Sam Ronson's Dog May Be Put Down
After DJ Samantha Ronson's bulldog, Cadillac, attacked and killed another dog, Ronson shipped Cadillac off to stay with friends on the East Coast. However, now that the Department of Animal Care and Control is investigating the incident, the distance may not save Cadillac. If Animal Care finds against Ronson, she'll be charged as a criminal, and Cadillac will probably have to be put down.
E! News spoke to Animal Care's Deputy Director Michelle Roache, who said, "It’s a pending criminal prosecution. The attack was substantial." Roache explained the possible punishments Ronson -- and Cadillac -- could face. "They vary from [sentences where] the person can’t own any dogs in the county of Los Angeles, to the court demanding the dog for euthanasia, or a lot of times they have to pay a fine. I haven’t seen people jailed for an incident like this.”
Cadillac has bitten other dogs, and people, before: he had also just returned from completing a dog-training program when he killed the Maltese. Unfortunately, it seems that Cadillac is beyond help. Unless Ronson is willing to keep an eye (and a leash) on her dog at all times, Cadillac shouldn't be allowed around other canines or humans. And Ronson may no longer have any choice in the matter, now that Animal Care and Control is involved.
These investigations usually take three or four months to complete, so Cadillac will have a stay of execution until then.
Sign up for the OV Daily Newsletter
OV Social
Those of us who own/love bulldog breeds have to be constantly alert to the fact that it is the genetics--not the training--of the dog that ultimately determines its propensities. It sounds like Samantha has done the right things and has really tried to socialize and rehabilitate Cadillac, but unless he is constantly monitored, controlled and isolated from animals or humans, he may still be a serious threat to safety....and he actually can't help it. That's what makes it very frustrating for responsible and caring owners who are told "it's not the dog. It's the owner."
There is no way to absolutely ascertain what is in the bloodline of the dog. Dog fighters count on this and breed certain lines with a proven history of aggression. When these dogs are sold into society, often that characteristic does not show for several years. That's why we so often hear, "he/she never did it before."
Assuming Cadillac was neutered (which can also be a factor), iand this is now a repeated pattern, euthanize may be the only responsible decision. I would hope we will all be sensitive and sympathetic to the fact that the sorrow is just as great in losing a pet whether it was the victim of an attack or we have to make the decision that we have an obligation to society to not keep a pet that endangers innocent pets and people.
L.A. County Animal Control should not be portrayed as the enemy in these situations. It is their job to protect and sometimes that results in some very difficult decisions for all.
Though a strange perversity, one could hardly call it a surprise that the media has flocked to pictures of Tiger, just as they have every other murdered or suicided fledgling actress or model in the history of photographic media who died before her time (can’t wait for the graphic tees and sorority dorm posters). Still, there is undeniably a bubbling, if not bloodthirsty, hostility brewing beneath all of this media madness.
Could it be that we’re (even unconsciously) looking for a metaphor here to connect to Lindsay in some attempt to make news about boring old Sam Ronson marketable?
http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2010/09/sam-ronson-apologizes-for-her-dogs-fatal-attack /