[lit-ideas] Re: Ving Rhames' Bullmastiffs
- From: "Lawrence Helm"<lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 4 Aug 2007 20:55:20 +0000
Hmmm. Maybe we'll have to wait and see to be sure. The article in my paper
written by Sandy Cohen of the Associated Press says "three bull mastiffs and an
English Bulldog." Here is another article which says the same thing:
http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/entertainment/film/actors-dogs-kill-caretaker-$1118847.htm
But most of the articles I looked at just now said "mastiff" rather than
"bull mastiff" so who knows?
Lawrence
------------Original Message------------
From: "Judith Evans" <judithevans1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sat, Aug-4-2007 12:43 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Ving Rhames' Bullmastiffs
Are you sure they were Bullmastiffs, not Neapolitan Mastiffs or (as one source
says)
Fila Brasileiro? Fila Brasileiros can't be kept here without an exemption
(Dangerous Dogs Act), Bullmastiffs have a totally different and rather benign
reputation here (but the breed association stresses that they are sociable
and should not be kept outside or chained up).
Ving Rhames certainly owned a Fila Brasileiro at one time.
----- Original Message -----
From: Lawrence Helm
To: Lit-Ideas
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 7:58 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Ving Rhames' Bullmastiffs
In this morning’s paper is an article about a man being mauled to death by two
dogs belonging to Ving Rhames. The dogs seized by "animal services" were three
Bullmastiffs and one English bulldog, but only two of the four "appeared to be
responsible" for the death. Even if the English bulldog was one of the dogs
involved, the other had to be a Bullmastiff.
"The 40-year-old victim . . . lived on the property and worked as a caretaker .
. . for about two years . . . . He was among those responsible for caring for
the dogs. . . ."
The article goes on to say that "‘several’ dogs remain at the property."
The Bullmastiff’s willingness to attack a man is well known. That and its
willingness to attack other dogs are the reason they must be socialized at an
early age. Presumably, since there were a number of dogs on the property, they
were socialized in regard to dogs – but probably not as well as they should be
with people. Or perhaps merely not with this particular person.
One of my part-time jobs while I was going to college was working for Western
Dry Kiln in the "heavy equipment" side of the business. It was owned by Frank
Alexander, a big forceful obnoxious fellow. Frank had some things stolen in his
yard and decided to get a "guard dog." He sent someone to the pound for the
meanest dog they had, a mixed breed of some sort but it appeared to be mostly
Doberman. For some unknown reason I was one of two people who worked for him
who could handle this dog. Typically, when the day’s work was done, I would go
to its pen and let it out to guard the yard. The other guy would put it in its
pen in the morning.
One day, Frank forgot that the dog was out and opened his office door and stood
there looking out like Nebuchanezzer at all he had created. The dog leaped up
and bit him on the chest. Frank shoved the dog off and slammed the door. I
can’t say that this dog was trained to do that, I don’t know; but he was mean
and there weren’t many people he would tolerate. Perhaps something like that
was true of the two dogs who went after Rhames’ employee.
Frank liked the idea of having a guard dog, but he didn’t seem to be good with
dogs. Perhaps this workman wasn’t either. Perhaps this man shouldn’t have been
working for Rhames, and perhaps that is where the culpability lies: Either
Rhames didn’t question the man well enough about dogs, or the man, wanting the
job, lied about his competence with dogs.
I wouldn’t want a dog that is on everyone’s "fear list," and I’ll bet there are
reporters out there right now busily searching for information on other
Bullmastiff misdeeds. What a feather it would be in some reporter’s cap if he
could establish the next "killer dog-breed." People are tired of reading about
pit bulls, but Ving Rhames Bullmastiffs are new. With just the right handling
someone (perhaps more than just one someone) can sell a lot of copy –
especially if some other Bullmastiff maulings can be discovered.
Night before last I took my two Rhodesian Ridgebacks: Ginger, age 4 and Sage,
age 2, on one of our new walks – down some newly constructed sidewalks, past
some shops still under construction and on down the street past a housing
project to a neighborhood park – and back again. We had previously done this
walk at night, but I decided to do it just before dark and encountered a couple
of strange people. One of them jogged up behind us with a club. We were walking
fast but not as fast as he wanted to jog, but he stayed behind us anyway until
we turned onto a less busy street and then he went out into the street to run
around us and shouted something as he did so about going around the dogs. I
couldn’t understand him, and yelled back that I couldn’t, but he kept on going.
I can only guess what was going on in his mind. Why would someone jog with a
club except to ward off vicious dogs; which I obviously had – in his demented
estimation.
The other weird person was an India-Indian-looking girl who cringed away from
the dancing Ginger and Sage with a look of panic on her face. Ginger and Sage
have to be right up there as number one or number two of the friendliest dogs
in the world, and their dancing-about body language indicated that they wanted
to welcome a possible new friend, but this girl’s body language and expression
said, "I’m going to die."
So if I can get those reactions from my two inoffensive girls, I can imagine
walking a Bullmastiff and having people curse me for owning a vicious dog. I
might have already been cursed for having them by the man with the club, but I
couldn’t hear him well enough to be sure.
Last night we took one of our "dark and deserted" walks down a deserted road
past some not-yet-finished housing construction and back again. The whole walk
took a little over an hour. It was just getting dark when we started out and
thoroughly dark when we got back on this first deserted road. Apparently a
rabbit ran across the road. I didn’t see it, but both girls did and leaped
forward to give chase. I was holding the leash with my still-mending left hand,
and they gave me a jolt. I took two or three quick steps I hadn’t planned on
taking and thought immediately of getting a different breed next time,
something like a Bullmastiff or an Anatolian Shepherd. They don’t have a prey
drive and probably wouldn’t want to chase a rabbit. But then, this morning, I
read about Ving Rhames' dogs. . . .
Lawrence
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