Another Pit Bull mauling and killing of an 11 month old boy...too sad!

[angstlessk]

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/19252993/detail.html

EASTPOINTE, Mich. -- An 11-month-old boy was mauled to death by the family pit bull in Eastpointe Wednesday afternoon.

Police said the baby was sleeping on a bed in the first floor when the dog came into the room and attacked the baby, dragging him to the floor.

The baby's father came into the room and tried to get the dog off the baby. When he was unable to free the baby, he shot the dog.

"They brought the baby out and the baby was really limp. His breathing was shallow," said the victim's neighbor Amy Holbrook.

The baby was rushed to St. John's Hospital in Detroit, where he was pronounced dead.

Neighbors said they are extremely sad for the couple, which lost their only child.

"It was an older couple who thought they would never have kids. That was their miracle baby," said Holbrook.

[seabeyond]

1. does it get any more horrible. the further i read the story

the worse it became. i am so sorry for them and what they will have to forever live with

[Lilyeye]

2. This is soooo horrible. This is the 5th attack story I've heard concerning pitbulls.

There was a story in my state about 2 or 3 years ago about a pitbull attacking and killing a 3 year old when he or she was sleep. I don't know much about them, so I am guessing they have bad tempers and or perhaps their not meant to be around children? Or does it have to do with the owner?

[angstlessk]

3. truly, after having MY miracle baby, I might want to have found a good home for my

pit bull. I refuse to allow a pit bull in my home and I have no baby.

You are correct, they will forever blame themselves for this atrocity! I do not blame the dog, he acted by instinct...he probably believe the baby as something that had moved him down the pecking order and by killing his usuper he would become what he was before the baby was born? Who knows, except if a pit bull has hold of a baby's throat the baby will likely not survive. Other dogs can be persuaded to let go...not a pit bull!

[AnneD]

5. I am so conflicted when I read stories like this....

My daughter has a pit bull mix. She is the sweetest most loving dog. I couldn't in my wildest dreams imagine her hurting anything. Now she is protective if my daughter is threatened but how many times have I put my face right into hers for a wet sloppy kiss.

This dog must have been a surrogate child for the couple and then when the baby came along-the dog became jealous. That is as close to a reason as I can give.

Even though I had a cat-I was careful with him and my daughter when she first came home. He was a jewel though-especially when he discovered her milk bottles. He ruined more nipples puncturing them and I can't tell you the times I caught her feeding him. And dear Charlie was always the first to her crib or play pen when she started crying. He always rubbed against her trying to stop her from crying. In fact, the day she finally started talking-her second word in English was cat.

I just feel for these folks.

[bvar22]

11. Fameous last words for Pit Bull owners.

Gee. He's NEVER done anything like this before.
He's always been sweetest and most loveable dog.
No one could have seen this coming.

[AnneD]

90. Any animal can inflict harm to a child when you get down to it....

it is up to the parents to take precautions. But having seen the really sweet and loving side of pit bulls-it's hard to imagine them as vicious. But it can happen.

The most vicious dog my daughter and I ever encountered-a collie-yes a collie. Her owner's kids must have tormented her. She was sneaky and would attack you from behind. She chased my daughter into a neighbour's house and they had to escort her home. After that-we never went out walking that we didn't have a stick-just incase the dog had gotten out.

[bvar22]

96. The problem with Pit Bulls is....

...that when they flip out, they are capable of so much more damage than other dogs.
There is a reason they are the preferred breed for fighting dogs.

[valerief]

4. When, oh when are these bred-to-attack animals going to be banned

like they are in civilized countries?

What the hell is wrong with owning a poodle or poodle mutt or any other truly domesticated canine?

[Chemisse]

6. Why own one?

I don't understand why anyone would want a dog who has it within their genetic makeup to kill a child.

Whenever I say anything like this about pit bulls to those who own or like them, I always hear that THIS dog is very sweet, wouldn't hurt anybody, etc. It's always somebody else's dog that is dangerous.

[valerief]

9. That's what my neighbors, who let their pitbulls run free, told me.

I was afraid to go out to my car most days.

The dogs are gone now. I don't know why. I saw a police car outside one day. I know the dogs weren't registered. Maybe they couldn't get insurance if they registered them, so they didn't. Maybe the dogs went after someone. I'm just glad they're gone. They terrified me.

[roguevalley]

41. gladiator dogs need to be trained and handled properly. they can

never be allowed to be dominant. I am sure they loved the dog and thought they had it together but I am sure that dog displayed dominance for a long time and they didn't see it. They can be perfectly fine but you HAVE to know what you are doing. You just have to. Any bull dog, pittie or fighting/hunting dog has to be handled correctly and then there is no problem. I am very sorry for this to have happened. God bless them, poor things.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

45. All breeds have it in their makeup to kill a child

[TwilightGardener]

95. Quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever read here.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

103. No, not really

A dog is a dog is a dog.

[bobburgster]

102. Interesting Opinion

Seems to me danger is in the eye of the beholder.

[AnneD]

8. Actually .....

pit bull types were favoured by the early settlers. They were valued for their hardiness and protective abilities. I think a wolf, fox, or bear would have thought twice when a pit bull was guarding the farm.

I guess the key thing is to always be careful with kids and dogs-any animal actually. You just never know what can happen.

[valerief]

10. Well, statistics tell you what to expect from pit bulls. They should be banned. nt

[flvegan]

36. Which statistics specifically?

[JonLP24]

51. You're not taking my pit bull away!!!!!

She is smaller then my gordon setters and in fact much easier and intelligent to train then my Gordon Setters. Hardly a threat to anyone even small children.

[Muttocracy]

56. Statistics? Here's what the CDC says

"A CDC study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal attacks over 20 years (Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998). It does not identify specific breeds that are most likely to bite or kill, and thus is not appropriate for policy-making decisions related to the topic. Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities; about 0.0002 percent of the total number of people bitten. These relatively few fatalities offer the only available information about breeds involved in dog bites. There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill."

[JonLP24]

65. I posted the link to that study below

Very thorough and it even though Pit Bulls lead the number is only 66 which is less then 1% of all pit bulls nationwide.

Besides targeting one breed over another violates the right to equal protection because Rottweillers, German Shepherd Dogs, Husky-type dogs, Alaskan Malamutes and Mastiff-Type Dogs also frequently injure people. As well as the 4 lb Pomeranian that killed a 6 week year old.

[RebelOne]

7. I have had pit bulls and I now own a Rottweiler, my second.

But I have always been of the opinion that the pit bull breed should be banned. I had a 93-pound pit, Easy, who was the sweetest dog you would ever meet, but he almost attacked a 4-year-old boy. Ever since, I would never allow him near children. His son, aptly named Sonny, was a big, big baby. They both had sweet temperaments, but I have discovered that pit bulls are very unpredictable. My Rottweiler, Legend, is also a big baby and I know she would never attack any person or other animal, not even a cat. But my other Rottie, who passed away in 1999, was very aggressive, so I would never allow her near children. I didn't raise any of these dogs, but adopted them from friends and family.

I also have a year-old Chihuahua that I have had since she was 6 weeks old and she is a mean little critter. And I did not raise her to be that way. She was a sweet little 5-month-old puppy when I sent her to Man's Best Friend's puppy boot camp for obedience training because she was such a wild child. What I got back after 2 weeks was a 6-pound attack dog. Compared to her my 107-pound Rottweiler is a pussy cat.

[valerief]

12. I've read Rottweilers only kill humans half as often as pit bulls.

However, Rottweilers kill humans way more than other breeds (aside from pit bulls).

[RebelOne]

13. Rottweilers just have bad raps because of all the media hype

whenever there is an attack on a person. How many stories do you read about cocker spaniels attacking people? The media just loves to jump on the stories about pit bull and Rottweiler attacks. My son has 3 pit bulls, about 6 Chihuahuas, 4 French bull dogs (he breeds Chihuahuas and bull dogs) and one cocker. I won't even go near that cocker because he is mean as hell.

[uppityperson]

27. Pit bulls have bad raps because of all the media hype also

Thank you for your post. I get tired of the hype and my heart goes out to anyone who has been attacked by a dog.

[angstlessk]

15. i have one of those tiny babies who thinks she is a bull dog...

she could probably take a nip out of your ankle...the worse she could do to a baby is bite their nose...and not very hard..in fact the baby howling would probably scare the crap out of her! seems the smaller they are the tougher they try to sound..appear?

[Donnachaidh]

23. we were introduced to a Rott who used to scare the crap out of me

And once we were formally introduced, we became family. Sampson was such a goober he tried to climb into my hubbie's LAP at one point. He used to mess with the neighbors by popping his head through a loose slat in their patio fence. That got to me, until we met him. After that, he was a doll.

And I have a chihuahua mix who I consider nastier than Sampson. She flew off the couch at a nurse who was putting a medical ID bracelet on my kid. I caught her mid-air. Her trajectory was straight at this woman's throat. She was being protective, of course, but THAT action was a real eye-opener for all of us! We watch her like a hawk now.

[valerief]

24. My nephews had sweet Rotts. They actively socialized the dogs

with both people and other dogs. I think that helped a lot. However, that doesn't change the statistics.

My beef is with the uber killers, the pit bulls. They kill and maim twice as often as Rotts.

[rollingrock]

34. Are your Rotties male or female?

just curious.

[RebelOne]

43. My deceased Rottie was a female and my present Rottie is also a female. n/t

[rollingrock]

50. I bet that explains why your Rotts are so gentle

the females of any breed are usually much less aggressive than the males.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

52. Not in Border Collies

It doesn't hold true in the case of my dogs, but usually the male Border Collies are much nicer.

[JonLP24]

55. A female dog in heat IS MUCH MORE aggressive then a male

That's it's important to get your dogs spayed/neutered

[tblue37]

14. No baby should be within reach of any dog.

I ran a home daycare for 18 years, and I always had plenty of animals around.

A pit bull is particularly dangerous because of its size, strength, and tenacity, but any dog is capable of biting a child, and an 11-month-old baby could not defend itself against an attack.

I adore dogs, and I have known many sweet pit bulls. My neighbor's large pit bull mix is the sweetest, most wonderful dog I have ever known, and I have known (and owned) many wonderful dogs. But I would never have a situation where a small child was within reach of any dog (including a chihuahua) unless I was right there between the dog and the child.

BTW, I also never let the cats or the ferrets get near a baby or small child unless I was right there, because I didn't want to risk an accidental or deliberate bite or scratch. I have advised friends with a parrot to keep their bird away from their toddler, too, because parrots can do some real damage with those powerful beaks.

Babies and toddlers are small and helpless. They need to be protected from potential harm. My guess is that the parents knew the dog well and loved him and assumed he "wouldn't hurt a fly." My feeling is that you just don't make such assumptions about any animal that could harm a small child. It might well be true, but the consequences of a wrong guess are too horrendous to risk.

[angstlessk]

17. agreed! no animal shold have access to a child without an adult present

and even then...no large dogs, since a dog can attack a child..and the adult would have to wrestle the child from the dog..not a good idea at all!

[TorchTheWitch]

26. Absolutely

No dog should be allowed unsupervised access to children especially a new baby. Dogs are territorial and protective by nature, some more so than others. This is true for all dogs though the more territorial and protective the dog is the more likely such a thing may happen. Unless or until the dog considers a new person in the home as part of the family and of superior rank to the dog, these things may happen regardless of the breed or size of the dog. In this case the owners were foolish to allow the dog unfettered access to the baby. If you're going to have dogs and kids, you HAVE to be careful when they are together or are capable of being together. Owners believing their dog could never do XYZ are foolish... ANY dog MIGHT do XYZ under certain circumstances and therefore all owners must always be careful and take steps to ensure XYZ can't happen.

I read a story of a Pomeranian that killed the new baby in the home. Poms are very small dogs, but they are still dogs and therefore have the same territorial and protective nature of any dog. It doesn't matter how big the dog is, ANY dog can kill a baby.

[tblue37]

40. Your comment that any dog could do XYZ is so on the mark.

As I said before, I adore dogs, including big ones, including many pit bulls and pit bull mixes I have been good friends with. I have all cats now, but in the 1970s, I had an Afghan Hound, which is a good sized dog.

My feeling about all dogs is that they could be capable of biting. I am good with animals, but I always treat a big dog (actually, any dog) with a respectful recognition that something could set it off and cause it to bite. I walked into a friend's house one day and her longhaired Dachshund bit me hard enough on the leg that it took nearly three weeks for the bite to completely heal. I believe it was because I was carrying a large bag and a cane that day, so I was not properly "configured" for the dog to recognize me as his good friend and play buddy. I didn't blame the dog, though his owner was clearly mortified. I startled the poor dog by being shaped like a "creature" rather than a person.

I am well aware that even a medium sized dog can do serious harm or even kill a person. I don't tremble in fear or anything like that, but I am "alert" around bigger dogs and don't move suddenly or do anything to unnecessarily startle or scare them. No sudden wild physical moves or loud noises, that sort of thing. Besides, I don't like to be starteld myself, so I would consider it rude to startle my canine friends.

[uppityperson]

28. "I would never have a situation where a small child was within reach of any dog" Exactly

My child was bitten, twice, by his father's fox terriers and once by a sibling of them. Fortunately his face, chest and bits were only minimally harmed.

The problem is having dogs with kids. And yes, bigger dogs can bite harder, smaller dogs can bite faster repetitively. Don't have kids alone with dogs. And even if you are there, beware because dogs bite. And kids provoke, intentionally or not.

[Shell Beau]

92. I have a 7 month old and 2 dogs.

I never leave my child unattended (unless she is asleep in her crib, and I am still right around the corner), but dogs and children can co-exist. It takes care and concern on the parents part and a very watchful eye.

[valerief]

16. Data on humans killed by pit bulls 2006 to 2008.

http://www.dogsbite.org/newsroom-release-dog-bite-fatal...

This doesn't include the severe maimings by people who survived pit bull attacks.

[flvegan]

37. Information culled from media reports isn't data.

What else have you got?

[Muttocracy]

54. ah, look, that site is someone promoting breed bans

Anyone have the find-the-pit-bull photo quiz handy? Sigh.

[spoony]

61. Perhaps not but the site also extensively quotes CDC reports

I don't care if people choose to own these animals, but failing to acknowledge that they are more dangerous than many other breeds--whether you want to chalk it up to genetics, irresponsible ownership, or the raw power they possess--isn't helping further any solution.

[JonLP24]

66. The same CDC says.......

"A CDC study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal attacks over 20 years (Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998). It does not identify specific breeds that are most likely to bite or kill, and thus is not appropriate for policy-making decisions related to the topic. Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities; about 0.0002 percent of the total number of people bitten. These relatively few fatalities offer the only available information about breeds involved in dog bites. There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill."

[valerief]

85. Where's the severely mauled data? Why are pit bulls banned in

so many countries? I don't think they're banned in so many countries just piss off pit bull owners. I think there's a damned good reason.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

94. Why are 92 breeds banned/restricted in Italy?

Because sometimes there are just stupid short cut laws instead of ones that make any fucking sense.

[Dappleganger]

18. Irresponsible breeding ruined the pit bull breed.

I don't blame the dogs, it's not their fault. At what point in time do we humans take responsibility for our uneducated or greedy choices by making it nearly impossible to own except under certain, licensed and monitored circumstances? Nearly every day I read the pets forum in Craigslist and the #1 backyard bred dog is the pit bull. These dogs (and others like them) have the capability of being lethal weapons and should be treated as such. Certainly NO pit bull should ever be around children or babies.

[valerief]

19. I think serial killers are victims of their "nature" (mental defectiveness)

and don't blame them for being crazy. I don't think they should be exposed to the general population either.

I equate pit bulls with these crazy people. Most of the time they're sociable and fine, but it only takes one episode of their darker nature to end your world.

[Dappleganger]

21. That's a fair analogy...

You can't out-train Nature.

[ehrnst]

20. Dachshunds have killed infants, German Shepherds can be trained to attack humans more easily.

But Pit Bulls get the publicity.

[valerief]

22. They kill and maim WAY more often. That's why they're banned in so many countries. nt

[uppityperson]

29. No, they get the publicity and most records are based on reported accounts.

round and round we go again.

[roguevalley]

42. they are the most improperly handled dog out there and because of

it and the fact that the average person knows dick all about what a dog is like before they get one usually, they get into trouble. Most people won't get off their butts to do the two hours a day of walking and exercise that ALL does need, not just pitties. If a dog has no exercise, they will become hard to manage and get into trouble. dogs are furniture, they are beings who require a focus, exercise, discipline and a job. can't do that, don't get a dog.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

46. I think we should go the way of Italy

They ban/restrict 92 breeds of dogs. I mean, why have sensible laws when we can just ban the shit out of something?

[JonLP24]

58. 66 Human fatalities from 1979-1998

That is less then 1% of all pit bull breeds.

[MadHound]

25. Hmm, let's see here,

Pomeranian Kills 6-Week-Old Girl
<http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/2001/pomeranian.... >

A blue heeler mix attacks
<http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,252562... >

Labrador puppy kills kid
<http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/915007/after_a... >

Border collie attacks child
<http://www.24dash.com/news/Communities/2006-10-14-Seven... >

I could go on and on like this all night, but the point of the matter is that it's not the breed, it's the individual dog. For the longest while, pit bulls were rated as the best family dogs by the AKC. It's also well known that two of the most popular dogs, poodles and cockers, are also two of the breeds most likely to bite.

The thing is, it is how the individual dog is raised and trained. From the sounds of the article, this pit wasn't raised or trained very well. Meanwhile there are loads of examples of kind, gentle pits who are absolutely wonderful with kids. Pictures and websites abound on the internet.

I've had pits and pit mixes all of my life and always will, and unfailingly they have been the best dogs around, intelligent, gentle, fun dogs to be with, all of which have been around kids extensively and who have been kind, gentle and tolerant as these kids roughoused with them, pulled their ears or tail, these dogs would take it all in stride remaining gentle and kind throughout. The worse that they would do, as any pit owner would tell you, is lick the kid to death.

But the mindless hysteria continues, and the calls for banning the breed abounds. The sad thing is, you ban pit bulls, all that's going to happen is those idiots who feel the need to keep a vicious dog will simply move on to another breed, making it the "vicious dog du jour". I've seen this happen with German Shepards(I grew up with a couple, great dogs) and Dobies in my life, and carry this sort of cycle to it's extreme, we'll wind up banning all dogs. Then what? Oh, yeah,

Family shoots cat after it attacks infant
<http://74.6.239.67/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=cat+attacks+... >

[denem]

30. Yep those Pomeranians are killers. The stats don't lie.

Almost any dog can kill but some are more killers than others. And one breed does over half the killing, and more than three quarters the killing off property. Hint: It ain't Poms.

[uppityperson]

32. "omg pitbull" sells newstime, so they report more on them, then the stats show.....?

that one breed is reported on much more than others? There are 3 types of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.



"more than three quarters the killing off property" isn't a complete sentence and doesn't make sense.

[MiniMe]

31. While I agree that any dog can attack, fatal attacks are mostly caused by 2 breeds

Pits and Rottweilers. The link is posted above, interesting stats.

[MadHound]

33. Currently yes,

However those stats have changed over time as the "bad boy dog breed du jour" has changed. It used to be shepards and dobies, because all the idiots who wanted mean dogs got those two particular breeds(where do you think that old term "junk yard dog" came from? Not pits). So again, if we ban pits, it will simply be another breed that gets the bad rap for being mean and vicious.

Which all goes to show, it's not the breed, it's the owner. Perhaps instead of banning breeds, we ban idiot owners

[flvegan]

39. Except those stats are shit.

Sorry to say. Media accounts don't create data.

[Muttocracy]

59. Pits are not a breed, and when those data are based on shaky breed identifications

it makes them even sillier. I've had people ask me if my dog is a pit bull. He's a 70lb black mutt with a foxy tail and pointy ears and noone who knows anything about dogs would think he's a pit bull. If he had bitten someone, it could have been recorded as a pit bull based on their memory though.

"pit bull" type is a rough description of about 3-10 breeds depending on who you ask.

[JonLP24]

60. Stats are inconclusive, even the stat collectors say so

The dog breeds that were linked to dog bite fatalities were pit-bull type dogs, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Husky type dogs, Doberman Pinschers, Wolf-Dog Hybrids and Alaskan Malamutes. Despite these statistics, the CDC and the authors of this study argue against breed specific legislation because (1) many breeds of dog are associated with dog bite fatalities; (2) dog-bite related fatalities are linked more strongly with responsible dog ownership; and (3) insufficient data for making statistical claims. The CDC has stated that it is incapable of determining whether the statistics above reflect a disproportionate representation of specific breeds because of a lack of data.

In order to calculate breed-specific fatality rates, they need reliable breed-specific population data. This data is not available. Thus, although there is a trend towards certain breeds being more dangerous than others, this cannot be conclusively proven

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00047723.htm

[spoony]

64. It might be telling that

you had to dig years in the past to cull these stories. I really don't get the apologetics. They're big, strong animals and acknowledging that they can and do seriously hurt people is just common sense. When pit defenders pull stunts like this it's like gun enthusiasts who play the "cars are dangerous too" card. It's silly and unnecessary, since they'd be more credible just to say: "yes these are dangerous and they need to be in responsible hands."

[rollingrock]

35. The story doesn't say the sex of the pitbull

aren't the males supposed to be a lot more aggressive then the females?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

44. From the article - The 2-year-old pit bull's name was Prince.

[rollingrock]

49. I wonder if these idiots would qualify for a Darwin?

if people are going to be insist on a pit for their family dog, at least make sure it isn't a male. They are much more aggressive than the females.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

53. Or just get the dog fixed and don't let any dog unsupervised with little kids

The breed doesn't matter. Poms have killed kids that age.

[LeftyMom]

57. Unaltered dogs of any breed are more likely to

bite, escape, piss where they shouldn't, dig holes trying to escape, contract all sorts of interesting and expensive health problems, attempt to copulate with other pets, humans and inanimate objects, and generally be a real pain in the ass.

Unless there's a good medical reason not to do so (ie older animals who would be at risk from anesthesia,) people need to spay and neuter their dogs for both their safety and that of the dog.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

68. Yep, Mick almost escaped the ball snipping due to his herding talent

Then, he started peeing whenever men came into the house. Yeah, an appointment was made REALLY fast.

[rollingrock]

87. Of course

These pitbull attack articles don't ever seem to mention if the dog was fixed or not.
It might be interesting to see what the % is like of neutered vs. non-neutered pits to see how much being fixed or not fixed affects their behavior.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

88. Half the pit bull attack articles don't even involve a pit bull

Most cases of dog attacks, IME, involve an unfixed animal. And, if you ever see "It's Me or the Dog," trainer Victoria Stilwell always gets the owners to neuter/spay their aggressive dogs. Just about all aggressive animals on her show and on "The Dog Whisperer" aren't fixed.

[Shell Beau]

93. Attacks can come out of nowhere sometimes.

Plus a female could just as easily have attacked this child.

I feel terrible for this family. To lose their little baby like that. And I am sure they are blaming themselves enough.

[flvegan]

38. It's a tragic, albeit incomplete story.

Never leave children alone with any dog, nor give any dog unsupervised access to any child.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

48. Yep, I'd never leave either of my dogs alone with a small kid

I wouldn't trust Mick not to attack a kid, and I wouldn't trust Beag not to jump on them and hurt them that way.

Clearly, we must ban the vicious Border Collie.

[mainegreen]

47. Pets often hate new babies. New baby? KEEP THE PET OUTSIDE!

Even my cat tried shit.

[LeftyMom]

63. Isolating or ignoring the animal can make the problem worse

Several issues can factor into issues dogs or cats may have with a new baby. A sudden decrease in attention is one of the main ones, and should be avoided as much as possible. Change in the form of new smells, noises, strange objects in the house is another, and generally that can be minimized by allowing the animal plenty of time to smell and otherwise check out baby gear before the baby comes home- having a baby over to visit if the animal is completely unused to babies may also be a good idea.

Dogs and cats really shouldn't be left outside unsupervised. It's irresponsible and needlessly dangerous to them. It's better to minimize any pet/baby issues in advance with a little planning and to consult a professional if any issues arise, rather than exile one member of the family. After all if your toddler wasn't crazy about a new baby, you wouldn't make him live in the yard.

[Muttocracy]

77. great post -- and dogs on chains are MUCH more likely to bite than those who are not

[LeftyMom]

84. That's also true. Extended fixed point tethering is illegal in this state for that reason.

The only dog that has ever bit me was regularly chained, badly socialized and then startled and afraid because some neighbor kids set off fireworks. He was also around kids with no adult supervision, another really bad idea.

[lib2DaBone]

62. ..but Pitbulls are beautiful gentle dogs... you don't understand...

[JonLP24]

67. Just like

Rottweillers, German Shepherd Dogs, Husky-type dogs, Alaskan Malamutes, Mastiff-Type Dogs, and 4 lb Pomeranians

[EmilyAnne]

69. Not surprised. I would be willing to bet that the dog was not spayed and had been bred.

God, I am so sick of reading these stories.
Last week I am at my local park walking my little dog when someone passes me and says, "watch out. There's a really big pit bull."
So, sure enough, right at the park entrance is an asshole with a very muscular, fully intact adult male pit bull.
The asshole was over 6 feet tall, but the Pit was still strong enough to drag him with his leash.
To discipline the Pit for pulling, the asshole would kick the him in the ribs to discipline it.
As I passed, the Pit lunged at me and my dog, growling with teeth bared, pulling his asshole about three feet before he was controlled by another kick in the ribs.

All of this was done in front of the lovely children's playground as well as a group of teenaged boys who looked on with admiration.
I heard one of the teenagers tell the asshole that his dog was "tight" and that he was going to get a Pit puppy from his aunt soon.
It warmed my heart to be around such dog lovers and it is also the reason that I will no longer go to the park that I have enjoyed almost everyday for the last three years.
It has gotten out of hand.
The dog gets trendier and trendier and the sort of people who want this kind of dog get more and more defiant.
The assholes and their pit bulls have taken over the park.
There are constant problems, fights, people having to leave earlier than planned because some idiot decided to try out the off leash area with his Pit "just to see how he does."

I don't give a damn about someone's warped self esteem problems that get so wrapped up in defending a particular dog breed.
Get a life, seriously.
Stop getting your feelings hurt if someone has a problem with the breed of a damn dog that you happen to like for whatever reason.
No one suggests going house to house and killing every pit bull breed they find.
No one "hates" them or "blames" them for bad behavior.
No one advocates cruelty or neglect of these animals.
Banning the breeding of these animals or at least putting restrictions on breeding makes sense and anyone who denies that is simply ridiculous.

I live in Pittsburgh and I have never in my life seen so many Pit Bulls.
I see at least one every damn day with great big swinging balls so they can be irresponsibly bred, furthering God knows what kind of innate behavior problems.
So they can be sold to assholes like the guy who was kicking his dog in the ribs around children, so they can bit the cheek off of a 6 year old little boy who lives around the corner from me, so Pit Bull fanatics can take criticism of the breed personally and then proceed to place blame on the asshole owners.

Please, come and tell me that there is no such thing as a pit bull, that pit bulls aren't really all that big, that the dogs I am seeing aren't pit bulls.
You would be wrong.

[JonLP24]

70. I oppose the banning of them and it's not ridiculous

Because horses kill humans more then ALL breeds of dogs every year. About 205 per year horse related deaths compared to 14. Second Motor Vehicles, firearms, etc kill humans at a much higher rate. And guess what, humans are more likely to die from another human then they are from a horse or a dog and no one is suggesting banning humans.

[EmilyAnne]

71. This is the most intentionally obtuse stuff I have read on DU. I think you must be kidding.

http://www.truveo.com/Pit-Bull-Attacks-On-The-Rise/id/7...

Look at that mean woman from the Humane Society just lie about Pit Bulls because she, what, gets a kick out of it?
There IS a problem in my city.
There IS a problem in many others.
Love your dogs, treat them with kindness but please deal with the realities of the breed, even if some of those realities are what idiotic people are doing to them (overbreeding, fighting, allowing them to enter situations where they can injure people or other pets).

[JonLP24]

74. I don't understand it

Horses and humans kill more then all breeds. Not to mention Pit Bulls aren't the only ones but why focus only on the negative?

pit bull saves life

A LITTLE over five years ago, my husband and I heard of this "loser" dog needing a home, loser because he was a pitbull that 'wouldn't fight!' We had two dogs at the time, a Rottie and an Amstaff, so we weren't looking for another dog, but something made us call these people to find out about Norton. The owner said thanks but they'd already found a home for him.

Two days later we got a call from this person saying Norton had been returned and would we like to see him. We loaded our dogs into the car and told ourselves that we were just going to look but it would be a good idea to see if there was a chance all the dogs would get along. I won't go into the horror we saw or the condition that Norton was in but we knew immediately that we couldn't leave this 6-month-old pup there.

His scars weren't just physical, he suffered from severe separation anxiety as well. Norton could not be left alone, he would eat his way out of any enclosure or room he was left in. He had to be with people or he panicked. We were lucky enough to be able to have my husband take him to work every day but on the rare occasion we had to leave him alone he had to be heavily tranquilized. We tried all sorts of training and meds but nothing worked.

We resigned ourselves to the fact that wherever we went, Norton came too, then tragedy struck. Our Amstaff, Hillary, passed away. We were devastated, but it was worse for Norton - he lost a very important member of his pack. The separation anxiety got worse, he followed us everywhere.
http://www.discovervancouver.com/forums/pit%20bull%20sa... /

Hero pooch saves 7-year-old Queens girl
Heather Fretes with her dog, Bleu, whose barking alerted her to a pervert next-door trying to sexually assault a 7-year-old girl. Together, the owner and her dog drove off the attacker.

A barking dog and an alert woman scared off a pervert in Queens after he lured a girl into a backyard by promising to show her worms, police and witnesses said yesterday.

"Mommy! Daddy!" the 7-year-old girl screamed as she fought off her attacker between two garages about 7:45 p.m. Friday. "Help me!"

Her cries for help startled a dog on the other side of a fence. Bleu, a mixed pit bull, began barking incessantly, which brought his owner, Heather Fretes, to the window.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2007/07/08/200...

Pit Bull saves 2 women from deadly cobra,
dies wagging his tail
The children in the Fronteras household refer to their dog as "kuya" ("big brother"), and he certainly proved it on the day he sacrificed his life to protect the family.

On Monday, Feb. 12 at around 2 p.m., "Chief", an American Pit Bull Terrier, rescued Liberata la Victoria, 87, and her granddaughter Maria Victoria Fronteras from a deadly cobra which had entered their house through an opening in the kitchen.

Liberata la Victoria and Chief had been watching TV on the sofa when suddenly Chief jumped up and alerted her to the presence of a cobra less than 10 feet away. Maria Victoria rushed in and pulled her grandmother into a separate room, hoping the snake would leave.

But when Maria Victoria later emerged from the room, she was terrified to find the cobra poised about two feet away. Equally startled, the cobra expanded its hood and appeared to be spitting venom as it prepared to strike.
http://dogsinthenews.com/stories/070301a.php

Pit bull saves Holland woman from abductor | wzzm13.com | Grand Rapids, MI
wzzm13.com — HOLLAND, Mich. (WZZM)- A Holland woman has an unlikely hero to thank after breaking up a domestic fight. The 32-year-old's estranged husband beat her and attempted to abduct her from her safe house in Holland. The plan was foiled thanks to a dog which usu
http://www.mixx.com/stories/4630951/pit_bull_saves_holl...

There are thousands of related articles like this which is a much higher number then reported fatalities. My point is I have 2 gordon setters which have no bad rap but yet both are bigger then my pit bull and whenever a fight turns serious(Such as the pit bull trying to steal food) the Gordon Setters scare my pit bull into a corner and occasionally pees. On top of that my pit bull is 5 years younger then my gordon setters and yet knows more commands and orders then my Gordon Setters including learning not to bite easier then the Gordon Setters so sorry if I don't buy into the hype but even you are more at risk of getting killed by a human then a pit bull(which less then 1% of the breed attacks humans)

[Egalitariat]

72. That's pretty dumb. Can you post a link to what you think is your most intelligent post?****

nm

[JonLP24]

75. It's not dumb (human fatalities)

Horses 219 per year.
Dogs 14 per years

Human deaths by Motor Vehicles 48,411 per year
Firearms 1,464 per year
http://www.anapsid.org/pdv-boid.html

270 Murders/Manslaughters (by humans) in 2005 and that's just the city of Baltimore which is higher then the 66 number of pit bull fatalities over a 30 year period nationwide.
http://www.disastercenter.com/maryland/crime/4850.htm

Instead of describing how it's dumb you just label it's dumb.

[Egalitariat]

91. It's dumb and getting dumber. Here's the difference.

I choose to ride a horse. I accept the risk that something bad can happen to me when I'm riding the horse. If an accident kills me, it was part of the risk a reasonable person should know about.

Unless, of course, you're telling me that horses mauled 219 people last year?

Being mauled to death by a pit bull is not a risk that's normally assocated with going for a walk around the neighborhood or taking a nap.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

79. Well, pit bulls really aren't all that big

If it's real big, it ain't a pit. And the dog's behavior issues had a lot more to do with the douchebag kicking it than with the fact that it's a bit.

[Shell Beau]

100. How does one expect a dog to act that is beaten all day?

That idiot should not be allowed to have an animal if that is how he "trains" them.

[Shell Beau]

99. Well the guy who was kicking his dog was only creating a

dangerous situation no matter what kind of dog it was. Beating an animal is never the answer.

[EmilyAnne]

73. This video shows what is happening in Pittsburgh with the overbreeding of Pits.

Who can watch this and then say they don't think stricter rules on breeding should be enforced?

http://www.truveo.com/Pit-Bull-Attacks-On-The-Rise/id/7...

[JonLP24]

76. I'm not arguing against that

As long as that applies to other percieved dangerous breeds. I'm just arguing against the banning of a specific breed.

[ehrnst]

98. Yes - restrictions on breeding should apply to ALL dogs at this point.

Irresponsible breeders of any animal should be slapped with penalties.

However if pits are banned, those same types will start doing the same things with other attack dogs - like German Shepherds.

[ACTION BASTARD]

78. The more I read about this breed of dog, the more I'm convinced it needs to be

"sanctioned" out of existence. Every time I see someone with a pit bull the more I wish I had the ability to make them disappear permanently. When I see them in the street, I stare at them until they or I am clear of the area. I will never, ever trust them.

And no I don't care what YOU think about your pit. Horrible, horrible devil of a beast.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

80. Well, this has been an intelligent, well-reasoned post

Your username is apt.

[flvegan]

81. Well, how much do you actually read about this breed?

[Muttocracy]

82. can you define what a pit bull is? how do you know a dog is one?

ditto for other "breeds" people want to ban

[NNN0LHI]

83. Its the owners who are the assholes not the dogs

I have one living a few houses down from me and the owner seems to enjoy watching his dog threaten me and my two dogs when we walk by. He lets it run loose and never walks it to get it properly socialized with other dogs.

One of these days its going to attack me and my dogs. When that day comes I am going to pull out a knife and carve that dog up like a thanksgiving turkey.

Then I will get started on the owner.

If we did away with pit bulls the asshole dog owners would just find another breed to turn into a not socialized and unpredictable dangerous dog.

Don

[ehrnst]

97. Remember in the 70's when dobermans were vicious breed du jour?

Even if Pit Bulls are all put down, the idiots and criminals that breed pits and mistreat them now will find another breed to take it's place. Probably German Shepherds, because they've been shown to be incredibly effective attack dogs. And the cry will go out about he situation with GSDs....

It is 'people' that create the problem, and will continue to.

[ZombieHorde]

86. Pets and young children should not be around babies without immediate supervision. nt

[aikoaiko]

89. It sounds more horrible when its a pibull, but really almost any dog can do this.

even a tiny pomeranian is capable.

http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/2001/pomeranian....

[NeedleCast]

101. How come no one ever posts stories about dogs killing children when the dog isn't a "pit bull"

Not that most people can tell a pit bull from most other types of terriers.