People expect a few scares on Halloween.
Maybe there’s a guy in a hockey mask with a rubber knife lumbering down the street. Maybe an animatronic zombie lunges off the neighbor’s porch. Maybe there’s a spooky haunted house set up in the garage at the end of the block.
But what no one expects is an actual attack that rips flesh and requires a 911 call.
That happened in Tarentum when multiple pit bulls got loose and attacked people on the streets just as trick-or-treating began. Three people were transported to the hospital. At least two required tourniquets. One, Michael Shutack, is expected to need plastic surgery to repair a hole in his left cheek. He was injured protecting children. One of the dogs was shot and killed at the scene.
While the Halloween aspect is an odd twist, dog attacks are not rare. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates about 4.5 million such instances. About 18% — around 800,000 — require medical attention, and an average of 43 are fatal. That’s a fraction of a percent of all attacks.
But pit bulls have become almost synonymous with aggression and attacks. Is it a fair reputation?
The Tarentum incident definitely makes a case for it. The question is whether the dogs are taking the rap for things that aren’t their fault.
Tarentum police say the dogs’ owner was taken into custody — and the nearby apartment was in deplorable condition. That may lead to questions about the dogs’ care.
While other animal-related situations have arisen in the Alle-Kiski Valley when multiple alligators have gotten loose in the area, the same problem can be seen at the root. People need to be responsible for the animals in their care.
Whether we are talking about a 6-foot reptile or a 40-pound dog, it is on the owner of an animal to make sure it is safe. It is likewise the owner’s duty to ensure the safety of others who might come in contact with it.
By the same token, it can fall to the local and state authorities to make sure that is happening. Enforcing animal laws is not something that is done to harass pet lovers. It’s something that must be done to keep animals healthy and communities safe. Like parents supervising trick-or-treaters, it’s a necessary part of the relationship.
Tarentum handled the scary situation well Thursday. It made another good decision in staging a second go at trick-or-treating over the weekend to try to take away the sting of a fun night gone wrong.
But making sure it doesn’t happen again is less about warning people about the dangers of pit bulls and more about ensuring all pet owners exercise good judgment and prioritize proper care of their animals.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
