Posted on 02/07/2005 4:34:38 PM PST by ambrose
Lanett Woman Fatally Mauled In Pit Bull Attack
Owner Could Face Criminally Negligent Homicide, Manslaughter
POSTED: 3:43 pm CST February 7, 2005
LANETT, Ala. -- Authorities have said criminal charges could be filed against the owner of a pit bull after the animal attacked and killed an elderly Lanett woman Friday afternoon.
Police Chief Ron Docimo said 70-year-old Barbara Pilkington died from severe face and neck injuries when she was mauled at about 5 p.m. on a city street. Lanett Fire Chief A.J. Johnson said he was forced to kill the pit bull after the dog displayed aggressive behavior toward him.
Docimo said the Chambers County District Attorney's Office will determine if criminal charges are warranted. He said the owner, whose name was withheld, could face charges ranging from criminally negligent homicide to manslaughter.
Docimo said he also wants to know whether Lanett has an ordinance on the books, requiring all animals be properly restrained.
Tests are being conducted to determine if the dog had rabies.
See also my reply further down.
Biting someone and ripping their face off are two different things.
See also my reply further down (post 19)
That is total obfuscation. We are not talking about dog bites. We are talking about vicious attacks by dogs. Please stay on subject. If you have an example of a golden retriever mauling someone, then let's have it.
Excellent post. And I do hope your wife was not seriously injured.
My golden "bites" my hand when we play.
Wow, we better ad that to the statics. Gee, we would not want to let that bite get past the pitt bull owner's tally of other breeds bites.
It does matter. It shows that if you encounter a particular breed of dog, if it's one of the pit bull breeds (the "pit bull" moniker is a bit vague since it's actually several breeds), then you have a higher likelihood of being bitten than if, say, it was a golden retriever. It's ridiculous to use the logic that only sheers numbers matter, not the overall percentages.
You can't get around the fact that if you find a pitbull, then there's a very good chance that it has shady background, unless it from a well known breeder and/or it has an AKC registered background. This is the case with pit bulls more than with most other breeds. If the latter two cases are true, then you will have a very loyal pet, but if the first case is true, then that's where these cases of pit bull attacks arise.
Okay, first of all, do NOT tell me on a public forum whom I can and cannot reply to. If you have a problem with my opinion, ignore it, or ignore me.
That said, I do not own a Pit Bull now nor do I plan to. However, that is because I do not like the way Pit Bulls look.
Until recently I fostered a Carolina Dog (look it up on Google if you are not familiar with the breed), who was a big problem dog and VERY aggressive because of the way the people had raised him. He was a very good point to the fact that ANY dog that is not trained, raised, and handled properly can become a vicious dog. I had him for 6 months in which we've gone through A LOT of issues with him but he is now safe to be around anyone including cats AND children.
Dobis are also not vicious dogs. They are another breed I have experience with and let me tell you, Dobis are great, big babies who love nothing more than to sleep on the couch or crawl under the covers on the bed. They are certainly not vicious by nature, and if they are raised and handled properly they make excellent family dogs. My fiance's family professionally raises Dobermans, many of which go to law enforcement use, and they have never had one of their dogs attack someone who was walking along the street or came up to pet it.
Again, it's NOT the breed, it's the irresponsible people who raise them. And yes, most of these morons don't even see that they are raising or handling their dogs wrong and then wonder WHY they bite someone.
I think people should be licensed to own dogs, particularly large breed dogs.
Here you go. Golden Retriever mauling a child, from an article.
"Then, as he snoozed, his coat still rough with salt, the eight-year-old golden retriever was destroyed on a court-ordered death warrant. [...]
Although Sam's crime was the same as that of the dog which mauled Carolina Anderson - he bit the face of two-year-old Jacob Rapira-Davies, who needed 71 stitches in his cheek and now requires years of corrective surgery - there the similarity ended.
Sam was a middle-aged golden retriever, a canine good guy, with no history of aggression, from pedigree stock of a breed which doesn't even rate on the lists of potentially risky dogs. The attack in Featherston happened on a neighbouring property which he regularly roamed and regarded as "home"."
That's now what I'm talking about when I say "bite". Bite means to puncture the skin and do damage.
However, that being said, dogs need to be trained that it is NOT okay to put their teeth on human skin. Ever. People who allow their puppies to play-bite are usually the first who wonder about them when they later bite hard when they get older and become more dominant.
She was not. She grabbed the dog's collar and wrestled him down, as he was after our three Bichons. Luckily, a man was cutting his grass two houses down and came to help her out.
I read the riot act to the woman, then called animal control, who told her she would have to do something to restrain her dog (and that he was a lawsuit waiting to happen).
They keep a full grown pit in the house now, which is a shame for the dog. But, at least he's alive. I carry my .45 with me when I walk my dogs now.
Like I said, a dog's aggressiveness largely depends on how they are raised. In some cases, genetics also play a part since some people breed two very dominant and aggressive dogs knowingly to get dominant and aggressive pups.
Anyone who wants to own a dog, regardless of breed, should do best to get one from a breeder, not through some ad in the newspaper, or worse yet, from a puppy mill. Dogs need to be bred AND owned responsibly.
Since my dog isn't a vicious pit bull, that really doesn't concern me.
I hope you have a carry permit for the .45.
It concerns anyone who wants to responsibly own a dog regardless of breed, because ANY dog can bite.
The majority of bites occur to children, and often as a sign of the dog expressing he or she does not like what the child is doing or to establish dominance. But they DO occur in ALL breeds and it is NEVER okay for a dog to put its teeth on human skin, not even in play. Pit Bull or not.
Are you familiar with a Black Mouth Cur?
You try to hide these problem breeds among labradors, and collies, and retrievers and everybody here sees through it.
Whether you like it or not, there are certain breeds that have developed reputations for viciousness. In most cases, those reputations are well-deserved. Pits, after all, were originally bred to fight other pits.
And yes, most of these morons don't even see that they are raising or handling their dogs wrong
If "raising a dog" means training it not to kill someone, then something is wrong with the dog. I never had to train my Bichons not to bite. They just don't bite. Period.
You don't know crap about dogs.
I do. And I know how to use it, and will.
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2005/local/02/06/pitbull.html
Family's Pitbull Bites Toddler In The Face
Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Neil Relyea
Photographed by: 9News
2/6/2005 11:15:01 PM
A Tri-state toddler is recovering in the hospital after being bitten in the face by a pitbull.
The 18-month-old was bitten by the dog in his home in the 4000 block of Fehr Road in Delhi.
The incident happened just before 9 p.m. Sunday night.
The dog belongs to the child's parents.
The child was taken to Childrens Hospital Medical Center.
His name and condition have not been released.
The owner says he will put the dog to sleep.
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