Dog that killed woman had history of attacks

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | 1/17/07 | Heather Ratcliffe

[the OlLine Rebel]

A plastic surgeon spent three hours sewing up Linda Mittino's face after her son's dog first attacked her in November.

But she insisted the 7-year-old German shepherd, called Bear, deserved a second chance.

On Monday, the animal lover's loyalty cost her her life when the dog once again turned on her — this time attacking in her bedroom.

"She called him her protector. She loved that dog," said her son, Joe Mittino, the dog's owner.

[toomanygrasshoppers]

agree about the "lap-sitting".
What an interesting observation. We've never owned a dog, so I never thought of the psychological dynamics."

That is also why dogs should not be allowed on your bed. Your bed is your "den". If you allow them on the bed they will think that you are no longer in charge. Dogs need to know who is boss. They really don't mind if someone else is the boss. They just need to know who is in charge and are happier for it. If no one takes charge then they will.

[Thywillnotmine]

Yes, it's like the visitor who is most uncomfortable with cats will be sure to have them rubbing up against her and trying to eat out of her plate.

[sine_nomine]

I have an Australian Cattle Dog, definitely a one-person dog. She took about a year to warm up to my wife.

The dog is ultra-smart, very muscular, and obedient to me. I might say trusting of me. Strangers try to approach her. She bristles, even snaps at them. I warn them not to push their luck, but they still try. I would not trust her to tolerate strangers. If a bunch of people are around, she waits in a locked room. There has never been an incident. One bite and she will be put down.

One aspect is avoiding problems. Strangers will put their hands above and below a dog's throat. I can do that to this dog, but most dogs will view that as a dangerous choke hold from strangers.

My friend raised a German Shepherd as a puppy. He said the dog would be great all the time, but get a strange look when they were playing at times. He knocked it off at those times.

[vetvetdoug]

Dog attacks should be categorized into a)provoked or b) unprovoked status by knowledgeable individuals that have examined the situation thoroughly. If the category is provoked then the dog is spared. If it is unprovoked then the dog no longer is a member of any society, canine or human, and should be dealt with harshly and permanently so as to not have it happen again. Any dog that willingly kills another animal (unless it is a specific hunting dog) should be dealt with in the same way, it is only a matter of time before the dog graduates up the scale of its prey. Any dog that bites someone without provocation and is not put down should be penned or under complete control for the rest of its life and if it happens again for any reason should be put down. There are too many good dogs in the world to tolerate a biter or a killer. This dog was identified as a danger and the owner chose to ignore the overt signs to her own peril.

A dog that won't tolerate an individual from reaching for a collar (unless trained to do so) and bites instinctively is a danger because it is not trained, not obedient, and a dangerous fear biter. Dogs like this have no reason to be in public or accessible to anyone because of the inherent danger. Even the US Military Working Dog Program euthanizes dogs that have this particular dangerous trait and do not use them or allow them adoption. They are potential killers and the US Military knows they are loose cannons.

[FarRightFanatic]

Add me please!

[Teacher317]

The law agrees with her... it's called the "One Free Bite Rule" (which is being changed in many places today for "certain breeds"). Unless and until you're put on notice that a dog is dangerous, it must be presumed that it is not dangerous. AFTER that first bite, however, you're on the hook for any damage that it does for "knowingly" keeping a dangerous animal... far more liability there. She wanted to let her emotions override her intellect... and, as usual, it cost her.

A Darwin Award candidate?

[UpAllNight]

--. It's a dog... an animal... and it does not believe it is subservient. --

Dogs are pack animals. But they can be made to act as a lessor of the pact. Unfortunately, some poeple allow aggressive dogs to become dominant. Some breeds are naturally more agressive.


--Secondly, that lovely little picture of the dog lying on her lap all cosy-like? Dominance. The dog is dominating her.--

Good observation.

[UpAllNight]

--Dog attacks should be categorized into a)provoked or b) unprovoked status by knowledgeable individuals that have examined the situation thoroughly. If the category is provoked then the dog is spared. If it is unprovoked then the dog no longer is a member of any society, canine or human, and should be dealt with harshly and permanently so as to not have it happen again. --

Some dogs will feel "provoked" in situations where most dogs will NOT feel provoked. It depends on the type of dog, breeding and training.

[Fawn]

That's why I'm a cat person.

[null and void]

Although I guess when a cat sits in your lap, it's also expressing dominance ... "You exist for my comfort" :-).

That applies to everything a cat does with regards to a human.

[Harry Pothead]

I have an 8 year old Yellow Lab who worships the ground I walk on. Every night he lays on top of me on the couch and naps, and sleeps between my wife and I on the bed. If I am laying on the floor, he will often come over and sit on me. Maybe it is role playing dominance, I don't know. I have often wondered why he does it. He would never do anything to harm either of us. Sometimes when roughhousing with him I will get my face right next to his and growl, he growls right back, but is only playing. He is the smartest dog I've ever had. Must understand a couple hundred words of English. My first Lab and I will never own anything but from now on.
(I told my mother-in-law that I loved the dog almost as much as my wife)

[lesser_satan]

bump

[null and void]

Unless and until you're put on notice that a dog is dangerous, it must be presumed that it is not dangerous. AFTER that first bite, however, you're on the hook for any damage that it does for "knowingly" keeping a dangerous animal

I lost $75,000 because my roommate's dog bit a neighbor. I was totally unaware of the dog's bite history. Indeed, my kids played and roughhoused with the dog...

[vetvetdoug]

I worked in Public Health investigating thousands of animal bites. If a dog feels provoked it is neither tolerable of people or obediently trained. It the bite is unprovoked the dog loses its rights to live in society. If you were to hit, strike, stab or shoot someone because of no reason other they looked at you or reached at you, you would serve time. Dogs in nature can do what they want, if they cohabit with humans they live by our rules unless you wish to set up another situation like this lady died in.

[FarRightFanatic]

You know what drives me crazy about these types of articles? This woman, as awful as her death was, should have NEVER allowed this dog to live after the first attack. I'm sorry, but if you have a large, powerful dog like a GSD, you HAVE to be responsible and if that dog attacks someone, they need to be euthanized, regardless of breed.

[vetvetdoug]

Also, note the dog was a face biter. Face biters, especially German Shepherds, are dangerous even if they have one unprovoked attack. No dog is defending itself when the face is bitten unless the human happens to be biting the neck or face of the dog.

I am continually amazed at the lengths individuals will go through to keep a dangerous animal alive and exposed to innocents when if the perp had been a human they'd wish for a long term or the death penalty.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

But Joe Mittino wondered about other options Tuesday. He said he wished the dog could live in seclusion in rural Missouri.

"I bet he'd be OK there with no one around," he said. "I'd keep him in a pen."

This guy sounds like a left-wing wack job.

[Psycho_Bunny]

I can tell you this:  if I had a dog that attacked my mother, that dog wouldn't get a second  chance to do anything else on this earth.

 

[Joy in the Journey]

If you think that libs make you feel like a Mensa member, wait until you read some of the Darwin Award winners.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/3/174427/2311

[teawithmisswilliams]

There's something seriously wrong with a son who defends a dog after it kills his mother.