February 25, 2023

Why just a warning?

"Britney Spears has received a warning from animal control after her Doberman, Porsha, escaped her California mansion and bit an elderly cyclist. Porsha - who was gifted to Spears by husband Sam Asghari with the promise that she will be trained to protect his wife from 'any motherf****r with bad intentions' - got out of the couples' $7.4 million Thousand Oaks home on Thursday... Sources told the outlet the dog came across a man in his 70s who was getting off his bike in the area and bit him before a member of Spears' security team got a hold of the pooch."


Meanwhile, in San Antonio: 

"Man, 80, is killed and three others are injured in 'horrific' San Antonio pit bull dog attack: Firefighters forced to use pickaxes and metal poles to fight off the savage animals" (Daily Mail): "Neighbors say they had reported bites occurring in the past with multiple calls to the city's 311 complaint line. The dogs had been previously impounded for a 'mild bite' in 2021. Other calls made by neighbors within the past two years were concerns about animal neglect and aggression."

48 comments:

Joe Smith said...

'got out of the couples' $7.4 million Thousand Oaks home on Thursday...'

I follow real estate pretty closely, and I'm shocked that someone with her celebrity and net worth lives in such a shack.

$7.4M is nothing in L.A.

rhhardin said...

Reading assignment: Vicki Hearne, "Bandit: Dossier of a Dangerous Dog," on what the news preys on, and a lot of other contemporary public dysfunctions. Ignore cover blurb, which was written by a non-comprehending reviewer.

Best female writer of all time.

Ice Nine said...

>Why just a warning?<

What else is warranted? Does Animal Control typically do more than that on a first bite with minor injury?

A little cash slipped to the old man and the booboo will be all better anyway.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

It is clear that the dog is not getting any kind of training. Dobermans are very intelligent and full of energy. And can be aggressive. Pretty much the kind of dog that most people should not get.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIVCko5RlUo

By the way, wandering away from home is indicative of the dog being bored and/or not liking the environment. A dog should want to hang with its pack.

Drago said...

"Why just a warning?"

Well, I mean, it's kind of obvious, isn't it?

When you're a star they just let you do it. You can do anything.

Bob Boyd said...

the dog came across a man in his 70s who was getting off his bike in the area

But what were the motherf****er's intentions?

William said...

The plus side of Dobermans is that you don't have to worry about dognappers. On the minus side, when you take them out for a walk, they will sometimes snack on passing French bull dogs and this causes the bulldog's owners to become upset and Karenish in their behavior.

gilbar said...

i'm pretty sure, MOST dogs are allowed the "one free bite" rule.. 2nd bite==death

Limited blogger said...

When I was growing up a dog that bit anyone was put down, no questions.

Now they have to kill some one?

Crimso said...

Good to know she has a dog to keep her safe. And a security team to keep an eye on the dog.

Carol said...

Note to self: must start carrying again.

FullMoon said...

Saw a dog run across street and attack smaller dog.
First dog's normal looking middle class owner dragged it home to back yard and shot it dead.
Suburban San Jose residential neighborhood.

I made extra effort not to bump into that guy's car, or make eye contact while leaving.

Maynard said...

I had three Dobermans growing up. They are extremely loyal to their family and will attack if they feel a family member is threatened. I learned to control my Dobes at a young age. However, the female once accidentally scratched a kid and the County kenneled her for 10 days.

The rules were three strikes and they euthanized your dog. This was the mid 60's in Chicago.

As much as I loved Dobes, they were a lot of hassle. As an adult, I adopted Golden Retrievers - no hassles at all.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

In fact, Dobermans tend to have separation anxiety. If the dog is "escaping" from the mansion then it really isn't loving the environment.

Michael K said...

We visited the city animal shelter a year ago or so. All the dogs in the shelter were pit bulls or pit mixes.

A friend, 50 years ago, who had two dobermans told me that breeders had bred for behavior and dobermans were now very gentle. Maybe times have changed.

Michael K said...

As an adult, I adopted Golden Retrievers - no hassles at all.

I had a golden that was the best dog I ever have had. I have had bassets now for 30 years but we lost our last one a month ago. I have looked into golden rescue and they all seem to be coming from China. What is that about?

I guess they eat them.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

A friend, 50 years ago, who had two dobermans told me that breeders had bred for behavior and dobermans were now very gentle. Maybe times have changed.

Even the gentlest dog can have behavioral problems in a bad environment. And temperaments can vary between litter mates. And with a big strong dog like a Dobbie you need to have strong, calm (I'm stressing calm here) leadership.

Nancy said...

"I follow real estate pretty closely, and I'm shocked that someone with her celebrity and net worth lives in such a shack."

You misread it. Value of house is 7.4 billion (= 7.4 million thousand), in Oaks neighborhood.

walter said...

I live fairly rural.
Went for a bike ride (Yes I can!) and a pair of Dobermans descended from an unusually expensive home well offset from the road. I barely got by them with a sprint.
On my return route they were still on guard. Pretty lengthy reroute that day.
They make great personal trainers.

My fave Pit story was a couple who "trained" them. Wife was preggers and when alone with one got mauled to death. Hubby went out of his way in report to give the dogs forgiveness.
It's a cult.

Drago said...

Full Disclosure on this one: while jogging home from the navy base gym as a 12 year old in the early dark hours of the evening I happened to run past the houses on Admiral's Row. These were amazing houses with astonishingly huge fruit trees of all types which we kiddos would usually commando-raid plunder in secret as often as we could. All had bushes separating the properties of about 10 feet height.

Just as I passed by one of these bush rows separating the properties by a particular Captain's home (yes, I know, we called it Admiral's Row because the size of these turn of the century homes were quite large plantation style) I heard a pretty menacing growl and felt hot air and a wetness slide off the back of my head and then off behind me.

It was a doberman that was being allowed to roam the front yard while the Captain was in the yard and I guess the Captain didn't hear me coming but the dog sure did. However, the dog must not have anticipated my quick jogging pace and missed my face by inches. By the time I turned my head I was 10 feet further away and the Captain had yelled at and was grabbing the dog. It was only then that I fully understood what had happened.

The (Navy) Captain (that's an 0-6 for you Air Force pukes and a "real" Captain for you Coast Guard types) asked my name in a very official tone (that was much more common in those days) and I hesitated to answer because this dude outranked my father by a couple ranks and it wasn't an extremely large base and these nukes all knew each other...but then I told him to control his dog in a pretty disrespectful way and I turned and kept on running. But its one of those quirky things you don't forget. Even the smell of the foliage after the brief rain shower.

Oh, right. Althouse's post.

Shoot the damn thing.

madAsHell said...

Your mental health issues will project onto the dogs.

Scotty, beam me up... said...

@ Dr. Michael K.

The Pug rescue group that my wife and I have gotten our pugs from teamed up with Pug Rescue groups nationwide 2 years ago to buy well over 100 pugs from a meat packer and fly them to the U.S. We donated some money to the rescue groups for this mission and it was heartwarming to see the pugs arrive at LAX knowing that they would go to good homes instead of someone’s dinner table in China. I know that is in the nature of their culture but it is repugnant to us to consider our pets as food.

Bruce Hayden said...

“The plus side of Dobermans is that you don't have to worry about dognappers. On the minus side, when you take them out for a walk, they will sometimes snack on passing French bull dogs and this causes the bulldog's owners to become upset and Karenish in their behavior.”

Or do as I do, and carry. It’s mostly for the coyotes, but I have made sure that some of the neighbors who own large aggressive dogs take notice. Last year, I became known in this subdivision as the guy who carries a gun while walking his dog. We have a city ordinance and HOA rule that dogs must be on a leash outdoors. Violate that at your own risk. The risk of owning a Doberman, large Pitt Bull, or maybe even a German Shepherd, is that if someone shoots it, and it’s off its leash, you are going to have a hard time convincing a jury that they are a friendly family pet, and not a crazed barely leashed killer.

Let me add that last year, in ended up in the PHX Mayo ER. Talked to one of the PXPD officers about shooting the coyotes if they threatened the dog. “Fine” he said. He didn’t add that it would be easier all around if I did it in the large open space south of us. But the same logic applies to large uncontrolled aggressive dogs.

Jess said...

My wife once had a vet that had no compassion for dogs that bite. His recommendation was euthanasia, which always stops the problem.

Tomcc said...

FullMoon @ 1:05: That is disturbing; why use a leash when you have a gun? "Normal looking" indeed.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

William said...

The plus side of Dobermans is that you don't have to worry about dognappers. On the minus side, when you take them out for a walk, they will sometimes snack on passing French bull dogs and this causes the bulldog's owners to become upset and Karenish in their behavior.

Let's hope Lady Gaga lives in a more upscale trailer park than Brittney Spears.

Kirk Parker said...

I must, uncharacteristically, disagree with Ice Nine here. Not keeping perfect control of a dog that is that aggressive, off the property, not in the presence of the principal, should get Spears charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

FullMoon said...

Fav German Shepard story: Caught him jumping fence INTO our backyard. Turned out he was jumping fence and going to nearby park to play for awhile, and then jumping back in, unknown to us.
Neighbors confirmed they had been playing frisbee with him at park occasionally.

Great dane story: Oversized, muscular, back in cropped ear days. Boys knock on door to visit teen aged daughter , I would whisper to Zach and get him riled up before answering door. He woofing pretty good and lunging while I hold him by collar. Boys never wanted to wait around.

Dobie story: While Great Dane young adult, wife gets young dobie. Part of Danes training was to have very long leash rolled up and attached to collar so he could get used to it. Little doberman would grab the leash and run the gentle giant all over the back yard. Doberman was too energetic for us(and the Dane) so gave her to friend with acerage.

Pit story: Neighbors scarred up, dog fighting pit was not allowed to run loose in their back yard so was always on longish chain. Once in awhile would jump fence and hang by his neck with back feet barely touching ground until somebody noticed. After they moved, he did it at new house and choked to death.

Quaestor said...

Porsha

I surmise the Thousand Oaks idiocy police weren't on duty when the self-grabber named her doggie-doo. But then, this is Britney Spears. The idiocy cops are highly demoralized over her open case. I hear most of them have resigned and moved to Florida.

So, Spears has a vicious attack dog AND a "security team". Looks like a world-class incompetency round-robin to me.

Narayanan said...

... I know that is in the nature of their culture but it is repugnant to us to consider our pets as food.
======
very weired use of possessive 'our' >> when did pugs still in meat packer den/corral in China become 'our pets'

DLH said...

My daughter had her chin bit so hard by a rescue pit bull that my wife had to hold it together while I drove to hospital. I thought it was gone as it was gone honestly when I looked back over my backseat and saw the blood and her chin dangling. Fortunately by the grace of god the plastic surgeon just happened to be at the hospital on a Tuesday which was his only day in a rural town. I called the ER and told them I’m coming in hot. Most surreal moment ever

lonejustice said...

I am just a few years younger than Professor Althouse. I have had Old English Sheepdogs, Australian Shepherds, and now a Collie as forever friends. I now live on a gravel road in the country so I don't have to live with neighbors who have such hateful aggressive dogs. When I lived in town, a neighbor had a doberman who would run out of their yard and fight and bite my dog when I walked the sidewalks in town. One time I had to physically fight that damn fucking dog, pick him up, and slam his sorry ass on the pavement as hard as I possibly could, just to save the life of my gentle dog. I now carry a .380 Glock with me whenever I walk my dog in any dog park or hiking trail or in any place in town. It's small enough that I can just put in in my pocket. I live in a constitutional carry state, so this is not a legal problem. If one of those fucking dobermans or any other attack dogs attacks me or one of my dogs again, I will gladly put a hollow point bullet through his fucking head. Enough is enough.

tastid212 said...

First, the comments on this post are really great. Especially the ones on the behavior of dog breeds (and dog owners). And Drago, who knew? A really good comment with so much happening below the surface; write a story about that incident.

Back to the original question, "Why just a warning?" This being an affluent nabe with celebs and all, the po-pos want to give the parties a chance to settle out of court before starting any institutional proceedings that would involve lots of paperwork, media attention, and other assorted headaches.

The subject of dogs is highly emotional yet almost completely non-political. Can dogs bring us together in unity? Oh right, there's Commander, the dog the Secret Service loved so much, but he's actually relevant to this situation - highly intelligent breed, not a great family environment, prone to acting out with his teeth, secret settlement?....

Jupiter said...

The nice thing about my gun is that it doesn't tear gaping holes in anyone unless I want it to.

Maynard said...

I loved my Dobes as a kid, especially the second one, an extremely handsome male.

I walked that dog almost every night for hours (great way to get out of the house) and talked to people in the neighborhood. (Imagine that today in urban Chicago). The dog was well behaved, but one night I was talking to neighbors and their 10 year-old son came up behind the dog and petted him on the neck.

It was as fast as lightning. Before you know it, there was a hunk of forearm flesh missing from the kid. Of course, it was not the dog's fault. It was mine. We had to kennel the dog for 10 days and he almost starved because he wouldn't eat. We were also sued for damages which we could barely afford to pay.

Bottom line: Dobes are great dogs but very risky. I prefer Goldens now.

etbass said...

Why does anyone own a pit bull? My understanding is that they are unpredictable and can kill you. I have never heard a good story about a pit bull.

Ice Nine said...

>Kirk Parker said...
I must, uncharacteristically, disagree with Ice Nine here. Not keeping perfect control of a dog that is that aggressive, off the property, not in the presence of the principal, should get Spears charged with assault with a deadly weapon.<

I'm in agreement with you in principle, if perhaps not quite that degree. Dog owners should indeed be held to a rigid standard of control, though I think this is a civil and not a criminal matter. I wasn't advocating for anything else. Not being a dog owner, I was simply asking what is the norm for Animal Control's action in the minor bite circumstance, guessing that it was probably just that - a warning.

n.n said...

Shared responsibility is a progressive condition.

Yancey Ward said...

These neighbors needed to buy some ground beef and rat poison long before now.

Big Mike said...

It’s one thing to buy a guard dog breed. It’s another think to buy a trained guard dog. I have been told that they can cost $30,000, but I have also been told that when you order it to “stay” then by God it is immovable.

This is all second hand info. Can others corroborate?

Yancey Ward said...

Any story about dobermans makes me think of this.

BUMBLE BEE said...

A fellow I worked with bred Dobes. A very scrupulous guy who kept very good lineage records. He said, as a breeder, you bury two or three for every one you placed. That was in the 70s and he was certain that "home breeders" were the bane of the business.
As for another insight, I asked a credentialed breeder of Harrier Hounds what breed he'd recommend for kids and house watch, he said Standard Collie.

DLH said...

Disclaimer, not my dog btw, it was my brothers new girlfriend’s dog, now he has two bitches

Readering said...

If victim sought treatment Spears can expect an attorney to be retained, police report filed, and lawsuit to follow, with damages sought at some multiple of medical bill(s). Should be more effective than a warning.

gpm said...


Hey, Maynard. If you see this, kindly let us know when and where you were in Chicago.

As I’ve indicated before, I’m just shy of three years younger than Althouse. I grew up half a block west of 73rd and Ashland (the west part was very significant at the time) and went to St. Ignatius for high school before heading east to Cambridge/Boston some fifty years ago. Still have tons of close relatives in the area (and will likely be visiting in May, staying in the West Loop, after being canceled from two Amtrak trains at Christmas because of the snow in New York).

Background somewhat similar to that of Dr. Mike, but he’s maybe fifteen years older. I think I also saw a reference somewhere that his family had a maid (something unheard of in my neighborhood). There used to be a commenter here calling himself Roughcoat who was about my age, lived in the southwest suburbs, and frequented the old neighborhood for work, but I don’t think he’s posted anything in the last few years.

What Parish Are You From? is an interesting book about the South Side. And not just because the title reflects a very Chicago way of identifying yourself. The book starts with a general overview of Catholic immigrants settling in Chicago. Then it turns to its main focus: the failed attempt by the St. Sabina parish (the church/school was about a mile away from where I grew up and, again significantly, east of Ashland) to create/preserve a racially integrated neighborhood.

My neighborhood and St. Sabina’s were in West Englewood. Englewood, just to the east, was once the gateway to Chicago for westbound trains. It’s now the murder capital of Chicago. West Englewood probably not far behind.

“South Side,” primarily set in Englewood, is a great show on HBO Max. I love the sassy theme song. I forget the name, but there’s another show about an Italian beef place in Chicago that I need to track down. Forget the yucky deep dish pizza (nobody in Chicato actually eats that stuff) and the stupid hot dogs, Italian beef is the best Chicago thing ever! Go to Al’s, on Taylor Street, across the alley from St. Ignatius! They invented it.

Finally, don’t get me started about the abomination that is going to be the Obama “library.” It does not belong in Jackson Park and would probably do a lot more good in terms of rejuvenating a neighborhood if it was located in Washington Park.

—gpm

Quaestor said...

I used to own and show Scottish Deerhounds, which are very large and impressive dogs, they are also fierce hunters of antlered quarry, obviously from the breed standard and history. However, they are quite safe around people and other dogs, though a cat that instinctively flees from dogs will probably be pursued ruthlessly to any refuge it can find. Responsible ownership means hounds must be on-leash at all times or securely confined behind fencing.

Unfortunately, sometimes vigilance isn't enough to defeat stupidity; ask any cop. I recall an incident about 13 years ago. I had hired a crew of handymen to remove two dying cherry trees from my backyard. These were old trees that I wanted to be cut down before rot spoiled their valuable wood. The handy dudes agreed to $100 plus the wood provided they cleaned up thoroughly and ground up the stumps. (Prepped and milled cherry is currently worth nearly $6 a board foot.) I also required them to respect my fences and gates because of my dogs. I had two embossed metal signs attached to each gate reading FAST DOGS! KEEP THIS GATE CLOSED!" which I stupidly assumed would be heeded given my verbal instructions to the identical effect. (continued below)

Quaestor said...

(continued from above)

When I let my Deerhounds out to pee and poop after the handy doofuses left for lunch, I was alarmed to see all three dart out an open gate and into the neighborhood. Morons! I shouted as I took out after them wearing only sweatpants and trainers. I managed to rescue two, but the two-year-old pup was struck and killed by a Harley-biker roaring through my 35mph neighborhood at +45mph. He was distressed by the dents to his tank (painted with a flaming skull logo, can you believe it?) and sued me for damages. I sued him for killing my dog while speeding. His suit got tossed. My suit won, but he never fully settled the judgment because he crashed his bike again and now lives in a nursing home with brain damage. When the shithead finally kicks I might get a pittance from his estate.

I threaten to sue the other shitheads when they returned from Mcdonald's or where ever. (There were three, a head idiot and two hirelings with even fewer neurons.) The head idiot got indignant and made an aggressive move in my direction. I retreated inside and came out again with a CZ-75B and a Nikon. I reiterated my intent to sue and started taking photos. With more presence of mind than he had probably displayed in since the turn of the century, the head idiot offered to settle immediately in cash if I wouldn't make a police report or try to ruin his reputation.

I replied, I have photos of your faces, your truck, and the registration plate. I also have your business card. I know who you are, and I can find you and everyone who has hired you if necessary. I will call my attorney Monday morning. If he advises me to accept your offer we will talk. If not, I will file a police report and I may speak to the press if they're interested. And if you try intimidation again, I may react violently. My attorney set a figure and the head idiot's wife wrote me a check four days later.

The point of my story is this, as astoundingly lamebrained as Britney Spears has been since her ludicrous song styling became fashionable, she might not have been personally at fault, the so-called security team (usually gun-obsessed simpletons too incompetent to find work as police officers) may have been at fault, though Spears will be held legally accountable. The ultimate blame attaches to Sam Asghari, "an Iranian-American model, actor, and fitness trainer" (i.e. someone who makes Britney Spears appear sane and intelligent by comparison) who bought the Doberman for her, which was a really bright move, right up there with Biden hiring incompetent and criminally-inclined faggots rather than any of dozen or so run-of-the-mill incompetent Democrat heterosexuals remaining in the party.

On the subject of Dobermans, I am sad to report that the AKC has not yet forbidden those nasty and absurd surgeries, i.e. the ear clipping and tail docking, which most Doberman puppies are subjected to routinely. One would think the AVMA would have outlawed those procedures as inhumane and medically unsound decades ago, but if the AMA gives its blessings to mutilating human minor children, who may hope to succeed in removing those lucrative canine mutilation procedures from the "companion animal" veterinary menu?

Brent said...

etbass said "Why does anyone own a pit bull? My understanding is that they are unpredictable and can kill you. I have never heard a good story about a pit bull."

I have owned 3 pits (full pit), each at different times, all before I was 35. They were all lovely animals, each one walked almost daily. Not once did any of them display agressive behavior towards children or people who stopped to say hi.

Despite my good experiences, I can understand the desire to make them illegal. And I will not oppose it. My goldens have been even better animals.