Two Lives Lost: The Tragedy We Created

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Two lives were lost today. And both were unnecessary.

This morning, chaos broke through the fence between my neighbor’s property and mine. His three dogs — a German Shepherd, a Rottweiler, and an American Bulldog — stormed into my goat pen. By the time I reached them, barefoot in pajamas, one goat was already down, another had a dog clamped on his face. I screamed, I threw things, I dragged two dogs away by their collars and locked them in my car. Somehow, I avoided injury. But the Bulldog was relentless. He wouldn’t stop.

I forced him out, tackled him, and leashed him into a kennel. Then came the hardest part: waiting. My neighbor arrived first, devastated. He climbed into the pen, holding my goat as the vet rushed over. We tried. We failed. The only mercy was letting him go.

That was the first life lost.

The second loss came soon after. At just 1.5 years old, the Bulldog — powerful, determined, and bred for a purpose that no longer exists — was loaded into the animal control truck for euthanasia. Not because he was “bad.” Not because he chose violence. But because we, as humans, made him this way. American Bulldogs were designed to grip and not let go — to hold down wild pigs with unstoppable drive. Today, that same genetic legacy sealed his fate.

Before he left, I gave him water. I scratched his head. I slipped him treats, knowing they were his last. And when the adrenaline wore off and everyone left, I wept.

Here’s the truth we don’t want to face: we created this tragedy. We bred power into dogs, then softened the narrative, selling them as family pets. We ignored their instincts, their needs, their history. And when they did exactly what we bred them to do, we punished them for it.

My goat is dead. That dog is dead. Two families are grieving. And none of this had to happen.

The solution is not just stronger fences, not blaming owners, not repeating the tired line that people “should have done their research.” It lies in honesty. We must stop breeding for jobs that no longer exist. We must be realistic about what strong, working breeds need — and diligent about where they are placed. Rescues, shelters, and breeders alike cannot keep sugar-coating their power.

Because in the end, when we fail them, it isn’t just the animals who lose. It’s all of us.

Sorry I couldn’t keep you safe, little piglet. You didn’t deserve this.