihuahua because of some problems people were having while viewing it outside of the United States. YouTube allows me to view statistics about my videos and apparently international YouTuber’s are responsible for 40% of my viewership! How cool is that?

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Pablo soaking up some sun and possibly contemplating his busy schedule today.

Ahh, the life of a Chihuahua…

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