East Valinda [CA] woman killed by her family’s dogs after forgetting her house key

KTLA ^ | Dec 29, 2021

[Gaffer]

From the article “staying with her sister-in-law” leads one to believe the dogs may not have actually been hers.. bad reporting, IMO..

[MCF]

Well said. You and I are on the same page

[eastforker]

It is evident many people on this thread have either not owned a dog or even know how to own a dog. I have five, all different breeds but one thing if for sure, they all know I am the Alpha dog. Never let them forget that, even if challenged. They will establish their own pecking order. They have their doggy door so they come and go in and out of the house at their leisure. I live in a very rural area. I sleep well at night knowing I have no worries about any intruders.They let me know when anyone pulls in the driveway or when the coyotes are close. They also tell me the character of any visitor I might have. And they were all rescues and they let me know how grateful they are for it. Most stray dogs you see on the street left their owners for a reason, either abused or never bonded. I have never had a dog stray from home, they know where they belong. And they are all fixed, that is the beginning of being a good owner.

[metmom]

My daughter-in-law is unable to have children. Their dog and cats may be a poor substitute for children, but it’s all she and my son have.

Be that as it may, if someone wants to treat animals as substitute humans, don’t expect me to agree with you.

I will not pretend they are actual children, no matter how special they are to you.

[lowbridge]

“My favorite are the dogs that bark non-stop all day and all night. Really enjoyable. Or the owners who let their dogs crap in other peoples yard. Or maybe even better are the mean dogs left unsupervised to run in other people’s yards and potentially injure humans or children.”

The problems there aren’t the fault of the dogs. It’s the fault of the owners.

One day a guy and his wife bought the house next door to mine. They hadn’t been married long and had a 1-2 year old child and a German shepherd.

24/7 they kept the dog fenced in the side of their house that my bedroom window overlooked. They fed it, cleaned up after it. But they never allowed him out of that small fenced in area on the side of their house. They never played with him. They didn’t provide him with a dog house. The very few times they let him in the house was when the weather was real bad, such as heavy rain or snow. And even then the dog had to scratch his nails on the side door and whine until they let him in. Otherwise didn’t occur to them to bring the dog in during such bad weather.

One time I heard the dog whining alot. I looked out my window and his collar had gotten hooked on the picket edge of the fence. He couldnt free himself, he couldnt get down without strangling himself. I watched, expecting his owners to come free him, but they never emerged from the house. So, I got dressed and went outside to try to free him myself. When I got to the fence and made a move to try to free his collar, he barked and snapped at me quite furiously. I was a afraid of getting my hands bitten. So, I went to the front door of my neighbors to alert them of what was happening to their dog and they came out and freed him. And they removed his collar for good so that it wouldn’t happen again.

The dog was quite lonely and barked at every little thing and every person that walked or drove past their house. On a handful of occasions he would jump the fence to chase after whoever happened to go buy. I witnessed the dog chasing after a group of kids coming home from school as well as our mailman on another occasion. I recall the mailman on their front lawn using a piece of wood he grabbed from somewhere, trying to prevent this angrily barking dog from getting close to him.

After that, the dogs owners had their fence heightened in order to prevent the dog from jumping over it.

They finally moved away and took their dog with them. The people they sold their house to, my new neighbors, this time had 3 dogs! And just like my previous neighbors, they kept the dogs fenced in the very same area and also just like the previous neighbors, never took them inside the house. Fed them, cleaned up after them, but never played with them or let them out of that area. To their credit they did furnish the dogs with dog houses so that they had shelter from the rain and snow.

But like the previous neighbors dog, those 3 barked constantly all day. They kept the dogs until the dogs eventually died out of natural causes. Under my window I heard them barking every day for years.

Thankfully after his 3 dogs passed away, he never got another dog. Years afterwards, he once told me that he loves dogs but he can’t have them because he just doesn’t have the time for them. I thought back to the time he still had those 3 dogs and his he never, ever made an effort to spend time with them.

[daniel1212]

I am pro-dog, but the Golden Retriever most of all.

" The societal worship of pets is a mental illness."

Indeed, but much of that is a result of people having no children. Thank The Pill.

[daniel1212]

I suspect the same, since:

11.  46+ Breeds Associated with Fatal Attacks

Over 46 breeds are associated with fatal attacks since 2016, including Akita, Boxer, Chow Chow, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Giant Schnauzer, Husky, Labrador Retriever, Mastiff, Pitbull-Type, Rottweiler, and many other breeds and mixes. (10)

Top 10 Most Fatal Dog Breeds Table

Breed	Deaths	% of Total
Pit bull	284	65.6%
Rottweiler	45	10.4%
German shepherd	20	4.6%
Mixed-breed	17	3.9%
American bulldog	15	3.5%
Mastiff/Bullmastiff	14	3.2%
Husky	13	3.0%
Unknown/unreleased	11	2.5%
Labrador retriever	9	2.1%
Boxer	7	1.6%

- https://www.mkplawgroup.com/dog-bite-statistics/

Based on 2005-2017 data – data source

But such should also be judged in the light of the % of each breed in the US:

"Pitbulls" Are 20% of Dogs in the U.S.

The shelter data is further validated by veterinary data which confirms that pitbull-type dogs are the 5th most popular dog type in the U.S. and also the only "strong breed" dog type in the top 5 list of the most popular breeds registered by veterinarians.​-ASPCA

However,

Los Angeles County Department of Animal Control officers took custody of the dogs, he said. He did not know the dogs' breeds. - https://www.foxla.com/news/socal-woman-attacked-killed-by-four-family-dogs

[daniel1212]

Supplemental: 195 of the
The Most Popular Dog Breeds of 2020
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/the-most-popular-dog-breeds-of-2020/

[mad_as_he$$]

“Should have gotten rid of it the first time it happened.”

Number one pet rule around here. Put down two dogs and one cat over the years. Just not worth the risk.

[daniel1212]

Also, further research shows,

• Pit bull mixes make 6% of the US dog population, or 4.5 million.
• The breed consistently scores more than 85% on temperament tests.
• Pit Bull statistics in 2022 show that 40% of Pit Bulls in shelters are euthanized each year. 
• In WWI, a Pit Bull named Stubby earned 13 decorations and the rank of a sergeant. 
• Between 2013 and 2021, 20 States confirmed that pit bulls were involved in most bite incidents.
• Pit Bulls were also responsible for 39 dog bite-related deaths in 2019.
• Pit Bulls are abused more than any other dog breed.
• You’re 213% more likely to get a severe injury from a Pit Bull than other dog breeds.
• In 94% of the attacks involving Pit Bulls, the dogs were male and not neutered. 
• On average, between 2005 and 2019, there were between 30–40 fatal dog bite attacks per year.  - https://pawsomeadvice.com/dog/pit-bull-statistics/

[jimfr]

What is one family doing with 4 dogs?

[twyn1]

My sister has a rescue dog. Adorable to look at, but vicious and unpredictable with anyone other than her, her husband and their son. He has nipped several people, and had a good chomp on my older sister’s leg that left blood and bruises.

I won’t go near the thing, and my sister can no longer have anyone over to their house, because even crated the dog will growl and fuss constantly. She seems to think he just “needs time”, but it’s been almost 5 years now and he’s still nasty and very scary. I know that he would rip into me if I ever went into her house with him loose.

[1ScrappyArmyMom]

My family had a wonderful black lab my son named Harry. Perfect dog for a growing boy who loved to be outdoors. Where my boy went, the dog followed. They explored the neighborhood ponds, streams and forests. They shared the bed together until they both got too big to be on it at the same time. Then the dog moved to the end of the bed, but it was hilarious for a while. One would be on the floor next to the other asleep.
The dog went to Little league games, Boyscout meetings and vacations. He protected my son whenever a stranger came near by always placing himself in front of my son. His bark alerted us to anyone strange coming to our door. He stayed by my side when I was ill.
My mother who hated dogs, became Harry’s biggest spoiler because of how well that dog obeyed and had such a caring heart. So I can safely say I like some dogs better than most humans.
He gave us over 13 years of doggie loving.