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9-year-old attacked, bitten by pit bull in Ft Knox's Morand Manor
15 Jun 06 | SPC. IAN BOUDREAU /Turret staff writer

Posted on 06/15/2006 6:38:54 PM PDT by SLB

A 9-year-old boy was attacked and bitten by a pit bull in the Morand Manor housing area of Fort Knox June 7.

Bryce Burkett was riding his bicycle with his 12-year-old brother Brandon near their home when the dog jumped its back yard fence and ran up to Bryce, knocked him down, and began biting his thigh and side, said Angela Burkett, the boys’ mother.

The attack happened between 6:15 and 6:30 that evening, Burkett said.

“My son (Brandon) came running up the street, yelling that (Bryce) had gotten bitten by a pit bull,” she said. “We all took off running.”

Nearby, Staff Sgt. Jawara Middleton had just gotten home from his son’s baseball game when he heard his mother-in-law shouting, “That kid needs help!”

“I looked down the street, and I saw this dog jumping at this kid,” Middleton said. “I ran down there, not even thinking of what kind of dog it was.”

Middleton said he became worried when he realized the dog was a pit bull.

“From what I understand, the dog was chewing (on Bryce), and working its way up,” Burkett said.

Middleton said he charged at the animal, shouting to try to scare it away from the boy.

“Once the dog saw me coming down there, he kind of backed off,” he said.

Middleton picked up Bryce’s bicycle and positioned it between the dog and the boy, and shouted for his wife to come help. She and Brandon helped Bryce inside, he said. Middleton had identified the animal as belonging to a neighbor, and using the bicycle, he forced it back to the back yard it had escaped from and into its cage.

Bryce, meanwhile, suffered scratches to his arms and bites to his thigh and side, including at least two deep puncture wounds.

The pit bull was about six months old and weighed between 70 and 80 pounds, Burkett said.

Military police responded to the 911 call, and Bryce was taken to Ireland Army Community Hospital where he was treated and released, Burkett said. The animal was moved off-post for quarantine immediately following the incident.

“It’s scary,” Burkett said. “I don’t think people really think about it until a tragedy happens, and because there wasn’t a death here, people aren’t going to take it seriously.”

It’s not the first dog attack on Fort Knox. Staff Sgt. Anthony Etheridge, then a drill sergeant with the 2nd Battalion, 81st Armor Regiment, was hospitalized after a Rottweiler attacked him as he was coming to the aid of a small child in the Pritchard Place housing area Feb. 14, 2005.

Of the 104 animal bite cases treated at Ireland Hospital in 2005, dogs were involved in 79, according to figures released by the hospital.

Although Knox has regulations designed to keep animals safely under control, some residents—including Burkett—are concerned that they aren’t being enforced.

“If you walk through the post right now, there are violations all throughout housing,” she said.

Loose dogs and cats roam the housing areas almost constantly, she said. But it’s the larger breeds, specifically pit bulls and Rottweilers, that cause her the most concern.

“They’re status dogs,” she said. “There’s no other use for that type of dog than for status and protection... and you don’t need protection on a military base.”

Jennifer Smith, a pit bull owner who also lives in Morand Manor, agreed that many people purchase pit bulls and Rottweilers for the wrong reasons.

“A lot of people get them to make them look tough, without researching the breed,” Smith said.

Her pit bull terrier, Apollo, was certified a “Canine Good Citizen” by the American Kennel Club in February.

Smith said that dog breeds aren’t the problem-it’s dog care.

“If people were made to have control over their dogs, we wouldn’t have these problems,” she said. “I’ve seen MPs pick up the same dog over and over.”

She worries that incidents such as the one involving Bryce Burkett will lead to what she considers an unfair ban on specific breeds; namely pit bulls and Rottweilers.

“With pit bull bans, responsible dog owners are the ones who are punished,” she said. “The bad dog owners will just move on to another breed, and the same problems will occur.”

Ireland’s statistics back up her claim. The 79 dog bites treated at the hospital in 2005 involved 32 breeds.

Smith said she and her family-and their two dogs-are in the process of moving off post in order to avoid conflict if such a ban should be put into effect on Fort Knox.

Burkett suggested that post units could conduct unannounced inspections of pet-owning Soldiers’ quarters to make sure they were observing established policies on pet control, similar to the way barracks and vehicle inspections are conducted.

“If you’re going to own an animal, you’ve got take care of it as you would your own child,” Burkett said. “You can’t just lock it up in a cage and put it in the back yard and expect that everything’s going to be all right.”

Officials at the Post Veterinary Clinic said they had heard no discussion on enacting any breed-specific ban for Fort Knox. But Burkett and Smith agree that the bite incident calls for some kind of action.

“I think they need to enforce the regulations we have,” Smith said.

“I don’t know what will happen as a result of this,” Burkett said. “I really, really hope that something changes... If they’re going to pass something, they’ve got to actively enforce it.”


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: anotherdumbdog; bull; dogofpeace; pit
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To: SLB
Here in Louisiana, they're trying to ban private ownership of ball pythons. It never ceases to amaze me how politicians can refuse to do simple risk analysis. A snake can't chase down a kid. A snake doesn't have the bite strength of a dog. Snakes don't have a territorial instinct that would cause them to attack. Snakes don't have a pack instinct that could cause them to attack. I realize that most people don't like snakes, but the small ones are no threat to anyone. (The large ones and venomous ones are already regulated.) Thanks for the article. It's one more piece of evidence I can try to show to some of our nitwit legislators.

Bill

21 posted on 06/15/2006 9:59:27 PM PDT by WFTR (Liberty isn't for cowards)
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To: doc30

It's amazing so-called conservatives think prohibition is the solution to bad dogs.


22 posted on 06/15/2006 10:50:13 PM PDT by NapkinUser (Weather is not national news.)
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To: SLB
I grew up in the country and used to ride my bicycle by a gas station at an intersection just outside of town. There was a German shepherd there that always used to chase me. After several incidents of this, I cut a 1 inch thick hickory stick about 18 inches long and wired it loosely under the seat of my bicycle.

The sad part of the story is that he never attacked me after that, and I never got to use it. Wish I had. That or I should have taken my .22 down there one night and just shot him. Either one would have been a good outcome.

23 posted on 06/16/2006 3:08:54 AM PDT by Hardastarboard (Why isn't there an "NRA" for the rest of my rights?)
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To: Amelia
I don't think cats should be allowed to roam the neighborhood either. If you're going to have a cat in a neighborhood, get a litterbox and keep it inside.

Total ignorance. Cats eradicate rodents.

Places that have outlawed feral cats are now re-introducing them to keep down the rat population.

Rats breed plague.

24 posted on 06/16/2006 3:16:01 AM PDT by paulat
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To: Recovering Ex-hippie

But dogs don't kill people, people . . .

Oh wait, dogs do kill people.


25 posted on 06/16/2006 3:23:03 AM PDT by Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit (FReeple: Those Freepers who insist on repeating GOP talking points rather than thinking.)
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To: Amelia; Mrs. Frogjerk

Yep, that says it for me. I have a bigger problem with a big dangerous dog being continually loose, but I chase cats out of the yard anytime I see them.


26 posted on 06/16/2006 3:25:28 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
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To: DJ Taylor; SLB

SLB is at least as knowledgeable about that as you are. Hence "Too bad the military are not allowed to be armed while off duty in their housing areas."

Troll much?


27 posted on 06/16/2006 3:27:22 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Guns themselves are fairly robust; their chief enemies are rust and politicians) (NRA)
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To: Luigi Vasellini

:>)

An attack parrot

A postal carrier is working on a new beat. He comes to a garden gate marked BEWARE OF THE PARROT! He looks down the garden and, sure enough, there's a parrot sitting on its perch. He has a little chuckle to himself at the sign and the parrot there on its perch. The mailman opens the gate and walks into the garden. He gets as far as the parrot's perch, when suddenly, it calls out: "REX, ATTACK!"


28 posted on 06/16/2006 4:04:11 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It. Supporting our Troops Means Praying for them to Win!)
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To: Recovering Ex-hippie; MizSterious; Kokojmudd; brytlea; Darnright; Sensei Ern; sangrila; rattrap; ...
No doubt the idiots that own this type of breed...
29 posted on 06/16/2006 4:46:17 AM PDT by kanawa
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To: kevin_in_so_cal
So who lied - the owner or the news?

The person with the AKC CCC certificate is not the owner of the dog that bit.

30 posted on 06/16/2006 4:55:04 AM PDT by kanawa
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To: SLB; kanawa

I don't know what kind of a dog this was, but it was not a "pit bull". As someone already pointed out in an earlier post, an American Staffordshire Terrier does not weigh anywhere near 80 pounds. Sounds like this thing was some kind of Mastiff and something else cross.


31 posted on 06/16/2006 5:05:33 AM PDT by Texan5 (You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line..)
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To: kanawa
::shaking head::

Well... it could be worse, I was told once on the Freep, that as a Rottweiler owner, I was merely compensating for my small penis... or something. That same freeper NEVER had an answer when I said, "well duh--wasn't born with one, females AREN'T." Dead silence... crickets.

I love the logic in the argument, it's always the dog, it's NEVER the owner--and anyone who disagrees is stupid. Just like a liberal, I guess. Oh wait-- but I'm talking about conservatives... my mistake.

I love the personal responsibility folks on the Freep. They're always for responsibility except when they arent.

32 posted on 06/16/2006 5:09:26 AM PDT by RepoGirl ("Bobby, if you weren't my son... I'd hug you...")
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To: kevin_in_so_cal

I don't think the dog who attacked was deemed a Good Citizen, I think they were talking to a woman in the neighborhood who owns a pit who's been certified a Good Citizen.


33 posted on 06/16/2006 5:22:54 AM PDT by arizonarachel (Praying for a February miracle!)
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk
Are there no law in your community against free roaming dogs?
If so, have you reported the problem?
If you have reported it, why are the laws not being enforced?
34 posted on 06/16/2006 5:28:31 AM PDT by kanawa
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To: paulat
Total ignorance. Cats eradicate rodents. Places that have outlawed feral cats are now re-introducing them to keep down the rat population. Rats breed plague.

Cats pooping in flowerbeds, kids' sandboxes, etc. can also spread diseases.

Cats aren't as dangerous as large vicious dogs, but responsible cat owners don't allow their cats to roam the neighborhood, and responsible pet owners keep their pets out of the neighbors' yards and don't allow their pets to become a nuisance.

If I wanted a cat, I'd have my own.

35 posted on 06/16/2006 5:28:45 AM PDT by Amelia (Education exists to overcome ignorance, not validate it.)
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To: kanawa

I just browsed a few prior 'pit bull' threads.

Mostly the same people posting. The same types of posts.

Not one of them paid any attention to anything anyone posted to them.

I see we are even back to the 'pit bull BREED' comments.

How many times have quotes and texts have been added to these threads that show 'pit bull' in lower case encompasses 9 different breeds AND mutts?

So, this thread will once again, run into hundreds of posts of the same circle jerk.


36 posted on 06/16/2006 5:42:58 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: RepoGirl

I was told that too. I didn't get a response when I said I was a girl either.


37 posted on 06/16/2006 5:45:31 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Tribune7
Goldfinger is playing on AMC.

LOL

38 posted on 06/16/2006 5:46:35 AM PDT by kanawa
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To: Texan5

post 36:

Note 'pit bull' definition


39 posted on 06/16/2006 5:47:36 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Calpernia
Yeah, I guess it throws people off when you slaughter one of their sacred cows or something. ;-)
40 posted on 06/16/2006 5:50:53 AM PDT by RepoGirl ("Bobby, if you weren't my son... I'd hug you...")
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