Pit "Bullies" in Seattle
UPDATE 09/17/08: The Stranger, an alternative newspaper in Seattle, confirms the victim's story -- the letter written and posted at DogsBite.org -- and points out a widely used pit bull advocacy tactic: intimidation. To clarify The Stranger's story, DogsBite.org will state a few things. DogsBite.org is a national dog bite victims group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks by creating common sense laws. We are also Seattle-based.
Back in March, the founder of DogsBite.org, Colleen Lynn, submitted a 21-page whitepaper to the Seattle City Council that spelled out the national pit bull problem, as well as Seattle's pit bull problem. The paper made 4 recommendations for city-wide pit bull regulations: mandatory microchipping for identification purposes, liability coverage of $250,000, sterilization and prohibiting felons of own pit bulls.
Simultaneous to writing this paper, a group formed known as Families and Dogs Against Fighting Breeds (FDAFB). The mission of this group was to place a citizen initiative on the city's ballot to ban fighting breed dogs. The key member, Ellen Taft, already had legislation written for the initiative. Upon meeting Lynn of DogsBite.org, it was a natural fit for the two to share resources and together present multiple options to the City of Seattle.
Fast forward to the real story at hand, The Stranger fills in the details of the recent incident that involved an attack by a dog owned by a member of Families Against Breed Bans (FABB), an oppositional group to both FDAFB and DogsBite.org:
A group working to ban potentially dangerous dogs from Seattle has abruptly canceled plans to submit a citizen initiative after receiving threatening e-mails from pit-bull enthusiasts, group members say. "You should be publicly executed for your actions against our beloved pets," one e-mail reads. "You all ought to be neutered," says another.
"The harassment was so bad, we decided it wouldn't be safe to send out signature gatherers," says Ellen Taft, a spokeswoman for Families and Dogs Against Fighting Breeds (FDAFB).
As the FDAFB regroups, pit bull advocates, organized as Families Against Breed Bans (FABB), are scrambling to downplay a recent attack by a dog owned by one FABB member, Faith Hynoski, and her husband Joel. The pit-bull supporters at FABB did little to promote their cause when one FABB member wrote The Stranger a letter, complete with smiley emoticons, threatening to sue the paper if it revealed Faith Hynoski to be the owner of the pit bull that attacked another dog; the letter went on to warn that "it would be advisable to run NOTHING pertaining to the events of Sunday, September [7]," the date the attack took place...[snip]
One such incident was the attack on September 7, during the grand opening of the Zak and Zoe pet store in Phinney Ridge. A large crowd of owners and their leashed dogs were milling around the store when, according to a report from the Seattle Animal Shelter, the Hynoskis' pit bull Zack attacked a yellow Labrador named Sam. The report says the Hynoskis' pit bull became aggressive, wrapped its jaws around Sam's neck, and would not let go.
After the attack, Sam's owner, Irene Mitri, called the Seattle Animal Shelter, which issued the Hynoskis a $269 citation for what shelter director Don Jordan calls "an unprovoked attack." While it initially appeared Sam was not injured, Mitri says a veterenarian later found "scabbed puncture wounds" on Sam's neck. The report also says that Joel Hynoski told a Seattle Animal Shelter officer that he was guilty and would pay the fine.
The Hynoskis did not respond to phone and email requests for comment, but Russell says they plan to appeal the citation.
According to the animal shelter's Jordan, the shelter had to put down 300 pit bulls or pit-bull mixes that were brought into shelters. "They're just so dangerous we don't want to place them with the public," he says.
The Stranger's story confirms that Sam was attacked by a FABB member's dog and that a citation was issued to the dog's owner. The article also points out the irrationality of the Seattle Animal Shelter. The shelter puts down 300 pit bulls per year: "They're just so dangerous we don't want to place them with the public." The shelter also opposes breed-specific law, such as mandatory sterilization of pit bulls, because we guess, they'd rather put a needle in the dogs.
09/15/08: Pet Store Owner Writes to DogsBite.org
Nadja Chorba, the owner of the pet store, Zak and Zoe, writes to DogsBite.org and says that the quotes gathered by the Stranger's writer, Johan Spangenthal-Lee, are "inaccurate."
09/12/08: Pro-Pit bull Activist's Dog Attacks
Seattle, WA - The Stranger's Blog, known as the Slog, reports that a pit bull belonging to one of the founders of Families Against Breed Bans (FABB) reportedly attacked another dog last Sunday at the grand opening of a pet store in Phinney Ridge, according to the pet store’s owner.
"There [were] over 100 dogs through here on the weekend. We only had one incident," says Nadja Chorba, owner of the Zak and Zoe pet store. Chorba says members of FABB had been invited to the store to talk about breed bans and educate the public about pit bulls. Then, Chorba says, the pit bull "decided he was unhappy at the moment” and attacked another dog. "There weren’t any loud noises" or anything else that would have startled the pit bull, Chorba says.
Prior to the Slog publishing this blog post, the owner of the victimized dog, had written to DogsBite.org. The below letter was sent to DogsBite.org in addition to various Seattle newspapers.
DogsBite.org publishes this Letter to the Editor in entirety:
Dear Editor:
After listening to KUOW's "The Conversation" on September 10 about pit bulls, as well as learning about the horrific recent attack in Seatac, I am compelled to write a letter to the editor with a story that is eerily relevant.
This past Sunday, September 7, my yellow lab Sam was viciously attacked by a pit bull owned by the founder of F.A.B.B. (Families Against Breed Bans), at the grand opening of a friendly new dog store (Zak and Zoe) on Phinney Ridge. The attack was witnessed by many, and all were horrified. Everyone was also struck by the irony of the incident: the attack happened after we had all been standing around outside the store, calmly listening to the owners tell us about the sweetness of pit bulls, and how it is the owner's fault when pit bulls become violent. They had come to the grand opening event to make their cause known, handing out flyers and "educating the public" about pit bulls. And then, after 15 minutes of standing with them, chatting, all dogs on leashes, without any notice or provocation or visible signs of aggression whatsoever preceding the attack, their pit bull turned violently on our dog and locked his jaws on Sam's neck. Let me be clear, this was not in any way a fight. Sam was just standing there (he's known in our area as 'the sweetest dog on the planet') — this was an unprovoked attack.
After minutes (which seemed like hours) of watching our dog scream while their pit bull held Sam’s neck in his jaws, while no one, not even the dog's owner was able to release him, finally somehow he was freed. We immediately took Sam to a quiet place nearby, where he stood shaking uncontrollably for nearly 1/2 hour, with a racing heartbeat. A dog specialist who happened to be on the scene generously offered to work with him to keep him from going into shock. She said that given what she had just witnessed, she was very surprised that half of Sam's face wasn't ripped off. Many of us believed he was about to be killed right then and there, at Greenwood and 74th, on the sidewalk, with our families (including our 5-year-old daughter) all around.
My husband and I did report the incident to the police, and it is going, uncontested, on public record, with a citation issued to the pit bull owners. The day following the attack I received a phone call from a member of the F.A.B.B. organization and was told that “the woman whose dog it was has stepped down and is no longer in charge of the group".
You can imagine my irritation while listening to yesterday's guest on KUOW, representing F.A.B.B., three days after this attack, as she defended the ever-popular notion that “it's not the breed, it's the owner,” and that these are sweet dogs, completely trustworthy in public. I believe these particular owners to be caring, well-meaning people, offering a loving home to their pit bulls. It is my understanding that the dog that attacked Sam had been through some training, and was thought to be very sweet, and fine in social situations with people and other dogs. These are the good, conscientious, caring kind of pit bull owners. They just happen to have a dog whose predecessors were bred to fight and to kill, and so there can be a predisposition in all these dogs that is genetic, and can lead to unpredictable, dangerous behavior.
I would like this story brought to light, and readers can make what they will of this incident. I would not feel right knowing that our story went untold, in the midst of this heated discussion. At the very least, as a public service message, I think people need to know that it is illegal for a dog to bite another dog in Seattle (as of 2003). Even our wonderful dog trainer (voted best in Seattle 2008) didn't know that this was a reportable incident.
Irene Mitri
Seattle, WA
Media members:
The author of this letter has asked that it be forwarded on exactly as worded -- not snipped or altered in any fashion.
Related articles:
09/13/08: Coverage of the Seattle Area Pit Bull Attack and Activism
I’m glad the lab is Okay..but this is funny as hell.
Pit owners can never mealey mouth their way out of the behavior of the dogs the choose and their grotesque traits. These people are “Dog Lovers” who rationalize worshipping a breed selected for killing other dogs.
Sickos!
“Even our wonderful dog trainer (voted best in Seattle 2008) didn’t know that this was a reportable incident.”
didn’t know or didn’t want to know?
irene, i hope you haven’t been mislead…
grisha stewart : founder ahimsadogtraining.com voted best dog trainer in seattle 2008, pit owner and member of FABB
something doesn’t sound right to me.
Voila!
The dog of the leader of the pro pit group, no less! As it turns out, this “sweet baby” really is a pit bull and couldn’t contain his genetics any longer. Let me guess, neutered too?
FABB AIMS TO:
2) Educate the public on responsible dog ownership practices, which includes consistent obedience training throughout the life of a dog, licensing with the city, spaying/neutering and microchipping, proper socialization with humans, other animals and the environment, providing adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care, and proper confinement in public (i.e. leashing).
5) Establish and enforce strict laws that hold the owners accountable for their dogs’actions, regardless of breed.
http://www.fabbseattle.com/
oops…me thinks they’re failing!
OOPS! Looks like FABB hasn’t updated their blog yet 🙂
http://familiesagainstbreedbans.blogspot.com/
This ranks right up there in the all-time great Pit advocacy moments!
Other nominees are:
1.ASPCA trained Therapy Pit Bull attacks a police horse.
2.After giving “It’s the owner” diatribe at a city council meeting, Pit Advocates get busted for not having the state mandated liabilty insurance!
BTW…In typical Pit community fashion, this owner has been thrown under the bus and banished from FABB. “It’s the owner”, so she must take one for the team.
HEY? Can we out her like they did with Colleen?
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Nadja, What is your policy on pit bulls now? I need to know whether or not I can shop there.
I agree schultz. In my experience “pit owner” overrides everything else and is first and foremost to the person in question. It takes a certain kind of person to go through life ignoring reality, and so it takes a certain type of person to own a pit bull. Thank God the lab is okay. I hate to say it, but this incident might be one of the best things that could have happened at this time in order to motivate people to regulate pit bulls.
Check out this quote from christinajade:
“ok, i am a RESPONSIBLE pit bull owner – i loathe anyone who fights dogs, don’t even ask what i would do to a dog fighting piece of poop if given the chance…now, with that said… I NEVER WOULD HAVE TAKEN ANY OF MY DOGS TO AN EVENT WITH OVER 100 DOGS! that is part of being a RESPONSIBLE pit bull owner!
i have had champion show dogs, rescued dogs, ooshelter dogs, you name it…i had a pit bull rescue with 14 dogs. while some of my babies were able to play nice with others…some had to be isolated from the others because of natural dog aggression. i have never had a pit bull that was in any way human aggressive.
The dogs can’t help it, they were bred to fight for generations, while many are perfectly fine around other animals, MANY AREN’T.
here’s my motto:
NEVER TRUST YOUR PIT BULL NOT TO FIGHT
this is a case of IRRESPONSIBLE PITBULL OWNERSHIP.”
okay okay…THEN JUST WHO CAN YOU TRUST TO BE A RESPONSIBLE OWNER? THIS IS AN OWNER WHO HAS PROCLAIMED TO ALL OF CYBERSPACE “PIT BULLS ARE SAFE IN THE HANDS OF RESPONSIBLE OWNERS”.
CHRISTINA, WHAT ABOUT AN EVENT WITH 50 DOGS? HOW ABOUT 12 DOGS? WHEN DO YOU THINK IT IS SAFE TO TAKE A PIT BULL IN PUBLIC WITH OTHER ANIMALS? “NEVER TRUSTING YOUR PIT BULL NOT TO FIGHT” WOULD RESTRICT YOU FROM ANY CONTACT WITH ABOTHER DOG.
AND YOU DON’T REALIZE IT BUT THAT THAT STATEMENT, YOU JUST MADE THE CASE AGAINST THE USE OF PIT BULLS AS SERVICE DOGS.
Neutered, scored a perfect 100 on the ATTS, has a CGC title and is taken into nursing homes and hospitals to cheer patients too.
“But my little Charlie Manson never aggression before.”
Where was the pit bull owner’s BREAK STICK? All responsible pit bull owners are supposed to carry a break stick to pry open the dogs jaws if it “accidentally” attacks a dog or human being!!!!!!
I have shopped at an area pet store for several years. I was there today and they had a pit bull for sale in the store. I don’t think I will support a store that sells animals that were bred to “kill” other animals.
ok, i am a RESPONSIBLE pit bull owner – i loathe anyone who fights dogs, don’t even ask what i would do to a dog fighting piece of poop if given the chance…now, with that said… I NEVER WOULD HAVE TAKEN ANY OF MY DOGS TO AN EVENT WITH OVER 100 DOGS! that is part of being a RESPONSIBLE pit bull owner!
Christina will be banished from the pit club also…Her statements also apply to any neighborhood where other dogs are placed under a cloud of acturial risk by pit bull owners.
They cannot reliably contain them.
Another infant killed today…
I think FABB really stands for
“Families Advocating Body Bags”
The owners of the lab are fortunate. I say this because there have been many cases where an owner tried to rescue their dog from a pit and the pit turned on them—
This stupid individual who owned the pit reflects pit bullowners– they are very committed to a flawed dog that was bred to kill other dogs—that’s all it was bred to do —-kill–
This crowd saw first hand the unpredictability, strength,tenatiousness, of this dog. GENETICS happen.
She couldn’t think of any excuse? That’s unusual for a pit person.
Seems funny that breed clubs for Beagles, Poodles, Pugs, Labs, Goldens, and all the other familiar breeds do not see the need to “educate” the public about their breeds. These dogs live in our society without the need for defense. Only the pit bull owners want to “educate” us about how wonderful their dogs are. If they are so wonderful why do they require so much “public education”?
Excellent point!
Attention Faith or Anonymous Faith defender:
You might want to spend a few moments with an attorney who can educate you about this very serious issue. I would reccommend that you consult with fellow pit owner and attorney, Dawn Capp, who posted the very same type of information at pitbullforum.com last November:
http://www.pitbullforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=79381&highlight=dogsbite+org&sid=fbc060833ea19725e6332982a8ae5982
slander |ˈslandər|
noun
the action or crime of making a FALSE spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation : he is suing the TV network for slander. Compare with libel.
• a FALSE and malicious spoken statement
libel |ˈlībəl|
noun
1 Law a published FALSE statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation. Compare with slander.
• the action or crime of publishing such a statement : a councilor who sued two national newspapers for libel | [as adj. ] a libel action.
• a FALSE and malicious statement about a person.
DogsBite.org: An anonymous poster recently submitted the below post. The post was initially rejected. But due the idiocy of the poster and basic lack of knowledge of the words “slander” and “libel” DogsBite.org decided to post the comment after all. The Domain Name Registration that is listed below is public information and can be accessed by anyone with a computer. Public information such as this is not slander or libel. DogsBite.org is consistently harassed by individuals like the below poster and threatened with lawsuits for practicing free speech on a citizen activist blog website. Meanwhile these same individuals publish “true” libel messages all over the world wide web about the founder of DogsBite.org. Please see additional post for more information.
—————————
Hey Colleen –
The following is illegal. You just set yourself up for another lawsuit. Nice work on the slander and Libel too…
HEY? Can we out her like they did with Colleen?
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AboutUs: fabbseattle.com
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Visit: http://www.freewebs.com
Domain name: fabbseattle.com
Registrant Contact:
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1021 NE 72nd Street
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Administrative Contact:
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+1.2065239241
1021 NE 72nd Street
Seattle, WA 98115
US
We should go to her street and put up “Quit trying to kill Labs!” and “Mrs Vick” signs!
That is HYSTERICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is HYSTERICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is HYSTERICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That is HYSTERICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“We should go to her street and put up “Quit trying to kill Labs!” and “Mrs Vick” signs!”
I know you are only kidding but we shouldn’t do this behavior. You know why? Because WE are NOT like THEM!
Seattle leaders don’t be afraid. Do something about the pit bull it’s not going away. If you don’t you will be revisiting the situation again with more blood that has been shed.
Imagine that, reiteration of news and public information is libel and slander.
I guess Charlie Manson should be suing the media for stifling his charisma, too.
Bwaaaaaaaaahahahaha! Idiot!
Yes, indeed! You would think that at the very least, the person who sets out to educate the world about “responsible” pit bull ownership would make sure that the dog they parade around in public would not display aggressive tendencies!
I will need to take a second look at all of those little bully ambassadors out there.
You NEED to post all of their threatening emails!
Maybe create a place just for them on your website.
What is a “Responsible Pit Bull Owner”? Why would the owner of a dog need to realize that they should not take their dog to a public event where other dogs will be present? Why would a dog owner take a “break stick” (or even know what the heck is a break stick)with them anywhere they go? There is only ONE Answer: Pit Bulls are UNIQUELY dangerous and are not objectively domesticated across the scope of these breeds.
You are trying to apply reasoning ability to a group of “dog lovers” who have rationalized owning and advocating for a breed designed to kill other dogs. These folks literally worship the old time dogmen who ruthlessly culled “duds”. (reluctant/inefficient maulers).
Dog Trainers are another very marginal part of society.
There are NO real, true credentials or licensing, and any disturbed extremist can just claim they are a dog trainer and an “expert”
There are quite a few breeders and puppy mill breeders, even dog fighters, who hide behind this “trainer expert” tag to try to get credibility in the community and with media as they fight against laws that affect their breeding businesses
My suspicion is that that this trainer tried very hard to get this person NOT to report this incident. She did report, but how many other clients of this trainer got bullied into failing to report to protect a pit bull?