Toddler dies from Pit Bull attack at Camp Lejeune home

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Boy’s death ruled accident

May 16, 2008 MOLLY DEWITT & LINDELL KAY daily news staff

Julian Slack, 3, bled to death Wednesday as the result of injuries to his face, head, neck and arms suffered in an attack by a pit bull aboard Camp Lejeune, said Dr. John Almeida, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy.

...Slack was at home and under the care of a babysitter at the time of the incident, Fahy said.

The attack occurred about 4 p.m., when an acquaintance of the Slack family, who is neither a Marine nor a base resident, stopped by the Tarawa Terrace I home with the dog. At some point, the dog was let into the residence and became excited or startled by something Slack may have done and attacked the boy, Fahy said.

Near the time of the attack, the child's parents arrived and transported the child to Onslow Memorial Hospital for medical attention, Fahy said.

The boy arrived at OMH without a pulse, hospital spokesman Tim Strickland said.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital at 5:08 p.m.

...more at the link

Three years ago, a 9 year old was attacked and maimed by a Rottweiler at the same base.

Dog attack brings bad memories for mother

While Camp Lejeune officials consider changes to its pet policies in light of the mauling death of a toddler by a pit bull in base housing Wednesday, the mother of a then-9-year-old girl who suffered a dog attack on the base in 2005 said she is reliving the nightmare all over again.

Gaston was married to a Marine at the time and lived in base housing. Her daughter rode her bicycle to a friend's house in March 2005 to see whether the child could play. A rottweiler got loose from a fence in the yard and attacked the girl. She was bitten on the face and neck and half her ear was torn off by the dog, all according to court documents......

While any dog can bite, these types have powerful jaws and hang on, so that if or when they bite, they can do tremendous damage. They grab and hang on.

This link shows dog attack death and maiming statistics for the USA and Canada from Sep 1982 to Nov 2006.
69 percent of all dog attack deaths have come from Pitt, Rott type animals, and Wolf hybrids.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

1. I'd comment

but instead...

[Faygo Kid]

2. Very sad. Poor family. Had a pit bull-lab mix that I rescued once.

Sweetest dog in the world. Had been beaten as a pup, too, but was the sweetest dog ever. Thought she was a lap dog, but a little oversized for that. People looked at her and were scared, but she never hurt anything ever, and was a kisser. Loved kids, loved other animals. Extraordinary companion. Unfortunately, she saw another dog across the street when I had her off the leash at the park, and had to say hello. She had just turned 2. I miss her to this day, and it was 2001.

I digress. As the OP points out, certain breeds account for the vast majority of dog attacks in this country. The reality is, that has to be understood, and dealt with. The people who owned this dog are responsible for the death of this child, and so is the sitter. When it comes to protecting children, my attitude is absolutist.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

10. "had to say hello"?

Is that pit bull owner talk for killing? Why was it off leash?

[Name removed]

20. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[StarryNite]

44. I wasn't clear on that either.

I took it to mean the dog was hit by a car when it tried to run across the street.

[my2sense]

3. This is sad

I think there needs to be severe consequences for owners of these dogs or a ban on them entirely.

[leftofcool]

4. This is so sad

[Trajan]

5. The Pit Bull Defenders will be out in force ...

Talking about how their Pit Bull adores children and adults, and would NEVER EVER EVER do such things ....

Yet: Those powerful jaws are capable of extraordinary damage, far beyond that of most other dogs ....

While I would stay away from an outright ban, it is NOT unreasonable to place the burden of safety on the owners ..... IF their dog is responsible for maiming or killing a human being, then THEY should face criminal charges ....

[QueenOfCalifornia]

6. That's what

I am waiting for.



About 6 times a year a thread like this starts off innocently enough in here and it turns into the gunfight at the Olive Garden fiasco.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Fried chicken!

[QueenOfCalifornia]

11. It was

fried rat rolled in olive crusted cornflakes

[BlooInBloo]

7. No matter how many people are attacked and killed.

[johnaries]

19. No matter how many people are killed in traffic accidents

people still drive. And it has been proven repeatedly that breed has nothing to do with visciousness. See my links downthread. And just like accidents are usually the result of bad drivers, dog attacks are usually the result of bad owners.

So please curb your "holier than thou" attitude and educate yourself first.

[uppityperson]

22. Do you mean those of us who look at current info rather than urban legends?

Like this urban legend?"Those powerful jaws are capable of extraordinary damage, far beyond that of most other dogs".

Huh. It's not worth arguing and taking the time to look it all up again for those who will only say "see, defender, here's more popcorn".

All dogs are capable of damage. Not all owners are good owners.

That poor kid, poor family.

[flvegan]

24. ."...damage, far beyond that of most other dogs

No idea what you're talking about.

[Trajan]

31. I think the data exists ....

So you felt in necessary to whip out the humiliation smiley because I said something you believe to be unfounded ? .... I suppose I should get used to responses such as these from you, eh ? ...

I am duly notified of your righteous disgust ..... Thanks for the heads up ...

Now, since you are so overwhelmed with disgust at my comment, and feel you must bust out in laughter at the mere mention, I would presume this implies you possess extraordinary knowledge in the study of dog behavior, above and beyond mere yeoman, like myself, whom you clearly find to be so wrong as to be hilarious ....

But I believe the empirical data exists, does it not ????

And the anecdotes I had heard all my life apparently parallel the realities, as found is respected studies of the issue ....

Im not sure what you are basing your claims on ... When I say that the musculature of the American Pit Bull Terrier presents a jaw strength and a persistence in attack that exceeds that of most other breeds of dog, (and upon which I claimed "...damage, far beyond that of most other dogs ... ") - on what do you base your refutation ? ....

Of course, I relied on the anecdotes to found the claim I made .... Funny thing is: It appears the respected studies agree with my assertion: That Pit Bull Terriers form the greater part of Dog Bite Related Fatalities (I just became familiar with the term 'DBRF', because I am now forced to defend my reasonable assertion) ...

Since you felt it necessary to leap onto the floor and laugh uncontrollably, I will now present the information I have found regarding this specific issue ... I of course had to find this information from specific sources that follow this issue, and I cannot perfectly vouch for these sources specifically, The studies appear to be sound ....

To wit: From :

In recent years, the dogs responsible for the bulk of the homicides are pit bulls and Rottweilers:

"Studies indicate that pit bull-type dogs were involved in approximately a third of human DBRF (i.e., dog bite related fatalities) reported during the 12-year period from 1981 through1992, and Rottweilers were responsible for about half of human DBRF reported during the 4 years from 1993 through 1996....he data indicate that Rottweilers and pit bull-type dogs accounted for 67% of human DBRF in the United States between 1997 and 1998. It is extremely unlikely that they accounted for anywhere near 60% of dogs in the United States during that same period and, thus, there appears to be a breed-specific problem with fatalities." (Sacks JJ, Sinclair L, Gilchrist J, Golab GC, Lockwood R. Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998. ( http://www.dogbitelaw.com/breeds-causing-DBRFs.pdf ) JAVMA 2000;217:836-840.)

The Clifton study of attacks from 1982 through 2006 produced similar results. According to Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes were responsible for 65% of the canine homicides that occurred during a period of 24 years in the USA. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006; click here to read it.( http://www.dogbitelaw.com/Dog%20Attacks%201982%20to%202... ) )

Other breeds were also responsible for homicides, but to a much lesser extent. A 1997 study of dog bite fatalities in the years 1979 through 1996 revealed that the following breeds had killed one or more persons: pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds, huskies, Alaskan malamutes, Doberman pinschers, chows, Great Danes, St. Bernards and Akitas. (Dog Bite Related Fatalities," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 30, 1997, Vol. 46, No. 21, pp. 463 et. seq.) ( ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Publications/mmwr/wk/mm4621.pdf ) Since 1975, fatal attacks have been attributed to dogs from at least 30 breeds.

So, I suppose when you are done breaking out in uncontrolled laughter, you can explain your disagreement with the studies I have found ....

[flvegan]

33. The data DOES exist

Question: Do Pit Bulls have a 1600 PSI bite pressure?

Answer: Dr. Brady Barr of National Geographic (Dangerous Encounters: Bite Force, 8pm est 8/18/2005) – Dr. Barr measured bite forces of many different creatures. Domestic dogs were included in the test.

Here are the results of all of the animals tested:

* Humans: 120 pounds of bite pressure

* Domestic dogs: 320 LBS of pressure on avg. A German Shepard, American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) and Rottweiler were tested using a bite sleeve equipped with a specialized computer instrument. The APBT had the least amount of pressure of the 3 dogs tested.
* Wild dogs: 310 lbs

* Lions: 600 lbs

* White sharks: 600 lbs

* Hyenas: 1000 lbs

* Snapping turtles: 1000 lbs

* Crocodiles: 2500 lbs

Let me repeat the important bit:

The APBT had the least amount of pressure of the 3 dogs tested.

Least amount. That's less.

ANYway...

Thanks for continuing to quote Merritt Clifton's oft debunked idiotic bullshit report.

So, that said, this particular person that RUNS a dog rescue and deals with pitbulls every day will go right back to laughing at you.

Thanks for playing.

[Iris]

39. It's not just the power of their jaws; it's also that fighting other dogs is part of their genetic

make-up. Unfortunately, they don't distinguish between small children and dogs.

I once saw a pit bull attack a plastic statue of a dog and cat in a PetSmart.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

42. I blame Olive Garden.

And their new Toddler Scampi.

[MADem]

9. Fucking jerk.

A three year old baby has to die because some shithead can't control his dog, or better yet, can't leave the damn thing at HOME. I mean, really, since when is the equation PIT BULL plus TODDLER equalling ANYTHING other than BAD NEWS?

I feel for those parents, imagine the horror. The babysitter must be freaking out too.

[onethatcares]

12. amen to that. my thoughts exactly n/t

n/t

[eclecticgemini]

37. She should be freaking out!!

And the babysitter is not responsible how? Did she not allow the dog into the home? How is it when someone allows a dog to play with a small child, especially one from another household that the dog is not familiar with, and it attacks the dog is to blame? Small children like to hit, slap, pull tails and be loud. Some do not teach their children how to properly treat an animal. How is it when people do not secure there pets properly and they get lose and attack that it's not there fault? How is it when someone neglects there dog, keeps them chained up and do not either breed or have there dog's fixed and they build up aggression and they attack...see where I am going with this? It is time to start blaming the owners and not the breed. Any dog can attack, not just pit bulls. So yes lets ban them then your beloved rotties, boxers, german shepards and labs will be next! Be responsible pet owners and crap like this will not happen!! Own up and stop blaming the breed!!

[LiberalFighter]

13. That dog or any dog from off-base should not had been allowed on the base.

Every owner should take responsibility for their dog to ensure that it will not react unexpectedly. In a new environment it is especially important.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

14. You are kidding, right?

Any dog from off the base should not be allowed on the base.

What about this one?

She's my killer chihuahua. Scourge of the canyon I live on. Coyotes run in fear.

[LiberalFighter]

15. Why was it necessary for any dog not belonging to any soldier being on the base?

[QueenOfCalifornia]

18. People visit

with their families and some of those people have a dog with them.

People live on the base. It is their home. They have every right to have a visitor bring their dog with them.

This was tragic.

I would not let anyone bring a PITBULL (among other breeds) to MY home. Nor would I allow someone to bring a loaded gun over and set it on the coffee table. It is common sense.

Unfortunately - It is all about the breed. When was the last time you read a story involving a standard poodle attack resulting in the death of anyone? These dogs are dangerous not only to people but most certainly to any other ANIMAL.

Not all dogs need to be treated like a loaded weapon. Pitbulls as well as several other breeds should be considered lethal weapons and that is all I have to say... (so far) on the topic.

[LiberalFighter]

25. Any dog could be a loaded weapon.

It is the extent of injury that may be different with each animal. And the smaller the child the more they may suffer extreme injury but not necessarily death. I got a small dog a few years ago and she bit me because I reached for while she had her back to me. Consider that children are not by nature cautious or calm.

The base does have the right to restrict what can be brought on base.

In this case, the dog owner probably knew or should had known that there were circumstances that might result in an attack. And if they had not had the dog trained to behave itself then even more so they should not had brought the dog along.

Common sense might had been another factor. You might have the common sense not to allow an animal that you believe is dangerous in your home but just because it is a military family as in this case does not mean they have common sense either.

[Pharlo]

30. I had a Chihuahua attack my Doberman in the vets office once.

No reason. Chandler and I walked in, registered and the damn thing came out of nowhere, locked his teeth on Chandlers front ankle and just started jerking it's head back and forth. Damn piece of vermin wasn't even on a leash. Chandler looked up at me, looked down at his attacker, and looked back up at me. He KNEW he couldn't do anything, or he'd be in trouble. The owner of the vermin just chuckled. Finally, I looked down and said "Look Chandler, a snack." Then, and ONLY then, did she retrieve her dog.

Now, had my Doberman attacked a Chihuahua for no reason in the vets office, it would have been a case of "Oh My God!!! That VICIOUS animal MUST be put down!!!"

But, it wasn't the animal, it was the owner. The Chihuahua may have been small, but it ought to have been on a leash. It ought to have been trained NOT to attack other animals. My dog was on a leash and KNEW he could not just attack another dog.

So, it's not just Pit Bulls, it's ANY dog - and the individual who socialized them. Socialization is critical and you only have the first 16 weeks of a dogs life to do it in. After that, it's uphill all the way.

[RebelOne]

38. My son's 5-lb. Chihuahua attacked my 107-lb. Rottweiler last Sunday.

My dog has a heart of pure gold and would never even think of attacking another dog, not even to defend herself, so she just ran from the little monster..

[newfie11]

27. She is adorable!!!!

[csziggy]

32. Out of all the dogs my family owned the chihuahua was the only one to bite a human

He bit the mailman and we had to move the box from the porch out to the street. He TWICE attacked the neighbor's dogs and bit through my thumbnail when I tried to separate him from the two Doberman Pinchers. Our Collie/St.Bernard mix or any of the other mixed breed dogs never bit anyone even with multitudes of children around. We loved all of them, even the killer Chihuahua.

When I was a child Dobermans and German Shepherds were the "killer breeds" all the kids were supposed to be afraid of. Now it is Rotweillers or pit bulls.

Any dog can become dangerous in the wrong situation. It is the owner's responsibility to keep the dog under control. Letting a dog off the leash on someone else's property is not a good idea. Period.

[johnaries]

16. OMG! Not the Clifton report again! How many times does that

have to be debunked? It has been proven unscientific and WRONG by every major Veterinary association and by the CDC and by the ASPCA!

Here, for the umpteenth time:
http://dogbitesinformationandstatistics.blogspot.com/20...
http://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/topic.php?topic=17

Would you folks actually read it and educate yourselves instead of parroting lies and dogma (forgive the pun)?

[Madam Mossfern]

17. OK here goes

Yes, I live with a pit bull. He is my son's dog. He is sweet and mushy and loving and a big teddybear.
However.....he is all muscle. I would never consider leaving him unattended with children, or as a matter of fact anyone else who is not family. Lovable as this "puppy" is, he is one powerhouse and one can get injured just playing with him.

He is quite fond of children and is very docile with them no matter what they do. That doesn't mean that we have don''t have complete control of him when someone visits. When he is out, he is never off his leash.

[LeftyMom]

21. Pit bulls do not have unusual jaws for a dog of their size.

Also, your link is long since debunked.

Common dogs are responsible for more attacks than uncommon dogs. Any dog can be dangerous if badly handled, and no dog should be unsupervised around small children.

Interestingly, a disproportionate number of serious attacks on babies and toddlers come from small dogs, who tend to attack the head and neck of a child if they get scared.

[LiberalFighter]

26. Supervision is critical for any dog when children are around.

We don't allow adoptions to any family with children for some of our dogs based on the temperament, age and size taken into consideration.

Children by nature create unexpected circumstances that startle dogs unless they have been adjusted. I had a Chihuahua that was very sensitive with his feet. I made a point of touching his paws a lot and by the time he left it didn't bother him. I also made a point of touching him while turned away knowing that when he got older he could get touchy and turn around and snap. With the intent to reduce that possibility.

[LeftyMom]

29. That's a good point.

Some dogs aren't well suited to kids, some kids are just too boisterous to be in the same household as a dog, and for the safety of both, that should be a major factor in placement of a dog.

My younger sister is looking to adopt a dog right now, and even though she and my Dad don't live with a kid, since my son visits a lot and there are small kids on three sides of their house, how well the dog interacts with kids is a major consideration.

[WindRiverMan]

34. I am a dog-man,

By that I mean I raise, train, and have occaisional litters of dogs. I also train other people's dogs for money from time to time, and I run and play in lots of the trials and other "doggy games". I run bird dogs, mostly German imported ones because the AKC's breeding practices are not tight enough for my tastes.

Certianly bird dogs are not known for being human aggressive, and I trust mine almost 100% around people and children. The thing is, I cannot trust them 100% because they are STILL DOGS, as such, anything can happen. That being said, none of my dogs, even the most placid, is every allowed unsupervised around a child.


That's called being a good dog owner.

[Honeycombe8]

35. You are wise, WindRiverMan (windrOverman?). And knowledgeable about dogs, IMO.

I think the same thing, too. I have 2 munchkins - er, I mean dogs - myself. I love 'em. They sure are sweet (kissy kissy). BUT people should ALWAYS be very careful when there are dogs and children in the same area together. Dogs seem to behave differently around little ones. And little ones make weird noises and move differently, able to set a dog off sometimes, it seems.

I found a stray last year, and ended up doing tons of research on pit bulls because 2 people told me they thought the dog was a pit mix. (I now know she is not....it seems that I, like most people, don't really know what pits and pit mixes look like, even though we may think we do.) Anyway, I've decided that certain dogs are certainly more dangerous than others, and a dog bred for fighting cannot ever be treated like dogs that are not bred for fighting, but that being said...it is MAINLY how a dog is raised, trained, and socialized.

Dogs are animals and will behave unpredictably (to humans) sometimes. Can never forget that.

Pit bull mauling in my city last week, too. Toddler in the bath, being bathed by aunt in her 20's. Aunt owns TWO pit bulls. Anyway, aunt doesn't know what triggered the dogs, but suddenly they came running in and attacked the toddler. The aunt covered the toddler with her body, thereby being critically injured but saving the life of the toddler. Then the dogs just ran outside.

Now, I ask you. Bathing a toddler WITH THE DOOR NOT BEING SHUT? With two loose pit bulls in the house? With a toddler making those excited noises like they do in the bath? Duh. And I guarantee you...that is not the first time those dogs showed aggression. Sweet little Muffin doesn't grow to adulthood never showing any aggression whatsoever, then suddenly tries to kill a child. Even if Muffin is a Rottie or Pit Bull. It just doesn't happen. If Muffin kills a child, I guarantee you that Muffin had aggression issues before.

[flvegan]

23. Exploiting family misfortune to perpetuate a myth.

How fucking charming.

[PeaceNikki]

28. sigh

discussing this with some people is like clapping with one hand.

[Iris]

40. except it's the 2nd story in 2 days.

[lumberjack_jeff]

36. Are they bad dogs or do they tend to be selected by bad owners?

"Hi, welcome to Bob's pet shop, how can I help you?"
"I'd like a dog."
"Certainly, what kind would you like?"
"A Pit Bull. Or a Rottweiller. Or maybe a Wolf Hybrid"
"Sorry, no."
"Then how about a Collie?"
"No. You don't understand. That was a test. How about this nice goldfish?"

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

43. They tend to be selected by everybody.

They're a very popular dog.

I'm not sure which is worse for an inexperienced dog owner- pit bull or collie.

That's a tough call.

[RebelOne]

41. If this attack had been by a cocker spaniel or other smaller dog,

you wouldn't see a word about it. It's just when a Pitt or Rottweiler attacks a human that the media hangs on the story.