Poodle owner accused of slitting throat of pit bull that killed his dog

[Zeth Hawkins]

A Riverside man accused of slitting the throat of a pit bull that attacked his poodle has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty. Both animals died.

The incident occurred in the 4900 block of Hollyhock Lane on Saturday morning, Christmas Eve. Witnesses told officials that a pit bull named Devo grabbed the poodle, named Spunky, in his jaws.

About 9:45 a.m., Devo’s owner, Carina Garcia, encountered the poodle’s owner, along with two neighbors, trying to extract the smaller animal from the pit bull’s jaws. They eventually succeeded, but the poodle died soon after.

The poodle’s owner, Rudy Jesus Barajas, then carried the pit bull away and stabbed the animal, apparently slashing his throat, authorities said. The dog ran back to his home and collapsed. The pit bull owner tried to rush her dog to a veterinary hospital for treatment, but the animal died en route.

Riverside police arrested Barajas, 30, on suspicion of felony animal cruelty. Barajas posted $10,000 bail and was released Christmas Day.

“We fully understand how upset someone can get when another person’s pet attacks their dog,” Riverside County Animal Services Director Robert Miller said in a news release. “But no one has the right to take matters into their own hands, as what is being alleged in this particular incident.”

Miller said the episode illustrated the importance of keeping animals properly secured. “Tragic incidents, such as this one, can be better prevented when people have strong fences or tall walls or secure gates.”

Pit bulls have a powerful predator instinct and can attack smaller dogs, even if the pit bulls are gentle to children and family members within their own homes, said John Welsh, the agency’s senior public information specialist.

“They’re going to go after smaller dogs," Welsh told The Times. “That’s what they do. It doesn’t necessarily make the dog a horrible dog. It may make you a horrible owner if the dog gets loose.”

Welsh added: “Both owners have had their dogs off leash in the past, and that’s always a recipe for disaster.”

The pit bull’s owner never received a citation, but animal control said it responded in September and April to reports that two pit bulls under the control of Garcia’s then-boyfriend were roaming the street. The reports do not indicate whether Devo was one of the dogs, Welsh said.

Barajas, the owner of Spunky, a 10-month-old poodle mix, told officials that his dog was in its yard when Devo, a 2-year-old, attacked.

Raul Romero, Barajas’ stepfather, told an investigator that the pit bull finally released the poodle when Barajas grabbed the dog by the neck. But then the pit bull tried to bite him. Barajas took the dog by the neck and dragged him to their residence, according to notes compiled by animal control Officer Max Morales.

Barajas’ mother, Sandra Romero, defended her son.

“He’s not a violent person,” she told the Press-Enterprise. “He was only defending himself because the dog was trying to attack him or bite him.”

Garcia’s account is different. She said the Romeros screamed at her, told her they were going to kill her dog and urged their son to act on the threat.

“My dog did harm and I’m sorry for that,” said Garcia, a 22-year-old college student who described Devo as gentle around the family’s children. She said she realized that animal control might have ultimately decided to put down her dog, but “what that family did was not right.”

California law allows a property owner to protect himself, his property and his pets from an animal, with lethal force if necessary. But the willful, unnecessary killing of another person’s animal can result in prosecutions. The pit bull will have a necropsy to determine the cause of death.

Normally, animal control would have impounded the pit bull pending further investigation, Welsh said. The dog could have been destroyed if deemed dangerous.

Owners that let their animals roam unrestrained face citations that can run several hundred dollars. Civil lawsuits are also a potential outcome of serious altercations between animals, Welsh said.

Although incarceration is unusual, animal cruelty convictions sometimes result in prison sentences.

This month, a judge sentenced a Riverside County man to five years in state prison for fatally beating a 3-year-old terrier mix with a shovel and dumping the dog over a fence. The suspect had a prior record, which contributed to the length of the sentence, according to the animal control department.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...227-story.html

I empathize. I'd definitely want to kill the pit bull, but could never bring myself to actually do it. At least not directly.

[Wyrt]

Careless owners that don't properly train their pit bulls are why pit bulls are starting to be banned.

[Bathory]

Poodle's fault.

[I Push Buttons]

Its hilarious how being entirely negligent and leaving your pit bull killing machine unrestrained and allowing it to tear smaller dogs apart results in a simple citation and small fine... While killing that same pit bull in retaliation in the heat of the moment while wrought with grief over the death of their dog can result in the other guy going to jail for several years.

[Sevarin]

if something attacked and killed either of my cats, be it a cat, a dog, or even a human, you can bet i will slaughter them without a second thought.

my cats arent pets, theyre family. and if you hurt my family, you will pay.

[Super Kami Dende]

He only cut it's throat? Damn, dude showed some restraint.

Also the owner of the Pitbull is a stupid cunt if she lets it be around her small children. It dying is likely a blessing in disguise.

[Sandraudiga]

I'd have done it. Assuming the article is correct the pit bull came into the other dogs yard to attack it, and tried to bite the smaller dogs owner when he came to help. Also assuming the article is correct the owners have had pit bulls roaming free in the past, you don't do that with certain breeds of dogs.

Certain breeds of dogs have quirks, the predatory nature of a pit bull towards smaller animals is no different in the end to a Saint Bernards slobber problem, they are things you work around. In a pit bulls case you have a very good fence and keep it on a lead outside of your yard at all times. If you can't, or won't, do this then the one responsible for anything that happens is you.

[Murderdoll]

I completely empathise with the owner. If another dog attacked mine, Id do the same thing.

Sounds like a careless owner that shouldnt have been allowed to own dogs.

As touched on above, this is the reason why BSL is coming in. I look at BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) and think its fucking atrocious. I own numerous Rottweilers and people assume they are dangerous, they cross the street and pick up their little toy dogs if they come close to me. Ive never owned more loving dogs in all my life. But in the hands of stupid owners who fail to socialise their dogs correctly any dog can be dangerous. I am in mixed breed obedience and without fail, the most aggressive dogs there are the smaller "cute" breeds and thats because their owners have not adequately socialised them to dogs of all sizes.

Unfortunately, some people buy a dog, dont realise how much work they are and either dump them like scum or they end up in situations like this.

[Darsithis]

I see the legal issue here: once the poodle was extracted the "threat" was over and he had no right to kill the pit....but...as a dog owner myself, if another dog attacked/killed my precious babies I would stop at nothing to destroy them.

[Mavett]

Absolutely hate Pit owners that allow them to roam without a leash or a muzzle and when shit hit the fan "it was a gentle dog, don't know what provoked it" full of shit excuse.

Not blaming the Poodle owner one bit.

[PACOX]

Fucked up situation but he dog was off the leash. My dog (a mini-schnauzer) wasn't trained on a leash but isn't within grabbing distance of me (or on a leash/not outside at all) when theres other dogs/people around that it doesn't know.

We don't have full details but I feel like this isn't a case where the pitbull was necessarily viscous but its strength led to a bad situation and thats why it wasn't put down. My aunt has a pitbull, its allowed to play with my schnauzer but only so much because I know that only a nip from the pit could destroy my dog, and my dog would probably initiate the nipping because a schnauzer has no problem telling another dog to fuck off despite their size. Dude might be 20lbs soak and wet but wouldn't back down from a rottweiler if I don't tell him to chill.

It sucks that the owner lost his dog but he can't go around just taking the law into his own hands. Now what if the owner of the pitbull decides they deserve some street justice as well after the city already cleared their dog?

Both owners need to be better owners.

[I Push Buttons]

the most aggressive dogs there are the smaller "cute" breeds

Its amusing how people always say this in every thread about pit bulls killing someone on something.

It is entirely irrelevant if the small breeds are aggressive as fuck. A chihuahua and other "toy" dogs aren't capable of killing people... Hell they would be hard pressed to even be able to scratch anything that wasn't a rodent.

Small dogs can be the most hyper aggressive things to ever exist and it would be meaningless. While a pit bull can literally rip a person apart and easily kill other dogs, especially small ones.

[PACOX]

Absolutely hate Pit owners that allow them to roam without a leash or a muzzle and when shit hit the fan "it was a gentle dog, don't know what provoked it" full of shit excuse.

Not blaming the Poodle owner one bit.

The poodle owner was pretty careless as well. Its a tough deal but their dog should've have been off a leash/outside while th pit was off leash/outside. The poodle owner had a right to be outside too but sometimes you just have to take precautions.

[Zephyr Storm]

Why is this news?

If a pit bull attacked and killed one of my pets, I'd go grab my gun and shoot the damn pit bull in the head. Done and done. Because at that point, the pit bull has shown that it doesn't have the proper restraint to keep from attacking or killing anything it's able to get its teeth into.

People care way too much about animals sometimes. Maybe they should start caring about their fellow humans more.

- - - Updated - - -

The poodle owner was pretty careless as well. Its a tough deal but their dog should've have been off a leash/outside while th pit was off leash/outside. The poodle owner had a right to be outside too but sometimes you just have to take precautions.

Ahhh yes. Classic case of "well, it's the victim's fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

[PACOX]

Its amusing how people always say this in every thread about pit bulls killing someone on something.

It is entirely irrelevant if the small breeds are aggressive as fuck. A chihuahua and other "toy" dogs aren't capable of killing people... Hell they would be hard pressed to even be able to scratch anything that wasn't a rodent.

Small dogs can be the most hyper aggressive things to ever exist and it would be meaningless. While a pit bull can literally rip a person apart and easily kill other dogs, especially small ones.

Uh its entirely relevant if the little yapper is picking fights with dogs 5x its size. Just because a dog is small isn't an excuse not to train it/recognize its shortcomings. I don't care if it can kill or not, it shouldn't be going around acting aggressive towards anything that it sees. Not saying that its the case here but a small dog can go around biting everything it sees but a pitbull defends itself one time and needs to get put down, what?

[I Push Buttons]

The poodle owner was pretty careless as well. Its a tough deal but their dog should've have been off a leash/outside while th pit was off leash/outside. The poodle owner had a right to be outside too but sometimes you just have to take precautions.

Its careless to let your dog roam around your own yard?

Did you read the above article? The pit bull came onto the guy's property and killed his poodle.

[Ragedaug]

I would have been very tempted to do the same. Just a few months back a loose pit bull got into my parents back yard and ate one of their cats. By the time my pop got to it to try to save the cat, the cat was dead. My dad held the dog until the police came, who happened to know the dog by name, off hand mention something about him doing stuff like this before and that "dogs will be dogs" or some crap, then they proceeded to take the dog directly back to the owner who is letting the dog roam free.

I asked my dad how he kept himself from killing the dog and he mentioned if the dogs gets into his yard again there's no way he's going to bother to get the police involved.

[The Penguin]

Another senseless death compounded by further tragedy. As much as I'd want to kill that Pit Bull if it happened to my Rat Terriers, I'd probably let the Law have it's course first. Then if it did not see the animal destroyed, then I might slip Decon in a treat or two. I dunno though. It's hard for me to attack any animal acting on simple instinct. Defense is one thing. Revenge.. another

Really, I think what would really make me lose it would be a Cop trying to exert his authority and shooting the Dog for the hell of it.

I've seen too many smug sons of bitches that wear the badge in California. A while back Me, my brother and his GF and their Beagle were in the car. The Cop pulled him over for speeding and they got a little heated over the speed. The Cop reaches in and pets the Dog. Luck would have it, he got it to howl by scratching it's ear (as it's a sign of love). Right after that he grabbed it real tight and looked at my brother before saying: "You know if I wanted to, I could shoot your Dog right now for the hell of it, and the Judge would take my side because my partner heard him howl. Be glad we ain't asking your GF for a blow to save his ass."

Honestly, if they fucked with me like they did my brother.. I dunno what I'd do. Dogs don't know better. But Humans should. California's police departments are trash and that's why I now carry a Go-Pro everywhere now. I don't give a shit if recording cops without their knowledge is illegal. They can do their job right, or Youtube will for them.

[Toxsins]

The Powers That Be would have murdered the poor dog for the actions of its owner anyway, they're just mad that someone else got there first.

Remember, only The Government has the right to bomb villages, steal entire nation's treasuries, and assassinate foreign leaders. Not you, Citizen-slave!

[PACOX]

Ahhh yes. Classic case of "well, it's the victim's fault for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

If you're going to oversimplify what I said then at least admit to it. I'm coming from the PoV of the state, you don't leave your dog unleashed in potentially dangerous situations, period. Pitts are but down for less, excuse me for thinking we're missing some details. When you're in charge of an animal, you must take some of the responsibility for it.