toddler, woman killed by pit bulls

I took up for the pit bull in the pet thread, now I'm not so sure. My neighbors across the street have two. I've never had any problem with them and have even petted one while the owner was with me. Last week I went out to get my mail, and their three year old daughter had let the dogs out the front door. The both went for me. Luckily, I got in the house and shut the door before they hit the front porch. One banged her head against my front door. Both were growling and barking. I'm afraid to go out the front door now, much less let my dog out into our fenced backyard. These dogs were determined, and a three foot chain link fence isn't going to hold them back.
 
I still don't blame the dogs in the stories. In the first one, the dogs thought their owner needed them. She and her daughter were arguing and they probably thought she was being threatened. In the case of the toddler, tragic as it is, the parents should never have left her alone with so many dogs on the property unless they were more secure where she couldn't get to them. I feel for the families of both victims.
 
1st mistake...........5-6 pits together is a PACK............PACK MENTALITY!
2nd mistake was arguing ..............PROTECTION MODE
3rd mistake.............what where the pits used to? fighting??? just to many dogs!
 
1st mistake...........5-6 pits together is a PACK............PACK MENTALITY!
2nd mistake was arguing ..............PROTECTION MODE
3rd mistake.............what where the pits used to? fighting??? just to many dogs!

You are right, I had 5 Rottweilers never had a problem because I was leader of the pack and they knew it.People should not have more then 1 dog if they do not know how to train them.Also when people get into fights in front of dogs who love and protect their human family they will try to protect the smaller less threatening person.I wound up with 5 because I felt my first one Misty was such a terrific dog and brought us so much joy and was a perfect Rottie I wanted to breed her.Then i got her a husband lol , and she had 3 litters and i kept a puppy from each litter.Sadly they all are in doggy heaven and I just have 1 now.They all lived long happy lives and never bit anyone.If I didnt have a bad back and leg problems I would have mated my baby just to keep the line alive longer.
 
That poor child should never have been able to access that pen a $5.00 lock on the pens gate would have prevented her death.When you have multiple dogs you have to remember that more then really 1 dog and they will act together in a pack even a small dogs when you have more then 1 can be dangerous esp to a child.
 
How many people have to die before there is a federal law against owning these killers? OK, how about people just not owning any of these animals!
 
I say muzzle them if they are outside. I would never own this breed of dog and I would never allow my children or loved ones around them period
 
How many people have to die before there is a federal law against owning these killers? OK, how about people just not owning any of these animals!


Why should people who are responsible owner's be denied to have an animal they want,But more importantly why should hundreds of thousands of beautiful animals have to be destroyed?Killing them all is not the answer IMO what makes more sense is if you are going to have 2 or more dogs of any Breed It should be a law you have to attend Responsible dog ownership classes.Because it seems a lot of owners lack common sense.Profiling a dog because of it's breed is asinine IMO and will not stop the problem.Labs have killed children , so have beagles, so have dachshunds,the list goes on and on.Should they all be exterminated?
 
How many people have to die before there is a federal law against owning these killers? OK, how about people just not owning any of these animals!

A Federal Law is needed to mandate Children"s Protective Services.They kill more Children per year then all dogs put together.
 
Not too many years ago, a boy in my neck of the woods was mauled by his neighbors pitbulls. He went to call on his friend who lived there, had been there many times before and surprise, surprise, the dogs attacked him and bit another friend too who was hurt less severly. The boy lived, thank God, but was hospitalized a long time and is very, very lucky considering the injuries he had.

There's no way around the FACT that some breeds are more prone to aggression than other breeds. It doesn't mean there can't be nice ones but in general I would not trust them.
 
That many pits should not be allowed in one home. Period. (And I defend pits, generally speaking.) But they are pack driven animals and if they aren't raised perfectly, they will challenge the pack leader.
They should not be chained, caged, or locked up for more than a few hours at a time. They are herding animals, they need to run. Like I said down in pets, most stories like this involve getting too close to the chained pit or after spending the day inside with the dogs.
My pit mix runs most of the day, he's not aggressive and a great companion for my kids. If I lost the room that I have to let him run, I would not have a pit anymore.
Moo.
 
Why should people who are responsible owner's be denied to have an animal they want,But more importantly why should hundreds of thousands of beautiful animals have to be destroyed?Killing them all is not the answer IMO what makes more sense is if you are going to have 2 or more dogs of any Breed It should be a law you have to attend Responsible dog ownership classes.Because it seems a lot of owners lack common sense.Profiling a dog because of it's breed is asinine IMO and will not stop the problem.Labs have killed children , so have beagles, so have dachshunds,the list goes on and on.Should they all be exterminated?

Play Russian roulette if you want too - but why are the dogs broken down into groups; sporting, hunting, toy, guard, etc. The breeding is in them. Also it's a numbers game - they are prone to certain behaviors - doesn't mean every single dog will be viscious. What's not to understand?

Labs, for instance, don't usually 'attack'. Can they bite? Sure.
 
Play Russian roulette if you want too - but why are the dogs broken down into groups; sporting, hunting, toy, guard, etc. The breeding is in them. Also it's a numbers game - they are prone to certain behaviors - doesn't mean every single dog will be viscious. What's not to understand?

Labs, for instance, don't usually 'attack'. Can they bite? Sure.

German shepherds attack... a lot. But they are also service dogs, drug dogs...

As for groupings, the actual group for pit bulls is herder/work dog. So, should we put down all dogs raised for herding?
 
Why should people who are responsible owner's be denied to have an animal they want,But more importantly why should hundreds of thousands of beautiful animals have to be destroyed?Killing them all is not the answer IMO what makes more sense is if you are going to have 2 or more dogs of any Breed It should be a law you have to attend Responsible dog ownership classes.Because it seems a lot of owners lack common sense.Profiling a dog because of it's breed is asinine IMO and will not stop the problem.Labs have killed children , so have beagles, so have dachshunds,the list goes on and on.Should they all be exterminated?
I can't remember the last time I read of a dachshund mauling a toddler to death, or a beagle killing a grown woman.
 
Here is a study that has been done from 1982-2006 regarding dog bites/maimings/killings broken down by breeds:

The deadliest dogs

Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, has conducted an unusually detailed study of dog bites from 1982 to the present. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006; click here to read it.) The Clifton study show the number of serious canine-inflicted injuries by breed. The author's observations about the breeds and generally how to deal with the dangerous dog problem are enlightening.

According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question. Clifton states:

If almost any other dog has a bad moment, someone may get bitten, but will not be maimed for life or killed, and the actuarial risk is accordingly reasonable. If a pit bull terrier or a Rottweiler has a bad moment, often someone is maimed or killed--and that has now created off-the-chart actuarial risk, for which the dogs as well as their victims are paying the price.

Clifton's opinions are as interesting as his statistics. For example, he says, "Pit bulls and Rottweilers are accordingly dogs who not only must be handled with special precautions, but also must be regulated with special requirements appropriate to the risk they may pose to the public and other animals, if they are to be kept at all."


http://www.dogbitelaw.com/Dog Attacks 1982 to 2006 Clifton.pdf
 
"The Bull Terrier is certainly one of the odd dogs out in the terrier group. He is not a pure terrier - his name is a combination of bull and terrier - and, in fact, he was originally more a dog fighter than a small pest-controller. ...

The Bull Terrier is a very active dog. He likes his exercise and food, and he is a grand dog to have about the home because he loves people, but woe betide any burglar!

The Pit Bull Terrier, originating in the United States, was also bred for fighting. AS THE RESULT OF DELIBERATE TRAINING FOR ILLEGAL DOG FIGHTING HE HAS BEEN DEEMED DANGEROUS AND BANNED IN MANY COUNTRIES."

taken from The Ultimate Encyclopedia of DOGS, DOG BREEDS & DOG CARE.
Dr. Peter Larkin/Mike Stockman
 
1st mistake...........5-6 pits together is a PACK............PACK MENTALITY!
2nd mistake was arguing ..............PROTECTION MODE
3rd mistake.............what where the pits used to? fighting??? just to many dogs!

EXACTLY. What in the world was she dong with 5 pit-bulls IN THE HOUSE?

Second story pit-bulls in a pen. If any person walked in there the dogs didn't know there would be trouble.

Here is the problem. Would either of these two stories have happened if it would have been 5 yellow labs or 4 Golden Retrievers? I doubt it.

I go back and forth on pit-bulls. It is an argument no one will win. You can find people and experts who will tell you this breed is aggressive and dangerous by nature and then you can find the same amount of people and experts who will argue vehemently the exact opposite.

I think the situation the dogs are put in is what needs to be looked at. 5 pit bulls form a pack like stated. 4 pit-bulls locked up in a pen bad idea for a kid to wander in there.

No matter what it is so tragic it's heartbreaking. Especially the toddler. How that mom will survive after that I don't know.
 
Play Russian roulette if you want too - but why are the dogs broken down into groups; sporting, hunting, toy, guard, etc. The breeding is in them. Also it's a numbers game - they are prone to certain behaviors - doesn't mean every single dog will be viscious. What's not to understand?

Labs, for instance, don't usually 'attack'. Can they bite? Sure.

Labs have attached and killed children.
Any dog breed can kill and even Labs have.I have had Rottweilers in my home for over 18 yrs and never have had one bite anyone.It is not Russian Roulette it is common sense and being a responsible pet owner.
 
German shepherds attack... a lot. But they are also service dogs, drug dogs...

As for groupings, the actual group for pit bulls is herder/work dog. So, should we put down all dogs raised for herding?

No, I love dogs. Don't want to see them put down. I'm not afraid of a German Sheppard if I know him and have his approval; not a fickle dog.

I don't want to see people being killed by dogs because their owners want to justify or pretend they are not dangerous though. The leap in logic is lost on me.

In the book I have the Terrier is classified as part of 'the Sporting group".
 

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