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 sons 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 Bryces 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.
Its scary, Burkett said. I dont think people really think about it until a tragedy happens, and because there wasnt a death here, people arent going to take it seriously.
Its 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 residentsincluding Burkettare concerned that they arent 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 its the larger breeds, specifically pit bulls and Rottweilers, that cause her the most concern.
Theyre status dogs, she said. Theres no other use for that type of dog than for status and protection... and you dont 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 arent the problem-its dog care.
If people were made to have control over their dogs, we wouldnt have these problems, she said. Ive 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.
Irelands 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 youre going to own an animal, youve got take care of it as you would your own child, Burkett said. You cant just lock it up in a cage and put it in the back yard and expect that everythings 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 dont know what will happen as a result of this, Burkett said. I really, really hope that something changes... If theyre going to pass something, theyve got to actively enforce it.
The reason so many children are attacked by pit bulls is that the dogs do not recognize that something that is small and down on their level is human.
You could apply that reasoning to any dog.
Pit bull = Poster dog for the Dangerous Breed Ban.
And did you read the definition in post 36??
Yes and I know what a pit bull looks like. I can recognize one on the street, chained in a yard or the back of a pick up truck and so can everyone else, we don't need the American Kennel Club to point one out to us. They are very recognizable. Your point is?
What pit bull? She's a "harmless lab" now ;-)
It's not worth responding to the type of person who makes that assumption.
Ok, which of the below dogs are a pit bull.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
You're right. I read too fast-my oversight. Thanks.
LOL! The one I saw yesterday chained in the back of the gang bangers pickup. I don't need anyone to tell me they were gang bangers either.
Wow! I always thought all racists were pitbull owners as well.
LOL, I should have checked out the other replies first, I think someone else got to you before I did. :-)
I'm confused. What are you laughing at? Those are all pit bulls.
So you *didn't* read the definition in post 36??
click here for full sized PDF of above
And who supports 'breed ban' legislation ???
Beyond knee-jerk liberals & a handful of statist control freaks on FR, none other than the ecco-impirialist, earth-worshipping, social fascists of PETA - & also see: A Letter To PETA .
click for bomb dog Neville's
'saved from Ontario's social fascists' bio
*Pit Bull is NOT a breed. It's a generic term often used to describe all dogs with similar traits and characteristics often known by the public as "Pit Bulls".
There is no way to know for sure what a dog's heritage is unless you have the pedigree of the dog.
Some may be gamebred APBT (from fighting lines), some may be registered show dogs, some may be Am Staffs, some may look like APBTs but might be mixed with other breeds, etc.
You may be interested in the posts 14-25 here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1280305/posts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.