David Winegar and his three pups Photo Resource: Bismarck Tribune
The Lowdown
There are some stories you hear about that make you scratch your head. I certainly was doing that when I heard about Patty Robbins. Her grandson, David Winegar, recently adopted three pit bull puppies that were only one-month old. Instead of congratulating her grandson, she filed a petition at the city hall in Regent, North Dakota.Unfortunately, one of her dogs was attacked by a pit bull. Mrs. Robbins fears that one of her grandson's four sons would be attacked by one of his pit bulls. Nevertheless, she was able to obtain 43 signatures on her petition to ban Pitbulls and Rottweilers. Regent only has 200 people living in it. Her grandson did not hear this directly through her but through the grapevine.
They are close and both hope that their relationship survives this. Does he see his Grandma often or a few times a year? Part of me wonders why she didn't talk to him directly about how she feels about the dog breed. The other part of me wonders why the grandson had to get the pitbull breed when he knew that his grandmother had suffered a traumatic incident in the past?
Still, I can't help feel for the grandson. He adopted young puppies, not dogs. How you raise your dogs is just as important as what type of dog you own. It's not fair to the puppies and the grandmother is assuming the worst conclusion.
What Next?
If the law passes, David Winegar will have to pack up and move to another town. Having four young sons, their lives will be disrupted so he'll be able to keep his dogs. I can't help but thinking the grandmother has jumped the gun. I only hope there can be a way to resolve this so both of them benefit.Read More About It
If you would like to read more about this in its entirety, check out the Bismarck Tribune.Let's Discuss
What do you think about this? Do you feel for the grandmother or the grandson?Related Posts
The Misunderstood Pit BullDogtown
I happen to live in Regent and I signed the petition to ban the dogs. I have children and I want to be able to let my children go outside and play without the threat of a KNOWN to be vicious dog. If he doesn't want to leave town because of his children do the logical thing and give the dogs to someone that can have them far away from here!!! I say BRAVO to Pat and Thank you for protecting our town!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see what happens. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article and the comments that followed, my own two cents' worth is that it would be much better to regulate what Regent's residents DO with dogs and how the dogs are kept - NOT what type of breeds are allowed or banned. How a dog behaves towards people and other pets is much more a function of its upbringing than of its breed, and any dog can be a problem if it is poorly socialized. An ordinance requiring dogs over a certain size (and there are many as big as Rottweilers) to be kept fenced in would be better and more humane than a ban, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI know that this response is after the fact, but this had been bothering me for a while. I especially felt this was the case after reading about a famous pit bull owner.
ReplyDeleteI would further like to add Anonymous, that any responsible dog owner will know how to take care of a pit bull and will be able to have their dog under control. While I can understand that pit bulls can be intimidating, with the right owner, they are very loving and loyal. Since these dogs are puppies, the fact that they are vicious have yet to be determined.
Pat- I totally agree with what you said. It's about how they are cared for than the breed themselves.
Thank you both again for your comments.