Posted on 05/31/2013 10:24:51 AM PDT by Arthurio
Pamela Devitt was taking a morning walk through her neighborhood earlier this month when a pack of pit bulls mauled her.
The retired office manager suffered 150 to 200 puncture wounds in the fatal attack. When the first sheriff's deputy arrived on the scene in the Antelope Valley town of Littlerock, he saw Devitt on the ground with one of the dogs still mauling her.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office charged the dogs' owner with murder. Prosecutors could not recall ever filing a similar murder case, but said the incident warranted such serious charges because the owner's dogs had attacked others before mauling Devitt.
DISCUSSION: Should dog owner face murder charge?
District attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison said authorities had received at least three reports of attacks by dogs belonging to Alex Donald Jackson, 29, since January.
"We believe there was evidence that he was aware the dogs were vicious and they have attacked before and he knew of the danger they posed," Robison said.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Unless the owner set the dogs on her, no murder charges should be filed... but voluntary manslaughter might be in order. What the hell else would be expected of a pack of pit bulls that had a history of previous attacks?
Well I really like the breed, having now spent six yrs getting to know it. The problem is that many people who want to own pits *want* an aggressive dog. It’s not hard to bring that side of the pit’s nature into the forefront. Once that happens, the dog is always going to be problematic. That’s a shame, because when raised right, the pit bull is a great dog.
The closest thing I have to an attack dog, btw, is my sm MinPin mix. She’s a fireball. I really enjoy her, though. She just needs strict supervision.
bad link,
I don’t trust ANY Pit Bull!
You make a very good point! I was born & raised in a rural area, & I love the boonies to this day. I never knew or, or even heard of, a pit bull attack out in the country. People knew & loved their dogs, & knew how to handle them.
In Boston, where I spent too many yrs, all the pit bull attacks are urban. Hmm. I guess Cleary just needs to get out more. His views are parochial at best.
“The problem with pit bulls is you never know when theyre going to morph into a killer.
Baloney. “
Then why to so many family pets kill their owner’s family members?
Which makes me wonder whether this owner of SIX pit bulls had them for something besides pets.
That is a very good point. It occurred to me that whoever is in charge of animal control might be colluding w the DA to shift blame. I.e.: if numerous attacks had been reported & nothing done about it, the local version of Animal Control might share some liability. One way to deflect it wd be to overcharge the owner. Just a thought.
The problem with pit bulls is you never know when theyre going to morph into a killer.
Baloney.
Then why to so many family pets kill their owners family members?
Yep... and how many times the pit bull owner expresses shock over the whole thing, blathering, “he’s always been so sweet, I just don’t understand why he did this.”
Howie Carr, a right wing radio talk host I listen to, often comments on this v point. I.e.: that many Boston areas dealers are felons, & thus cannot legally carry. So they get the biggest baddest pit bull/s they can, & use them instead. That cd apply here as well.
“Well I really like the breed, having now spent six yrs getting to know it. The problem is that many people who want to own pits *want* an aggressive dog. Its not hard to bring that side of the pits nature into the forefront.”
I recall that several years ago an 80 year old woman fell in her yard and the pit bulls she’d raised from pups mauled her to death. I find it hard to believe an 80 year old woman raised aggressive dogs. But, here’s the question, if you knew this outcome was even a possibility, why risk having the dog? How would you feel if your treasured pet mauled some innocent child because the child fell down in front of it? I have a 10 pound cat. But if she weighed 20 pounds we’d have to re-think the relationship. When she plays she can get overly excited and I can get clawed. At 20 pounds that would be serious. At 10 pounds, I can kick her fuzzy butt outdoors until she cools off.
After decades of observation,I conclude pit bulls are the breed of choice for people who want to be “tough”.
Nor am I overly fond of those fools who “own” big snakes ,large cats, and any other known dangerous animals.
Good thing he didn’t shoot the dogs or many, here included, would have wanted the LEO in jail too.
The “Key Words” are there so you can find and check previous articles. A little due diligence and reading on your part would have answered some of your questions.
Regarding the other questions, the pitbulls aren’t talking and the owner faces murder charges. So you won’t get any answers from him.
But what is relevant is that they dragged her 50 yards, scalped her, and ripped her arm off, and had enough time to put 200 puncture wounds in her.
Who cares who called 911???
“After decades of observation, I conclude pit bulls are the breed of choice for people who want to be tough.”
That’s my observation too. I’ve several times known bar-fighter types and biker types with overly aggressive dogs. I concluded that they let the dogs intimidate people and the fact that they could handle the dog made them feel tougher than the poor sap who got treed by their dog. My elderly dad took to carrying pepper spray. The overly aggressive biker owned dogs down the street (who had knocked over my mother) would retreat to the back yard until he was safely gone.
As he should be. If you have dogs, then you're responsible for your dogs' actions.
Concealed carry - Shoot the dogs and then shoot the owner.
Dog owners as a group statistically speaking are irrational when it comes to their pets, although there are no doubt plenty of responsible dog owners, people like this woman are part of the 90% that give the other 10% a bad name.
“Uh, retired unarmed officer.”
That’s OFFICE MANAGER.
This 80 yro woman raised all her pits from puppies? The article that detailed her death specified this? I hadn’t heard of this case. In my experience, the reportage is not usually that meticulous.
I’m a cat fancier, too, for 58 of my 63yrs.
That said, when I was a freshman in college in mid-60s at Drake Univ, one of the senior BB players had a ‘63 Stingray convertible and a young “pet” ocelot, which he’d take everywhere with him, on a short leash. (He also had a lion which he’d take for “rides”.)
He’d take them inside McDonald’s to get several bags of burgers/fries for him and it, and people would come flying out of the opposite lobby and back doors, patrons and employees. It was quite a sight.
I just stayed in my car and rolled-up the windows, whenever he and the animals were nearby.
The police and animal control dept finally confiscated both when they got big, and they went to a zoo, rumor has it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Netolicky
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