Texas Woman Mauled to Death by Six Dogs

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/11/27/D8E50T001.html

A pack of six dogs mauled a 76-year-old woman to death as she worked in her yard, authorities said.

Lillian Loraine Stiles was riding on a lawn mower in her front yard Saturday when she was confronted by the dogs, described as pit bull- rottweiler mixed breeds, said Milam County Sheriff Charlie West.

Investigators think Stiles was attacked when she got off the mower and headed into her house.

Stiles had severe bites over her entire body, and a man who tried to help her was bitten on one leg, authorities said.

The dogs were found at the home of Stiles' neighbor, Jose Hernandez.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. OMG!

Why oh why do people want to own dogs like this? I really don't get it.

[INDIA]

2. What is with Pit Bulls?

I know they can be great pets if properly cared for but 90% of the time someone is killed by a dog it's a pitbull or pitbull mix. Who would in their right mind ever have one of these liabilities in their home?

[Poll_Blind]

5. I've known lots of loving, extremely gentle pitbulls. However...

...despite being labelled as "domesticated", no animal is truly domesticated. Contracts are made between animals and humans via food, etc. These animals are extremely powerful. Extremely powerful compared to humans. If for whatever reason the animals nolonger feel bound by the contract between them and humanity (i.e. do not trust humans because of abuse, et al.) then they are as dangerous as a loaded gun.

Which is why I'm still head-scratching about the furor over the shooting of strays after Katrina. Sure they were cute dogs but going feral does not take long in an animal: these instincts are buried deep in the dog's survival psyche.

PB

[hlthe2b]

25. I know you won't want to admit it, Poll_Blind...

but everything you said can be also said about Humans with equal validity. I read a lot of humanocentric rhetoric in your post. THe truth is that we are ALL animals and the same thing that can produce a "break" from domesticated behavior, i.e., feral behavior, survivalism can produce similar in humans.

When (IF) the truth is told, I think the same instinct--to shoot, rather than eliminate the cause for the wild behavior--was done to people in NOLA, as well as the pets. I condone NEITHER. I am deeply ashamed of all such episodes and that our inability to respond to desperate need of humans, dogs, cats, and others caused this to happen. We should ALL be ashamed, IMO.

[Poll_Blind]

30. I admit it without reserve: I am humanocentric. Is that hideous?

However, when you say "everything you said can be also said about Humans with equal validity" I guess I cringe a little, trying to imagine what you really must think of humankind.

This is my world view: Humans are more important to me than animals. I do not condone the killing of animals for anything except for food. I am appalled at how we currently slaughter animals for food, though. However, if an innocent human life weighed in the balace against a million face-licking, loving and genuinely kind dogs I'd say save the human.

I'm funny like that, I guess. I do believe that every living thing has some form of consciousness, at some level, and I would not think the deaths of those animals the mere unplugging of biological automatons.

However, I'm a human and I look out for my species first. A dog will never invent a medicine to cure others of disease or illness much less help other species the way mankind has. I see more value in humankind than animals.

PB

[Warpy]

9. Pitbull/Rottie mixes have got to be the worst

The problem with the pit bull is its unpredictability. Yes, some of them can be sweethearts, family dogs, but even those have been known to turn on the kids. Rotties are extremely loyal pack dogs who will accept the human family as their own but never quite get the point that the family may be extended to other humas from time to time.

Nobody who understands doggy psychology would breed these things unless he was supplying the drug kingpins in town.

[rocktivity]

11. My niece has a pit bull/Lab mix

I guess if you're going to have a dog with such a bad reputation, it should be mixed with a dog that has one of the best.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Dervill Crow]

31. Too true.

I have a friend who had a black lab who had to be put down because he was vicious and uncontrollable. He had some psychological damage done to him before she got him, and she spent a lot of money on doggy therapy and training to no avail.

There are no perfect breeds.

[OnionPatch]

37. I have one

a pit bull/lab mix. She's the sweetest dog I've ever known.

[Spirochete]

22. People who want to raise mean dogs

will always choose the ones capable of doing the most damage. Nobody ever feeds gunpowder to a weiner dog to make it vicious.

[roguevalley]

3. how horrible. pack mentality of poorly trained dogs. it will give

rotties and pit bulls another black eye. RIP, lady. What a terrible way to end your life.

[thebigidea]

4. you'd think staying on the mower would help, the noise might scare 'em

[INDIA]

6. Oh yeah?

how dare you compare lawnmowers to dog attacks! Do you have a link to back up your statement?

EDIT: I'm just kidding by the way, let it go.

[thebigidea]

7. apparently I'm not the one that needs to let go.

still burns, doesn't it? Snicker.

[INDIA]

10. Fine, I was just trying to be friendly

...and have a little fun with you. Guess not.

[thebigidea]

15. call me kooky, but I somehow don't like people calling me a knucklehead

And I especially don't like them pretending to be friendly. Now stop bringing other threads into this just because I stopped responding to your drivel over there. It is against the rules, you know.

Actually, let me just click the ignore thing to make sure. Now, where were we - ah yes, vicious dogs.

[DBoon]

12. Actually, the noise may have incited the dogs

I've know dogs that try to attack weed whackers.

[thebigidea]

13. come to think of it, I've know CATS that've attacked em!

I used to have one that harbored a grudge against vaccuum cleaners. It was a spectacular battle, and he did manage to tear the bag once.

[Gregorian]

8. People and their dogs.

Idiots. It's the owners of the dogs who instill this kind of attitude. Find the owners and locke em up. For us who ride bicycles, this is not an insignificant concern.

/anger

Poor woman.

[madrchsod]

14. all pit bulls that are picked up by the"animal cops"

in detroit are put to death. the bloodline is so corrupted that the dogs are untrainable to live with humans. the person who owns these dogs should be charged with murder. last winter a local girl was attacked on her way home and she froze to death before anyone could find her. the neighbor knew something happened because the dogs came home with blood all over them...he said nothing untill a few days after her body was found. to bad they didn`t hang the son of a bitch.

[ninkasi]

16. The dog's owner is apparently irresponsible

I don't know anything about pit bulls, but used to have a rottie, who died a few years ago. She was very gentle, very good with people, BUT...we got her as a pup, and socialized her. We had an 6 foot wooden fence around the property, with a padlocked gate. We read our own meters.

Those precautions were to keep people from coming into the yard when she was outside. Most of the time, she was in the house. We went through obedience training with her. She was never, ever, allowed outside the home or yard without being on a leash.

Owning a large, powerful dog is a big responsibility, you have to be willing to spend a great deal of time with them in order to establish control, and they do have to be properly socialized. She was great with people and other dogs, and my vet said she was the sweetest dog he had ever treated.

I love the breed, but irresponsible owners are making it harder for responsible pet owners to have some breeds. Oh...another thing...we had her spayed when she was 6 months old, since she was strictly a pet. Spaying or neutering can be useful in controlling aggressive instincts in dogs.

The biggest thing, though, is to always, always, always, have your dog under your control, or confined where it can't hurt other people.

[vonslagle]

17. This never happens with cats

You never hear about a pack of cats attacking someone. Cats are clearly better pets.

More Cats!

[AngryAmish]

19. Lions hunt in packs

Lions are cats.


I kid.

[vonslagle]

20. Not when they're hunting humans

Lions pull humans out of the campsite one at a time. They might share the tasty hairless ape with the whole pride, but when lions decide to attack people it's just one at a time.

[AngryAmish]

21. Ghost and the Darkness

2 maneaters of Tsavo. i saw them last weekend.

[Ladyhawk]

26. Nope. Not true.

In fact, if a lion in the pride becomes a maneater, the trait is passed down to the cubs. I just read Born Free again and the Game Warden, George Adamson had to deal with maneaters frequently. Often, the trait was passed to cubs, which had to be dealt with later.

Also, the famous Maneaters of Tsavo were a pair of maneless male lions. (The male lions in that area are known for being maneless.)

[Dervill Crow]

35. LOL - my cats comprise a street gang.

Firstly, let me say that the mama cat had a litter in my garage; I would never choose to own outdoor cats. They would be indoor cats were it not for the fact that my extremely allergic asthmatic husband doesn't want to undergo allergy shots. Secondly, I tried to find good homes for them but since there were a limited number of prospective owners who would promise to keep them in, I kept these guys and had them neutered.

Anyway, back to my story. I had to rescue my neighbor's wiener dog who ventured from his yard and was surrounded by my cats. It may be that they were trying to herd him back to his house for his own protection, but I'm not sure.

I've also seen my tuxedo cat stalking a duck who was walking down the middle of the street. :silly:

[u4ic]

18. What a gruesome way to die

That poor woman. :cry:

[kahleefornia]

23. dog bite statistics

http://www.goodpooch.com/MediaBriefs/GPcanineprimer.htm

<There is no breed commonality in serious dog bite statistics.

When looking at the actual dogs involved in serious aggression incidents, and how they absolutely DO NOT share any unique genetic information, we prove the theory that a dog can "inherit" some kind of propensity to attack is completely unfounded, implausible, and unscientific. >

[DBoon]

32. Do they keep statistics on the owners?

I bet they'd find some "commonalities" there - like young male adult, involved in illegal activities, prior criminal record, etc.

[Dervill Crow]

36. Thank you for posting that link. n/t

[LiberalFighter]

24. Thorndale's Leash Law

Stray dogs on the loose in Thorndale 30 July 2004

The city's "Leash Law" ordinance says that a dog must be contained, on a run or leash, or if with a person, must be on a leash.

Horacek said that if a dog is caught, it is then taken to the city pound. There is a $40 fee to get the animal out of the pound.

He added that if the dog does not have proof of it's rabies shot (shot tags), the owner, once located, will have to bring back proof within two days. If proof is not shown, they will receive a citation.

"The amount of the citation is left up to the judge," Horacek said.

[KittyWampus]

27. is it possible to charge the owner of the dogpack for manslaughter?

[LisaL]

29. It's certainly possible. The owners of presa canario's were charged,

and the woman owner was even convicted, after the presa canario killed a woman in San Francisco.

[goforit]

28. I will never own a Pit Bull nor a Rotwieller. Their have been thousands of

these cases of people and children being attacked.
And even Chows can have a vicious demeanor.

I would have a 100 German shepards or 100 doberman pinchers to 1 of
these untamable creatures.

They have earned their reputation.They should be band from suburbia.
They don't have tigers and lions as pets for the same reason.

[Dervill Crow]

33. I would worry more about a German shepherd than a pit bull.

Pit bulls have been bred to attack other dogs. German shepherds have been bred to attack people. Unfortunately, fatal dog bites are much more likely to involve a pit bull or a rottie.

No dog should be running around loose. I drove my kids to school every day because there was an English setter down the street who terrorized the neighborhood children. I don't know how many times that family was reported to Animal Control to no avail, but I think the dog finally died of old age.

[DBoon]

34. Would we have to give her up then?

[Vektor]

39. Hell no.

Don't even listen to that nonsense. Love that dog like I love my pit babies. She'll be the best dog ever.

[Vektor]

38. Horse shit.

If you'd never own one, you don't know anything about them.

Hearing and repeating bad press does not count as knowledge.

I've owned pit bulls all my life - and I'm a law abiding, professional married adult female - not a thug or a drug addict - and they are the only breed of the many I have experience with that I have NEVER had a problem with. I continue to choose them because of their outgoing, gregarious, friendly, personalities, how great they are with children of all ages, how well and easily they can be acclimated and trained - oh, and did I mention that one of them is a therapy dog who does bedside visits to hospitals and nursing homes? My dogs live with four cats, as well. No problems there.

There are eight pit bulls in our group of 23 service dogs.

Your prejudice toward these breeds is no better than any other type of prejudice that stems from hate, fear, and misinformation.

"Untamable creatures?"


Absurd. Tell that to the cancer patients these dogs visit with. The kids with leukemia whose faces light up when they see them.

Your negative opinion is rendered COMPLETELY invalid, since you said yourself, you've never even owned a pit bull. Please stop spreading inaccurate stereotypes, based on no actual experience with the breed.

Edited to add:

http://www.goodpooch.com/MediaBriefs/GPcanineprimer.htm

<There is no breed commonality in serious dog bite statistics.

When looking at the actual dogs involved in serious aggression incidents, and how they absolutely DO NOT share any unique genetic information, we prove the theory that a dog can "inherit" some kind of propensity to attack is completely unfounded, implausible, and unscientific. >