Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 18, 1995 TAG: 9509180105
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Dogs such as Rottweilers and pit bulls, often mistreated to encourage aggressive behavior, are becoming a weapon of choice for robbers as well as youths seeking to establish neighborhood reputations as macho men.
Although statistics are inconclusive, police and animal-control officials can recount incident after incident in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area in which dogs have been used instead of guns or knives to intimidate victims.
Nine days ago, a 32-year-old man was attacked by a dog and robbed in Capitol Heights, Md., outside a restaurant after two men with a pit bull walked up to him and demanded cash. He surrendered his money, but the dog attacked him anyway.
In Prince William County, Va., police officers responding to a burglary last month were greeted by a Rottweiler charging out the front door. After an officer repeatedly asked the owner to call off the dog, he shot it in the snout, wounding it, police spokeswoman Kim Chinn said.
The dog's owner turned out to be the estranged husband of the woman who called police, and he was later arrested on a charge of stealing the woman's car.
When police recently raided an apartment at a housing complex in the District of Columbia neighborhood of Columbia Heights, they encountered a pit bull guarding a stash of drugs and weapons.
``We are seeing more of these dogs, and we have to be prepared for it,'' said Washington police Capt. Greg Thomas. Police officers have to consider dangerous dogs as one more weapon they might encounter on the street, he said.
Humane Society of Washington officials say Rottweilers and pit bulls are increasingly popular among young people who enjoy the respect associated with owning a mean or aggressive animal.
Younger owners usually don't hesitate to show their peers what their dogs can do, said Rosemary Vozobule, director of the humane society's law-enforcement program, which works with police to bring charges against pet owners for cruelty to animals and allowing their dogs to fight.
``There is a certain machismo associated with owning the dogs,'' Vozobule said. ``Of course, the meaner your dog, the more respect you get in the neighborhood.''
Tim Nicholson, an animal-control officer with the Washington shelter, said he has seen pit bulls and Rottweilers - large dogs that can weigh up to 120 pounds - that have been starved, fed gunpowder, placed on treadmills and weighted down with heavy chains around their necks to build up muscle strength.
Gunpowder gives an animal a constant stomach ache, making it sicker and meaner, and the treadmill regimen builds stamina to fight, he said. In addition, the animals are trained to leap and lock their jaws around an object.
by CNB