Wow... I just have to ask....Which shelter is actually placing known vicious animals with a minor?
I have two huge dogs; a female pitbull and a male german shepard/chow mix. I also have an 11 month old son at home. When my son was two months old and sleeping in the bassinet next to us, he had an apnea attack in the middle of the night, since the gasps were so low, my husband or I did not awake, my "scary" pitbull and shepard ran to the bassinett, jumped up on my bed and started barking, when I ran over to my son, I realized what had happened I picked him up and rushed him to the doctor's he was fine, just a one time apnea attack but my dogs were the ones that caught it. Every time since then when our baby wakes up and starts crying, one waits by his nursery door and the other comes to grab my husband or I...every time with out fail. When our 7 year old neice came to stay with us for a weekend and was playing in our pool she was splashing around like she was drowning (she was not, she was playing) our pitbull leaped into the water and swam acroos the pool with a rescue float and brought it to her and pushed her towards the wall of the pool. She cries if she sees someone go in the water and we have to tell her they are ok, because if not she leaps in with a float everytime...she was never once taught to do this, I guesss its just instict to try and save people...not hurt them.
My point is this...People stereo type races..it's wrong! and now people also sterotype breeds of dogs...it's wrong too!
I also happen to live in the same community as this lady that died, although I did not know her personally.
Actually, the charity I volunteer with does not allow minors to foster dogs. But we can, and do, volunteer with our parents' foster dogs.
Have you ever considered that if your child were buried beneath a pile of rubble in a disaster site, an American Staffordshire Terrier or other supposedly vicious dog could be the one to save him? I am not the only person who serves others with bad rep dogs. Some "pit bulls" are service dogs for disabled owners, and many are certified SAR dogs who train extensively to protect complete strangers.