No charges are likely in mauling of infant

Baltimore Sun ^ | August 10, 2003 | Del Quentin Wilber

[Brooklyn_Park_MD]

No charges are likely in mauling of infant Parents' pet pit bull killed 2-week-old boy in Brooklyn rowhouse -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Del Quentin Wilber Sun Staff Originally published August 10, 2003

Authorities are not expected to file charges against the parents of a 2-week-old infant who was killed by the family's pit bull Friday afternoon, according to Baltimore police officials, who said the death appears to be an accident.

Terry Allen Jr. was bitten to death by his parents' pit bull, "Jigga," about 3:15 p.m. Friday in the 4200 block of Audrey Ave. in Brooklyn, police said. Terry suffered dozens of bite wounds, though not all punctured the skin, police said.

The boy's parents -- Terry Allen, 29, and Stacie Morgridge, 24 -- had left the baby alone with the dog in their rowhouse when they went to smoke cigarettes.

Terry was lying in a swing on the second floor of the rowhouse when he was killed, police said. Officers fatally shot the dog when they arrived on the scene.

The parents were struggling to cope with the death of their child, relatives and friends said yesterday. They said Morgridge and Allen doted on their son, who was born July 21 at Harbor Hospital.

"They are good parents, as good as they can be," said Tammy Everhart, 25, a family friend.

Friends and relatives said that the parents didn't want to smoke around the child, so they went outside on Friday afternoon, never thinking their dog would attack Terry.

Everhart and Dominique Allen, the boy's uncle, said Jigga had never been vicious and was a gentle 3-year-old dog.

"He was always very good with the baby," Everhart said. "He would sniff it to just make sure he was all right. He was so protective."

The boy's mother, who owns the dog, works as a manager at a local convenience store. The infant's father can not work because he has a damaged hip, friends said.

Funeral arrangements had not been completed yesterday evening.

The child's death occurred about two years after the City Council narrowly defeated a bill to ban the city's estimated 6,000 pit bulls, a proposal prompted by a string of nonfatal dog attacks on children. At the time, city health officials said the Bureau of Animal Control lacked the resources to enforce a ban.

Last year, the council passed a less stringent law to rein in violent dogs.

About 1,000 dog bites are reported to the city Health Department each year, about 30 percent of them by pit bulls. But they are rarely fatal.

In 1994, a baby was mauled to death in an East Baltimore apartment when its mother visited a friend who was keeping her incarcerated boyfriend's pit bull.

In 1985, a 57-year-old Edgemere woman was killed by her pit bull terriers.

Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun

[Brooklyn_Park_MD]

Baltimoron Police lets parents and Pit Bull free.

[davisfh]

"Authorities are not expected to file charges against the parents of a 2-week-old infant who was killed by the family's pit bull Friday afternoon, according to Baltimore police officials, who said the death appears to be an accident."

Apparently the Baltimore authorities don't know the definition of the word "accident." If ever charges should be brought, they should be brought in this case. Careless stupidity is no excuse.

[denydenydeny]

The child's death occurred about two years after the City Council narrowly defeated a bill to ban the city's estimated 6,000 pit bulls, a proposal prompted by a string of nonfatal dog attacks on children. At the time, city health officials said the Bureau of Animal Control lacked the resources to enforce a ban.

Its interesting that governments have little to no problem passing laws against, say, guns or cigarettes regardless of enforcement problems.

[thoughtomator]

Hey, dogs don't kill people, people... um, never mind.

[Darnright]

Note to clueless dog (of any breed) owners:
never, never (did you get that?) leave a baby or toddler unattended around your dog. Rover, no matter how domesticated, is a carnivorous animal and is not a person with fur.

End of rant.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Dang Brooklyn_Park... I'd just recovered from the previous thread about this.

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

"He was always very good with the baby," Everhart said. "He would sniff it to just make sure he was all right.

He was sniffing it to make sure it was fresh for eating.

[basil]

And it was a good rant, too!

There seems to be a dearth of common sense these days.

[org.whodat]

Note to clueless dog (of any breed) owners: never, never (did you get that?) leave a baby or toddler unattended around your dog. Rover, no matter how domesticated, is a carnivorous animal and is not a person with fur.

End of rant

Needed to be larger type.

[lawdude]

"...had left the baby alone with the dog in their rowhouse when they went to smoke cigarettes. "

Another unnecessary death due to smoking!

[Brooklyn_Park_MD]

There is orginally reported on this incident.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/961149/posts?page=81

[JesseHousman]

... the death appears to be an accident...

Of course it was an accident.

These loving parents kept their pit bull to protect the baby and the baby probably aggravated the animal by crying.

Clearly a case of accidental death.

[Darnright]

>These loving parents kept their pit bull to protect the baby and the baby probably aggravated the animal by crying.

One temperament test good shelters do with dogs uses a crying doll. The doll is activated to cry and kick and the dog's reaction is observed. A dog that is hyperexcited and tries to grab the doll is never adopted out to families with small children. This reaction by the dog happens more than you'd probably expect, and happens with more than one breed and with mixes.

Dogs are carnivores. It's their nature to be excited by crying and screaming/running small children. That's why babies and small children should never, never be left unattended with a dog.

Not too long ago, there was a baby killed by a Toy dog (pomeranian or yorkie, I can't remember which). The owner left the baby on the bed with the dog and the dog mauled the infant.

[decimon]

There seems to be a dearth of common sense these days.

Before it was common for the news media to give national reports it was common to have infants "protected" by the trusty family hound.

[Do Be]

The law could be against the owners of the dog, not for having the dog, but being responsible for what the dog does.

If you choose to own a large aggressive dog, a breed known for chomping on humans, and yours does end up chomping on a human or two, then you are responsible. You are charged with the crime. If the dog kills somebody, you are charged with killing somebody.

People who support the general ownership of such dogs often think they are some kind of dog expert, but they are the opposite. They're just people who think like dogs. You don't want vicious dogs making the laws for people.

[Libertina]

They aren't even going to put down the dog? Unbelieveable!

[Clara Lou]

They aren't even going to put down the dog? Unbelieveable!
Read. They shot it to death.

[Libertina]

Thanks. I went back over and missed it, I was too ticked off to focus properly. I am so sick and tired of these dog assault cases. If I got an elephant, would it stop being an elephant because I treated it like a human? Really, too many dog owners are over the top, IMHO.

[xm177e2]

Terry suffered dozens of bite wounds, though not all punctured the skin, police said.

What an insignificant detail to include...

[Zevonismymuse]

If ever charges should be brought, they should be brought in this case.

Their child is dead. It seems like the natural consequence for their poor judgement will be adequate punishment.