Cops: Girl Died While Playing With Family Dog

AP ^ | 1/25/06

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Cops: Girl Died While Playing With Family Dog

(AP) MANORVILLE A six-year-old girl playing with her dog in the backyard was strangled - when the pet apparently grabbed her scarf and playfully pulled her down to the ground and dragged her around the yard. Suffolk County Homicide Detective Lieutenant John Fitzpatrick calls it "an absolutely tragic story."

Police say the accident happened in the backyard of little Kaitlyn Hassard at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon. The girl came home from school wearing the scarf and the dog began pulling on it. The girl's mother put the dog in the backyard and a few minutes later Kaitlyn asked to go out and play with the dog, which weighs about 70 pounds.

The one-and-a-half Golden Retriever named Jessie, again began playing with the 40-pound girl tugging on her scarf.

Lieutenant Fitzpatrick says the girl was in the yard for no more than ten minutes, because the family was going to run an errand at the Post Office. When her eleven-year-old brother went to the backyard to get his sister, he found her lying on the ground.

The boy called his mother who called 9-1-1 and began CPR. The girl was pronounced dead at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital. Lieutenant Fitzpatrick says "there were no injuries inflicted by the dog." He adds "I don't believe the dog's actions were intentionally malicious."

The dog has been brought to the Brookhaven Animal Shelter.

[webstersII]

You are so naive that you don't even know you are naive.

[BadAndy]

"Is her strangulation good enough that it poses a danger leaving a very young girl alone with an animal?
What more do you need?"

What a doofus.

[New Girl]

Freak accident. A very similar thing happened with my dogs one time - one dog was playfully tugging on the other dog's collar when it accidentally twisted in his mouth and tightened around the other dog's neck. The first dog started to panic and the more he pulled the tighter the collar got. I grabbed a knife and cut the collar loose just in time. If I hadn't been there, the other dog would have been strangled.

[WV Mountain Mama]

Would you like me to start saving my bubble wrap so I can send it to you to wrap your kids? It sounds like you will need a lot, perhaps we could do a FReepathon for you...

My children are between the ages of 1 and 4, I have 3 and there is stuff that happens right in front of me that I can't prevent. It looks like it is in slow motion as I go for the save, to no avail.

[Howlin]

Some people are in for a rude awakening, aren't they?

[Fawn]

Why did you print the story out to me?

[WV Mountain Mama]

Oh yeah. It would be interesting to watch with a box of popcorn topped with lots of butter! :)

[Howlin]

Because you were the last night on the thread when I found it.

[Howlin]

Why do I keep hearing the phrase "The bigger they are, the harder they fall" in my head? :-)

[Fawn]

OIC

[PeskyOne]

You are making a lot of comments without the benefit of all the facts IMO. As a mother and grandmother, I can assure you this family is hurting enough from this accident without anyone accusing them of complicity in the death of their child. The fact that you don't have children is probably why you are so quick to condemn them. If you were a parent, you would know that accidents do happen to children and no one is to blame. If you had a child that died from "crib death", would you be to blame for not sitting their by his/her bed? What if the mother had an auto accident (caused by someone else) on her way to the Post Office, and the little girl was killed, would you blame the mother for taking her with her in the car? If there is evidence of foul play, the law will investigate it, but please don't add to people's grief by blaming them before you know the facts. I'm truly glad you care about the welfare of children, and I hope you never lose a child in an accident, but you need to re-think some of the things you have said....it could, God forbid, happen to you!

[Howlin]

I keep watch over them, I would not allow them into a situation were I know a potential threat can arise. I am there to prevent such an accident.

You are a fool if you believe you have that power.

[WV Mountain Mama]

No, but if you have really helped raise other people's children (which is still different than having your own), you would know that it is IMPOSSIBLE to protect them from every potential danger in the world, let alone an accidents.

[American_Centurion]

When do you propose that a child is no longer at a "tender age".

6 years old is 1st grade. How the heck are you going to watch them all day at school.

And please don't try to tell me that teachers will watch them as closely as you purport to require.

[half-cajun]

I've resisted getting involved in this, but of course you can't watch children at all times. Nor should you.

[WV Mountain Mama]

an accidents=accidents, sheesh!

[Skooz]

Take your la dee da attitude and stick it up your nether regions.

LOL!