Family's two pit bulls kill Hamtramck girl, 6

ap ^ | 4-5-05

[Dan from Michigan]

Family's two pit bulls kill Hamtramck girl, 6
4/5/2005, 4:28 a.m. ET
The Associated Press

HAMTRAMCK, Mich. (AP) — Two pit bulls attacked and killed their owners' 6-year-old girl in the backyard of a home near Detroit, state police say.

Cassidy Jeter was killed Monday morning, said state police Lt. Harold Love.

The girl had known the pit bulls since they were puppies, The Detroit News said.

Cassidy and a younger child were walking down an alley next to the home about 9 a.m. when the dogs attacked, Love said. The family recently moved out of a home around the corner, and the dogs were still staying at that house. The alley separates the two homes.

"For some reason the dogs were loose, and one of them attacked the girl," Love said.

The other dog apparently joined the attack. The younger child climbed a fence to get away, and the girl's mother tried to save her daughter.

"The mother tried to beat the dogs off the girl with a 2-by-4," Love said. "She was screaming for help from the neighbors."

The girl was dead at the scene. Police shot the dogs to death.

Police in the Detroit enclave of Hamtramck asked state troopers to investigate because a person died and its officers used their weapons.

[MineralMan]

"All right, yet another media hype story about the dangerous pit bull..."

Yup. Those cuddly pit bulls killed the child of their owner. Nice doggie....

[lsee]

They left out the part about the dogs arriving on the scene in their SUV.

That's funny.

[Liberal Classic]

Perhaps it's a macho thing, a sort of penile enhancement product.

<Million Mom> Just like owning a gun is. </Million Mom>

[meandog]

I've never understood the lure of Pit Bulls anyway...out of all the breeds you can choose from, some folks seem to actually like a misshapen, ugly animal prone to vicious, unprovoked attacks.

Au' contraire! It is a GREAT dog. It is absolutely fearless and will defend you until the death (Incidentally, with all the negative notoriety about ASBTs, you never hear about one attacking the person it recognizes as its MASTER, that is because it is a one-person dog!)...it is also the "Mike Tyson" of dogs!

Now, having said that, you must understand what it is like to be the manager of a "Mike Tyson"; (one reason why the police don't use them, usually opting for Shepherds, Rotties, or Dobes instead). Specifically, the dog MUST be socialized to its environment/

[Liberal Classic]

Thanks for brining some sense to this thread.

[ryan71]

You took what I said out of context.

Next I said, "But why would you risk having pit bulls around your kids?"

[shoffma1999]

That is what I am saying. Pitbulls in most cases are no more likely to attack a human than a small dog, but the reason they are dangerous is because they are so powerful. This is the same thing that makes them a great dog if trained properly.

[Father Jack]

..it is also the "Mike Tyson" of dogs!

Well, excuse me, but that just doesn't seem like much of a selling point, now does it? Comparing your favorite breed of dog to a pathologically violent sociopath who's done hard time for rape...

[rabidralph]

Thanks. I try.

[Conspiracy Guy]

My Lab LulaBelle will swim any where any time. Pancake and all.

[Conspiracy Guy]

[fatnotlazy]

I know people who own pit bulls, rotweilers and german sheperds -- all supposedly vicious dogs, yet their owners have never had problems with them. The pit bull especially is a sweetheart...rolls over on her back and likes to have her belly rubbed.

With children, it's important to supervise them constantly when around any animals, even seemingly harmless pets. And the children should be taught never to pull the tail or otherwise do anything that might provoke the pet.

[meandog]

Get to know the dog before flaming it...click on site:
http://www.akc.org/breeds/american_staffordshire_terrier/did_you_know.cfm

[wtc911]

yet another media hype story about the dangerous pit bull...

----------------------------------------

Media Hype? A six year old girl was mauled to death.

[Conspiracy Guy]

In the Cow world, SUV means Scary Udder Vacuum.

[Drew68]

Umm... Wow!

Hope you've brushed up on your firearm skills! ;-) What a "first time I ever shot a gun" story!

Glad things turned out relatively OK in the end. Sounds like there were a couple near misses where maybe your guardian angel was really earning his pay that day!

[halieus]

We have gun accidents involving young children and it is the same thing. The owner of these dogs is responsible because they did not take the necessary precautions to avoid such a tragedy.

The difference between a gun and a pit bull is that the gun doesn't suddenly leap out of the closet and chase down its owners.

The owners are fully responsible because they chose to take a risk by owning dogs known to be unpredictable and violent. There's no excuse.

Guns are predictable. Animals are not.

[Huck]

Pit bulls are evil. We ought to teach peruvians to eat them so they'll leave the nice little guinea pigs alone. Eat these monsters instead.

By the way, I wonder if they are any relation to Derek Jeter. Isn't he from Kalamazoo?

[nina0113]

My sister & her family live next door to one, with a low fence in between the yards. I had thoughts of removing the dog (painlessly of course) till I noticed it was crippled with arthritis & old age. I guess I should be concerned that they'd want another after this one kicks, though.

[Sender]

I respect people who love their pit bulls but please show me all the news stories where Collies or Labs or Shepherds or even Dobies kill their owners.

There really is something wrong with dogs who would kill a child they have always known. Perhaps they should be kept in a gun safe.