5-Year-Old Boy Days Away From Sixth Birthday Mauled to Death

Inside Eddition via Yahoo News ^ | 10/20/15 | Caitlin Nolan

[Kartographer]

A little boy just two days shy of his sixth birthday was killed after he was attacked by two dogs and mauled to death in Texas, officials said.

Tanner Smith, a kindergartener who would have turned six on Tuesday, was severely bitten numerous times by two pit bulls around 7 p.m. Sunday while the boy was at a family friend’s Vidor home, the Orange County Sheriff's Department told INSIDE EDITION.

Tanner was bitten about 16 times, with one bit going through an artery in his neck, his grandmother, Melissa Phillips, told KFDM News.

[Kartographer]

Pit Bulls doing the work that other dogs just won't do!

[RC one]

Pit Bulls...yet another reason to Always Be Carrying.

[sparklite2]

Set the countdown clock for the pit bull denialists ...

[stylin19a]

where’s a cop when you need ‘em?

[Moonman62]

The Dog of Peace, after it kills all the infidels.

[ClearBlueSky]

Pit Bulls- when getting a nice cuddly dog to LOVE just isn’t as satisfying —or intimidating.

[Finny]

NO no no, you have it all wrong!!! It's the owner, not the breed!!! It could just as easily been the same owner with a couple of basset hounds or beagles that mauled this poor kid to death -- it was only the luck of the draw that the breed this time was pit bull, which isn't really even a breed anyway, from what pit bull enthusiasts tell me!

It's not the breed, remember, it's the owner!! So odd that all these bad owners seem to have pit bulls, though. Must just be coincidence.

[ilovesarah2012]

Regardless of how you feel about pit bulls, this is a heartbreaking story.

[henkster]

The dogs need to be put down, the owner charged with manslaughter.

[fwdude]

I'll concede that their are plenty of anecdotal incidences of "nice" pit bulls (and I've met a few) but on the whole, they are a vicious, unpredictable breed. Children or the vulnerable should NEVER be in the vicinity of them.

[soycd]

>The same pit bulls were quarantined for 10 days in December of last year after they bit a 9-year-old girl and her mother as the pair walked by the Aloha Street home, police said.

They should been put down at that point if not sooner.

The dog owner(s) should just hand over everything they have to the victims family now.

[Talisker]

It's not the breed, remember, it's the owner!! So odd that all these bad owners seem to have pit bulls, though. Must just be coincidence.

I know you're being sarcastic, but that used to be true and still is often true.

What's changed is that the breed isn't what it used to be. Pit Bulls have been so inbred for fighting that the breed as a whole is now hyper violent and unstable. Yes, there are still some good dogs. No, you can't count on it no matter how well you treat them.

[Jeff Chandler]

It could just as easily been the same owner with a couple of basset hounds or beagles that mauled this poor kid to death

Or one of these:

.

Enraged Pug On The Attack.

[redfreedom]

We have a simple policy on our place regarding stray dogs. If it has a collar and a tag, and is friendly, just leave it alone. If not, it’s history, threatening or not. Many city people who discover that cute little German Shepard got big will simply take them out to the country where the fend on their own. Best to just take care of them before they form packs and get vicious.

[PA-RIVER]

The owners need several years in jail, then a million restitution.

[HiTech RedNeck]

You can find plenty of awwwwwwww videos of pits with kittens on Youtube.

Like the proverbial little girl with the little curl in the middle of her forehead. When pits are good they are very very good. When they are bad they are horrid.

[Bryanw92]

>>The Dog of Peace, after it kills all the infidels.

That says it all. The Pit Bull fans do sound like CAIR, don’t they?

[luvbach1]

What's changed is that the breed isn't what it used to be.

Hmmm. Does that mean they used to be gentle? I suppose you most have meant less unpredictable.

[stinkerpot65]

Pit bull owners - pure scum.

[wac3rd]

My kids go with me to an off-leash park...I scoop them up when a pitbull comes by. They are dangerous dogs. I wish I could pack but no CC in CA.