Child bitten by pitbull on school bus in Phoenix

KTAR ^ | February 24th, 2012 | Clayton Klapper

[george76]

An eight-year-old boy was bitten Friday by a pit bull that climbed aboard a school bus near 67th Avenue and Thomas.

The dog had made its way through the neighborhood running loose and had followed a group of students onto the bus. The driver attempted to close the door on the dog but it forced its way through the sliding doors. Around a dozen students were aboard when the first grade student was bitten in the leg. The teacher was also bitten by the dog

[cripplecreek]

Kids probably mobbed the dog and just about any dog would bite in that situation.

I say that as someone who is no fan of pit bulls.

[george76]

Why blame the victims ( the pit bull forced its way onto a school bus ) ?

The owner should control his pit bull ( fence, leash, or such ).

[cripplecreek]

Its not blaming the victims to point out a common sense fact but I do agree that the owner was ultimately at fault.

I’m just assuming that when the dog got on the bus it got real chaotic and real loud real fast.

[Silentgypsy]

That area is rife w/dogs that run loose secondary to fences in state of disrepair, burglars who open yard gates and return to burglarize after dogs have left, etc. The people who allow their dogs to run loose generally don’t obey other laws, either. Graffiti, meth labs, trash strewn all over the place, gunfire at all hours of the day and night—lovely place.;crip

[Silentgypsy]

;crip= wandering cursor :(

[cripplecreek]

Its a rare sight to see a dog running loose in my little town. My dogs have a fenced half acre to run in and don’t even leave the yard if the get gets left open somehow.

I left the gate open a few weeks back and forgot it for about a day. I could see from the tracks in the snow that one of the dogs took a few steps outside the gate and came back in.

[gemoftheocean]

Back in the day before PC, the original Boy Scout handbook had this to say with re: how to cope with a vicious dog. Mad Dog The first thing to do is to kill the mad dog at once. Wrap a handkerchief around the hand to prevent the dog's teeth from entering the flesh and grasp a club of some kind. If you can stop the dog with a stick you should hit him hard over the head with it, or kick him under the jaw. A handkerchief held in front of you in your outstretched hands will generally cause the dog to stop to paw it before he attempts to bite you. This will give you an opportunity to kick him under the lower jaw. Another way suggested is to wrap a coat around the left arm and let the dog bite it; then with the other hand seize the dog's throat and choke him. {261} ----- See page number 261 for reference.

[M. Thatcher]

Yeah, that would be the natural behavior of first graders. Not.

[Revel]

Pit bulls that are running loose should be ELIMINATED.

[Cicero]

I suspect that this happened in one of the worst parts of town, where folks train their pitbulls to bite strangers as a matter of self-defense. Might have been a drug dealer’s dog, since they often use them to keep hard-up customers from breaking in and stealing drugs.

Presumably it ran loose in the house or apartment, and managed to get out the door in the same sort of way it got into the bus.

[Irenic]

I think if I were the owner I would put the dog down. That is strange behavior—not the escaping but the determination to get on the bus and then bite more than one person.

Years when kiddo was still in school our GSD would open the gate to try and go with him. Anyhow, one day I had her out back to potty and she got out—I found her at the school running to different windows peeking in them trying to find kiddo. Embarrassing!

Only once did she ever try a biting type thing. The boys were running around rough-housing in yard and she grabbed the boy chasing kiddo by the seat of the pants and wouldn’t let go. She didn’t bite him though, just held onto his drawers. The boys laughed themselves silly over it.

[JoeProBono]

Chet 99 was a good friend of Pit bulls... are you mocking or impersonating him, so to speak — LOL

[BooBoo1000]

I will bet the Lawyers are lined up outside that boy’s home ready to file suit. First I would start with the School District which is supposed to provide safe transportation. Next would be dog owner. People should be able to shoot that type of dog on sight.

[JoeProBono]

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

pit bulls = dogs of peace

[Cyber Liberty]

67th and Thomas isn’t one of the best parts of town. This was likely a guard dog gotten loose, not the nice kind of pit bull you let frolic with children.

If I had to bet, this dog would have gone for a solitary person if he/she wandered into the dog’s zone. Mobbing not required.

[JimRed]

IBTFK’EA

In before the first kill ‘em all.

[Silentgypsy]

You have some brainy and responsible dogs there!

[cripplecreek]

They have a good life and know it. No need to go afield. One thing I have done is refuse to walk them around town. I don't want them familiar with outside the yard. They have plenty of room here and if I take them somewhere I drive.