Girl on horseback attacked by pitbull

I have this to ask - who was to know the dog was viscious? I'm sure they'd ridden past that area before & this was the first time it happened. How does anyone know that this dog wasn't a perfect animal but was intimidated by the horse which caused it to act this way when they rode past. You also said the girl wasn't badly hurt - the article said she wasn't hurt at all, she landed on her feet. I just think it seems odd that you automatically assume that the dog was viscious even if this was the first time it had ever done anything like this. I do NOT ever blame the dog, they have their natural instincts which everyone knows before they buy a dog - of ANY breed, then their owners are responsible for training it to be well behaved etc. Personally, i think the owners should get in BIG SH*T but the animal should be sent to obedience training to be rehabilitated, it doesn't deserve to die for making 1 mistake.

I think the owners should be in some big trouble, all dogs need to be kept under control when out in public ,on a leash or what not. I dont blame the dog, but it's definatly the owners fault. Hopefully they will be fined at the very least and have to pay for any damage the dog caused.

The owner of the dog has full responsibility of the dogs' actions. Pitbulls have a bad reputation to begin with. A lot of this is down to the owner. The dog is only as good as the person who owns him. The dog should not have been lose, out of its own yard. The owner of this dog should pay for any and all vet fees for the horses' injuries. If the owner can't control the dog, then they should be allowed to keep it. If it has attacked once, odds are it will do it again. With todays laws, the dog may pay the ultimate price, as usual. The owner of the dog is at fault.

Obviously the dog should be destroyed since the owner isn't able to confine it, then the owner should be fined at the very least. If the girl had been hurt by the dog, he/she should also be facing jail time. IMHO

First of all I don't think Pitt Bulls are bad dogs. I think they are POTENTIALLY bad dogs and they should make you have to have an IQ test and a background check before you have one! No telling what they'd done to that dog to make it ballsy enough to attack someone on a HORSE! Unfortunately the dog will probably have to be put down as much as I hate it. I reckon the gene pool would be a little cleaner if the owner got put down too, but he'll probably get a fine and they'll leave him alone.

The owner of the dog should have to be put in jail and pay a fine. The dog should have to be put down. I know that sounds bad but can we trust the dog ever again. Once they attack will they attack again and maybe kill someone.

Nothing that humans do amaze me anymore. Of all the creatures and animals, they are the most self centered, mean, and thoughtless ones. What else can I say as to this pet owners stupidity. ++++ again.

One of my neighbors were trapped in their house because a pitbull was sitting outside the door and being very aggressive. They did not know it was a neighbor's dog and it took animal control a couple of hours to get there. The owners have a choice of paying a fine or taking dog/owner training classes. That's what I think should definitely be done here. And, the owner should pay all medical costs of the horse as well as any re-training it might need. I knew a guy who lived on the edge of a horse trail who had two rottweilers. He thought it was funny that the dogs would chase after people riding their horses on the trail. And, he continued to let them run loose even after several fines and warnings. In that case, the dogs should be taken away and given to a new owner that knows how to take care of them.

the owner should be penalized for that, some owners get a kick out of having their dogs attack they trained them that way.

This is a very controversal topic. In Ontario, if you have a pitbull, it cost more to licence him, he has to be mircrochipped, you have to submitted pictures and when he is outside and being walked he has to be muzzled and on a leash. Next year they are adding in the dog has to carry a certain amout of insurance in case of attack. Not all pitt bulls are vicious. Alot of it has to do with how they are trained. I think the owner in this situation was clearly negilant. He should have to pay the any bills surrounding this situation. I think the dog should be given retraining. Maybe with a new owner.

I think since the dog didnt hurt nor kill the girl or horse (I am assuming attacked didnt mean seriously injury or kill the horse) I think the owner should be punished. The dog should be locked up as well. Thats horrible either way! Thank God the little girl didnt get seriously hurt or die being thrown off. She could have had worse too. :((

HI ok this is the first time its been reported of this attching. Who to say this didn't happen before. I should say that the owner should pay for everything. he should train his dog and keep him on a leash. Plus i really do believe that his dof shopuld be muzzled. If he doesn't want to follow al the guidelines given to him so this won't happen again. Well i feel that the dog should be put down. Next time who to say it won't be someone elses dog or cat. Something even worse a child playing. I feel really sorry for the lady and her horse. Also for the dog to be taught to act aggressive. I hope the owner feels bad for had happen and for what the future have to hold.

Any dog can get overexuberant and excited when off the lead and out in the park. Even normally docile ones do unexpected things occasionally and it is sometimes very difficult to control the usually most well trained ones. Pitbulls should wear muzzles when out in public. Sometimes people forget that dogs are still basically wild animals and instinct can overrun training.

It's awful. The dog should be put down. If he has the nerve to do this to a horse who's 20 times the size of him, it doesn't bear thinking about what he can do to a child. The thing is these dogs don't usually have a history of this untilit happens! IT's not always directly the owners fault. We could say the pitbull should have been on alead, but if he'd never shown any signs of this sort of behaviour before (I confess I'm assuming here), then the owner would have no cause for concern. However, I would totally support a prosecution if it turned out that the owner had reason to susepct this may happen before hand. I'm so happy & relived for the horse & her poor owner. They deserve to win that steeplechase after all that. I'm glad the horse wasn't mentally scarred from this as well. I hope they never have to go through this again. The dog should be destroyed.