Posted on 01/25/2006 10:45:07 AM PST by iPod Shuffle
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.
My first reaction too. I hope we're being too cynical.
At least it was "one-and-a-half Golden Retriever".
Who knows what the other two-thirds is.
Coming back from Lynchburg one night, I topped a hill on Highway 58 in Virginia and two hunting dogs were standing right in my lane.
I'd never do anything to hurt an animal, but I killed both of them.
I guess the police should have interviewed me about what really happened........LOL.
They will not put the dog to sleep. They specifically noted that there was no intent on the part of the dog. It was a freak accident.
I wouldn`t rule out any criminal activity either.
This event with the dog is plausible though.
It`s plausible that when the dog jerked on the girls scarf, it became so tight, even when the dog let go, it could have continued to strangle the girl.
So the dog didn`t have to drag the girl all over the yard for a longtime for this to happen.
So it very well may just be a tradic event. But the police need to follow up on other possiblities. If they don`t , then they are not doing their job.
Exactly. It only took 5 posts on this thread.
Thank you. My parents had a friend whose nine year old son accidently hung himself on the swing set while playing in the backyard with his younger brother. The younger brother didn't know what was happening and thought his brother was playing. Such a sad sad thing.
UGH!!!
You win the most kneejerk post of the month award.
Comic Book Guy: Worst post ever!
This poor family!! Prayers being said.
How about this for a hypothetical scenario... big brother got mad at sis, did something really bad, blamed the dog, and momma sticks by big brother's story, because she doesn't want her son to go to jail.
Sad - I'm sure there is some trial lawyer out there who is thinking about the odds of winning a suit against the maker of the scarf
Hey Howlin,
What's up? You are right!!!
This story doesn't pass the smell test, imo. Yes, maybe I'm cynical, but the cops are paid to investigate. I hope they do a little bit more than just accept the family's story at face value.
How about you stopping your ridiculous posts.
I hope you never have any children.
Tighten up your math skills. It's the other five-thirds.
Seriously, prayers for this family. Something like this never goes away.
Poor little girl ... I agree that they should investigate the family further, just in case. But it is plausible that the dog did it accidentally. Freak accidents do happen. My great-grandmother had low blood pressure, and while she was coming back from feeding the chickens, she fainted and fell -- with her neck across the wire fence. Strangled her. Freak accident, no one's fault.
Wow, 40lbs and 6 years old? My four year is TINY at 30 lbs.
So very sad. But if the dog was pulling at her scarf in the house, and the child wants to go outside, still wearing the scarf...
As a mother I guess we all can second guess everything we do. Tragic and sad accident.
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