MN - Zachary King, 7, mauled to death by pit bull, Minneapolis, 16 Aug 2007

[IdahoMom]

More about the victim:



snip

http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_6644282


...Neighbors and other family members expressed shock and sadness as they remembered Zachary. The only boy among four children, he was a proud older sibling to his 3-year-old sister, Deanne Zenae King.
"He finally got to be a big brother," said Robinson, 35.
Tameara Freeman, 11, and her sister, Teea Freeman, 8, recalled petting the adult dogs during a recent birthday party at the King home. Face was kept in the basement; Ginger roamed free.
"I used to go down there. The dogs were nice," Tameara said. "They didn't look mean at all."
But Zachary's grandfather, Robert L. King Jr., said he remembers Face as being unapproachable. "I can't stand pit bulls. I told my son that. But there's pit bulls in every other house up and down this street," Robert King said. "This generation - strong dogs, strong this, strong that, bigger cars."

 

[imthemom]

This is totally the parents fault, they knew the dog was agressive, had bit people, even bred him to produce more dogs. It sounds like the dog was not socialized at all. I took my pit to dog school and the vet compliments me on how well socialized and how submissive he is. You have to socialize them, like any other dog. When I was younger we had a German Shepherd and it started biting first joggers than anyone who came in the yard and we put him down. He never showed agression to us but he could have and we knew it, so there was no taking chances. These people took a chance by having this dog and lost.

 

[Vegas Bride]

The way I see it, it's not the dog being the problem, they are showing the affects of what happens when very ignorant people are allowed to have access to a good animal and ruin it. If you take an animal or a child and do not nurture them, only giving abuse and neglect then years later you're going to be seeing the results.
The fact that they had to have this dog chained up down in the basement says they knew he couldn't be trusted, they had 4 children what were they thinking?
I feel terrible for the boy who was killed, I also feel sorry for these dogs who were not given a chance to be good family pets!!
Years ago I adopted a german shepherd, the most wonderful dog I've ever known. He would sit down and watch my 5 pound cat eat out of his dish, patiently waiting for his turn. He could have gulped her down in 1 bite but the cat ruled him!

The big problem here is why are there people determined to have a "bad dog" and not a gentle well trained pet who can be a member of their family. Dog owners IMO should be required to take some kind of test to show they have the understanding, commitment, ability and desire to give a pet a good home. Outlaw puppy mills and stop people from having their pets have litter after litter because they think it's so cute for them to have the puppies or kittens, never thinking they are contribiting to the mass over population.
I better shut up now cause this is a subject I could go on and on about.

VB

 

[catsmeow]

I don't even know where to start on this. It was just one complete disaster waiting to happen. You have a man that had NO business breeding pit bulls, nor owning them. It is a nightmare to think that he bred them because who knows how many unstable pit bulls he put out there.
You simply do NOT have these dogs tethered/chained in your flippin' basement!!! A tethered animal will see an approaching animal/human as a threat because it is tethered and cannot get away, it is more of a danger than a loose animal if it catches you. The dog had previous attacks yet they still owned the dog and still bred the dog: irresponsible, especially with children in the house. If you have a pit and it has a history of attacks and you have children, you don't need to have that pit.

It is a shame how this poor child died. In my opinion it was very preventable. This family had no business being in the 'business' of owning and breeding pits.

I am of the opinion that pits CAN be wonderful pets/dogs but they have to be very responsibly bred and raised and the owner has to be a stern owner, not one that lets the dog get away with anything he/she wants. The dog HAS to be trained. A pit, like most of the large, strong breeds will sometimes test you to be alpha or to be alpha over humans, you have GOT to train them from an early age, they are not the type of dog that you just potty train and train to sit and shake. You have to teach them boundries, respect and socialization and be consistant. This was not the case here.

 

[SadieMae]

I don't even know where to start on this. It was just one complete disaster waiting to happen. You have a man that had NO business breeding pit bulls, nor owning them. It is a nightmare to think that he bred them because who knows how many unstable pit bulls he put out there.
You simply do NOT have these dogs tethered/chained in your flippin' basement!!! A tethered animal will see an approaching animal/human as a threat because it is tethered and cannot get away, it is more of a danger than a loose animal if it catches you. The dog had previous attacks yet they still owned the dog and still bred the dog: irresponsible, especially with children in the house. If you have a pit and it has a history of attacks and you have children, you don't need to have that pit.

It is a shame how this poor child died. In my opinion it was very preventable. This family had no business being in the 'business' of owning and breeding pits.

I am of the opinion that pits CAN be wonderful pets/dogs but they have to be very responsibly bred and raised and the owner has to be a stern owner, not one that lets the dog get away with anything he/she wants. The dog HAS to be trained. A pit, like most of the large, strong breeds will sometimes test you to be alpha or to be alpha over humans, you have GOT to train them from an early age, they are not the type of dog that you just potty train and train to sit and shake. You have to teach them boundries, respect and socialization and be consistant. This was not the case here.

Excellent post! Regarless of how far dogs have come being domesticated, they are still pack animals. As with all packs, there is one leader and the dog must learn their position within the pack of their humans. There is no question in my household that I am the Alpha!

 

[cheko1]

More about the victim:



snip

http://www.twincities.com/allheadlines/ci_6644282


...Neighbors and other family members expressed shock and sadness as they remembered Zachary. The only boy among four children, he was a proud older sibling to his 3-year-old sister, Deanne Zenae King.
"He finally got to be a big brother," said Robinson, 35.
Tameara Freeman, 11, and her sister, Teea Freeman, 8, recalled petting the adult dogs during a recent birthday party at the King home. Face was kept in the basement; Ginger roamed free.
"I used to go down there. The dogs were nice," Tameara said. "They didn't look mean at all."
But Zachary's grandfather, Robert L. King Jr., said he remembers Face as being unapproachable. "I can't stand pit bulls. I told my son that. But there's pit bulls in every other house up and down this street," Robert King said. "This generation - strong dogs, strong this, strong that, bigger cars."

Thanks for the link IdahoMom.....
The man knew the dog was capable of biting people. Yet he kept it chained in the basement. What was he thinking?

 

[cheko1]

This is totally the parents fault, they knew the dog was agressive, had bit people, even bred him to produce more dogs. It sounds like the dog was not socialized at all. I took my pit to dog school and the vet compliments me on how well socialized and how submissive he is. You have to socialize them, like any other dog. When I was younger we had a German Shepherd and it started biting first joggers than anyone who came in the yard and we put him down. He never showed agression to us but he could have and we knew it, so there was no taking chances. These people took a chance by having this dog and lost.

My Gr Uncle was killed by his own German Shepards, I was very young when it happened. I heard he was mean to them, so at least the dogs got him back, they were all put down.... I am deathly terrified of them.

 

[cheko1]

I don't even know where to start on this. It was just one complete disaster waiting to happen. You have a man that had NO business breeding pit bulls, nor owning them. It is a nightmare to think that he bred them because who knows how many unstable pit bulls he put out there.
You simply do NOT have these dogs tethered/chained in your flippin' basement!!! A tethered animal will see an approaching animal/human as a threat because it is tethered and cannot get away, it is more of a danger than a loose animal if it catches you. The dog had previous attacks yet they still owned the dog and still bred the dog: irresponsible, especially with children in the house. If you have a pit and it has a history of attacks and you have children, you don't need to have that pit.

It is a shame how this poor child died. In my opinion it was very preventable. This family had no business being in the 'business' of owning and breeding pits.

I am of the opinion that pits CAN be wonderful pets/dogs but they have to be very responsibly bred and raised and the owner has to be a stern owner, not one that lets the dog get away with anything he/she wants. The dog HAS to be trained. A pit, like most of the large, strong breeds will sometimes test you to be alpha or to be alpha over humans, you have GOT to train them from an early age, they are not the type of dog that you just potty train and train to sit and shake. You have to teach them boundries, respect and socialization and be consistant. This was not the case here.

I'll probably get flamed for what I'm going to post so here goes.........

If this man insisted on keeping this pit after it attacked & bit 2 different people regardless of the circumstances he should of had his kids taken away. Instead he had litters of pups & more kids. Apparently he couldn't handle either.

I just get to mad for words knowing he kept the dog chained in the basement. I hope he is getting mental help while in the hospital.

 

[imthemom]

I'll probably get flamed for what I'm going to post so here goes.........

If this man insisted on keeping this pit after it attacked & bit 2 different people regardless of the circumstances he should of had his kids taken away. Instead he had litters of pups & more kids. Apparently he couldn't handle either.

I just get to mad for words knowing he kept the dog chained in the basement. I hope he is getting mental help while in the hospital.

No flames from me cheko1. He delibertly kept a dog he knew was capable of hurting his children.

 

[kgeaux]

Many shelters do not even offer adoption of pit bulls or pitt mixes. If not claimed by the owners the dogs are euthanized.

They are offered for adoption over here, with a couple of caveats. They must NEVER have been fought or been trained to fight. They must not show signs of aggression.

I understand people's reactions when a pit attacks, I really do, but the fact remains that over 99 percent of pitbulls will never show aggression to a human at all in their lives.

This particular dog, if she had pups, she may have been defending them. When my sister's weiner dog had pups she became one ferocious protector of those pups, snarling, biting at people and she was generally on guard duty and on high alert. If this pit felt these same instincts to protect her puppies, that may be why she grabbed the boy.

 

[kgeaux]

I have a question for pit bull owners or those who did own pit bulls!

A friend of mine has a 1/2 pit bull the dog is very powerful / he jumped up on me & he is very strong & nearly knocked me over. Scared me to death.....they stated the dog was playing???

They have 4 other dogs & they can't leave all dogs out at one time because the 1/2 pit bull attacks the dogs. My friend bought a electric cow poke which shocks the dogs when they begin to fight. Has been about a yr since they had to use it.

In my estimation that is cruel to use. Wouldn't that make the 1/2 pit meaner? They claim she is the nicest, friendliest dog that ever was. I don't think so.

Whoa, dear! Your friends are making some serious mistakes! Their dog is playing! But NO DOG should be allowed to jump on people. It's bad manners, PLUS it may give a powerful dog the idea that she is in control. A pit should always know that she is the submitter, but in this game when the pit gets you on the floor, she might think she's higher up on the "alpha" pole than you. Normal games and playful activities that are perfectly fine to play with other breeds aren't appropriate for breeds that can be aggressive.

Pits are genetically predisposed to be aggressive towards animals which are not a part of their pack, but ususually they aren't aggressive to other family pets. It worries me that this pit is. Sometimes, and I've seen it with my own eyes, dogs will "play" with their friends in ways that scare people to death, but it's clearly play in the eyes of both dogs involved. What worries me here is that the owners have to resort to torture to get the animals to stop mixing it up. These dogs have NOT been properly socialized IMO. And the owners apparently haven't got a clue how to train their animals if they have to use a cattle prod to make their dogs obey.

My pit's FIRST LESSON was "drop it." When he hears those words, his jaws pop open and he lets go of whatever he's got in his mouth. We began training him when he was about six weeks old, and he does not fail to open his mouth and "drop" when we tell him to. Alas, your friends apparently didn't do their research, they've not trained their girl at all, and IMO you should be cautious when you are around ANY of their animals.

 

[SadieMae]

I'll probably get flamed for what I'm going to post so here goes.........

If this man insisted on keeping this pit after it attacked & bit 2 different people regardless of the circumstances he should of had his kids taken away. Instead he had litters of pups & more kids. Apparently he couldn't handle either.

I just get to mad for words knowing he kept the dog chained in the basement. I hope he is getting mental help while in the hospital.

No flaming here either...it's true. He had no business keeping the dogs anywhere in his home.

 

[SadieMae]

They are offered for adoption over here, with a couple of caveats. They must NEVER have been fought or been trained to fight. They must not show signs of aggression.

I understand people's reactions when a pit attacks, I really do, but the fact remains that over 99 percent of pitbulls will never show aggression to a human at all in their lives.

This particular dog, if she had pups, she may have been defending them. When my sister's weiner dog had pups she became one ferocious protector of those pups, snarling, biting at people and she was generally on guard duty and on high alert. If this pit felt these same instincts to protect her puppies, that may be why she grabbed the boy.

They are offered for adoption at my local shelter also. But from my conversations with AC they are usually euthanized because no one adopts them. A few will get picked up by Pit rescue. In MI where my sister lives, they are euthanized as soon as they are brought in.

 

[cheko1]

Whoa, dear! Your friends are making some serious mistakes! Their dog is playing! But NO DOG should be allowed to jump on people. It's bad manners, PLUS it may give a powerful dog the idea that she is in control. A pit should always know that she is the submitter, but in this game when the pit gets you on the floor, she might think she's higher up on the "alpha" pole than you. Normal games and playful activities that are perfectly fine to play with other breeds aren't appropriate for breeds that can be aggressive.

Pits are genetically predisposed to be aggressive towards animals which are not a part of their pack, but ususually they aren't aggressive to other family pets. It worries me that this pit is. Sometimes, and I've seen it with my own eyes, dogs will "play" with their friends in ways that scare people to death, but it's clearly play in the eyes of both dogs involved. What worries me here is that the owners have to resort to torture to get the animals to stop mixing it up. These dogs have NOT been properly socialized IMO. And the owners apparently haven't got a clue how to train their animals if they have to use a cattle prod to make their dogs obey.

My pit's FIRST LESSON was "drop it." When he hears those words, his jaws pop open and he lets go of whatever he's got in his mouth. We began training him when he was about six weeks old, and he does not fail to open his mouth and "drop" when we tell him to. Alas, your friends apparently didn't do their research, they've not trained their girl at all, and IMO you should be cautious when you are around ANY of their animals.

After reading all that is here.......I've made up my mind I'm not going to go to her home again. That pit & its owners are totally out of control & I don't like it. I'll be talking to her over the weekend & going to tell her so! I

Thanks everyone you'se are all the greatest!!! :blowkiss:

 

[imthemom]

Whoa, dear! Your friends are making some serious mistakes! Their dog is playing! But NO DOG should be allowed to jump on people. It's bad manners, PLUS it may give a powerful dog the idea that she is in control. A pit should always know that she is the submitter, but in this game when the pit gets you on the floor, she might think she's higher up on the "alpha" pole than you. Normal games and playful activities that are perfectly fine to play with other breeds aren't appropriate for breeds that can be aggressive.

Pits are genetically predisposed to be aggressive towards animals which are not a part of their pack, but ususually they aren't aggressive to other family pets. It worries me that this pit is. Sometimes, and I've seen it with my own eyes, dogs will "play" with their friends in ways that scare people to death, but it's clearly play in the eyes of both dogs involved. What worries me here is that the owners have to resort to torture to get the animals to stop mixing it up. These dogs have NOT been properly socialized IMO. And the owners apparently haven't got a clue how to train their animals if they have to use a cattle prod to make their dogs obey.

My pit's FIRST LESSON was "drop it." When he hears those words, his jaws pop open and he lets go of whatever he's got in his mouth. We began training him when he was about six weeks old, and he does not fail to open his mouth and "drop" when we tell him to. Alas, your friends apparently didn't do their research, they've not trained their girl at all, and IMO you should be cautious when you are around ANY of their animals.

They do need very good direction. I took mine to dog shchool when he was about 9 months old and he was like a different dog. He still has a lot of energy so we play ball or frisby at night to get some energy out. He does not jump on us but gets very excited when people come over that he especially likes and will jump but we always correct him. It is hard when people let him though and kiss him, he is getting positive inforcement from it. So I have asked especially my mom to turn around and ignore him and when she does he will sit and wait for her to pet him. I went to pick my son up from his friends the other day and their 120 lb golden retriever jumped right on me when they opened the door, I almost fell over. She was friendly but she weighs almost as much as me.

 

[southcitymom]

my brother has a red nosed pit. it is beautiful. when we visit he locks it in the kennel at my request. the kids feed it treats through the gate and pet in through the gate and it wags its whole rear end and licks their hands. he whimpers when they walk off and it really seems to like them. last summer he called and said the pit had almost killed his rottweiler. he asked if i would take the pit since it seemed to love the kids so much. i said no and called him a dumb@$$!

You crack me up, Sherri. I can see you doing this clear as day!

 

[Boyzmomee]

The way I see it, it's not the dog being the problem, they are showing the affects of what happens when very ignorant people are allowed to have access to a good animal and ruin it. If you take an animal or a child and do not nurture them, only giving abuse and neglect then years later you're going to be seeing the results.
The fact that they had to have this dog chained up down in the basement says they knew he couldn't be trusted, they had 4 children what were they thinking?
I feel terrible for the boy who was killed, I also feel sorry for these dogs who were not given a chance to be good family pets!!
Years ago I adopted a german shepherd, the most wonderful dog I've ever known. He would sit down and watch my 5 pound cat eat out of his dish, patiently waiting for his turn. He could have gulped her down in 1 bite but the cat ruled him!

The big problem here is why are there people determined to have a "bad dog" and not a gentle well trained pet who can be a member of their family. Dog owners IMO should be required to take some kind of test to show they have the understanding, commitment, ability and desire to give a pet a good home. Outlaw puppy mills and stop people from having their pets have litter after litter because they think it's so cute for them to have the puppies or kittens, never thinking they are contribiting to the mass over population.
I better shut up now cause this is a subject I could go on and on about.

VB

This is one of the best posts I have read.

 

[Malapoo]

The issue with the Greensboro Pitts is as with many legally seized animals, the legal process must run it's course before the dogs can be destroyed. Since these dogs have not harmed or killed anyone (to current knowledge), the courts have to make the decision about destroying them. I would say they almost certainly WILL be destroyed, but until it's "legal", the shelter is helpless.

As to dogs in general, they are pack animals and see family as their pack. Visitors to the home, or folks in the neighborhood are from other packs. If they don't respect their "own pack" and see some family member as the leader, then they become dominant pack leaders and therefore see outsiders the same as say a wolf pack leader would see an opposing wolf - something to be at the very least violently driven off, or killed.

Just as you teach your children (not enough people these days) to respect other children & humans, you must also teach pets. Why is it we call them dumb animals yet expect them to be born knowing all they need to know to not be violent etc? Oh yes, we are definitely higher intellect (sarcasm button on)

 

[cheko1]

I also heard that the father is 'possibly facing' criminal charges!

 

[Lurker]

I also heard that the father is 'possibly facing' criminal charges!

I hope he gets charged. Keeping a pit bull that has been known to bite, chained in the basement is like leaving a loaded handgun in a childs lap.

I say this and I have a pit! That dog was a weapon, never socialized and not trained correctly. And, I must add, DEFINITELY not bred correctly!