WHAT TO DO WHEN ANIMAL CONTROL COMES KNOCKING

[mnp13]

A LEO can say just about anything they want to get you to comply with their wishes. Well, they can't threaten to beat you or anything, but outside of that things are pretty much fair game from what I understand.

I think the point here is that if someone threatens you with a warrent, make them get it. I have nothing to hide - I live with a cop, there is nothing even remotely illegal in our home - but no one is going to come in (in a negitive context) without Demo present or without a warrent. You DO NOT have to let anyone in your house without a warrent. Of course, if you are running from the cops then they can follow you in or I *think* if they have reasonable suspicion of a crime committed or about to be committed.

Having a crate on your porch does not fall under that criteria. They can tell you that, but it's not true. I do not doubt you about what they said to you, but it was all a fabrication. I'm glad that they didn't find anything and it all turned out alright, but there are some overly enthusiastic LEO's out there who might want to take your dogs because of "fighting paraphenila" (sping pole, tread mill, vet supplies) or "evidence of fighting" (dogs with scars or wounds, multiple Pit Bulls). They feel they are protecting the dogs in case you are doing something bad, but that doesn't mean that they are doing what is best for you in the long run.

Are there crooked LEO's out there? Yes, of course. There are crooked people in all professions. Unfortunately, LEO's take the brunt of criticism because they are in the public eye and that makes them easy targets.

I am not saying you intended to come off as saying "all LEO's are evil crooks" but I will admit that it sounded to me that that was what you were implying. That is why people ask for clarification.

[gayrghts]

Right Lisa,

That's what happened.... Remington was being pressured into letting them in, by saying whatever they could, to get her to comply.... in hopes that she would give them info that they could use against someone she at the time, was fostering dogs for....

A friend of mine locally, has 2 pits.... they were playing the houdini pup game till he figured out all the ways to secure the yard....

He lives on a corner near a housing project.... he's a responsible owner but he and his brothers when they were younger were rather much JD type kids.... all had been in placement over the years etc.

The police and ACO now are always on him... when there's a report of a pit loose.... in the area.... they stop, and bug him and insist on seeing that his pits are home with him...

He's got 2 females.... white with some light tan, white with some brindle.... they will go bug him, with a male in the car insisting that it must be his.... and pretty much call him a liar... when he says no its not....

When we had the dog break in our house, the first thing the cop said was.... i bet its Shawn's.... my roommate said... Shawn has females.... cop said it probably still is Shawn's.... this dog was reddish brown, with a bit of white....

I know that the ACO and the police are just trying to do their jobs.... but its amazing once you have a pit, and they know it.... how much you get blamed for things its like guilty till proven innocent....

Almost like racial profiling.... sigh.

[APBTgal]

Well well look who stopped by my house today. ACO He actually stopped me at my kids bus stop. I of course had my little with me to greet my kids. He said the next door neighbors had called because they are scared of Tyson. They put up a privacy fence while I was away. I thought the problem was over but apparently it has just begun. He asked how many. I told him 3 but I had just found Piggy. He asked about registration and shots. Tyson has his 3 year and pink is due for hers. I let him know I will be taking piggy and pink in as soon as the 13th. He was really cool about every thing. But he does not support the fight against BSL he is all for it. We had a 77 year old attacked and she will lose her arm.

I explained that they put up a fence and my dogs are "no longer a threat". He told me they sent him pics of the fence they had to put up and the dogs. He said most people don't work with them. I am glad I did cause he told them that my dogs are never loose and they have their shots there is nothing they can do.

I have quite a few old busy bodies around here. But all I got for them is....

[Jenn]

Yeah sometimes you have to pick your friends, and pick your battle partners appropriately.

[pmashaney81]

This is actually a time that I am thankfully living in Texas. Animal Control is privatized and if they come over to my house without Police officers, constables, or a warrant... They might meet my 12 gauge.

[APBTgal]

This is actually a time that I am thankfully living in Texas. Animal Control is privatized and if they come over to my house without Police officers, constables, or a warrant... They might meet my 12 gauge.

To bad we can't do that here.LOL

[airwalk]

Now, now...we are only trying to do our jobs...generally speaking...if we are at your door, it's because someone called us...we didn't just happen upon you cause we had nothing else to do today.

There has been some very good advise given here...I manage an ACO and nope not in my house not without a warrant. My son's a cop and not without a warrant and he'd tell ya the same thing.

[jmashaney]

I am thankful to live in a town where we are not harassed or discriminated against because of the breed of dogs we have.

Our ACO is a bit of an A$$, but then again, so is the guy who works at the gas station. I don't think it's indicative of the position either holds, some people are just jerks.

LOL, I am also thankful that 10 out of the 12 houses on my street are "dog" houses, we have a great mix of pits, danes, and ankle biters in this neighborhood.

Everyone is really good about catching up each other's dogs if they get loose, and no one hesitates to call AC if there is a stray running around destroying garbage cans.

The other night our neighbors two houses down came by with one of their "horses," a dane named Banjo, who played with our pups and the chihuahua while we all hung out. No different than neighborhood kids playing under the watchful eye of "mom and dad."

Reading the posts about BSL really saddens me. I know in this area of Texas we have TONS of pits, and unfortunately, many of them are involved in illegal activities.

I own a treadmill, but it's for my fat a$$, not my dogs, and we plan on buying a breakstick for safety reasons.

It is frightening to think that someone coming in my house would think I was fighting dogs just because I owned those two things. I own guns, knives and a freezer, too. Does that make me Jefferey Dahmer??

People can be so silly and blind sometimes in their efforts to do what they think is "right."

[demolitionic]

I own guns, knives and a freezer, too. Does that make me Jefferey Dahmer??

People can be so silly and blind sometimes in their efforts to do what they think is "right."

Amen to that.

After Brandy had whelped her puppies, we used to take them into the front yard for "puppy play time" and "puppy potty time", and all the little neighborhood kiddies would come by and play with Brandy, and the puppies, and she couldn't have been happier. We couldn't take them in the backyard, because we had a pool, a hot tub, and a pond, and puppies don't have great depth perception. They had a small little area in the front they kept to, and where Brandy kept them wrangled.

She had a mental invisible fence instilled in her, she WOULD NOT go past the curb. Would NOT.

We'd put up the puppies one day, and my father, myself, and Brandy were in the front yard. She was rolling around in the grass and chasin the squirrels up the tree when a guy walking by with his dalmation stopped a couple feet away from the curb. His dog was barking its head off, lunging on the leash, snarling, straining to lunge, etc. We said "Brandy, stay." She stood up, this dog and his owner (who was carrying a trunk of an old Christmas tree, about 4 feet long and a few inches thick) looking pretty threatening. But she was given the stay command and just stood, watching, like "What in God's name is wrong with you?"

The man said "is that thing a pit bull?"

Dad said, "Yessir, it is."

Man: "She better not attack me."

Dad: "She's just fine where she is. Maybe you need a stronger leash to control your dog."

Man: "If she comes out here, I'm gonna let my dog loose on her. And I'll kick her and I'll beat her with this walking stick."

Dad: "Friend, that'd be a very big mistake. If you touch her, I'll shove that stick up your a$$ and ride you home like a pogo stick. Carry on, buddy, and have a good day."

The dalmation snarling and lunging all the while, dad called Brandy over to him, where she sat at his feet, still watching the dog.

The man moved on, looking back and swinging his stick all the while.

This is in a suburb of Houston, keep in mind, where no home in the neighborhood is lower than a a quarter million market value. A short while later, a constable comes by with Animal Control, after being told there's a "vicious red pit bull on the loose, threatening people walking their dogs".





... Funny, she seemed very excited to see the constable, and let him scratch her belly. That troop of toddlers and elementary kids playing with her in the yard didn't seem to think she was so vicious either.

[Moe]

We do not have AC in our area its Code Enforcement here...and after rescuing our 3rd dog Code Enforcement was promptly called on us..So here I am standing in my kitchen having coffee...here comes the code enforcement in the alley...Husband says, what the heck are they here for..I said (just having that feeling) I bet they are here for us...and right I was..So I went out and greeted the Code officer, she told me there wasa report of "Tons" of dog feces in the yard, I invited her in and she said no that's OK, I can see from here that there isn't a "ton of dog feces" in the yard..Of course not because rain or shine I am scoopin doggie diamonds...Now mind you this was the second time code was called on us and both time they marked it as "unfounded" meaning there was nothing to report...The first time was that we had too many pets (I fostered at the time and had 7 guinea pigs, 2 rabbits, 4 cats & 2 dogs in my home) I again invited the officer into my home, heck I have nothing to hide...The woman looked outside in the yard, down in the basement up stairs and at all the animals...and looked at me and said you must have someone with a grudge against you, because there is nothing wrong here, and there is no law here stating that you cant have as many pets as you want...I take care of everything...Everyone was clean and such..so after this second time, I asked how I could report harassment, so I got directed to the police station, who in-turn told me they could do nothing because they had no clue who was making the false reports, but that code had their own way of dealing with it, and that the person will get fined for making false report, because lets get real, they have work to do..they could be taking care of real problems instead of coming out to false reports...

So to solve our problem we are putting up a privacy fence, hoping people will mind their own business...Our ACO is out of Philly..I'm waiting for them to come to my door next...We are responsible dog people...but people just cant mind there own...

[airwalk]

Exactly..ACO/Code generally are responding to complaints, so it is usually someone in your neighborhood filing reports, and actually you love having them marked "unfounded" because it does affect the way they approach future complaints.

We have one person in particular that they have apparently really peeved a neighbor, who would call us at least weekly. We went, we did four unfoundeds, we now won't even take complaints from that person...they get told no.

So, if you can let them see and there isn't any problems...it will get written off fairly quickly if it's code or aco...that said...if I personally wasn't sure of the intent or if it is LEO...you're gonna have to bring a warrant if you want inside.

[apbtcadillac]

Dont we all wish the world was fair. I do not break the law. I do not abuse my dogs. I do not let my dogs roam the street or cause harm to other living things. But- because of my neighbors ignorance i have already had AC called on me once. I was only here for a month.

I was reported for "abusing a dog by forcing it to drag weight" ie. weight pull training with a dog over a year old who was only dry dragging 10 lbs. i didnt follow all of the instructions there. but, i did put the dogs away, go outside and close the dog behind me. I did buy the necessary licenses right there, since my check had been returned the day before (because i accidentally sent it to the wrong ac office) and we'd been there a month and needed licenses.

I told the officer that my dog was practicing weight pull-which is a legal and humane sport. i asked him if he wanted to see my dog to prove i wasnt abusing him- he said no, that wasnt necessary. I wouldnt have offered, but the one in question was our lab mix atlas, and the AC officer seemed knowledgable about weight pull. After i talked to the officer, he crossed the street and educated the morons who called on me on the truth about weight pull and the likelyhood that their tiny, unleashed demon dog would kill someone, rather than my dogs.

I get more and more paranoid each time i read something about an apbt being taken without reason. but, i am responsible. and i will present our cgc certification papers on request to prove it. none of my neighbors can do that. they dont even register or vaccinate or use leashes on their dogs. . . but i'm the irresponsible one because of my dogs breed.

the world is a messed up place.

[bluepit4me]

I am just in awe. After reading this entire thread the reality of how bad it actually is has just sunk in. I can't believe some of the harassment fellow members here have had to endure. I will most certainly be on my toes. Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences.

[babygirl]

I'm sorry to intrude but I have a story, it doesn't involve Pit Bulls, thank god or it could have been worse. My mom lives on a private dirt road in good old pasco county Florida. Now she has a neighbor that is the textbook version of white trash down to the canned beer he drinks. When the property my mom lives on was for sale he wanted it. When my mom moved in he started giving her hell. His dogs would come over and my mom's dogs would follow them back to his property. He started calling animal control and that led to fines. Oh it gets better, he claimed my brothers golden retriever bit his son walking home from the bus stop, when the cops showed up the boy had no marks on him and when my dad told the officer he had driven the kid home and our dog couldn't have bitten the child and the child confirmed this, the cop left. Within a week my mom's whole littler of Australian Shepard's were poisoned. Think animal control came out? NOPE. My mom called and called. They were happy to give fines for loose dogs but god forbid they had to investigate anything. So I had a go, I went as high in their chain as I could. They went out, and because his trailer was out in the back of the property, which everything until that point was plain sight. Thank god. He had 3 septic tanks 1 for his trailer, 1 for what looked like an airport hanger, 1 that was hooked to 50 yes 50 trailers that he was renting to illegals. School age children were everywhere no green cards and the trailers were in condemned conditions. The AC officer called code enforcement and INS and everyone else. He spoke to my mom on the way out, and said he didn't find the poison but what he did find set this guy all kinds of back. He still gives my mom hell but he thinks twice about being to out of control. So not all of them are bad, but you still have to be careful.

[airwalk]

I get more and more paranoid each time i read something about an apbt being taken without reason.

I'm certainly not going to tell you there are no bad ACO's out there..just as I wouldn't tell you there are no bad cops, accountants, coaches, teachers out there...most of us are doing our jobs in the best way we can.

I always worry when someone says they lost their dog for no reason...it has been my experience that it is rarely for no reason...maybe not a reason the dog owner agrees with...but there is a reason. Additionally, ACO's don't make up the rules ourselves. They are mostly state laws and local ordinances. Local Ordinances come about because citizens convince governing bodies to pass them.

[TinaMartin]

Baby girl you aren't intruding. I don't have an APBT I have an American Bulldog and everyone is more than happy to share doggy experiences no matter what the breed. There are even people here with.......wait for it...........LABS. Yes that's right labs and we love to hear about them, esp. (in my opinion) Truman.

[gmorales]

This is actually a time that I am thankfully living in Texas. Animal Control is privatized and if they come over to my house without Police officers, constables, or a warrant... They might meet my 12 gauge.

Oh my god, privatized? In December of 2005, my "guardian angel" of 13 years escaped out the front door. I live in Lubbock, Texas. At that time, I lived next door to an obnoxious neighbor, who kept her teacup chihuahua tied up in her front yard. Can you believe that? My baby was abused and had been fought, and I was never able to break him of that habit: killing other animals, not overkill, just a couple of shakes with his massive head, and they were gone. The neighbor called the police and AC. I was just arriving home from work, they had him in the AC truck, and explained to me what happened. My elderly father had answered the door, and Izzy saw his chance, and made a run for it. He loved a good chase. That evening I was there at AC pleading with the warden/ supervisor to at least let me take Izzy his kind of dogfood and treats. I could not bear to see him there. The supervisor saw I was not angry or antagonistic, only concerned about my dog. She let me visit everyday Izzy was there. We did everything possible to convince her that our home was pitbull proof, she even threw in a kennel/ enclosure for the front door, in case he got out on my dad again. My dad was furious, he said our house looked like the penitentiary. Later she told me, it was Izzy's attitude and friendly demeanor towards the staff that saved him. Oh and by the way, we paid 375.00 restitution for the loss of the teacup chihuahua. She bought another one, stupid woman, she does not deserve to have animals, it died 3 days later. Izzy was beautiful with green eyes and he was a beautiful strawberry blonde. In Lubbock, I don't believe AC is privatized