A strange accident involving a horse-drawn carriage and a loose pit bull dog caused damage to the historic Rod’s Steakhouse in Williams, Ariz., on Thursday, according to a story in the Williams-Grand Canyon News.
A Cowboy Service Carriage pulled by Razz, a 17-year-old horse, crashed through a window about 8 p.m. at the restaurant, which has stood next to Route 66 since 1946. According to the report, the horse spooked when a loose pit bull began snapping at its legs.
According to Williams Police Department (WPD) Lt. Darrell Hixson, the pit bull’s owner was exiting the Canyon Club when the dog saw the horse, broke loose from its collar, and proceeded to chase the horse into the window.
“The operator of the carriage did a good job trying to control the horse until it eventually just got too spooked and too out of control that the horse and carriage hit the front side of Rod’s Steak House,” Hixson said.
Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident. The horse sustained cuts and bruises to its nose and legs.
The dog’s owner was cited by police. Luckily, there were no customers in the restaurant at the time because it was closed for renovations. Damage to Rod’s was estimated at $3,500.
The pit bull is a proud, noble, powerful and intelligent animal. They generally are smarter, have fewer tatoos and more teeth than their owners….
Y’know, I’m not a fan of breed-specific legislation, but I think some size-specific legislation might be in order. If you’re going to own anything bigger than a beagle, you really need to have some training in canine behavior and techniques for physically controlling a large animal in public settings, which can be unpredictable. Unexpected encounters with vehicles, unfamiliar animals, or even friendly strangers can cause even the best dogs to behave in uncharacteristic ways, and a large dog who lunges or bolts in response to an unexpected stimulus can be very difficult to control. Solid training and the right equipment can go a long way toward preventing accidents that endanger the dog and those around him.
EXACTLY, Emily!
There should be a variance in local animal cruelty laws against pit bulls. Lethal force should be ok, since this breed is known to be aggresive. Thats why owners choose this breed, regardless of whatever other BS reason they give. Owners of these dogs should be aggresively prosecuted and/or sued if their animal kills, injures or threatens others or other pets. Obviously, I can’t stand this type of dog or people who claim that they are “good family pets.”
That exactly thing happened to me in Phila while driving my carriage …a pit bull got away from its “handler ” an attacked my horse…I had people in it was in tight quarters but for the grace of god no one was hurt or vehicles damaged…the horse Bill was bitten over 50 times with one long gash near his leg and belly..that animal (pit bull) was not provoked it when into attack mode attacking the horse…it chased us 2 blocks to get more bites on the horse..BTW it chased us on 3 legs sustaining a broken leg when the horse stomped on it…these dogs are killers and not family pets..I think the breed should be banned…some places they are already…….