Posted on 08/17/2009 9:01:19 PM PDT by Chet 99
Published: August 17, 2009 11:27 pm print this story
Hardy infant mauled to death by family dog
Pit bull attacks 3-day-old at Rio residence
From Staff Reports
Cumberland Times-News
RIO, W.Va. — A 3-day-old boy died of injuries after being attacked by a family pit bull at a residence in the Gretchen Acres subdivision late Saturday, according to Hardy County officials.
The identity of the child was not released by the Hardy County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the incident.
The incident was reported to the Hardy County 911 Center at 10:49 p.m., prompting alert of the Baker Rescue Squad and Rio fire and emergency medical services personnel. Air Care 4 helicopter from Winchester, Va., also responded to a landing site set up at the Ebenezer church lot in Rio by the North River Volunteer Fire Company. However, there was no transport, according to the emergency center.
The 1-year-old pit bull and a German Shepherd mixed breed that was also a family pet were euthanized by Hardy County Dog Warden Raymond Shockey with the authority of their owner, according to Deputy Melody Burrows, who is investigating the incident along with Deputy J.T. Miller.
Burrows said the baby’s mother had placed him securely on a bed in the Hollow Log Lane residence when the telephone rang. When she returned to the room with a cordless phone, the pit bull began to sniff around the baby. The mother nudged the dog away but it persisted in getting close to the child. At the same time, the German Shepherd came into the room. As the mother attempted to back the second dog away, the pit bull grabbed the baby. The dog failed to release the infant despite the mother choking the dog.
The mother’s 17-year-old daughter then entered the room, cornered the dogs and eventually was able to push them through an open window. The mother assisted the baby until emergency medical personnel arrived. The child succumbed to his injuries while en route to the helicopter landing zone.
Burrows said charges, including harboring a vicious animal, are pending. The family reportedly purchased the pit bull in May from a relative in Maryland.
“It’s very unfortunate for everyone involved. We’ve never had an incident like this in this county. It shocks the conscience of everybody. The EMS personnel made every effort to revive the child,” said Burrows.
Burrows also said she was not aware of any previous vicious dog complaints at the residence.
Yes, it’s apparent that there are vicious breeds. Any parent who willingly lets one of these animals near their child might as well give the kid a loaded pistol to play with. The parent is culpable and should go to prison.
this was an accident waiting to happen....
please people.....its not the cockerspaniels or the collies or the pugs that are doing this...its one breed, one breed only, with exceptions of course.....
its not worth your machismo to have a dog like this when little ones or frail ones who depend on YOU for protection are put at such risk...
At least the dog wasn’t playing UNO.
Any remaining minor children in the home should be placed in foster care immediately, and both parents should be charged with negligent homicide: death or great bodily harm to a defenseless child was foreseeable as a possibility in such a case.
Michael Vick is deeply saddened.
Dreadful. RIP.
Fair warning to all dog owners:
My good friends had to give their beloved schnauzer to her mother, because the dog was growling & snarling at the new born baby. This dog was a well mannered house dog that was always friendly to me when I visited them.
ANY kind of family dog can get jealous & hostile to a new baby in the house. A bull dog may be more dangerous to a baby, but any dog can cause serious injury or death.
So, if you have a new baby, or having a baby over for a visit, keep a close eye on the dog.
I came to this same conclusion the other day when I saw a large car window sticker that showed a couple of cuddly pit bulls with the caption "Outlaw Stupid People". After thinking that the car owner should be careful what they wish for, I thought that the answer lay in somewhere in that lame sticker. Dogs should be treated as an extension of their masters. If your dog poops on the neighbors lawn then it's the same as if you personally pinched the growler (pun intended!). Likewise, if your dog kills a human then it's murder charges for you, buck-o.
This pit, obviously a distant relative of the dogs drowned or otherwise murdered, by Michael Vick...........was just getting even because Vick had received a light sentence!
I just see “trash” when I see these pit bull owners, and by “trash” I am not talking about socio-economic status or race, but a mindset. Poor decisions across the board.
That is ridiculous. Many other breeds have killed babies, including tiny teacup dogs. They are not the exception any more than pit bull-type dogs. Deaths by dogs ARE the exception. They are extremely rare, and considering the millions of pit bulls that currently reside in the United States, if they were as dangerous as you say, there would be millions of people getting killed every year.
The average number of deaths has not risen since the numbers have been compiled, long before pit bulls were popular, meaning that no matter what dog gains popularity, the death toll stays the same because there will always be a small percentage of dogs that happen to take a human life, whether it could be prevented or not.
Just look at all the places that have banned a breed and see that of the ones that have actually studied the effects, they have all found either no changes in both attacks that cause little damage and extreme damage including death, OR an increase in these areas. Places that have decided against breed bans and instead focused on better laws for owner responsibility have actually seen drops in both minor and major attacks. These kinds of laws help because there will always be dog attacks no matter how many breeds are banned, and because there will always be irresponsible people who shouldn’t have pets at all, and deaths and maimings are pretty much the only way to find them without common sense laws to prevent these tragedies.
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