Texas toddler killed by pit bull

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.

But anyone trying to make the case that pits are just another harmless breed unless mistreated is whistling out his ear.

Beyond the fact that there are no "harmless" breeds...
I agree, there is more to it than just mistreatment.
A well treated dog of any breed left unsupervised can get into trouble.
Larger dogs can potentially cause greater harm when left unsupervised.

Here's a recent case...

JACKSONVILLE, FL--
A 5-year-old girl is recovering after she was attacked by a neighbors dog. The pit bull was chained up but it looks like the girl just got too close.
The girl has serious injuries to her face. The owner of the dog, Simona Metz, tells us she was outside raking when she heard her dog, Sunshine, growl. Then the dog snapped at the little girl.
Melissa Warren is the mother of the little girl. She says the bite actually ripped her daughter's face open.
The dog is in quarantine. Warren says the dog should be put down, while Metz just wants her dog back. She says her family has warnings signs up and that their Sunshine should come home.

Thankful the injury in this instance was not catastrophic.
In the comments to the article, most people put the blame on the mother
of the little girl for letting her child roam unsupervised.

The owner appears to be a responsible owner.
She has named her dog "Sunshine" that plus the fact she is a woman
probably eliminates the "macho dog owner" factor.
She had placed warning signs about the presence of a dog.
She had contained her dog on her property.
In all likelihood she is not legal responsible and will get her dog back.

But... while not legally responsible I'm fairly sure she feels bad
that this happened and wishes it hadn't.
What could she have done to prevent it?
She was outside at the time but did not have the dog under observation.
I think that in a neighborhood situation we should not assume
surrounding parents are necessarily going to responsible.
The best approach for ourselves, our dogs, and the safety of innocents
is to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
If the owner is going to chain their dog outside,
then it must be supervised at all times
or more sensibly the yard must be contained by a secure fence.

It is akin to having a backyard pool.
We can put up warning signs but dare not assume that alone
will prevent a wandering child from entering our yard and drowning.

Just for the record:

Here's what one bully breed owner thinks is necessary to be "responsible" about his breed's dangerous propensities. Kinda makes one wonder.

Oh, and by the way, I think you mentioned this faulty logic in one of your posts also: I've never had any accidents with my dogs. They've never gotten out of a dead-bolt locked yard. The door has never been left open accidently. The leash has never not been double-collared and has never gotten loose. The neighbors have never not been informed. The fence has never been in need of repair - on MY side. The dogs have never been chained in the yard while I'm not home, or worse, left loose in the yard while I'm not home. The vet has never not been called ahead to say we are in the parking lot waiting for them to create a safe space to go into an exam room. In fact, I carry a means of keeping other dogs away from us for THEIR protection. In my experience, bully breed owners go far, far further to be responsible than most.

It's ludicrous to assert that even a handful of bully breed owners go this "far" to be responsible.

It's even more ludicrous to not see the, uh, irony in demonstrating the incredible lengths that are required to address these dogs' potential to kill.

Link here.

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