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Grandmother mauled to death by family's pit bulls
AP ^ | 12-10 | AP

Posted on 12/11/2002 11:32:54 AM PST by ambrose

GARFIELD, N.J. -- An 80-year-old woman was mauled to death by two pit bull dogs that she had known since they were puppies, Bergen County authorities said Tuesday.

Wounds caused by claws or teeth covered more than 80 percent of Julia Mazziotto's body, and the medical examiner found she had also suffered a broken right wrist, county Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.

Blood soaked her clothing and was spattered on the walls and floor of her apartment, he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: attack; benny; dog; dogs; garfield; grandmother; littlerascals; newjersey; nj; petey; pitbull; pitbullterrier; terrier; viciousdogs
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To: Gigantor
Amen.
21 posted on 12/11/2002 1:23:02 PM PST by Guillermo
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To: smiley
It certainly does seem like they both have a lot in common. Too bad Muslims don't like dogs but they'd like pit bulls.
22 posted on 12/11/2002 1:24:20 PM PST by FITZ
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To: Coto
You allow your pit bull to be in the company of your three year old?

You are insane.
23 posted on 12/11/2002 1:24:46 PM PST by Guillermo
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To: ambrose
A "vicious" pit bull...


24 posted on 12/11/2002 1:29:04 PM PST by Redcloak
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To: Guillermo
Nope - The ONLY insane person, would be the one that attempted to get anywhere NEAR our three year old while the Pit is 'on guard' !!
25 posted on 12/11/2002 1:30:37 PM PST by Coto
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To: Coto
Though that may be the case, I've had enough bad experiences with them to NEVER allow one near a child, any child.
26 posted on 12/11/2002 1:33:19 PM PST by Guillermo
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To: mlbford2; Mark17
I have a pitbull and his name is Mohammed. He is a dog of peace.

LOL

27 posted on 12/11/2002 1:46:31 PM PST by ambrose
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To: mlbford2
mohammed: dog of peace

truly funny

28 posted on 12/11/2002 1:52:26 PM PST by knak
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To: Wordsmith
A well cared for, well-trained pit bull is as fine a dog as any other.

I think they're better. I have two labs and a mutt, now, and had one pit bull. She's gone now, but a finer, more intelligent and loyal dog has never existed. It's odd maybe, but I trusted her with my children far more than the labs and certainly more than any human being. The mutt is a great watch-dog (the pitbull was not) but I know my lovable mutt would not have died fighting any danger facing my kids. The pit bull would've. She was brave, loyal, steadfast, sweet, and entirely *lovable*. (I miss her, terribly.)

29 posted on 12/11/2002 1:52:46 PM PST by keri
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To: ambrose
Hate big mean dogs. Prefer a spaniel who'll bark and let me enjoy the shooting, rather than maul the
UPS man and get me sued. Hate lawyers, too, but don't get me on a jury if you've let your "little precious" hurt somebody.
30 posted on 12/11/2002 1:59:01 PM PST by Mamzelle
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To: Coto
Nope - The ONLY insane person, would be the one that attempted to get anywhere NEAR our three year old while the Pit is 'on guard' !!

Yep.....but it is not a good idea to leave a Pit-or any dog-alone with a three year old.
You can't trust them...the three year olds that is.

31 posted on 12/11/2002 2:23:52 PM PST by kanawa
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To: kanawa
"...You can't trust them...the three year olds that is..."

Sounds like the voice-of-experience, on that one....

32 posted on 12/11/2002 2:36:14 PM PST by Coto
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To: Guillermo
"...bad experiences with them to NEVER allow one near a child, any child...."

Sounds like they, possibly, need more training...
..the Pits the Children....

33 posted on 12/11/2002 2:37:42 PM PST by Coto
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To: knak
Here I am! I am the "nut" that you are referring to. But you really ought to repeat the whole story to make your point.

You stated that put up a $7000 fence that emcompassed an acre of rural Alaskan property and mentioned it's hilly topography. Anyone with a lick of sense knows that an area fence surrounding an acre of uneven terrain is not going to keep any animal that wants to cross the fence from doing so. You allowed your regstered, purebred Golden Labrador bitch, that you knew was in heat to be outside unattended. You also had foreknowledge that you neighbors had a male Pitbull that you claimed was on the loose.

Despite this you took no precautions whatsoever and turned your dog loose. Then you came to this board and went on a rant about what lowlifes your neighbors were. And that is putting it mildly.

You claimed that you had been a lifelong dog owner, yet you demonstrate little common sense and "dog knowledge" about how to keep a bitch in heat from being unintentionally bred. If you are so "dog knowlegeable", you would have known that a bitch in heat will attract males from great distances. Once the male gets the scent, no perimeter fence will keep him out. As a "responsible" and "knowlegeable" lifelong dog owner you should have known that and either crated or kept your dog inside, out of reach of any males. Living in rural Alaska, you are lucky that you didn't attract a male wolf to your yard especially as you have children.

The impregnation of your dog was your responsibility. Even if the neighbors Pitbull was contained by a fence or tied up, once "tempted" by the smell of a bitch in heat, little was going to stop him from breeding her short of your keeping her unreachable. But then you are a lifelong, responsible dog owner, right?

And as a supposedly knowlegeable "lifelong dog owner" why didn't you know what to do immediately when your bitch was "accidently bred"? You had to come to this board for the answer?

Somethin' doesn't smell right.

As to the nature and positive attributes of Pitbulls, I stand on what I posted. As I stated in my original post I have had Pitbulls and Pitbull mixes for over thirty years and never have had any trouble with them whatsoever. I certainly have never had what was a good dog, mysteriously go bad. During more than thirty years as a rancher, I have owned too many dogs to remember the number.

Regarding the attack on the 80 year old woman, I think if all the facts were known you will find that these dogs were owned by irresponsible owners. On the face of it, the article says that the two Pitbulls were kept in an apartment and were used as watchdogs. Not pets- watchdogs! The mere fact that these people kept two dogs in an apartment should tell everyone something about their quality as dog owners.

Also keep in mind that in dog attack cases, what turns out not to be a Pitbull, is frequently initially described as one.

The question should arise as to the necessity of two watchdogs, when one would do. I would be willing to bet-the-ranch that the owners (the granddaughter and her live-in boyfriend) trained their "watchdogs" to protect their apartment from anyone that might dare enter and that didn't include licking them to death.

If all they needed was a watchdog to warn them of intruders, then a small, apartment sized dog would fill the requirement. But these two needed two Pitbulls?? There is more to this story.

Dogs are what the owner makes of them. Even Pitbulls.

34 posted on 12/11/2002 2:38:23 PM PST by daylate-dollarshort
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To: keri
My grandfather had a gigantic yellow labrador hunting dog. He was a hell of a bird dog, but he also had a mean streak a mile wide. My grandfather wouldn't let me play with him, past a pat on the head with him standing next to me. He was raised in the out of doors, in a good sized pen with plenty of room for excercise, nor mistreated, nor abused. He was just one big mean bull of a lab.

Dogs are what their master's make of them. I feel for the grandmother, but one pit bull would not get enough excercise and stimulation in an apartment, much less two. If they were just chained up and used as watchdogs, then it would sound like to me these dogs had a case of cabin fever. I place responsibility on the owners for the death.
35 posted on 12/11/2002 2:45:00 PM PST by Liberal Classic
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To: Redcloak

Another vicious PitBull (He's really an Amstaff but the "expunge the world of Pit Bull weiners don't know the difference)

36 posted on 12/11/2002 2:47:40 PM PST by kanawa
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To: daylate-dollarshort
Alas, many people do not know that pitbulls are the most abused breed of dog. This site is not for the squeamish.

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/sadreality.html

They also get blamed for many attacks they are not responsible for....they are labeled as "pit types" when the breed is in question. For those who think they can identify a pit...try this test:

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html
37 posted on 12/11/2002 2:57:07 PM PST by Feiny
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To: feinswinesuksass
Thanks for posting this.

As to the cruelty to Pits, there are many in this area between the dog fighters and hog hunters, that are killed because they won't be trained to fight or attack.

It is usually the poor Pit-mixes that are bred to one of the larger bulldog varieties that the drug dealers use. All have to be trained from pups to be attack dogs, and the training is brutal. Dogs that don't respond are either killed or kicked loose. That is, if the training itself doesn't kill them.
38 posted on 12/11/2002 3:16:18 PM PST by daylate-dollarshort
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To: Liberal Classic
An in total agreement BUMP!
39 posted on 12/11/2002 3:20:41 PM PST by daylate-dollarshort
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To: feinswinesuksass
Thank you for posting the "Find the Pit Bull" page, I was trying to find a link to it and you've saved me a great deal of time.

I'll be sharing the other link with Canadian Amstaff and Pit clubs and owners.

This link maybe of interset to you and we'd appreciate any input you may have to share..http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AmStaffsinCanada/
40 posted on 12/11/2002 3:23:55 PM PST by kanawa
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