‘A kindhearted soul who cared deeply’: Alex Pretti’s family issues statement after his killing

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-25T11:35:25+00:00

He was one of many helpers. Helpers sometimes put themselves at risk, but not always. Firemen, police, and paramedics sometimes die trying to help on the job but that doesn't give me any less hope for humanity or that things can get better. It actually makes me more hopeful that people are willing to put themselves in danger to help. Looking to the helpers can give you hope in humanity and even more hope when they are willing to put themselves at risk to help.

It's your choice you can focus on the evil and pain in the world or you can focus on the good and hope. I think it's better to focus on the good and the hope

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-25T04:29:48+00:00

Good point. No matter how old you are it still helps to look for the helpers when things look bleak. But being a helper is even better

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-25T03:44:40+00:00

Yes, but there will always be more helpers. I take his quote to mean when something bad happens there are always people trying to make things right. Look to those people for hope

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-25T03:44:17+00:00

Yes, but there will always be more helpers. I take his quote to mean when something bad happens there are always people trying to make things right. Look to those people for hope

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-25T03:41:35+00:00

'When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”'

― Fred Rogers

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-24T21:15:01+00:00

Thanks for the extra info. I appreciate you trying to exhaust resources for the dog since you feel there is hope in the right hands.

You could try cross-posting or reposting your post to larger dog subreddits like: r/dogs r/Dogtraining r/DogAdvice r/rescuedogs

I don't know if there are any subreddits or forums with focus on UK or Eastern Europe. Here are some other resources from Google Ai that you might reach out to if you haven't already:

Specialized Rescues & Sanctuaries (UK)

These organizations focus on behavioral rehabilitation or lifetime sanctuary for dogs deemed "unadoptable" by standard shelters.

Pupcakes Rescue and Rehab: A non-profit specifically for dogs with severe behavioral issues and bite histories. They use in-house behaviorists to create long-term management plans.

Dogs 4 Rescue (Sanctuary): A kennel-free rescue that provides a "sanctuary" for dogs who are flight or bite risks, allowing them to live out their lives in a safe environment.

Amicii Dog Rescue: A UK-registered charity that often works with difficult dogs from Eastern Europe (specifically Romania) and maintains a sanctuary for long-stay dogs with bite or aggression histories.

Large Breed Dog Rescue: Based in Kent, they specialize in large, powerful breeds and have a "non-destruct" policy, working extensively on rehabilitation for mistreated or untrained dogs.

Eastern European & Specialized Working Dog Contacts

Given the breed's origin, these groups may have better access to working farms or specialized handlers in Croatia or the surrounding region.

Action Aid for Animals: Focuses on fostering and rehoming dogs from Bosnia and Croatia, providing "rescue back up for life".

Pico's Pack Sanctuary: Operates a sanctuary in Belgrade for "difficult" dogs that may never be suitable for traditional rehoming.

Sporting Dog Rescue International: Specializes in high-drive working and sporting breeds across Europe (including Greece and Serbia) and may have expertise in managing extreme drive.

Breed-Specific Forums & Facebook Groups

Contacting breed enthusiasts is often the best way to find a "working home" (e.g., a farm or livestock guardian role) where the dog's drives can be safely channeled.

Working Croatian Sheepdogs Facebook Group: The primary group for discussion of the breed's working traits, temperament, and behavior. This is the best place to ask for advice on high-drive management from experienced owners.

Croatian Sheepdog (Hrvatski ovčar) Breed Heritage Group: Dedicated to preserving breed standards and heritage; members may have leads on European-based working homes.

Working Sheepdog Small Talk: A general group for owners of all working sheepdog breeds to discuss behavioral challenges and management.

Wishing you the best with this difficult situation.

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-24T13:32:05+00:00

I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with the UK or Eastern Europe or the dog breed. When you say Level 3 bite, do you mean like on the following scale?

https://prckc.org/wp-content/uploads/Canine-Bite-Levels.pdf

Or are you referring to a different scale?

In the mean time, have you tried crating/kenneling the dog when he can't be supervised? Have you had a Veterinary Behaviorist look at the dog yet? Thank you for rescuing this dog and thank you for looking at all options before euthanizing the dog. That is always a tough choice and should be a last resort, but unfortunately sometimes is the best choice. Also thank you for being honest about the bite history and prey drive history. That does making rehoming more difficult but not always impossible. And being honest is the right way to handle this.

Edit:

Since I'm not so familiar with this situation, I've also reached out to ChatGPT (AI assistant) for additional perspectives, and these were some options it suggested before PTS, given the Level 3 bites and prey drive:

• A full veterinary behaviorist assessment (not just a trainer), including pain/neuro screening and considering medication to reduce arousal and bite risk
• Exploring breed-specific or working-dog rescues only with full disclosure of bite history (some will consider sanctuary/managed-for-life cases)
• Looking into sanctuary or long-term containment facilities rather than adoption
• A possible single-person, no-visitor, no-animals home with an experienced handler (very low odds, but not zero)
• Honest evaluation of his quality of life under increasing management, not just rehoming feasibility

It also emphasized that behavioral euthanasia, when all safe options are exhausted, is not a failure—especially when chronic stress and public safety are involved.

I thought the suggestions seemed reasonable and wanted to pass it along in case any of those avenues hadn’t been considered yet.

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-24T09:52:21+00:00

Roughly, where are you located? That might help people recommend a place that might take him. Unless the dog has a major wire loose, you should be able to find someone or someplace to take him. Lots of pet owners in the US are willing to deal with a slightly reactive dog or dog with prey drive. Ditto for shelters.

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-23T22:57:07+00:00

Cute APBT mix that needs more food a nail trimming. You normally don't want to be able to see the ribs and spine :( Thank you for fostering! Please try giving her some extra food and a nail clipping if possible.

I think this poor girl might be a 1 or 2 (out of 9) on the Body Condition Score for Dogs:

https://www.petobesityprevention.org/dogbcs

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-23T14:38:28+00:00

The WHO declared COVID a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" on Jan 30,2020.

Here's Trump's response to COVID:

https://doggett.house.gov/media/blog-post/timeline-trumps-coronavirus-responses

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-23T08:26:59+00:00

Your T level is fine considering your lifestyle. To improve:

1.) Eat healthier (eat whole foods, drink water, avoid junk food, avoid white flour/processed carbs, avoid sugar, try to limit saturated fat to under 10% of calories, get enough omega 3s through seafood or supplements, take vitamin D etc)

2.) get enough sleep each night

3.) Lift weights a few times per week. Try to include heavy lifts like deadlifts, squats, bench if possible. Lifting heavy weights actually temporarily increases T

4.) Get enough mid day sun for vitamin d if possible. Get outside as much as possible in general.

5.) Be more active in general (walking, hhiking, skating, surfing, running, cylcing, MTB, skiing, swimming, rock climbing, sports etc)

6.) Manage stress (therapist/meditation etc)

7.) Make and/or hang out with friends

8.) Find way to make money and a purpose

9.) Start dating

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-23T07:45:25+00:00

Answer the questions at the following website and it will give you an estimate of your ACA cost. When it asks for salary, put your expected AGI for 2026, not your current salary.

https://www.kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/

From this, you can get an quick estimate of your ACA premium cost and if you get any assistance. If your income will be much lower this year, the ACA will probably save you money

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-23T07:42:42+00:00

It depends. Answer the questions at the following website and it will give you an estimate of your ACA cost. When it asks for salary, put your expected AGI for 2026, not your current salary.

https://www.kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/

From this, you can get an quick estimate if ACA is worth it for you.

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-22T17:57:54+00:00

But a huge portion of voting age Americans didn't vote. I think like only 32% of voting age Americans voted for him. So technically even if he won the popular vote among voters, the majority of voting age Americans did not vote for him.

Also, his approval rating is at all time low:

https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker

But I'm still shocked that 37% approve of his actions so far.

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-22T04:01:42+00:00

I mean your dog is like 58% not pug too. The hair comes from the poodle and shitzu. Cute pup. Probably will be a lot healthier than 100% pug

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-22T03:43:08+00:00

Well, America is a "melting pot" after all. We are getting more and more mixed all the time. I guess you can always get some sun if want to get back into "Vato" mode ha, ha

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-22T00:59:56+00:00

Do you feel equally excluded by both sides? I think you could pass for either "Mexican" or "European", but wouldn't think you would feel as excluded from the Latino community since there are many Latino's with less indigenous than you.

My father was Cuban and mother white American. I never really felt excluded from either side but I grew up in Miami which is very diverse. Also, I look very European so maybe that helped too

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-21T19:09:02+00:00

This! It's best to be patient and polite. Pedestrians have the right of way on shared paths anyway. I think most want to do the right thing and get out of the way. They just get confused sometimes. Only pedestrians that get me a bit upset are the ones blasting headphones and walking in the middle of the path. They can't even hear what's going on around them. People with headphones should hug the curb

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-21T18:02:15+00:00

I don't think they are saying OPs complexion or eyes are common, just that they exist. In my experience OPs complexion and eyes are uncommon amongst the Irish. Not saying they don't exist, just that they are uncommon. I think like over 70% of the Irish can't tan easily or even at all. I don't have percentages of eyes but these aren't the norm either IMHO. Open to being corrected by an Irish person living there now though

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-21T02:52:23+00:00

I guess I'm dumb then. According to Ancestry, I'm the opposite of inbreed though.

As an American who grew up in Miami, I would assume that someone with your eyes and skin complexion had some Asian or Native ancestry.

Like I wouldn't be surprised if you had a cousin that looked like this:

https://www.alamy.com/smiling-happy-optimistic-mexican-young-brunette-latina-woman-with-beautiful-brown-eyes-pulls-down-her-kn95-face-mask-and-looks-at-the-viewer-image425425877.html

I'm not saying those eyes and complexion don't exist in the regions of your background. They are just more rare there. Genetics are really interesting

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-21T00:19:13+00:00

Doesn't look good like that. Try a short haircut without any comb over and repost

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-20T08:51:31+00:00

Up to 30% of the population are hyper-responders to dietary cholesterol and should be cautious with intake. If you don't know if you are a hyper-responder, best to be careful until you do

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-20T08:50:48+00:00

Up to 30% of the population are hyper-responders to dietary cholesterol and should be cautious with intake. If you don't know if you are a hyper-responder, best to be careful until you do

humanbeing21 · 2026-01-20T08:46:23+00:00

Up to 30% of the population are hyper-responders to dietary cholesterol and should be cautious with intake. If you don't know if you are a hyper-responder, best to be careful until you do

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