Friday, August 22, 2008
Wendy Blevins Podcast on the Tom Becka Show (38 minutes)
Wendy Blevins InterviewOmaha, NE - Tom Becka (1110 KFAB) is a well-known radio personality in Omaha. He talks to Wendy about the pit bull attack, which resulted in her daughter losing part of her scalp, the current situation in Omaha regarding the mayor's dumbed-down pit bull proposal and the upcoming steps the City Council might take to strengthen the proposal.
Wendy says: "But the dog actually just started walking toward us...very curious, like he was just going to come up and lick our face. Not a threatening manner at all. He got to about four feet from us, and, to be honest, I don't think his feet ever touched the ground. He literally just nose-dived into Cade's chest, right over his heart, grabbed a hold of his chest, shook Cade a couple times and toppled the wagon onto its side..."
She talks about Tina, the dog owner as well. Tina called Wendy while she was at the hospital. She asked Wendy, "Is your daughter going to live?" Wendy describes the phone call further. "I said, yes. She has another surgery. Then she proceeded to tell me that she was sorry, but Duke was a really good dog and that she had lost her baby...and I said to her, I feel really bad that you lost your dog, but I can't sit here and listen to you tell me what a good dog Duke was..."
Wendy believes that the Mayor's committee rushed the process of reaching the proposal and without realistic public input. No one on the committee even spoke to Wendy. She mentions that her brother recently went to a luncheon and met up with a person from Omaha Animal Control. The person told Wendy's brother than no Animal Control field officers were even asked their opinion on the matter.
The consensus is that Mayor Fahey's committee is acutely biased and stacked with members of the Nebraska Humane Society (NHS) that oppose all breed-specific laws. Top members of the NHS own pit bulls. The other helping hand is the ASPCA's Ledy Vankavage, who is the owner of three pit bulls. She's been quoted in the press saying pit bulls are "extremely human friendly," little "wiggle butts."
Wendy specifically talks about Fahey's proposal and that it has "a lot of holes." She addresses the 15-minute tethering rule, "Are they going to mark these like they do with cars with a piece of chalk?" The type of leash and muzzle is undefined in the ordinance, as is, a "secure" fence. What does "secure" mean exactly? 4 feet high and without holes? This fence height will not keep a pit bull contained.
Then someone called in and blamed Wendy's child for the attack, until Becka called him on it. Wendy handled it very well. Listen to the interview, it's very compelling.
Related article:
08/18/08: The Art of a Pit Bull Scaling a 6-Foot Fence
06/28/08: Coverage of the Omaha Pit Bull Attack - DogsBite.org
Labels: Ledy VanKavage
8 comments:
| 8/22/2008 8:48 AM | Flag
Seems like she is still falling for the biggest lie of the pitbullfans: it is irresponsible owners and breeders.
Do not make this mistake. Do not think the owner looks respectable so he must have a nice pit. Do not think the owner has another small dog the pit will be okay with small dogs. Do not think he is wagging his tail so it must be a nice pit.This dog was bred to show no signals of an oncoming attack. Keep your dog and child away from them.
Responsible pit breeders tell their customers: this dog was bred to kill other dogs. Do not think because you raise him together with other animals he won't attack your neighbors dogs.
| 8/22/2008 1:09 PM | Flag
To Wendy, you did a great job! You were gracious, intelligent, respectful, and thoughtful in your answers. Mayor Fahey should be ashamed of himself. Wendy, you are a class act, and the fact that the Mayor did not put you on that committee speaks volumns about his character.
I am incensed to hear that Wendy and her family are being harrassed and threatened by pit bull owners!!! Although Wendy did not want to volunteer the information, the radio host did...pit bull owners walking their enourmous dogs up and down in front of her house, standing on the sidewalk in front of her house to intimidate her; one with his dog on a very thin nylon leash! People yelling obscenities as they drive by her.....This is why these dogs need to be banned. They are owned by criminals and mentally unstable people who use them as weapons.
Time to stop pandering to a very small number of pit bull owners and start seeing this as a public safety risk that needs to be dealt with. The majority of pit bull owners will never be responsible.
| 8/22/2008 4:27 PM | Flag
Mrs. Poodle, I agree with everything you say about pit bulls; I think Mrs. Blevins has to be very careful what she says, however. Can you imagine what it must be like to be this young mother home, alone, with her injured child recuperating and in pain, when she looks out her window and sees a stranger standing there with his pit bull? Pit bull activists are often very dangerous criminals, and/or mentally unstable people. Did you hear what she said about the owner of the dog who mauled her daughter? The woman had the nerve to call her at the hospital and complain about how she now had to lose her "baby"...her dog; the dog owner wanted Wendy Blevins sympathy as if SHE was the victim here. Pit bull owners encompass the lunatic fringe of dog owners, we know many of them are involved in criminal activity. I think Mrs. Blevins handled herself very well, considering the harassment she is facing.
| 8/22/2008 4:37 PM | Flag
Agreed. Also Wendy makes very good points about missing aspects to the ordinance. The type of leash and muzzle absolutely should be defined, as should the height of the fence. These are very key points. Wendy continues to talk about the issues that matter and in specific detail. Let's hope the City Council will hear her logic and thoughtfulness. Wendy is committed to avoiding a future attack like she and her daughter endured. Her dedication to this is clear.
| 8/22/2008 5:41 PM | Flag
Wendy is a class act, extraordinaire! Under the circumstances, I think my tone would have devolved to vitriolic fuming. And when she related her experience of intimidation, I found myself clinching my jaw and ramping up for a fight. Leave it to pit bull advocates to be outrageous regardless of context and circumstances. To hell with these people.
Stop the deed – ban the breed now!
| 8/23/2008 3:31 AM | Flag
Meanwhile, another Omaha Pit shot by a police officer while the mayor wines and dines with the humane community superstars!
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10412985
| 8/23/2008 10:35 AM | Flag
Mayor Fahey must have a lousy staff of advisors...any politician with half a brain knows that the MAJORITY of registered voters want pit bulls regulated. The demographics of pit bull owners are pretty obvious...they often are transient(renters), don't own property, (or property of any significant value), are typically young, often have a criminal records. As we have seen in several of the stories below, some individuals obsessed with these dogs suffer from metal illness. While there may be a very small number of middle class "responsible" pit bull owners who live in Omaha and vote, the majority of "pit bull activists" don't.
Its been the squeeky wheel syndrome....a very small number of pro-pit activists have made a lot of noise, and put a lot of pressure on local politicians with threats of law suits, etc. Now that we have seen some successful lawsuits against local governments, like the Daniel Decembre case ($1.8 million dollar judgement against the Orange County School Board) our public officials should smarten up and stop pandering to special interest groups and start representing their constituents. The mayors who have stood up to the for profit breeder lobby and banned or tightly regulated pit bull type dogs are veiwed as heroes by 95% of their consituents.
| 8/24/2008 6:04 AM | Flag
She did very good, but needs to realize that the Lockwood study revealed that pit bulls are 14 times more likely to break containment and attack compared to other breeds. The "Baby" that mauled her and the kids did exactly that.
Classic line from the owner ..."oh Shit!" indicating she knew the danger!



















