Posted on 08/03/2005 10:19:25 AM PDT by Travis McGee
Dog Rips Child From Mother Arms
GLENDALE — A Rottweiller ripped a toddler out of her mother's arms in Glendale, dragged the child up a driveway and mauled her to death, police said today.
The dog, which belongs to the victim's grandparents, pulled the child from her mother's arms about 7 last night in the 2300 block of Via Saldivar, said Sherri Servillo, a Glendale Police Department spokeswoman.
The infant was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, Servillo said.
The woman was housesitting for the child's grandparents, Servillo said, adding authorities received a "hysterical 911 call" after the attack.
The dog is being held by Pasadena Animal Control, she said.
The woman holding the child was also holding a hose and watering a lawn when the 150-pound Rottweiler attacked, said Glendale police Sgt. Tom Lorenz, calling it a "horrific and tragic incident" that has shocked crime scene investigators.
He said the dog dragged the infant several feet down the driveway before mauling her. The mother suffered no major injuries.
After being notified of the attack, Glendale police officers went to the place where the victim's father works in Pasadena and drove him to the hospital where his child was pronounced dead, police said.
And he has many, many friends here.
LVM
Actually, proper training for all dogs is an uphill struggle. Dogs are pack animals. There's room for one alpha, and they need to know that they are not it. People have a hard time with this issue since not all of us are aware of the importance of the hierarchy.
Dogs ~all dogs~ must be taught that they are at the bottom of the pack. You'll have problems with any dog that steps into a vacuum of leadership. With larger and more powerful breeds, the problems are magnified.
Dominance can be achieved in various 'nice' ways. Since so many of us consider our pets to be members of the family, we don't want to be mean, and several actions that make people higher than dogs are a bit distasteful. Howeber, there are many ways to be dominant without feeling lousy.
Bad dogs bad dogs....whatcha gonna do??? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you.......
WHY in the world not??? If my infant child were being mauled to death by a beast, it would only be after I had been rendered completely incapacitated trying to prevent it. What did she do, stand by and watch??? Good grief!
EXACTLY what I was thinking!!! I would have to be torn to pieces before the dog would have gotten my baby!
I look at it from the courtroom point of view. Defending yourself in the eyes of the jury after your "big loveable" 150# rottie goes inexplicably berserk is not going to be easy.
For me, that's enough of a reason not to own one, unless I lived on 100 acres with no neighbors and no children.
Thank you so much for the advice and well wishes. I've got my fingers crossed.
I just think folks should understand the uphill battle they will face in court if their 150# pet which is a breed with a "reputation" goes berserk.
In no way do I count professional dog breeders and police suppliers in this category of casual pet owner.
I was reading something about GSDs the other day. They said that these dogs are now much more mellow as a breed due to the emphasis placed on removing the bad strains from active breeding. The reason that many LEOs continue to use them is that they are very intelligent and highly obedient - 2 very important traits in working with police and criminals. Do you agree?
Hmmmm... perhaps that's part of the problem with today's litigious society - too many people busy looking at it from the almighty courtroom's point of view rather than invoking their God given common sense. Just a theory...
Great advise, SS. One thing I would add though, based on recent experience, is to get the dog outside immediately upon waking from a nap - that is when my Chesapeake mix puppy really turns into a pee fountain LOL.
She can make it all the way outside now, she used to get about 10 - 12 steps till she squatted, but bladder control is getting a lot better at 13 weeks.
Mountain Lions,Grizzly Bears and Middle-Eastern Arabs cannot be domesticated or democratized....Neo-Cons need to learn that message too....
There are two kinds of Rottweiler/Pit Bull owners - child murderes and future child murderers.
I agree on all points. I currently have a very large labrador and 6 very small children. (the biggest weighs 52 lbs and the dog weighs 98lbs) We adopted her form the humane society and she was COMPLETELY untrained and out of control (not mean just untrained) Fast forward 6 months...... she is now a fully trained autism assistance dog (google it if you haven't heard of this type of dog) for a 3 year old child that weighs about 30 lbs. At night she sleeps with a 9 month old infant (yes right next to her) the baby weighs about 15 lbs. I trust this dog with my kids lives (literally in the case of my 3 yo) BUT if this dog had continued to have no training she could and would have been just as dangerous as any other large breed of dog. They absolutley MUST know (and accept) who is boss (alpha). In our house I am the boss. The dog does not question this. My husband weighs a good 100lbs more than me and is a foot taller but the dog obeys ME without question. HOWEVER as a concientious owner if she EVER showed any agression to anyone (other than an intruder) I would retire her immediatley or put her down if need be. It is the OWNERS of ANY large breed dog that need to be looked at and regulated. Say perhaps an assesment of anyone that wants to own a dog larger than 50lbs. or mandatory insurance. ( I have a $50,000 liability policy for our dog )
Defending yourself in court is called "reality."
If you don't believe me, just try not showing up if you are charged and summoned.
And honestly, do you think the jury will dispassionately look at a biting by a poodle and a fatal mauling by a 150# rottie in exactly the same way?
Common knowledge that rotts are a biting breed.
Here we go with the "rotts are great, I have one blah blah blah"....
Not the dog it's the breeder, blahblahblah yadayada
Can someone please post the "not this shit again" guy?
As I have said several times on this thread, "poodle" in common useage today means the toy and miniatures, which make up 95% of the breed today. Standards are a fairly rare breed.
Rottweilers and Pitbulls are only what their owners make of them. Lunatics breed and train these animals to be killing machines.
"Pretty odd that some act as if Rottweilers roamed the plains in packs before they were "domesticated."
LOL. I have a computer game called Rome Total War in which you attempt to re-create the Roman Empire. War Dogs are one of the units at your command .....all the War Dogs are Rottweilers! Incidentally, there are also Incendiary Pigs (fiery suicide pigs....effective against elephants).
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