Diane Whipple

LongIsland.com

"Senseless!" "It shouldn't have happened. It didn't have to happen." I read with complete disgust about the horrific ending of Diane Whipple's life. Adding insult to injury...ahh... let's make that death, the dogs owners blamed ...

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"Senseless!" "It shouldn't have happened. It didn't have to happen."

I read with complete disgust about the horrific ending of Diane Whipple's life. Adding insult to injury...ahh... let's make that death, the dogs owners blamed Diane Whipple for the dogs attack and mauling. They should be put down with their dogs.

The sad thing is we should expect more of this in the future. Rescue organizations and animal rights organizations are getting more funds, attention, and creditability in recent years. Their efforts are putting shelter-dogs into good homes. Their good-hearted efforts are doing what is right for the dogs. But what is best for society?

Joe and Maryanne, two of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, wanted to do the right thing. They were looking for a dog and decided to go to the local shelter instead of a puppy store. They picked a dog, scheduled a Vet visit, and scheduled my company to start training sessions before the dog even came home. I met "Charlie" on his third day in his new loving home.

I walked in the house, met Joe, Maryanne, their two beautiful children, and then Charlie. I said he's a beautiful Pit. They asked, "What Pit?" The shelter told them he was a mixed terrier. I said they were right. Charlie is a Pit Bull Terrier. The shelter didn't tell them that. They probably wouldn't have taken the chance if they had known. But now he was home and they were in love. No biggie, Pit's can be great loving dogs. We started training the following Friday.

Charlie was a good student. He learned quickly. The family practiced. Everything was good. I happened to be in the office one night at 10:30pm when Joe called. Charlie had cornered him and been very aggressive. I told him I'd be right there. We went through almost all possible scenarios. Nothing made sense. There was no obvious trigger. He acted like a different dog and then came back to himself. We continued training. He did fine. It happened again late one night. Then it happened earlier in the day. Then he threatened Maryanne.

After the first incident, I had told Joe to carefully consider if Charlie was the dog for them. Joe wanted to "do the right thing and work through this." I told him if the dog injures one of the kids, he would never forgive himself. Please find a place for him without kids, or have him put down. The following week he bit Joe. Thankfully it was not a serious injury, but that made the final decision for Joe. I concurred.

There are people who argue that the dog could have been rehabilitated. That is a possibility. The decision made, was not a decision from the heart, but from the head. We have a responsibility to society. Sometimes what is best for society is not best for the dog. Society needs to be put first. In Diane Whipple's case, the breeders, owners, and current adopters, told society to go to hell.

They say the dogs were not trained to attack. That's obvious. Trained protection dogs don't behave like that. The dogs apparently were never trained to do anything, especially respect their owners. Their unchecked instincts allowed them to hunt chickens, cats, sheep, and Humans.

Diane, Rest In Peace
Our Prayers Are With You and Your Family.

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