My dachshund violently killed by neighbor's pitbull

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My dachshund violently killed by neighbor's pitbull

by Laura
(Modesto, CA)

Sammy

Like most of us, I am a true dog lover! My dogs are like my children. I adopted Sammy almost 7 years ago with the help of Petfinder.com. We were her third and forever home here on earth. She led a wonderful life with her people (me, husband, son) and her two adopted brother dachshunds. She ruled the roost and immediately took on the role of Alpha dog—a great protector and watch dog. She sat up and rolled over and did “circus tricks” with her paws like poodles do. We were never able to break the habit of her sitting up but somehow she managed to balance like a tripod with her tail and back legs without hurting her back!

We called her Sammy the Seal among her other nicknames: Samdog, Sam Sam, and Sammers were favorites. She loved to lay in the sun and go on walks with her brothers. She loved to lay on the warm deck during summer and watch her mama swim. Like most dachshunds, she was an eager eater and she really loved her mama’s home-cooked dog food. She claimed the Big Bed as her own and slept between her mom and dad’s pillows when she wasn’t snuggling against her mama’s leg. The first thing her mama saw each morning was her cute, happy face.

I am so grateful for being able to adopt Sammy. She was a true treasure and brought so much love to my family. My heart breaks from the pain of missing her. She was such a large, constant part of my life and the house isn’t the same without her. The bed is vacant now of my sweet, sweet girl. I cry every time I go in my room, esp in the morning or at night. I miss so much the feel and look of her beautiful soft fur, her doggy kisses, her smile, and her expressive eyes.

She was killed 3 weeks ago (at age 11) in my backyard by my neighbor's "non-violent" Pitbull mix. I am haunted by the horror of finding her. She was outside barking with my other dachshund. I went outside to tell my pups to stop barking and only my dog Eddie came to me. I spotted Sammy--her beautiful body lying on the deck and she appeared to be caught in the fence. As I approached her, I saw that she had been pulled partway through the fence and her head had been ripped off. I screamed and my 17 year old son came running out. Luckily he didn't see what I saw but he was hysterical for the next hour.

I cry every day for her. How can I get that image of her out of mind? I never thought I would ever see anything so gruesome. How can I stop the pain I feel? I've had repairs done on my fence but that dog is still there (the police say because it happened "between" the fence that nothing can be done) and my other neighbors have a Pitbull who growls and barks at me and my dogs thorugh the fence. I don't feel like I can protect my dogs....and there is nothing I can do about it. I want to heal from this grief, but I am angry that the dog that killed my Sammy is living happily on the other side of the fence and I am worried about the other pitbill as well. Both neighbors have claimed that their dogs are "non-violent" or "docile", which is not true. So I have anger, sadness, pain, some guilt, and a situation with violent dogs that I cannot control. How can I heal?

Sammy I love you. My heart breaks from missing you. You were my special girl.....my Samdog. Mama's sweet girl. I am so sorry I could not protect you. I enjoyed every treasured moment I got to spend with you and thank God for his sharing you with me. I will forever miss my bed buddy, my portable heater, my clever big girl, my 1/2 of the Reds. May you be at peace Sammy, and may God grant me and my family peace soon. It hurts so bad...so very, very bad. I will love you forever my sweet pup. Thank you for being a part of my life and showing me such love.

I wouldn't feel this pain if I hadn't loved so deeply.
It's hard right now but it's worth the grief to have experienced the love.

~~Laura Staley

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My dachshund violently killed by neighbor's pitbull

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Love Dachshunds Hate Pits
by: Anonymous

I am so sorry for your loss. I lost my beloved dachshund almost 3 years ago to kidney failure, and it still makes me sad when I think of the loss. I had mine for 14 years and still think of her when I let me new one outside at times. Don't get me wrong I love my new one, but I still mourn for what had become my best friend. I am thankful her death was not as horrific as what you described, but the hurt of the empty bed is the same. I believe mine is running and playing now as she did when she was young, I hope she meets your Sammy up there so they can run, jump, bark, and play together.

Bless you,

My best friend
by: Anonymous

Abbie was my best friend- a 4 1/2 lb. black poodle, 3 years old. My neighbors pit bull attacked her and shook her to death. She went almost everywhere I went, slept with me and got the last little bit of food from my plate along with her dog food. She got her treats every morning and played ball on and off every day all day. She slept with me every night. I don't care what anyone says about pits, they are dangerous animals, it is in their genes and they should all be put down. I don't know if I will ever get over the sight that I saw as that vicious dog took her from me. It could have just as easily been an infant. Pit bulls are horrible and should be euthanized-all of them.

not just small dogs fall victim to pit bulls
by: Danica

My 80 lb german shepherd mix was killed by a pit bull. A friend's horse was killed a pit bull. There is no place in a civilized society for this beast.
I am so sorry for your loss Laura. I am so sorry that there are so many victims of this vicious creature.

So sorry for your loss
by: Julie

I'm sorry to read what was the murder of your family member. There is always that "spot" where it happened, and it doesn't seem as any amount of tears ever washes it away. This also happened to my dog, a much larger Chow/Lab cross, an imposing and "dangerous" breed himself, who was attacked by a pit bull who escaped from his home to ram itself through my wrought iron gate.

http://17barks.blogspot.com/2011/10/story-of-rhett.html#comment-form

In the memory of your, do what you can to make the owner of the pit bull pay restitutions, and report every unsafe and cruel situation you see. I don't know whether pit bulls should be banned or not, but I would like to see these dogs taken out of incapable hands, and that's the sort of person who thinks that they are "just dogs". They are not "just dogs", they are inherently dangerous and must never be allowed to escape their enclosures. Too often, it happens and not just our family pets are injured or killed, but human lives.

God Bless you.

Pits are the pits
by: Anonymous

My neighbor keeps her pitbulls in a separate room and her cats in the basement. That is not normal and neither are pitbulls. I would put your hurt and anger to constructive use and get involved with an advocacy group for victims like www.dogsbite.org so your dog did not die in vane and you don't have to face this with your other dogs. You will learn that unfortunately many people have had their dogs victimized by pitbulls in their own yards or while on walks. Others have themselves been attacked. This dog breed attacks more often and is more dangerous than other breeds as it doesn't bite and release, it mauls more like a wild animal. Many people with similar stories can be be found on www.dogsbite.org facebook page too so you can learn how they handled the attack emotionally and legally. They have a lot of support there for you. I hope you can recover from this needless tragedy and I hope the offending pitbull is put down so you don't have to worry about this. If not they must put up their own fencing, at the very least, that doesn't allow the dog to attack yours.

Prevention is key
by: Anonymous

Do not listen to those that try to say it is not the breed but the owners, those that try to turn your tragedy into a forum to spout how pit bulls are discriminated against. When people are allowed to own genetically aggressive dogs created for the purpose of fighting, there will always be other people's pets and children getting hurt by those dogs. Protect yourself and your other dogs - all it takes is some sugar free gum that contains Xylitol thrown over the fence.

Time heals all wounds
by: Dog lover forever

I'm horrified by your loss. I can' t imagine finding any of my dogs like that. Never forget her. You are a better person for having her in your life. Please don't let this harden your heart for pit bulls. Their behavior has a great deal with how their owners raise them. I love the breed. I would question the type of neighbors you have if their dog was that way. Dogs are like kids. If you raise them with love they will learn to love. If you raise them abusively they will become abusive. May God be with you in your time of grief. May he lift your heavy burden. May Sam Dog's spirit live forever in your mind and heart.

sorry for your loss, my little guy and best friend was killed by my husbands dog
by: Anonymous

Every night I go and make his bed, it made me so happy to see he would get excited and then lie on his bed, the next day he would rip it off and wait for me to make it again. I loved him so much. He was two years old. One night I went to see him and found him dead, he had escaped from his kennel and climbed into the other with the mastiff. We were not home at the time and I came home and went to make his bed and found him dead. So devastated, hurt and so empty. I lost my best friend and I can't accept it and having real trouble coping. I have lost dogs before to old age and nothing beats the pain of losing a dog to another dog. I am so upset and sad, I miss him terrible, all the things he did that were annoying I now miss those the most. In the bible it does not really talk about animals and spirits but I believe they do. One day little man I will be able to kiss you and hug you and make your bed again. Love you so much for ever, you will never be forgotten.

HotDogs in my Heart
by: Punisher22

Laura your story touched my heart and I hope u can find piece in your heart knowing Sammie is your angel now until you see her again,I too own a Dashund and he is my world if anything were to happend to him Id go crazy,he too is my little foot heater,guard dog along with his Pit/Lab brother they are the best! My Grandparents had the same thing happen to their Poodle but this pit had already killed a German Shepard prior to killing the Poodle but this Pit would jump the fence do his dirty work and jump back but after the second killing they destroyed him if only more people would be aware of there animals (especially if they have an aggresive breed)maybe chaining them up or putting a muzzle on them so situations like this could be avoided,I think now your neighbor should be at least keeping his animal on a chain because if this happens again I believe by law his Pit will be destroyed,my thoughts n prayers go out to you and yours.

I'm devastated for you and your loss
by: Vivienne

I read your story this morning before going to work, and cried all the way there. I felt melancholic all day but couldn't place why. Then on the way home I remembered the story of Sammy again and felt devastated all over again.

You see, we have 2 little miniature dachshunds ourselves - a brother and sister we adopted a few years ago. Like Sammy, they are the absolute center of our lives. Everything revolves around them, and in return, they give us so much love and joy and let us know every single day that they love us.

I ABSOLUTELY cannot imagine life without them, so to try and comprehend what you are going through is unfathomable for me. Especially considering how it happened and the way it happened, and the fact that the guilty parties are going on with their lives oblivious to the horror they caused.

I don't even know where to begin in expressing my sympathy and sadness for you. Before my 2 dachshunds came along, I didn't care much for dogs. But they have changed my life so drastically and changed my mind so completely about dogs, that I am now seriously considering setting up my own dog rescue.

That was the powerful effect our 2 dachshunds have had on our lives.

My heart breaks for you and Sammy over and over again. You must take comfort in the knowledge that you loved her with everything you had, and she knew it. She knew that it wasn't your fault, and that you would have saved her if you could have. She had a good life with you, and was loved so much. I think that's all any dog wants - to be loved and to be treasured. Just like any human.

The legacy that Sammy leaves is that other dachshunds and other small dogs will be saved and protected.

I for one never ever thought that there was any real danger of our babies being killed by other dogs, let alone other big dogs in the family (as another writer mentioned which was also heartbreaking).

Mine like to go up to the big dogs at the park sometimes, and although I am always wary, I never ever thought that a big dog would actually attack, and that it would take seconds to do permanent damage.

I also never thought that other dogs would actually jump over the fence into someone else's backyard and attack the pets who live there. It's a terrible thing, and something I will now never ever forget and be extra vigilant about.

This is the legacy that the beautiful Sammy has left - that other little dachshunds and other dogs who are vulnerable to vicious animals will be saved.

Keeping you and your family and, of course, the beautiful Sammy in our thoughts and prayers always - may you find peace and comfort in your memories of her time with you xx

pitbull killed familly pet
by: vi

My cat Meowy-kitty (my sister named her) was killed by two pitbulls. I had come home from school two find that there where two dogs in the backyard and that they had attacked our beloved kitty. My brother called animal control but the guy just let them loose and i dont know if he caught them. i put meowy in a box so my little sister would not see how badly meowy had been mauled.

Dogs
by: Anonymous

Dangerous breeds
by: Anonymous

Absolutely no place for them in society. Big dogs = small man

The only kind of dogs I have ever been bitten by was a chiwawa (spelled wrong) and yorkie. Little dogs are usually more aggressive than big dogs because of how much owners spoil them and think its cute when they go after someones ankles.

However I agree that some people do own big dogs and think they wouldnt hurt a flea but that same dog growled at me and would probably have attacked if not for the owner. The Irony is the owner was talking about how pitbulls are stereotyped and how not all of them are bad.

My mums Chihuaua was killed today by a pitbull.
by: Barry, Sacramento.

I am sorry for your loss as I am for my mothers. We all loved Yankee a 3 lb Chihuaua with all of our hearts. This is a crushing blow that we will never ever get over. My mother is destroyed inside and I'm crying for her. The neighbors pitbull got out and jumped my mothers fence where he got our poor Yankee who never stood even the slightest chance. We miss him and love him so much.

Although I don't blame the Pitbull I do feel that they should be kept by responsible owners in the highest regard for others safety. This is a tragedy that did not need to happen and the owners should be held accountable for the dogs they choose to keep. Penalties should be much harder.

I hope your dogs life will live in your memory forever as I know Yankees will live in our hearts for the rest of our lives.

Diego's First Attack
by: Mariah

Deigo's First Attack-
It Was Cold That Day And Calling For Alot Of Snow. My First Love That I Was With For A Very Long Time Broke Up With Me And Left. I Was Histarical With Him Being My First Love And Everything. So I Went To Go Get My 1 1/2 Year Old Female Pit Ladie. She Brightens My Days When Im Upset. I Let ladie Lose As I Had Done So Many Times Before. We Had Four Cats Then. Oliver, Tigger, Patches And Cali. Our Other Two Pits, Deigo and Cena Were Already Lose. Instead Of Going To The Door She Went Under The House. (We Live In A Mobile Home.) We Have Siding Up But In The Back There Are A Few Holes. Deigo And Cena Fallowed her Under. She Sun Was Going Down And Began Snowing Madly. I Went Inside Got The Spot Light And Was Shining It Under The House. I Would Call Ladie's Name But She Would Ignore Me. Insalation Was Torn Down From Where The Cats Had Torn It To Sleep In It Or Get Into The Vents. (Our House Is Very Old.) All Three Pits Would Pull There Upper Half inside Of It And Sniff Around Like They Were Looking For Something. I Went On Calling For Ladie. i Heard Cali And Tigger Hissing And Running And The Dogs Fallowed. Tigger Ran Out From Under The House And I Grabbed Her Throwing Her Inside. I Also Put Oliver In. I Went Back Out And Shined The Spot Light Under The House Again And Deigo Had Cali's Back End In His Massive Jaws. She Was Clinging Onto The Insalation For Her Life But He Had Her. I Dropped The Spot Light And Stood Up Screaming Mom As Loud As I Could She Came Running Out And I Told Her What Was Happening. After The Dogs Came Out I Managed To Find Ways To Rig There Ropes And Tie Them All Back Up. We Had All The Cats Inside But Couldnt Find Cali. I Was So Upset. My Mom Crawled Under The House That Night After My Brothers Had Went To Sleep And Found Cali In The Far Corner Of The House. She Was Dead. We Couldnt Find Any Blood So We Figured He Broke Her Neck.

That Happened To Me Today.
by: Mariah

I Was Getting Ready For School. I Had Just Got Done Getting Dressed And Walked From My Room Into The Kitchen. I Did What I Did Every Morning. Made A Bowl Of Cereal And Went To Share It With My 2year old twin Brothers. My Grandma's Pom Had Pulled Away From Her Hands As She Went Outside To Put Him On His Chain. (My Grandma Is 58 And Has Alot Of Health Problems With Her Arms.) Well Our One Year Old Pit Had Been Running Lose For Over A Month Or Two. Id Tie Him Up But He Would Always Find Someway To Break His Chain. Well Once I Had Finnished Feeding My Brother's I Took My Bowl To The Sink. My Mom Had Just Went outside To Try And Catch Rowdy (The Pom) For My Grandma. He Refused To Come To Her. He Had Been Lose With Deigo Other Times But I Never Dreamed Deigo Would Ever Do ANything Like This. Not Even Five Minutes After My Mom Came Back In And Had Failed At Catching Rowdy We Heard My Grandma Start Screaming And Crying. Me, My Mom, And My Aunt Rushed To The Back Door THinking She Might Of Just Lost Her Balance And Had Twisted Her Ankle Or Whatever. As She Came In The Back Door I Noticed She Had Rowdy Bundled In Her Arms. Rowdy Was An Old Dog So I Figured He Might Of Just Passed Away. But Then I Noticed The Blood Gushing From His Neck. He Was Still Alive But Deigo Had Given Him Brain Damage. his Eyes Were Moving Back And Forth And At That I Pushed My Way Through The Back Door, I Was Going To Kill Deigo. My Mom And Aunt Both Had To Rush After Me And Hold Me Back. My Aunt Quickly Left And Rushed Rowdy To The Animal Hospital. They Said He Had Serious Brain Damage And If He Lived He'd Never Be The Same. As They Brought Him Out Of The Room To Ask My Grandma What She Wanted To Do His Tail Wagged When He Saw Her. She Told Them To Put Him To Sleep Cause We Didnt Have The Money To Have Them Try To Save Him. My Grandma Left Before They Put Him To Sleep. She COuldnt Bring Her Self To Stay With Him. Shes Been Crying Since 8 This Morning And It Is Now 1:30. It Hurts Me To See Her Hurt. She Wont Eat Or Anything. Rowdy Was Her World. They Ate Together, They Slept Together, Every Where She Went Rowdy Was With Her. R.I.P Rowdy <3 We'll Miss You

So very sorry
by: Sandy

I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. I feel your pain. I lost my 6lb pom to my lab/border collie mix. The big girl was lying on the floor and Chi Chi saw a piece of dry food by her. She was going for it when Big girl turned her head to see what was coming beside her. When she did Chi barked at her and she attacked. It was only a few seconds but she crushed her throat. Chi had a collapsing trache so that didn't help. I blame myself because Chi was always barking at other dogs. She thought she was as big as they were. I should have went over there but I never dreamed that Big girl would kill her. This was 7 weeks ago and I still cry everyday.

I'm sorry
by: Anthony

I lost my little dog the same way thanksgiving night. A Pitbull killed him and ate him up! I forgot to tie him up that one night and didn't expect this to happen. I looked for my little dog for two weeks before I found out he was killed when A neighbor told me. It's been two and a half months now and I'm still very hurt! I cry everyday. I feel like it's my fault. I hope I see him in heaven.I hope dogs go to heaven. : (

Im sorry
by: Amber

Im so sorry for your lost..I also lost my Harley (Dachshund) This year in april. He was my best friend and i miss him dearly...He was also killed by a pitbull...

Suzie
by: Lover of all breeds

I'm so sorry for your loss. And I've just lost my most loving,affectionate 12 year old pitbull I would have never known had I listen to all the negative bull that's posted every day, by any and all media formats. I wish you had just said Sammy was attacked by a dog rather than the breed. My point being all animals are capable of ugly , but I believe our four legged lovies are taught by us HUMANS.

Dangerous breeds
by: Anonymous

Absolutely no place for them in society. Big dogs = small man.

I Grieve for Oscar
by: LIz

Your sad story is helping me through my own grief. Yesterday I found my Dachshund killed in the middle of the floor by my other dogs. They have coexisted for over two years, and some even longer. The guilt won't let me stop crying and the thought of his suffering and waiting for me to come help me is almost unbearable.

About 4 days prior I heard Oscar cry in pain and went to get him and bring him to my room, he was surrounded by some of the other dogs and I don't have any idea which one started it. He stayed in my room for two days and nights and then seemed to be better, he was with the rest overnight and the next day everything seemed pretty normal, I was gone for about 8 hours and came home to find him covered in blood, already very cold.

He had probably been dead for a few hours. He had like 7 small teeth punctures on his neck, and some skin torn from his left shoulder, and a dime size skin off his behind and stomach. There was no blood there, all the blood was from his throat.

I don't know if they sensed his weakness from the first incident, if they sensed his medical problem had worsened. He was on thyroid meds, he would eat all all the time and never gain weight. You could see his ribs, but the Vet said the blood tests didn't show anything major and just gave him pills for thyroid.

I don't know if my dogs are feeling our stress due to our move, have turned into something I don't recognize. They are very easy dogs, no major issues between them, so it was quite shocking to find my little boy all bloody.

I wish I had done more for him, I wish I had separated him that day, I am so resentful of the other dogs I don't want to be around them right now. He had the most loving look. I saved him from the gas about 4 years ago, and he died a most horrible death.

My dachshund was killed tonight the same way
by: timdanielle@yahoo.com

Not well at writing now but today my little Niki was killed by the neighbors dogs, pit bulls. I have a pit bull, a rotti, my dogs don't attack other dogs. Their dog dug under my fence and my dog got over to them, I am so pissed, what should I do?

I AM SO SORRY!!!
by: cheryl

I AM SO VERY SORRY FOR YOUR TERRIBLE LOSS, JUST 2 WEEKS AGO I HAD TO PUT DOWN THE LOVE OF MY LIFE, MY WISHBONE SHE WAS 9 AND A BLACK LAB. I MISS HER SO VERY MUCH, I CAN'T SLEEP OR EAT - I WANT HER BACK SO BADLY. YOUR DOG SOUNDED LIKE MINE, THEY BROUGHT US SO MUCH JOY. DEAR FRIEND I KNOW THE PAIN THAT YOU FEEL - BUT OUR DOGS ARE TOGETHER IN HEAVEN WAITING FOR US. THEIR SPIRITS ARE STILL IN THE HOUSE AND THEY FOLLOW US EVERYWHERE. PLEASE FIND YOUR COMFORT IN THE LORD!
CHERYL

DOXIES
by: JEAN

I have a doxie. I love her so much. She is 10 years old and I can't imagine my life without her. I am so sorry for your loss and especially that you had to see such a tragic sight. I will pray for you.

So sorry
by: Judy

I am so sorry for your tragic loss. My 16 year old cat was mauled to death almost 3 weeks ago by 2 rogue dogs wandering the street. I, at least, have the satisfaction of knowing that now - another cat and 2 hens later - they will never harm another beloved pet.

I, too, have times of distress imagining the fear and pain of Max's last minutes.

God bless you.

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My dachshund violently killed by neighbor's pitbull

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My dachshund violently killed by neighbor's pitbull