Posted on 12/20/2006 8:54:01 PM PST by paulat
Mother: Ferret, not pit bull, gnawed off baby's toes
BENTON, La. – The parents of a month-old girl whose toes were gnawed off while they slept apparently disagree about whether the culprit was their ferret or their 6-week-old pit bull.
Mary Hansche, 22, told KTBS-TV on Tuesday that she thinks it was the ferret. "The way the bite marks were on her foot. The ferret being out of its cage. I knew it wasn't the dog," she said.
[snip]
"We were told that the puppy had blood on its fur. But when the officers arrived there, the animal did not have blood on its mouth," he said.
Natale said which animal did it won't affect charges against the Hansches, who were booked Dec. 10 on charges of child desertion and criminal negligence and remained jailed Wednesday in lieu of $50,000 bond each.
[snip]
Their daughter has been released from the hospital and is in state custody.
The Hansches were asleep on a mattress on the floor and the baby in a carrier next to the mattress when her cries woke them, police have said. They were not tested for alcohol or drugs, since such tests would not be needed to prove the charges, Natale said Wednesday.
Defense attorney Pam Smart said she is waiting for results of a hair analysis to back up the couple's statement that they were not using drugs.
[snip]
She also said their bonds are too high for misdemeanors. A bond reduction hearing is scheduled next month.
Both pets were released from quarantine but will remain in the Bossier City animal shelter until the court case is over, Natale said. Either the court or the city may decide their fate, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
You're right. I used to own a ferret. Once when my infant granddaughter was asleep in her bassinette, the ferret jumped in with her and started to bite her face. Thank God I was right there and grabbed him away. Needless to say, said ferret had a new home pronto.
....Meant to add the fact that ferrets are very jealous. All the attention my new granddaughter was getting apparently PO'd the ferret.
I never thought about a ferret being jealous.
You're right about misidentification. It's obvious from reading stories on the internet that there is a difference of opinion about what constitutes a "pit bull". There are different varieties. And do we include dogs which are mixed breeds? Also, there is certainly a tendency in the media to "pile on" whenever the journalists detect a vulnerable whipping boy, whether a dog breed or an unpopular president.
Anyone who owns an agressive dog is responsible to protect innocent citizens from it. A neighbor of ours had two dogs which were ifentified to me as pit bulls. I'm no expert. They escaped from their yard a couple of times and terrorized some of the neighbors. Most dogs when they get loose around our neighborhood just go exploring, but these dogs wanted to pick a fight.
I don't know what the answer is, that is, where to draw the line between a dogowner's rights and the rights of other citizens, but I do think that people who own large, powerful dogs often forget the potential danger.
"I don't know what the answer is, that is, where to draw the line between a dogowner's rights and the rights of other citizens, but I do think that people who own large, powerful dogs often forget the potential danger."
I agree with you. I also think that some people are simply in denial. Dogs don't just snap. There's always something to provoke it, it's just a question of whether we see it or not. Whenever a dog attacks someone and the owner says they have always been so sweet, I cry foul. Unless you are an idiot or in denial, you must know your dog is showing warning signs.
The sad part is, the people who have strong dogs either take care of them so nothing ever happens, or they don't bother, and when something does happen, their pride will not let them say they saw it coming. Honestly, who is going to admit their dog was unstable to news crews after someone gets attacked? Why, that would put the blame where it belongs, on the owner, instead of scapegoating an entire breed.
Thank you, I have been trying to say that basically through most of my posts. Merry Christmas ~~Pandora~~
You're welcome. Merry Christmas to you also.
I hope all of you are having, or have had, a great Christmas with your families, friends, and creatures.
This is just one of those topics where we could spend eternity going around and around. That's not to say I won't join in a discussion about pits again - I know myself well enough to know it'll happen again.
My pit mixes send their best as well. One is curled up right now near the tree, bummed out that Christmas is over, and she didn't even get to eat a person for Christmas. ;)
Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all of you! All quibbles aside, make it your New Year's resolution to get involved politically to make sure '08 is better than '06...we've ALL got that in common.
Cheers.
Ping to my latest comment. Pinging a combo of those who agreed and disagreed.
Thanks for the ping! The closest consensus I think we came to is that the parents should NOT have a dog, a ferret or a child. They are too irresponsible. Poor child.
My goofy golden puppy says Merry Christmas back atcha! Have a great one, and hope the New Year is wonderful as well.
susie
This is obviously the fault of George Bush. The Republican Party just doesn't care about this menace. The funding for ferret control was given back to fat cat contributors in the form of TAX BREAKS.
With Thank God, the Democrats back in control of Congress, you'll see immediate results. There will be no ferret attacks in the months ahead because these democrats care about the little people.
And no ferrets will be harmed in the process.
Incidentally, I never said that all pit bulls were bad.
In fact, just yesterday, I was driving and had to pull over to the side of the road to swap drivers with my wife. While we were stopped, a dog approached.
I could tell two things just by looking at that dog:
1) He was ALL pit bull.
2) I had absolutely nothing to fear from this particular dog.
SOME of the pit bulls I've met are just totally party animals (and a formidable party animal they can make). And that was the case with this guy.
But contrast that with our neighbor's dog, the pit bull mix who simply had to be put down because he was so iffy, schizophrenic and dangerous.
This after having been raised in a good home.
So... in my opinion, some pit bulls are fine, and some are really, really dangerous. A lot of it is just down to the individual dog.
~sigh~ My BS meter is on overload after A family gathering on Christmas Eve and then another one on Christmas Day. I am unable to process your post.... click..... pop.... burp.......... ALARM ALARM ALARM!
it wouldn't be too hard to figure this out with some forensic science. test stomach contents/stool for human tissue/bone fragments. their digestive systems don't process it ALL beyond recognition.
I'm asking for apples, and you are offering me oranges, then acting like I am being unreasonable.
There are hundreds of dog breeds in this world. This one won't be missed.
Yeah, but ... that's only anecdotal! It doesn't count.
I guess it's funny when you don't know the distinction between certain things like being predisposed versus anecdotes.
If a guy named Finny robbed a bank, does that mean that all people named Finny have a natural predisposition to do so?
This discussion got heated, then calmed down. No need to pour fuel on a dead fire.
Happy New Year to you.
Dog Bite Fatalities by Breed 1979-1998 Breed 1979-80, 1981-82,1983-84,1985-86,1987-88,1989-90,1991-92,1993-94, 1995-96, 1997-98, Total Purebred Pit Bull 2 5 10 9 11 8 6 5 4 6 66 Rottweiler 0 0 1 1 3 1 3 10 10 10 39 German Shep. 2 1 4 1 1 4 2 0 2 0 17 Husky 2 1 2 2 0 2 2 1 2 1 15 Malamute 2 0 3 1 0 2 3 1 0 0 12 Doberman 0 1 0 2 2 2 1 0 0 1 9
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