Posted on 09/02/2007 8:40:18 PM PDT by stainlessbanner
DALLAS A new Texas law went into effect at midnight Friday that could put dog owners behind bars for up to 20 years if their pet fatally attacks someone.
Just hours before earlier, a six-year-old Dallas boy was mauled to death by his family's dog.
The mother of Scott Warren said the family had had the pit bull since Scott was a baby.
Kressie Warren said Friday's attack was the first time the dog had snapped at anyone.
But, she says, with a young daughter in the house, now her only child, it will be the last.
"It's going to be difficult from now on," said Warren said.
She weeps, regretful she ever got the pit bull that took her son, Scott's, life.
"I don't want to never see another pit bull, never. Because he took a precious life."
The mauling happened just before 7 p.m. Friday night.
"We were sitting there in the room and all of the sudden the dog just jumped at him, grabbed at him," Warren said.
Her daughter was in the room with them.
"She was at the back, I was grabbing his mouth trying to get him loose but he was slinging him everywhere."
By the time they got the dog off, it was too late.
Scott eventually died at Baylor Hospital.
Six years old, he'd just finished the first week of first grade.
"I'm not going to see that little boy go back to school, I'm not going to see him play sports, graduate or anything. All because of a stupid dog," Warren said.
Warren is fortunate the attack took place yesterday and the dog was in a contained area.
Otherwise, under a new state law that went into effect today, she could have faced up to 20 years in prison.
Patricia Hughes, Warren's neighbor says, while she doesn't like the idea of having pit bulls and other dangerous breeds at home, she thinks that punishment is too harsh.
"I really think that's too severe. People have committed worse crimes and haven't served that much," she said.
Warren says she's already been given a life sentence.
"Learn from a single parent struggling to raise two children and now I'm down to one. Get rid of the dogs," she said.
Police say right now, they're considering this an accidental death, so they're not pressing charges against the mother at this time.
They say that could change depending on the outcome of their investigation in conjunction with Child Protective Services.
Kressie Warren vows that dogs will no longer be a part of her household.
Kressie Warren clutched a photograph of her dead son.
My sympathies for the family. The dog was perfectly normal etc... Just sad.
Tragic.......... again..... and again..... and again.
3,2,1.... here come the pit bull defenders.....
Yeah, it’s the media blowing it out of proportion. >///sarcasm
Another sad Pit Bull story...
The first time is enough.
The pit bull lovers here will assure everyone that a lovable family pet pit bull would never do that. Says something about credibility.
In this article, the dog's owners don't sound at all like they were responsible dog owners.
Neighbors said that Scott's family had moved in only about four months ago, but that their dogs had already become a nuisance. One neighbor, Rudy Lopez, said he saw a woman beating one of the dogs a few weeks ago with a shovel after it was involved in a fight with another dog.
sadly true. you can bet she heard the warnings and blew them off.
Yuk yuk. You're a funny guy.
You should take your act on the road.
(barf)
When a dog starts behaving purely on instinct and doesn’t listen to the master, anything can happen. There are often signs of bad behavior before a dog “snaps” completely.
Even PETA wants to ban the breed.
Well, that's good enough for me!
< /s>
Beating your dog with a shovel is a sign there is a problem.
I couldn’t agree more.
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