Woman attacked by own dogs while x-country skiing. Why would dogs do this? - Page 2

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Woman attacked by own dogs while x-country skiing. Why would dogs do this? (Page 2 of 2)

Posted: 12/16/2005 9:40:58 AM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
Little known background to this story is she used to read Thoreau's Walden to the dogs before she fed them. She would finish a lengthy passage, demanding the rapt attention of the dogs, before dispensing the food.

Dogs are great listeners and can also appreciate irony. They struck the bitch down at the very foot of Thoreau's cabin at Walden Woods. One Bull Mastiff was quoted as saying:
"Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself."

To which the other replied: "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is."

The two Mastiffs were last reported instructing the other animals in quarantine on the teachings of that radical revolutionary, Thoreau.

One quarantined (suspected rabid) Ferret reportedly said: "I don't get it. I mean, who the fuck cares about this shit? Seems to me the only reason the libtards read this book is to quote inscrutable passages of it to each other in a vain attempt to seem like they are well read."

Dude, you have way to much free time on your hands.

Posted: 12/16/2005 9:46:47 AM EDT

[#2]

Remember that the owner is some damned poetry reading hippie. They have a very broad definition of what constitutes an "attack." Frankly, I'm surprised she didn't tell 911 that the dogs were questioning her patriotism.

Posted: 12/16/2005 10:10:56 AM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
Remember that the owner is some damned poetry reading hippie. They have a very broad definition of what constitutes an "attack." Frankly, I'm surprised she didn't tell 911 that the dogs were questioning her patriotism.

Posted: 12/16/2005 11:54:46 AM EDT

[#4]

To me it seems the dogs responded like any normal predator.
Her sking down the hill triggered the chase instinct so many animals have.
Whats the worst thing you can do if confronted by a mountain lion? RUN, they will chase you.

Alot of animals will give chase and attack if you run away ( ski? ).

Had she ever had them in that situation before? They may be the most docile animals normally.

When I lived in Montana I had a Rott / German shepard mix who was the greatest dog ever.
We found out when we took the kids sledding that once they got some speed on a hill he would run along and grab a mouthfull of my kids coat (and arm) and start biting / pulling viciously. My son ended up with fairly serious bite marks. If you notice I said I "had" such a dog. (.357 The pursuit triggered something in him. I loved that dog but he was untrustworthy and I sent him to have a talk with mr. Ruger.

Posted: 12/16/2005 12:06:55 PM EDT

[#5]

The day any of my pets attack me or someone else we are going for a long walk in the woods.

Posted: 12/16/2005 12:10:26 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
Her dogs were given oxygen? WTF? Why were they not administered highspeed transcutaneous lead therapy? If I was her I'd be taking those dogs for another trip into the woods.

Now it's time to sit back and enjoy the upcoming pitbull bashing that is inevitable in every dog attack thread.

Why would this turn into pitbull bashing? These were mastiffs.

Posted: 12/16/2005 12:12:57 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I'll be called some sort of an apologist for this, but:

Mastiffs are scary big and powerful. If they were intent on harming their owner, she'd be dead.

I watched the video, and it seems the"mauling" ripped up her jacket and gave her some "deep bite marks" on her arms and upper body. A neighbor said that the dogs normally "docile" (if you've ever been around Bull Mastiffs, you will understand that it's pretty normal for these dogs to be super laid back).

It's quite plausible that they thought she was playing, or hurt enough by the fall to require assistance in getting back up...and tried to help using the only tools they have (last I checked, dogs don't have opposible thumbs).

The 911 calls evidence a fairly calm woman who states that the dogs are right there with her. Again: If the dogs were intent on harming her, she'd be dead. If the story were about a couple of labs, the headlines would have read: "Hero dogs try to save owner".

after watching the video, this makes sense as she said during the 911 call "they dragged me off the trail and down the hill" so were they trying to help her?

Sounds very plausible.

Posted: 12/16/2005 12:52:43 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
Dogs were not trying to kill her, if they were she would be dead. They were probably trying to drag her to safety.

Every mastiff that I have come across has been nothing but gentle giants.

A Brontosaurus was bigger than a Tyrannasaurus Rex; therefore, they must have been even more vicious.

Posted: 12/16/2005 12:53:56 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
I think there is more to this story, than meets the eye. I will wait for a follow-up on what reallly happened. I bet this news story is based on incomplete information on what happened.

No, it couldn't possibly be...........

Posted: 12/16/2005 2:13:45 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
To me it seems the dogs responded like any normal predator.
Her sking down the hill triggered the chase instinct so many animals have.
Whats the worst thing you can do if confronted by a mountain lion? RUN, they will chase you.

Alot of animals will give chase and attack if you run away ( ski? ).

Had she ever had them in that situation before? They may be the most docile animals normally.

When I lived in Montana I had a Rott / German shepard mix who was the greatest dog ever.
We found out when we took the kids sledding that once they got some speed on a hill he would run along and grab a mouthfull of my kids coat (and arm) and start biting / pulling viciously. My son ended up with fairly serious bite marks. If you notice I said I "had" such a dog. (.357 )

The pursuit triggered something in him. I loved that dog but he was untrustworthy and I sent him to have a talk with mr. Ruger.

Hmmm my dog sort of did that. If I ran she would catch up and nail me behind the knee with her forehead. I figured she was just playing around.

Posted: 12/16/2005 2:33:51 PM EDT

[#11]

something is wrong with this...i cry BSsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

bull mastiffs....are so bred down in the aggression spectrum...that i cannot fathom an owner that is attacked by one,

you have to kick 50% of them just to know they are alive and breathing.

Posted: 12/16/2005 2:35:03 PM EDT

[#12]

Dogs are not perfect they are still animals and need to be understood as such just a crazy situation. Got a 120 lb Rottie and it is always in the back my mind that he may just turn.

Posted: 12/16/2005 2:47:22 PM EDT

[#13]

Story edited for "real" news content.

(CBS4) BOSTON

A Concord woman cross-country skiing was bitten by her own dogs.

Rescuers found her lying in the woods with several bite marks.

Kathryn O’Leary always parks her car in the same spot and makes her way to the cross-country trails of Walden Woods.

She was at least a mile and a half into the deep, snow-covered woods when her pets suddenly became her attackers – biting her in the upper body and arm.

"She started to fall down the hill while cross-country skiing and – I don’t think the dog realized what was going on and I think they turned on her," said Bill Noke, of the Concord Fire Department.

Rescuers were cautious with the dogs, bull mastiffs weighing more than 100 pounds. They had to be tranquilized as they were brought out of the woods.

Rescuers say she originally dropped her cell phone in the snow. But she did manage to give authorities a call. Without her help, authorities may not have found her so quickly.

The dogs, suffering from the cold, were given oxygen.

O’Leary is hospitalized and is in stable condition.

Her dogs were rushed to a local vet and will be quarantined for 10 days, under state law.

Posted: 12/16/2005 2:51:45 PM EDT

[#14]

I think some of you may be confusing Mastiffs and Bull Mastiffs. The true English Mastiff was bred to watch over children and happily accept the little monster's teasing, ear and tail pulling, eye poking, etc. The Bull Mastiff was bred from Mastiff and Bulldog lines to provide estate gamekeepers a tool to enforce the trespassing and poaching laws. The Bull Mastiff is designed for aggression, the Mastiff for docility (if that is a word...).

IMHO, the falling triggered an aggression response that other posters have noticed in their own animals, but that is only a guess based on a billionth of the necessary data.

Posted: 12/16/2005 2:54:51 PM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:
something is wrong with this...i cry BSsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

bull mastiffs....are so bred down in the aggression spectrum...that i cannot fathom an owner that is attacked by one,

you have to kick 50% of them just to know they are alive and breathing.

I don't think it's as much BS as being misinterpreted by some.

They're not an agressive breed -mainly a protective one. They were bred to be protective of property, and training involved knocking down an intruder and detaining them, not biting. They're not fighting dogs unless, like nearly all animals, they're fighting for pack dominance.

My guess is that in their own way, they thought they were helping out their master who they thought was in danger.

Posted: 12/16/2005 3:08:10 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
I think some of you may be confusing Mastiffs and Bull Mastiffs. The true English Mastiff was bred to watch over children and happily accept the little monster's teasing, ear and tail pulling, eye poking, etc. The Bull Mastiff was bred from Mastiff and Bulldog lines to provide estate gamekeepers a tool to enforce the trespassing and poaching laws. The Bull Mastiff is designed for aggression, the Mastiff for docility (if that is a word...).

Good point, but:

BullMastiff breed standard from the AKC:

Fearless and confident yet docile. The dog combines the reliability, intelligence, and willingness to please required in a dependable family companion and protector.

A description of the breed from bulldogbreeds.com:

The Bullmastiff shows great strength, endurance and alertness. They are a natural guardian of the home and will not back down from a fight. To strangers they are rather standoffish, but they are loving toward their owner. Bullmastiffs are normally very gentle, cheerful and calm. They make a devoted, gentle companion. They are also known as the 'gamekeeper's dog' because they were bred to accompany gamekeepers for the ability to track and overpower a poacher.

I understand the difference, but wouldn't characterize any modern examples of the breed (or at least any that I've come in contact with) as being overly "agressive". Of course, I also see a difference between protective behavior and agressive behavior.

Edit to fix quotes.

Posted: 12/16/2005 3:11:39 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
All dogs with the word bull as part of their name need to be banned, do it for the children.

Posted: 12/16/2005 4:02:25 PM EDT

[#18]

I guess the dogs just didn't want to go skiing that day, maybe?

Or maybe, they were secretly trained to be attack dogs by the husband/boyfriend.....

Or maybe, there was something missing from thier diet........human.

Posted: 12/16/2005 4:36:26 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
Quoted:

Making excuses for these animals is like making excuses for terrorists.....i.e.

She must have provoked the dogs......
We had 9/11 coming to us......

Now you're drawing parallels between dogs and terrorists? Go take your meds.....

Well you are much more likely to be hurt or killed by a dog than by a terrorist. Getting rid of those animals would do more to improve our safety more than the billions and billions we've spent on Iraq and Homeland Security and increased airport security.z

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Woman attacked by own dogs while x-country skiing. Why would dogs do this? (Page 2 of 2)

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