Abilene Woman Loses Both Arms In Dog Attack

[Sheromom]

This particular dog had given plenty of warning that it could not be trusted; in my opinion; regardless of it's breed. It had tried to attack before. I cannot understand why anyone would keep such an animal! I am sure they never expected it to attack the little girl but it was obviously unstable and never should have been in a home with a child. I once had a spaniel that tried to bite a neighbor boy and I had him put down immediately. He was very old, mostly blind and partially deaf. The boy had startled him and I am sure the dog reacted out of fear. But that is not a chance anyone should be willing to take with ANY breed of dog. Even poms have been known to kill.


And that little girl; what a precious baby; she truly DID look like a little angel. Makes me sick!

 

[SadieMae]

This particular dog had given plenty of warning that it could not be trusted; in my opinion; regardless of it's breed. It had tried to attack before. I cannot understand why anyone would keep such an animal! I am sure they never expected it to attack the little girl but it was obviously unstable and never should have been in a home with a child. I once had a spaniel that tried to bite a neighbor boy and I had him put down immediately. He was very old, mostly blind and partially deaf. The boy had startled him and I am sure the dog reacted out of fear. But that is not a chance anyone should be willing to take with ANY breed of dog. Even poms have been known to kill.


And that little girl; what a precious baby; she truly DID look like a little angel. Makes me sick!

Agreed. Some breeds are more agressive than others. That being said, Great Danes are generally very sweet docile dogs, but there are a few that are animal/people agressive. It's not the norm for the breed, but if any of mine showed any agression, I would not have to be given a warning. I would humanely put it down at the first sign. There is no way I'm living with a 140-150# dog that growls at anyone or anything. It seems pits are naturally agressive by breed, it's in them whether they immediately show it or not. I would have no fear at all walking in a room of 10 randomly picked Danes. I would never do that with 10 random pits.
If more owner were like kgeaux, there wouldn't be such a problem with the breed. I am against BSL in general, but when there is case after case, after case of death caused by a specific breed, then yes...it needs to be banned. Sorry it's at the expense of owners like our poster pit owner. It's the few rotten owners/breeders that brought it about.

 

[reb]

could someone please direct me to the news article that says a pomeranian mauled someone to death?? or made doctors have to amputate their arms?? i really would like to see it.

 

[Floh]

could someone please direct me to the news article that says a pomeranian mauled someone to death?? or made doctors have to amputate their arms?? i really would like to see it.

Pomeranian Kills 6-Week-Old Girl

A small Pomeranian dog killed a 6-week-old baby while the infant's caretaker briefly left the child unattended to warm a bottle of milk, authorities said.

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

 

[Floh]

Owners who shouldn't be owners

Post-mortem tests revealed that the pet which savaged Ellie Lawrenson was one of the breeds that have become fashionable on Britain's urban estates despite being outlawed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The news came as it emerged that the dog's owner, the youngster's uncle Kiel Simpson, is a convicted drug dealer.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...oungster+was+outlawed+16+years+ago/article.do

 

[butterfly blue]

Owners who shouldn't be owners

Post-mortem tests revealed that the pet which savaged Ellie Lawrenson was one of the breeds that have become fashionable on Britain's urban estates despite being outlawed under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
The news came as it emerged that the dog's owner, the youngster's uncle Kiel Simpson, is a convicted drug dealer.

This is heartbreaking news, that adorable little girl died, & her Grandmother also got badly bitten trying to get this dog off. Although Pit Balls have been banned in U.K for 15 years. Those that already owned them had to ensure that they were muzzled & kept on a leash, so in theory there should be only some elderly Pits left.

The Staffordshire terrier remains popular, & is not on the dangerous dog list, could someone please explain how you tell the differance between the two breeds, I think this is where the confusion has happened, by inbreeding the differant breeds.

 

[GreenEyedGirl]

OK, guys. I am a pit owner. I love my dog, he is good and gentle with people, but those who've been reading my posts for a while know that we take extreme precautions with my dog, using a muzzle when little ones or visitors are in our home, etc. He is never unattended outdoors. Never. We have a 6 foot wooden fence around the yard, and still we do not leave him out unattended. My dog has passed the (whatever it is called) test that the vet uses to determine gentleness and likelihood of aggressiveness every single year. He is well socialized and well controlled. I see absolutely no need to put my dog down. But IF he ever becomes aggressive, that will be my only option, and I will take it.

Please notice, the pit in question, in Floh's article, had known problems. The dog was KNOWN TO BE AGGRESSIVE. That dog should have been put down the instant it became known to the owner that his dog had attacked another dog.

Several things went wrong here. The young man who owned the dog did not take responsibility when he was warned. The local council did not have the dog picked up and euthanized when the owner continued to let it roam free. And, worst of all, this aggressive dog was allowed to get near an innocent little girl.

It's too bad every pitbull owner couldn't be as responsible as you are. Kudos to you for taking precautionary steps-just in case. This is a sad story with a tragic ending that should have never taken place. Rest in peace, little one.

 

[eve]

I have spoken my mind on every other thread on this subject and will again! Why are there so many threads on this topic? Because it is a pattern with these dogs! How many people have to be seriously hurt and killed by pit bulls?

It's sad that people have cultivated this dog's natural tendencies in such a negative way so that the rest of us have to deal with it. It is what it is, though! They do have aggressive tendencies and they do have a known tendecy to snap, even on their owners, some of whom have eaten crow (and worse) after defending their "gentle" pit bulls, until the dogs proved their defenders wrong.

I am glad there are responsible pit bull owners, though it escapes me why anyone would choose the breed and take a chance. "Dog discrimination" is not a crime, it is not akin to racism, in fact, it's wise to know and understand breeds when choosing a pet.

Dog handlers talk quite openly about these things and if they aren't in the know, who is? When I took one of our dogs to Obedience class, a Rottweiler who was usually next to my dog got "kicked out" of school! He kept getting aggressive with my dog. The teacher said, "Rotts are often like this. I often have to train them one on one, they just won't tolerate other dogs."

Human safety is most important. A dog that attacks a human should be put down before it attacks again. If it does it once, it will usually do it again.

Eve

 

[kgeaux]

I've read your posts before and I know you take great care to ensure your dog doesn't hurt anyone but I'm confused by why you'd choose such a breed in the first place.

With so many breeds available why on earth would someone looking for a 'pet' choose an animal that could turn on them or hurt someone else?

I would never want to see you put your dog down, he's not a risk to you or anyone else it seems. What do you think should be done about all these attacks?


Jubie

One of my sons met a man who was carrying a tiny lil puppy he was going to use for "bait." The puppy was considered too gentle to train to fight, so they were going to use him to train other more aggressive dogs to fight......IOW, they were going to throw the puppy to an aggressive dog and let it be torn up. My son was so upset when he discovered this that he used his entire life's savings....about $400......to buy the puppy from the man. Adam showed up at home with tears on his face and the puppy in his arms, and that is how Ninja came into our lives. Ninja has stayed true to his gentle nature and has never been aggressive to anyone.

I am really unsure how to absolutely solve the problem with pits. It definitely is something I have thought a lot about. There are a couple of things that I believe would be helpful: I am for owners having to carry insurance policies when they own particular breeds of dogs, that would discourage people who can't be trusted to raise the dog correctly and also encourage owners to go the extra mile to be sure the dog is trained correctly and properly contained. Owners of dogs with aggressive tendancies should be required to have fences that are tall enough and secure enough to prevent the dog from escaping. I believe no dog should be unleashed in public areas. Maybe muzzles could be mandatory for all dogs out in public, or at least for aggressive breeds. But I'm afraid it's kind of like guns, you can pass gun control laws and the criminals will still have guns. So while my ideas may be helpful, I don't think it is a problem that can be completely solved.

 

[jubie]

One of my sons met a man who was carrying a tiny lil puppy he was going to use for "bait." The puppy was considered too gentle to train to fight, so they were going to use him to train other more aggressive dogs to fight......IOW, they were going to throw the puppy to an aggressive dog and let it be torn up. My son was so upset when he discovered this that he used his entire life's savings....about $400......to buy the puppy from the man. Adam showed up at home with tears on his face and the puppy in his arms, and that is how Ninja came into our lives. Ninja has stayed true to his gentle nature and has never been aggressive to anyone.

I am really unsure how to absolutely solve the problem with pits. It definitely is something I have thought a lot about. There are a couple of things that I believe would be helpful: I am for owners having to carry insurance policies when they own particular breeds of dogs, that would discourage people who can't be trusted to raise the dog correctly and also encourage owners to go the extra mile to be sure the dog is trained correctly and properly contained. Owners of dogs with aggressive tendancies should be required to have fences that are tall enough and secure enough to prevent the dog from escaping. I believe no dog should be unleashed in public areas. Maybe muzzles could be mandatory for all dogs out in public, or at least for aggressive breeds. But I'm afraid it's kind of like guns, you can pass gun control laws and the criminals will still have guns. So while my ideas may be helpful, I don't think it is a problem that can be completely solved.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'm glad you saved your dog from such a horrible situation, your son sure has a tender heart! I'm glad he's stayed a loyal and gentle pet.

(Sooo NOT talking about your son here) It seems to be alot of young men with anger issues and the whole macho thing going on that breed these dogs and fight them. I think you're right about it really may not be something that can be completely solved... like drugs, we can ban it and try and educate others about it but bottom line these dogs will aways be around if someone really wants to get one.


Jubie

 

[philamena]

Commonsense suggests that one NEVER, EVER interfers when 2 animals are fighting. :doh:

 

[butterfly blue]

Today it has been revealed that 8 Pit Bull terriers have been taken from addresses in the St. Helens area after having their homes raided by Police, a tip off was given about organised illegal dog fighting. The distraught Father of Ellie Lawrenson has said the dog was never allowed in the house, & he specified that his daughter was in no way allowed near the dog. The poor Grandmother is still too traumatised to answer police questioning, she recieved horrendous injury's trying to get the dog off. That said there seems to be over 1,000 Pit Bulls in the U.K. although the breed is banned. A local newspaper has covered the story, & stated that no Pit Bulls are registered, & that if anyone knows someone who owns one, or sees one of these dogs to contact the local council, but as mentioned in my earlier post how do you tell the differance from a Pit Bull to a Staffordshire Terrier? Oh & here are some tips the newspaper offers if confronted by a Pit

• Make NO sudden movements
• Put Hands in pockets
• Avoid eye contact
• Back away, but do not run away
• Never try to break up 2 dogs fighting

 

[eve]

Oh & here are some tips the newspaper offers if confronted by a Pit

• Make NO sudden movements
• Put Hands in pockets
• Avoid eye contact
• Back away, but do not run away
• Never try to break up 2 dogs fighting

I have also heard that if you are attacked and cannot escape, offer your non-dominant arm until help arrives. I know that is a terrible thought, but they will become even more aggressive the more you fight and you have to protect your vital organs, head, etc.

Eve

 

[Floh]

Pit Bull's owner carries Ellie's coffin at her funeral

The coffin of a young girl killed by a pit bull terrier was carried into church today by the dog's owner.
Ellie Lawrenson, five, was fatally mauled by the animal while staying at her grandmother's house in St Helens, Merseyside, on New Year's Day.
The dog belonged to her uncle, 23-year-old Kiel Simpson, who also lives at the house.

Mr Simpson was one of four pallbearers to carry Ellie's pink coffin into Eccleston Christ Church, St Helens, for a funeral today beneath bright winter sunshine and in a strong and bitter wind.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...+carries+Ellie's+coffin+at+funeral/article.do

I'm amazed the family allowed this.

yesterday i heard 19 pit bulls had been taken from homes in the area. i can't find the story now, so no links, sorry.

 

[reb]

hope he's happy.