Should have shot the man,Given the dog a hamburger....

Good Job Police. Dog should have been shot it if it really attacked the police. Good thing it was the police and not a small child.

The guy...he sounds useless. Jail him.

Just another unfortunate incident involving irresponsible owners that give the Pitt Bull bread a bad name. Given the opportunity, love and appropriate training, Pitt Bulls can be amazing animals. My Pitt Bull is amazing and gets along with my 7lb Yorkie. It's sad the bad rep that Pitt Bulls get these days because of their owners. It sounds like the owner of this animal is the one who should be punished in this incident. The dog was only obeying it's owner. Pitt Bulls are very loyal dogs and would do anything for their owners.

Where did kids come into this? Why do people have to add something totally out of context? To make it sound worse?

It's not the dog's fault! The breed can be dangerous, but like Melissa wrote, they can be gentle....with gentle, loving owners, that is! The man should be charged not only for what is already written down, but cruelty to animals as well, since it was HIS actions that led to the Tasering of the dog!

Scintillate-------What are you talking about?? A comment was made that it was a good thing it was the police and not a small child. Is that what you mean?

So anybody that tells their dog to attack is to assume that the dog is concidered a dangerous dog? What bull crap is that. I have a pitbull and if I told her to attack she would lick the skin right off your face,,, oh she's a mean one. Just because you tell a dog to attack doesn't mean that it is a dangerous animal.

Good thing that the police force was able to get these tazers or else they would not be able to party and taze each other and they wouldn't be able to mame dogs with them. What a joke.

pit bulls were bred to kill or mame so you never know when theyl go off.peace

Pit bulls should be banned, period.

To bad the man didnt train falcons, bats, or rats or something. Would have beeen more impressive.

If I was a cop and a dog came at me, after being told to attack me, you're damn right I would taser it. Better than kicking it in the teeth! Poodle, pit bull, golden, rottie, german, who cares?! A dog trained to attack is a dangerous animal. period.

pitbulls should not be banned.people should educate themselves on a subject before they make broad predjudicia statementsl ....again it is all in how the dogs are raised. As with any breed of dog if the inbreeding is too close you can end up with unfavorable characteristics....but most of the time when a pitbull or shepard or rotti etc is aggressive, it is a direct result of how it has been trained or due to abuse. Many of our local drug dealers/criminals train their dogs to be aggressive in order to avoid capture or confrontation from other criminals....I agree charge the dog owner with animal cruelty as he caused that dog to be tasered and now possibly put down. too bad we couldn't do that with some of the so called human beings waliking around in society.

I agree that it's not right for people to use animals to commit violence.

Perhaps police should step up enforcement to stop organized dog fighting, this would also decrease these types of scenarios from happening.

blueskies, maybe it would help...but I think that is a strech, sorry. A mean nasty person making a mean nasty dog is not even close to being on the same topic of dog fighting...

*stretch* oops.

Hey Outlaw,

a large percentage of all domesticated dogs, other than retrievers and the modern mutants like pugs, were originally "bred to kill and maim". That includes daschunds, toy fox terriers, etc, etc. They hunted or defended. That was their job and why they were useful enough to keep around. Even the herding breeds, whether herding sheep or herding children like Rotties were trained for, had a defensive role.

And Park Avenue Joe, how about we ban your far more dangerous auto? Get a clue before you spew.

I don't own one just because they aren't cute and cuddly enough for me, but my sister has one and it is very loving and gentle (once it got past hyperactive puppyhood). Her two kids have mauled that poor thing for years and he just licks the crap outta them. 99.9% of the time, problems with Pits are due solely to the owners, not the dog itself. No different than kids. You abuse it, mistreat it, teach it to do bad things and that is what will happen. Much like kids in the inner city. And any dog, whether my big baby of a Rottie or my placid little spaniel, will attack someone that the owner is fighting with. That is just the dog being loyal to the pack. Again, not the fault of the dog.

And Pits are not actually unpredictable, it's more that some owners are not responsible enough to "read" their dog or pay attention to it's habits and traits. Again, no different than the morons that buy a car and drive it drunk--dangerous due to human stupidity. Remember, even a lollipop is dangerous if someone jams it in your eye or you run with it in your mouth and trip. Don't blame the breed for human faults.

Louise, yep but there was no child involved so why bring that up? I have never had a dog of any breed including a pitbull that ever was aggressive unless someone antagonised it or was trying to do something to me and my home. I have never told any dog I've ever had to sic someone, but if you come at me agressively with an intent do me damage my dogs will defend me and I have never taught a dog to be agressive or to sic. My dogs aren't human and they don't know a uniform from a birthday suit, so when people come to my home you better come with a postive attitude or my dogs, including my teacup yorkie-poo, are going to know whats in your heart and they arer't going to like you if you are negative.

The biggest mistake people make about dogs is that dogs (and all animals) think like humans, they do not,that is so far from the truth. People still assume just because they know something a dog does. Dogs know, food, whats in for me and are these people nice to me. Dogs can sense whats in your heart good or bad. That dog was told to sic by the owner, the dog didn't say "oh hey I'm just going to go attack that nice policeman or child or a nun. I'm going to rip them to shredds cause thats what I do" The difference here is the dog did not make the choice to go after someone, the dog was doing what he was told so this thing with a child does not fit into the incident.

Lucky thing the dog didn't sick his owner on a kid or a cop cause I'd say the smarest one between the two is the dog

What was this all about? Friendly Pitt Bull,,, how do the readers of the BDN know that this dog was a Pitt Bull? From what got from the BDN It was just some Playful Poodle ( white in color) with cute little bells around the dogs neck. I do not know what this State Of Maine is coming to when a poor little little poddle ( white in color) is being tasered by his brave Master,,,,,, Master of the Poddles,,,,, What is Maine going to do when things get really bad??

I guess it is bad now,,,,,, God Bless Maine

No such thing as bad dogs only bad dog owners.Dogs are what PEOPLE raise them to be.My pit is the biggest baby in town.And he wants to be friends with EVERYBODY.I really dont think he knows how to be mean.And he"s 7years old.

Well, there! I guess tasers do have their place afterall

the only reason this article was published was to add fuel to the fire of the pit bulls bad reputation. dogs dont just magically become dangerous. people make them dangerous. so if he gets charged with "keeping a dangerous dog" the dog will be put to sleep so if someone is determined a dangerous person shouldn't they too be put to sleep? people are ignorant and retarded.

Gotta hand it to the cops, they show a great deal of restraint. I'd have pumped both of them full of lead.

drc... I don't know about the rest of the readers but I knew it was a pit bull because it says, "Christopher Dunaway refused to surrender and then ordered his Pit Bull to attack." It was kind of a clue...

a bad dog is this dog

now kill it

A Taser device saves yet another life, or lives. BDN, it's not a taser "gun" and you don't "shoot" it. It is an Electronic Control Device (ECD) and it is deployed.

A wooden shampoo would have been the icing on the cake.

The article states that the dog was a pit bull

There are no "bad" breeds of dogs, only bad dog-owners. My pitbull-chow dog was a wonderful dog, who loved children and other animals.

when was the last time you heard of a pug mauling? come on now!

Runnergirl... the visual I just got while reading your comment caused me to laugh uncontrollably for at least 3 minutes... Thank you.

Runnergirl,Im thinking of a vicious attack involving a pug,a pomeranian and a chihuahua.Love it,and point well taken,Thanks..

I would agree that there are no bad breed of dogs ,but would not agree that there are no bad dogs. I've know several dogs and cats that seem like they are born with bad brain wiring that causes them to be fearful and aggressive.The problem is that large dogs can be more dangerous.Dogs that attack people whether trained to do so or are just psycho should probably be put down.

Pitbulls get a bad name because they are considered some kind of status symbol by people of lower intelligence They are great pets when they have normal owners. Dunalway will have a nice summer vacation to think about his choices.

Police also expect to charge him with keeping a dangerous dog. i have to agree with melissa, it is just another unfortunate circumstance when irrisponsible people own dogs. If it was a lab or something the people would have said "oh its the owners fault" but where its a PItBull its automatically deemed the dog. A dog is the only thing in this world that will love you more then it loves its self. I know 6 pits. Not a one of them is a "mean dog" or a "bad Breed" they are all loyal, playful, good dogs. ParkAveJoe i think you should be banned and do some research. you and outlaw should both do some reasearch. You sit there saying Pits should be banned and are only bred to kill, i have an idea, lets ban cars they kill, lets ban pencils they misspell words right???? You cant sit there and say a Pit is a bad breed. Its how they are raised. I dont go around telling people my pencil is a bad brand because it misspells words more then brand number 2 or whatever. What we really need to ban is pig headed, one-track minded people such as you two. Like i stated before, any other dog, its the owners fault for raising him wrong, but where its a pit, blame is automatically placed on the dog. I have seen more mean (sp) Daschushaunds(weiners),labs, Germans, Poodles, and Cocker Spainels then i have Pits. People need to get over themselvs, open their eyes, smell the coffee, and WAKE UP.

You stupid people on here that are so quick to blame the dog... oviously dont know much about animals! I totally agree with * debutante *.. its not the dogs.. its the owners! I had a pitbull years ago.. and he was the most wonderful dog! So all you people who are down on them.. get a brain!!

So once an owner trains a dog (ANY type of dog) to be vicious what do we do? Put the biting, attacking animal up in a 5 star suite, shoot it? No easy answer here. Either way, THIS dog was told to attack a police officer and was tased for doing what it was told. IF it wasn't tased it would have attacked the officer and then would have been put down anyway.

there are no bad dogs just bad owners. so many dogs get a bad rap because they were taught to act a certain way this person and any others like them should be banned from owning anymore pets in their lifetime!!!!!!!

To start off, was this dog a purebred dog with papers to prove that it was an American Pit Bull Terrier?? There are a number of dogs that can resemble and have been accused as being APBT's. This is the sort of things that reach papers, create bad media and contribute to a poor reputation. I personally have owned a number of different breeds and will NEVER be able to truly bond with any other but a Pitbull. That is my personal choice. Now if you were to look at my Pitbull, she looks like a Jack Russell Terrier mixed with a Dalmatian. Now the thing that upsets me most is that the majority of people who have replied to this article are apparently judgemental and uneducated, probably never been around a Pitbull in their life. Pit's are dangerous when they attack. They are actually the canine with the second most pressure in their jaws, being next to the first, which is a Wolf. Rottweilers, Doberman Pinchsers, Akita, they are all up there as well (just to name a few) and Pit's tend to have teeth that are sharper and angled different than most dogs. They are small, fast and athletic. That is what makes them dangerous. If they attack, they know what to do. These dogs WERE bred for aggression, but they were also bred for loyalty. They were bred for aggression on other dogs, bulls, bears, game prey, etc.. NOT HUMAN AGGRESSION! The majority of dog attacks, whether Pit Bull or any other dog... it is from health problems, poor breeding, training and lack of socialization. Also, one thing that many people fail to realize is that most dog attacks, and I repeat most, not all but most, could be prevented. It is essential to know the signs of an attack, to know the signs and differences of fear biting, food or resource aggression or truly an attack of viciousness. Many people will leave children unsupervised. A child can do something in the blind of an eye that would surface the dogs reaction. An eating dog, dog with a bone or toy of theirs, sleeping, elderly, sick or injured as well as a dog that has it's tail or ears pulled at. So please people, before passing judgement or before getting your opinion out there, please know that any dog can do this. The reasons for this dog being injured may or may not have been justified, I think it was a result of badly reported news. The details as to whether or not the dog actually was taking the orders of his master or not. If this dog was attempted to attack, then fine, but if it wasn't, then it was uncalled for and in my opinion cruelty to animals. If I tell my dog to attack, she lifts her head off the floor, gives me a "Yeah right!", wags her tail and goes back to sleep. My dog is totally submissive to other dogs and humans and is timid. Could be bad, but she is very non-confrontational. With this being said, I think that people need to know what they are talking about before passing judgement upon a dog. It is nine times out of ten, the owner and the owner should be prosecuted. Similar to any other deadly weapon. A man shoots another man, it is not the firearms fault, so the dog being commanded to attack should be the fault of the trainer.

And by the way.. for those of you who don't know.. People in England used to call the Pit Bull the "Nanny Dog" before it had a name. They left their children home alone with them and the dogs protected the children. These are not human aggressive dogs, they are eager to please, they are very intellegent and devoted, loyal dogs who think they are lap dogs and cannot ever seem to get enough attention.

Miniature Pinscher: Bred to hunt and kill small vermin (mice, rats, etc). I would imagine in some locations they are still used to fulfill this purpose, however they are primarily now kept as house pets.

Boston Terrier: Originally developed as a lightweight fighting dog. No longer used as such, the proclivity towards dog aggression was essentially bred out of the lines as the breed grew in favor as a companion and house pet.

Farmers and ranchers used their APBTs for protection, as catch dogs for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, to drive livestock, and as family companions.

Rat Terrier is just as it states, to hunt and kill rats and other small vermins.

Shiba Inu, bred to hunt small game in Japan.

German Shepherd and they were bred to be an all purpose herding dog.

Bluetick Coonhound and Redbone Coonhound were developed to trail raccoons.

Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties), Corgies, Border Collies were bred for herding.

Rottweilers were bred for cattle dogs.

Great Pyrenees were bred for livestock guardians.

Dachshunds were bred for hunting badgers.

Pugs for companions to the royalties.

Beagles for small game hunting.

Basset Hounds for game hounds/scent hounds.

Miniature Schnauzer bred for guard dog and mouser.

Akita--fighting dog.

Newfoundland were bred as water rescue dog.

Welsh Springer Spaniels were bred to hunt ducks.

Labrador Retrievers also bred as hunting/waterfowl/bird hunting dogs.

I got rental insurance and there were about five different places that did not want to because I had what they considered a high risk breed. The top breeds that prevented people from getting rental insurance were;

Rottweilers

Pit Bulls

German Shepherds

Doberman Pinschers

Akitas

Chow Chows

Wolf hybrids

Presa/Dogo Canarios

Greatnorth 9/1/6/09 12:32 AM~ Great information concerning the anatomy of a Pit Bulls jaws. When these animals bite, the lower jaw scissors back and forth to rend flesh from the bone, whereby, causing whatever they are locked onto, to rip. Their jaws exert more than 2,000 pounds of pressure per square inch and therefore their bites can be deadly. Pit Bulls are loyal to their owners, but very unpredictable around strangers. A puppy that is only a few weeks old, and who's owners have done everything right, can have a puppy with a high level of inbred aggression. So to say that it's "always" the owners fault is not true, as all dog breeds have the capacity to have a couple of overly aggressive animals.