Friday, September 30, 2011

Disabled Man Fears Neighbor's Pit Bull

FLORIDA -- A disabled Lake Shore man said he fears for his life because of his neighbor's pit bull and he won't go into his own yard unless he's armed with a gun.

"This dog's not barking and wagging its tail to come over and lick my face," Robbie Davis said. "He's barking to come over and eat me."


Davis, who uses a motorized wheelchair after he lost a leg, says one of his neighbor's dog seems irritated by his scooter.

That neighbor wouldn't give her name, but told WJXT her dogs are not a threat to Davis.

"My dogs don't go out of the house without a muzzle on and leashes on," she told Channel 4's Hailey Winslow. "They never run around. They're in-house dogs, and they never cause any problems and they've never done anything to anybody."

Davis says one of the dogs is vicious.

"I got to carry a weapon with me when I'm out pulling weeds in my own front yard," Davis said. "Now that ain't right."

Davis says he tried calling the police, who told him to contact animal control. He says animal control told him it can't do anything until someone is attacked.

He said he's also tried confronting his neighbor, and when he did on Thursday, it turned into a shouting match.

"Why should I have to play target practice with your mean dog?," Davis asked to his neighbor.

"My dog is not mean. My dog is in the house," she shouted back.


"Chain him up and bring him out here," Davis said. "Let these people take a picture of him."

The neighbor did bring one dog out to be petted, but kept the other inside.

[In the video, the reporter says they repeatedly asked the owner to bring the other dog - the one the neighbor says is aggressive - outside. She refused repeatedly. Now why do you think she would refuse to bring the dog outside? After all, she says it's a big baby who just wants to give you doggie kisses!]

Davis says his neighbor need to build a fence or get rid of the dog before someone gets hurt, and other neighbors also expressed concern.

"He's got a big old rope leash, but one day he's going to snatch it out of their hands," Davis said.

"Something ought to be done before I have to lay in an emergency room with my arms ripped off."

(News4Jax - Sept 29, 2011)