Posted on 09/20/2008 8:52:04 PM PDT by familyop
It was a tragic scene in North Las Vegas involving a baby and two dogs. A four-month-old was attacked by two Pit Bulls. The dogs were attacking so viciously police say they had to shoot them dead upon arriving at the scene.
Residents in the neighborhood near Cheyenne and Martin Luther King say they are shocked but not surprised that it happened. Neighbors tell News 3 the two Pit Bulls were full grown dogs and when the baby girl arrived at the house four months ago they began to display aggressive behavior towards the child and anyone who held her.
"We knew that someone had shot somebody," a neighbor named Gloria told News 3.
The shots that Gloria and her neighbors heard was North Las Vegas police shooting the two dogs still on the attack.
"I look in. You could see the dogs laying dead," another neighbor, Jason Howell said. The shots prompted Howell to run to his neighbor's house to see if he could help. He says that what he saw will haunt him. "There are some peculiars I don't even want to discuss," said Howell.
Howell says other neighbors have commented on the dogs' aggressive behavior. "You don't have Pit Bulls around children, period," Howell said.
Also according to neighbors, the child's grandmother was at the home babysitting when the attack happened.
Neither police nor neighbors know what sparked the attack. "You have an aggressive breed dog, a Pit Bull and a child in the house. They ripped it to shreds," Howell said. What could the child possibly have done to instigate that? I have a daughter who is 18 months old. And the look on the father's face is something I'll never forget, ever. That's all I have to say."
The grandmother who was in the house sustained injuries. She was taken away by ambulance.
It was just a couple of months ago that a local animal control officer was attacked by three pit bulls. In July the officer responded to a home in North Las Vegas.
According to reports the dogs were loose in a neighbors yard near Centennial and Lamb. The officer managed to get away from the dogs and locked herself in her vehicle.
In April two 5-year-old boys were attacked by two Pit Bulls outside a home near Vegas Valley and McLeod. One was bitten in the face, the other in the leg. Both dogs were put to euthanized..
Weasels ripped my flesh..
They should have gotten rid of the dogs when it was clear that they were showing aggression around the baby. Some dogs don’t take well to kids coming in.
Exactly. And not just gotten rid of but euthanized.
This business about “pit bulls aren’t at fault, it’s the owners or “trainers” to use that term loosely is true but it doesn’t go far enough.
I keep hearing it’s 100% the human beings fault, which is true but what’s overlooked is breeders in the first place. Perhaps through no fault of their own, but the very first pit bulls being bred is when pandora’s box was opened.
We have a little fox terrier, and these dogs were bred, along with rat terriers, from the very beginning to hunt down vermin on farms and so forth. It’s in their blood. If they see something small and grey they go after it and shake it to death. Little vermin killing machines. The family we got him from had two litters and on their farm there were no mice, rats, etc. because they were routinely exterminated.
So as he grew and to this very day, he takes off after ANYTHING small and gray...squirrels and the little grey kitten my daughter rescued. I explained to her and my mother NEVER EVER EVER let the kitten loose upstairs where Rascal is or there will BE no kitten.
Incidentally, now that the cat is fully grown, they get along famously chasing each other around the house, etc.
But she would have been dead LONG ago had we not intervened.
Same for pit bulls...training can only do so much, they were BRED to destroy things smaller than them. BIG difference is they’ll use teeth to accomplish this and they don’t stop at small and gray! AND their jaws and size CLEARLY makes them lethal.
Terriers in general (fox terriers, pit bulls,...) have this innate destruction in their genes!
Sure it can be overcome, but I’ve also heard too many stories about their pit bull was fine and showed NO aggression ever, until they killed a kid! Like they just up and snapped one horrible day.
It’s simply not worth the risk.
The breed IF it is to survive at all, MUST be controlled, perhaps always kept away from kids or used only as working dogs on farms, I don’t know...and it’s humane for the dogs as well.
What we’re doing now is CLEAR failure with these dogs, not to mention our children.
well, where were the gang-bangers? I mean I keep hearing some idiot is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS behind this and it’s never the dog’s fault.
It never is, but to insist there’s no genetic issue is simply stupid.
Thats why Germans developed Dobies and Shepards. And Rotties?
How about terriers?
Let’s kill them all!!! We should all only be allowed cats and Bijon Freezes
My fox terrier couldn’t shred a human being to ribbons if his life depended on it.
The issue isn’t with the genetics. It’s with those who train and own the dogs. Never do these articles ever explain who owned the dogs or how they were treated. If people treated any breed of dog like the idiots who buy and train pitbulls to be mean and vicious, you would see the same problem with that breed. Unfortunately, scum of the earth are attracted to pitbulls and thus treat them like crap and they end up like this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pit_Bull_Terrier
Ummm it most certainly has everything to do with genetics and I’ve seen dozens of articles explaining the dogs were often raised in normal family atmospheres from day one!
But I do agree it’s never ever the dogs fault, but when they were bred from day one, as with many if not all terriers, the train left the station on that very day! It just so happens pit bulls are bigger, and have lethal jaws and teeth.
A pit bull that size is as lethal as a loaded gun. If he has all his teeth, he’s a loaded gun.
I hope the trigger is never pulled.
Whatever theat trigger may be!
My black lab is obedience trained, can do all the tricks, worships the ground I walk on, and goes belly up on her back showing subservience to me with a stern look.
That said she gets mean with little kids in the house. My niece (unknowingly) almost got nipped when she stuck her hands in my dog’s food bowl. I had the muzzle and pinch collar on my dog in a heartbeat and nobody knew what had almost happened. I knew the signs to look for and took the appropriate action needed.
The owner is responsible for the behavior. I’ve been around 3 pit bulls and the biggest rottweiler I’ve ever seen, they’re all the biggest teddy bears you can imagine. One pit bull Sammy I knew for all of 5 minutes and he spent the night cuddling with me in the guest room I stayed in. Good thing too because it was freezing that night.
The difference is training and socialization. It doesn’t matter what breed you have.
The difference is when that little girl put her hand in the food bowl and almost got nipped, people understand that had it been a pit bull, all too often the results weren’t the owner putting a muzzle or choke chain on, but rather the authorities show up, the cops have to shoot the dog(s) and there’s a funeral for the little girl.
I see it all the time here in Atlanta, and the common denominator isn’t drug addled Mike Vick types, it’s the breed.
I’ve read too many stories about average families saying they simply never saw it coming.
You’re right. We should have a government approved list to choose from. And while they’re at it they can decide which cars we can drive, those SUV’s are dangerous. Next up, food and hand guns. Do I really need a sarcasm tag?
You’re right. We should have a government approved list to choose from. And while they’re at it they can decide which cars we can drive, those SUV’s are dangerous. Next up, food and hand guns. Do I really need a sarcasm tag?
So by your loigic, you wouldn’t have a problem if your neighbor owned a tiger as a pet?
Best post of the (long) thread. Dogs are combination of genetics and training. Can actually say the same thing about any creature including humans. Training goes a long way but the genetics is always there.
Just like here in Cincinnati, they banned Pits, the gang boys and thugs are now using Rottys, speaking of the Rottweiler, there is one in a cage at the Vet, it is 165 lbs. It is called little bear, biggest rotty I have seen.
If this dog were to attack, it would rip and tear it’s “prey” to shreds. It is 4 times the size of a pit.
Weighs 15 lbs less then I do. Sweet dog he is being kenneled for the owner while out of town.
Now the Rotty attacks in Cincinnati are gonna go up though because they are being mistreated and abused and taught to attack.
Pits do not get 165 lbs, Little Bears paws are the size of my palms, his canines are 1 1/2 inches long. He is gentle but if trained he would do more damage.
I do not defend any dog that attacks, but I don’t ban a whole breed because of some.
First of all size doesn’t equal lethality, as in evidence of this very story! TWO pit bulls or one rottweiler, what you prefer chew YOU to shreds?
My uncle owns a rottweiler, nice dog. They’ve never had a problem.
But when my kids and I go to visit, we don’t leave them alone. And we wouldn’t if it was a pit. It’s called common sense.
Unlike when they come see us, anyone can stay in the room, unattended with our fox terrier.
It’s again, just common sense.
One dog has the POTENTIAL to kill humans, the other doesn’t.
If the chances are less than 1% but still above zero that their doig will snap, it’s enough for me to try and be AWARE that they indeed could become another gruesome story.
And pit bulls, rottweilers, dobermans are at the top of this list of statistics.
I live just outside Atlanta, and pit bull storys are ROUNTINELY in the news here...your article is over 10 years old!
Then explain the family I know personally who owned a Pit Bull Terrier... It was a cherished family pet and was spoiled rotten. No-one ever suspected that it would one day turn and nearly rip a child’s head off and have to be hit repeatedly with a bat to save the child’s life.
Dog came from a “reputable” breeder and was treated very well and was a well-behaved dog... until.
So don’t give me the “those who train and own the dogs” story line, it doesn’t fly. While some nasty folks do train these dogs to be violent, far too many of these attacks are from “family pets”.
And has been posted already - while a German Shepherd might bite, or even a Lab or Poodle - they generally tend to be “a bite” and that is it. Pits (and Chows as well) often go on a full-blown attack, not just a bite.
It IS genetic. Why do beagles like to chase rabbits or deer, even if never trained to do so? Genetics - they were bread to do just that. Why do Labs and Golden Retrievers play “fetch” even without any training at all? Genetics.
I also know people who have owned Pit Bull Terriers who NEVER have an aggressive experience with their dogs... BUT - the pre-disposition is there. They were the product of intense and attentive training, obedience, and very careful supervision at all times.
How about instead of banning Pit Bulls, just hold the owner responsible with the same penalty as if they had assaulted or murdered the victim with their own hands or a gun?
Your pit bull kills a child, then your are responsible - and serve life in prison for your crime...
If folks want their pit bulls so bad - then let them accept that kind of responsibility.
Personal responsibility and accountability are key conservative principles.
Life in prison? idk....does a drunk driver that kills someone get life in prison.?
If a guy has killed his hunting buddy by being careless should he get life in prison?
I think there should be a distinction, and there is one made in law, between premeditated murder and manslaughter.
I’m going to have to check the details but iirc the woman whose dogs (wrongly identified at first as ‘pitbills’) killed two elderly people was sentencedd the other day to 4+ years in prison.
A pomeranian killed a six week old baby once.
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/10/09/pomeranian.kills.ap/
Good post!
I live just outside of the Cincy city limits. Pit bulls aren’t banned here anymore:
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/cvgpbban.html
Funny you should say that, I did have a neighbor with a tiger. As long as it was kept securely penned I had no problem with it. Back to that nasty personal responsibility thing again. The neighboring lion owners got a lot of flack about noise, because they were in a more populated area.
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