LA - Parents Sleep As Pup Chews Off Baby's Toes

[LinasK]

The meanest dog I have ever owned was a Chihuahua.

Chihuahuas do not have the capacity to fatally maul people- they're not like piranhas.

but he on one occasion bared his teeth at a child one year at Christmas. He was very volatile with other animals.

This is exactly why you should be uneasy around pit bulls. They are inherently unpredictable, even when raised in loving homes they can snap in a second and turn vicious. A good friend of mine worked with an animal rescue group and would never place a rescued pit bull in a home.

 

[Details]

I would like to see pit bulls banned as a pet breed - I just don't see any reason to keep a dog with this tendency to snap. However, in this case, I don't think the breed had anything to do with it - it wasn't about snapping, it was about teething and chewing, which all breeds of dogs will do.

But I can't see any way the parents were in the same room, unless they were very, very drugged out. You can't be tired enough to sleep through that kind of cry.

 

[Indy Gal]

No, but he has developed a taste for blood, and he is a pit bull. I'd euthanize him rather than take a chance adopting him out to another family.

Wolves are not supposed to taste blood not pit bulls. Please if you have a judgement please read a book and you can learn all about them. It is the back yard breeder who turns these dogs into what they are today. people who care for theirs have good natured dogs.

 

[LinasK]

Wolves are not supposed to taste blood not pit bulls. Please if you have a judgement please read a book and you can learn all about them. It is the back yard breeder who turns these dogs into what they are today. people who care for theirs have good natured dogs.

I have read books on wolves. Even people who care for their pit bulls can still have theirs snap and turn on them in an instant. Doesn't matter who is doing the breeding, the point is pit bulls are a dangerous breed out there.

Back yard breeders exist for all breeds, even my pure bred Lab puppy that I got as a rescue dog-her parents were bred by back yard breeders.

 

[SewingDeb]

Well, I hate to say this, but I have students whose parents have/raise Pit Bulls to guard their meth labs.

Eve

That's what I hear. Many drug dealers have pit bulls and want them to be mean.

 

[Beyond Belief]

I am thinking, they weren't home at all. Walked in and found the child like that.

 

[southcitymom]

I'm sure there are terrific pit bulls out there, but I personally would never chance it - particularly with young children around. I also agree that the statistics speak for themselves - this breed is disproportionately involved in maiming and killing humans, particularly children.

I see this couple also owned ferrets - they can be nasty little buggers as well.

Regardless of breed, NO dog should be left around an unattended infant.

 

[Gidgette]

Nancy Grace is going to do a story on this tomorrow on her show. CNN Prime Time. I also saw a picture of the parents...yes they do appear young...but so are many other parents.

Speaking of breed that can have a vicious streak - my niece was bitten very severely by their family German Shepard many years ago. My niece who was 16 at the time had been told over and over that she was never to put her face down in Sarge's face when he was asleep....well sure enough she came home and went down the hallway - it was dark - she put her head down to love on him and it startled him out of his sleep and he attacked her. As soon as he did this he realized what he had done he was absolutely devastated....he loves her and always protected her...never showed any proclivity of this behavior in the past but we knew he was getting older. Plus you have to use common sense (well we are talking a 16 year old here...LOL)

Long story short he nearly tore her upper lip and nose off of her face. Thank god for a very talented surgeon and 850 stitches later - today there is barely a scar. Because the family decided it wasn't sarge's fault he wasn't destroyed and lived for several more years with never a problem. Thankfully.

 

[2sisters]

Nancy Grace is going to do a story on this tomorrow on her show. CNN Prime Time. I also saw a picture of the parents...yes they do appear young...but so are many other parents.

Speaking of breed that can have a vicious streak - my niece was bitten very severely by their family German Shepard many years ago. My niece who was 16 at the time had been told over and over that she was never to put her face down in Sarge's face when he was asleep....well sure enough she came home and went down the hallway - it was dark - she put her head down to love on him and it startled him out of his sleep and he attacked her. As soon as he did this he realized what he had done he was absolutely devastated....he loves her and always protected her...never showed any proclivity of this behavior in the past but we knew he was getting older. Plus you have to use common sense (well we are talking a 16 year old here...LOL)

Long story short he nearly tore her upper lip and nose off of her face. Thank god for a very talented surgeon and 850 stitches later - today there is barely a scar. Because the family decided it wasn't sarge's fault he wasn't destroyed and lived for several more years with never a problem. Thankfully.

We had a german shephard who was the sweetest dog, unless you were a stranger or you scared her. if we had company she had to be locked in the basement until she got it in her head that they were allowed in our home. My dad drilled it in our heads to never startle her or come up on here while eating.

 

[Texana]

The father is 26, so he's not that young, mother is 20 or so.

I feel just horrified thinking of that poor little infant. Yes, they can do therapy for babies. Physical therapy and occupational therapy and right now I can't remember the difference...but they can do both.

Pit bulls are inbred so much they are unstable, I believe fervently. They also are physically equipped to do much more damage--look at their jaws! You know a jaw like that is capable of more physical force than a little Shi-Tzu!

There was a tragic case in northeast Houston where stray pit bulls attacked and killed a four-year old riding his little tricyle bike outside his home. The mother ran to him but couldn't save him. The two year old brother escaped.

I didn't hear of any Chihuahuas killing anyone in the Houston area last week, but this was the second fatality from a pit bull mauling in just a few months.

I cannot see how the parents slept through it...drugs, alcohol, or just plain not home.

 

[kgeaux]

Sorry! I won't stop bashing pit bulls! The breed has a reputation for viciousness and unpredictability. Anyone that has one near a young child is an idiot! They are predisposed to chew and bite flesh.:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: They don't just bite and release, they maul people fatally far more than any other breed. They should be banned.

We don't even socialize with the 1/2 pit bull next door!

Just a couple of comments: There are millions of pits in USA. An extremely small percentage of them attack humans. Extremely small percentage. Most are affectionate dogs, loyal and gentle.

The second comment is that pits do have strong jaws, they can hold on with great determination. They do not, however, lock their jaws. (I know you didn't say they did, I am just using this opportunity to correct a myth.)

 

[cappuccina]

...only an would have a putbull and any child in the house...

Only an would have a pitbull and a vulnerable person (e.g. disabled or elderly) person in the house...

This is common sense...You wouldn't have other ferocious or unpredictable animals as pets... unless of course...

 

[southcitymom]

Just a couple of comments: There are millions of pits in USA. An extremely small percentage of them attack humans. Extremely small percentage. Most are affectionate dogs, loyal and gentle.

The second comment is that pits do have strong jaws, they can hold on with great determination. They do not, however, lock their jaws. (I know you didn't say they did, I am just using this opportunity to correct a myth.)

Yes, but a much proportionately larger percentage of pitbulls than of other breeds attack humans.

 

[GlitchWizard]

A vet interviewed in the article said it would have taken an hour for the puppy to do this.

That's his opinion, but I doubt seriously he's done any experiments on puppies chewing infant toes. Heck, babies bones aren't that tough - and if you've ever seen a pit bull puppy chew through a pork rib bone - you'd know a couple of toes are jellybeans to him.

However - the new article said the parent's stories were different. Changing stories = lies in my opinion. If they said "I woke up when the baby was screaming and these toes were chewed beyond repair" I'd feel awful for them and that would be it - but that's not what they said, so I don't know what to think.

I do think the vet is just having an opinion, and I think his opinion was pulled out of thin air. So many are.


MOST pit bulls are sweet pets. If it were true that they were all mean, no one would own one as a pet.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Anything with teeth can bite.

 

[SewingDeb]

That's his opinion, but I doubt seriously he's done any experiments on puppies chewing infant toes. Heck, babies bones aren't that tough - and if you've ever seen a pit bull puppy chew through a pork rib bone - you'd know a couple of toes are jellybeans to him.

However - the new article said the parent's stories were different. Changing stories = lies in my opinion. If they said "I woke up when the baby was screaming and these toes were chewed beyond repair" I'd feel awful for them and that would be it - but that's not what they said, so I don't know what to think.

I do think the vet is just having an opinion, and I think his opinion was pulled out of thin air. So many are.


MOST pit bulls are sweet pets. If it were true that they were all mean, no one would own one as a pet.

I agree with you. I've had a puppy chew a wooden rocking chair in just minutes. I'm not even sure if a baby's toe bones are formed completely at that age...may still be mostly cartilege.

I also agree with what you said about believing it was accidental if the parents said they woke up and the damage was done. It really could have only taken minutes.

 

[nanandjim]

Why did this couple have a PIT BULL? I don't care if it were only a puppy? PIT BULLS are known for their unpredictability and viciousness. They have even been outlawed in some places. A PIT BULL and a baby do not mix.

Why would you even take a chance of having a baby around any kind of pet if the baby were not going to be in a crib and away from the pet? Anything can happen.

I feel the parents were negligent. Now, the baby will have to pay for it.

 

[4Angels]

Really, this thread should focus on the child and not the dog.

The breed of this dog IS irrelevant at this point because the PUPPY was only 6 weeks old and FAR from being what ANYONE would construe as a danger. We deal with the facts as they are now, not what they could be in 6 months.

What is of relevance is how the story has changed multiple times. A parent with nothing to hide would tell the same story over and over again with minimal changes in details.

The TRUE danger in that house was not the puppy or ferret, but WAS and IS the parents.

Why the changes? Where were the parents really? Because common sense says they staged this after the fact. Drugs, even meth, can not convince me that 2 people could lay less than 5 feet away from an infant shrilling it's lungs out. Someone debate that.

 

[nanandjim]

Really, this thread should focus on the child and not the dog...

Really, I'm assuming that your post is directed at me. If this is the case, I am not focusing on the dog. I am focusing on the complete picture, which includes the breed of the dog.

I think that having a pit bull when you have a baby lacks judgment. I think that allowing the baby to be exposed to any pet lacks judgment.

At the risk of repeating myself, I think that the parents were at the very least negiglent.

 

[GlitchWizard]

I think that person's post wasn't directed at anyone in particular. Oftentimes a thread goes off on a tangent from where you want it to go, and sometimes people want to bring it back. It's all good.