Posted on 03/23/2007 11:16:22 AM PDT by JZelle
A 2-year-old Texas girl riding her tricycle was attacked and fatally mauled by her family's male pit bull, it was reported Friday.
The Dallas County Sheriff's Department responded to a 911 call Thursday afternoon from a man believed to be the girl's father, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Deputy Michael Ortiz said the girl's injuries were mainly to her face and head but neighbors who witnessed the attack said she also appeared to have been bitten on the throat and buttocks.
Witnesses said the girl's father was trimming weeds nearby when one of the family's pit bulls apparently broke it chains and attacked the child.
Authorities withheld the name of the victim and her father pending a decision on whether to file criminal charges in the case.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
I have a "Labweiler."
Sounds fair to ME!
I love dogs but I have no use for the killer dog breeds. Whatever makes you feel big I guess.
I love this old n fat boxer my neighbor has...he is a great motivational tool for when I'm digging out my steep slope driveway lol. That dumb mut will butt-tube down and then try to get back up and do down backwards...funniest thing you ever saw.
I'm glad to see you are one of the responsible owners. But there are owners that are totally negligent. My two scrapes while running were just lucky for me - if that dog wanted me dead - I was dead...or greatly mangled.
The thought of kids getting mangled buy dogs that are bred to fight and kill makes my stomach turn.
: )
It's the irresponsible owners that make it tough on people like me. This is why I wouldn't have a problem with special license requirements for large breeds. The city where I live has a good program--once your dog has gone through obedience training, it can repeat once a year every year thereafter for free. Mine have been several times.
But that's just common sense, and common sense isn't so common anymore.
ooooh, she's precious!!! :)
That can be said about any dog. To think otherwise would be ignorant.
I was a huge dog lover before. Now, I can't walk around the block without a cane or something to protect myself. I just never quite got over the fear.
My FRiend, love, enjoy and care for your dog,
but please don't delude yourself that they won't be coming for your dog in the future.
True, but not every dog has the capability to tear a grown woman to death.
My good friend's collie was horribly mauled and killed by a pitbull. UGH
I hate those dogs.
---------------------------------------------
Poodles, spaniels, setters, labs...all killers...we just never read about it...gimme a break.
The article posted contains few details, here is one with more info...
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/032307dnmetgirlmauled.809b5a2.html
"The male pit bull – the family also owns a mother and puppies – apparently was chained nearby"
I'd bet the male was intact...
Sex of dog -"Neighbors said they had called authorities about the family's pit bulls before for being aggressive toward children. Authorities took the dog involved in the attack to the Balch Springs animal shelter, where its fate was unknown.Though not possible to determine the sex of all the dogs involved in fatalities from 1965, a survey of the sex of the dogs involved in the last 6 years (Jan. 2000 thru Dec. 2005) reveal that overwhelmingly the dogs involved in fatal attacks are males. In the fatal attacks during this six year period, over 91% of these cases a male dog was involved, (i.e. either a single male dog or a male dog accompanied by other males and/or female dogs).
Reproductive status of dog (intact vs. altered)-
As with the sex of the dog, it was not possible to determine the reproductive status of all the dogs involved in fatal attacks dating back to 1965, but an examination of the dogs involved in fatal attacks from Jan. 2000 thru Dec. 2005, reveal that the overwhelming majority of dogs involved were unaltered.Of the fatalities during this 6 year period, 92% of the dogs involved were unaltered (not spayed or neutered).
Chained or restrained dogs-
Statistically, chained and penned dogs pose a greater danger than free roaming dogs. 30% of all fatal attacks are inflicted by a dog that was kept chained or penned. Dogs that are kept chained/penned may be more protective of their restricted space and their resources (i.e. food/water bowls). Additionally, the natural "fight or flight" response afforded to most animals in stressful situations is denied to a chained dog. Removing the option of flight for any animal will always increase the chance of a physical encounter (or fight response) to a perceived threat.
FAMILY DOG VS. RESIDENT DOG -
It needs to be recognized that dogs maintained outside the home (chained dogs, penned dogs, yard dogs) are not family dogs - they are resident dogs. This distinction is vital in the understanding of canine behavior and aggression. Dogs maintained as resident dogs cannot be expected to exhibit the same level of sociability as dogs afforded the opportunity to have positive interactions with humans on a daily basis. This is evidenced by the fact that 81% of the fatal dog attacks in 2006 were caused by dogs maintained in semi-isolated conditions (chained/penned/yard dogs).
link
Although the dog apparently had been chained, residents said roaming dogs are a problem, too, because many people drop off unwanted dogs in Combine.
"They think that this is the country and they'll find a home," Mr. Norman said.
While authorities were at the scene Thursday evening, one loose dog chased a squirrel up a tree and others roamed freely nearby.
"It is one of the few problems we do have," said Mr. Norman, who has lived in Combine about 25 years.
The town has a leash law but lacks an animal control agency. It has one police officer and relies largely on Dallas and Kaufman counties for enforcement, depending on which side of town is involved."
Complaints of aggressive behavior towards children were not acted upon effectively.
Thank you kanawa for the facts. As I had suspected, this attack was entirely predictable and preventable--It's very sad. Another case where some common sense precautions could have saved a life.
BTW, what are your thoughts on special license requirements for certain breeds?
its just the decline of our culture and the rise of Paganism....
I would bet on average people that hurt little children get less time than a dog kicker......
I like animals....but the worship of them is just obscene especially when we can come up with no effective means to protect our own human children from predators....
I think many people acquire dogs without knowing what they're getting into,
with little known of what is socially expected and legally required of them,
and with meager understanding of dog behavior or of how to be an alpha owner.
Having this knowledge is crucial to responsible dog ownership.
Loving your dog is wonderful but without a strong basis of knowledge both the owner and the dog can get into trouble.
Owners of all dogs have to be knowledgeable and responsible,
while with owners of larger dogs this is particularly important
because attacks by their dogs are potentially more dangerous.
So if this licensing was similar to driver licensing,
being a combination of education and testing, then I could support it.
Unfortunately education can only go so far.
There will always be individuals that ignore the law and their social responsibilities.
That is why any education program must go hand in hand with rigorous enforcement of existing laws.
Could you link to that story please?
TIA
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