40,000 want this pit bull to live? I don't get it?

[Harry Dresden]

I have taken quite a few animal behavior courses. Don't try to school me with your ignorance. Dogs will bite if someone tries to take their food or something else that the dog considers theirs. The only one that can do that is the accepted pack leader. The child should have been taught not to try to take the dog's bone. In fact how about teaching a child not to take something that doesn't belong to them at all.

I have encountered many people who think taking away their dog's food or toys as a way of playing with them. That is the fast track to making a peaceful dog generally vicious.

In a perfect world, perhaps, but such a thing does not exist.

Meanwhile, children are attacked by certain breeds of dogs far more so than others. Pit bulls are the worst because of how much maiming they can cause and surely death as well. We all know there are thousands of dangerous pit bulls in neighborhoods because they are not trained right, fine. But they will always be there. One false move by them and you get rid of it from ever being around strangers. That should be the law.

Of course, I would grandfather in all current pit bulls and make a law none are allowed into the community after that. No parent should have to have their child die because the child did not know better and became a victim. No dog is worth that.

Actually, there is no reputable evidence that shows pitbulls are more likely to attack or bite than any number of breeds. It's just when a pitbul bites - it hits the media.

The only strike against pitbulls is the same as that with any large or powerful breed - when they do bite they can do a lot of damage and when children get bitten - the damage tends to be worse because they are more fragile and their short stature means they are more likely to be bitten in the face. Bites that do more damage are also more likely to require medical intervention and be reported so it's not really an accurate reflection on what breed is more likely to bite.

Beagles were some of the most vicious little basterds in my experience......blonde Labs some of the more friendly....

 

[JOSweetHeart]

Stupid people. A dog that mauls a 4 year old child should be put down. If the dog lives then it is another accident waiting to happen.

Amen to this. If it happens just once, then another event will always be possible and to me a chance like that should never be taken.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

 

[Harry Dresden]

Instead of taking courses you should have actually worked with and trained dogs. I'm not trying to school you. Your ignorance of dogs is astounding. You can socialize your dog to exhibit any behavior you want to if its food is taken by anyone. You cant be that ignorant about this? The only thing you got halfway right was the pack concept. You do realize there are more positions in the pack than just leader right? There is a hierarchy and your dog should know and understand that it is at the bottom of it.

I have worked with dogs for years and put up with their stupid owners, like you. The kid had it coming. The dog did nothing wrong. Find the abused dog a decent owner. Problem solved.

The kid had it coming? Damn harsh. The owners of the dog and the baby sitter who witnessed the attack on the kid and the mauling death of another dog disagree.

to Katz a 4 year old should have known better.....

 

[CaféAuLait]

Not the dog's fault. Was simply reacting on instinct. Could have just as easily been any other larger-breed dog resulting in the exact same result. Singling out pits because the public's ignorant about dogs and behaviour (especially their own) isn't fair.

I owe my life to a dog, a collie who when as a mobile-toddler fell into my grandparent's fish pond with no adults around. Evidently (I'm told) I would have drowned if not for the out-of-character alert-barking of the collie. I've since made it a point to learn about dogs and other animals. And I can tell ya, there's no such thing as a evil dog.

as a guy who carried mail for 33 years i can tell you....you are full of shit....

This is an animal, to say that all animals will only show aggression if its being brought up wrong is ridiculous. It is an animal.

 

[Iceweasel]

I'm a huge dog lover and have two of my own. It isn't the dog's fault but it needs to be put down. The wrong people had him and he was not socialized. People get certain breeds because they are badass and are basically raising a weapon, not a pet.

 

[Asclepias]

I have worked with dogs for years and put up with their stupid owners, like you. The kid had it coming. The dog did nothing wrong. Find the abused dog a decent owner. Problem solved.

The kid had it coming? Damn harsh. The owners of the dog and the baby sitter who witnessed the attack on the kid and the mauling death of another dog disagree.

to Katz a 4 year old should have known better.....

She is one of those people that give responsible dog owners a bad rap. You train the dog before you train the child since the dog is more dangerous and grows to adulthood faster. Pits go from zero to 100 in half a second. The kid probably never knew what hit him....or why.

 

[HUGGY]

How are the parents involved in this? The sitter took the child to the dogs house and the owner of the dog felt it was safe for the boy to be playing in the back yard. The owner of the dog said the boy did nothing wrong.

Choosing a stupid sitter? Leaving your child in the custody of stupid people that don't care about your child is a CRIME! The Sitter and the dog owner should be in jail. The parents should have to answer to the fact that they left their kid in the hands of morons.

And the dog/puppy this dog mauled to death, whose fault is that?

The dog's owner. Sounds like this idiot had priors. I repeat he should be in jail. I'm not saying there is NO possible scenerio where a dog needs put down. In most cases I've heard of the owner is USUALLY at the root of the problem ...especially with Pitbulls. Some people have no business having Pits in their custody...same as some people have no business having children in THEIR custody.

 

[CaféAuLait]

There are no bad dogs, just bad owners.

I thought this was a pretty good article about that saying above...

Dog behaviour is not as simple as “good” and “bad”. What leads a dog to feel the need to rage at the end of its lead when it sees another dog – or to use its teeth to ward off a perceived threat is a complex mix of prior experience, learned response, physical, emotional and hormonal state, environment and genetics. And these are the result of interactions with and interventions by many people, from the breeder, to (possibly) several owners, to vets, trainers, visitors and strangers in the park.

-

See more at: Just bad owners?? ? Canine Confidence

 

[Asclepias]

I'm a huge dog lover and have two of my own. It isn't the dog's fault but it needs to be put down. The wrong people had him and he was not socialized. People get certain breeds because they are badass and are basically raising a weapon, not a pet.

I had 2 pits from the same litter. One was the best dog I ever had and the other was unstable. He would not stop growling whenever you were feeding him and flinched at every loud noise. I eventually had to put him down when he was about 6 months old and still had not grown out of it.

 

[CaféAuLait]

Choosing a stupid sitter? Leaving your child in the custody of stupid people that don't care about your child is a CRIME! The Sitter and the dog owner should be in jail. The parents should have to answer to the fact that they left their kid in the hands of morons.

And the dog/puppy this dog mauled to death, whose fault is that?

The dog's owner. Sounds like this idiot had priors. I repeat he should be in jail. I'm not saying there is NO possible scenerio where a dog needs put down. In most cases I've heard of the owner is USUALLY at the root of the problem ...especially with Pitbulls. Some people have no business having Pits in their custody...same as some people have no business having children in THEIR custody.

While I agree with you this may have had something to do with the owner, I do not agree that all god owners are responsible for all dogs behavior. They are animals, unpredictable. The owner may be at fault because she knew the dog had already attacked and killed another dog, but that behavior may have come out of the blue- or what the owner felt was out of the blue. Dogs have reasons for behavior which is not always because of the owner. To claim such is irresponsible IMO.

 

[Harry Dresden]

Not the dog's fault. Was simply reacting on instinct. Could have just as easily been any other larger-breed dog resulting in the exact same result. Singling out pits because the public's ignorant about dogs and behaviour (especially their own) isn't fair.

I owe my life to a dog, a collie who when as a mobile-toddler fell into my grandparent's fish pond with no adults around. Evidently (I'm told) I would have drowned if not for the out-of-character alert-barking of the collie. I've since made it a point to learn about dogs and other animals. And I can tell ya, there's no such thing as a evil dog.

as a guy who carried mail for 33 years i can tell you....you are full of shit....

This is an animal, to say that all animals will only show aggression if its being brought up wrong is ridiculous. It is an animal.

try delivering male and have a Rottweiler coming at you full bore .....with no owners around.....its an exhilarating experience.... and when the people on the Street come out to help the dog goes after them...."oh its Joes dog,it got out.....its a mean one".....yea no shit.....

 

[CaféAuLait]

as a guy who carried mail for 33 years i can tell you....you are full of shit....

This is an animal, to say that all animals will only show aggression if its being brought up wrong is ridiculous. It is an animal.

try delivering male and have a Rottweiler coming at you full bore .....with no owners around.....its an exhilarating experience.... and when the people on the Street come out to help the dog goes after them...."oh its Joes dog,it got out.....its a mean one".....yea no shit.....

I can't imagine, I would have needed new pants! I thought of this video when you said you were a mailman, always makes me smile!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av2u8OO8Dpw]Angry Cat Battles Mailman Through The Mail Slot - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Asclepias]

And the dog/puppy this dog mauled to death, whose fault is that?

The dog's owner. Sounds like this idiot had priors. I repeat he should be in jail. I'm not saying there is NO possible scenerio where a dog needs put down. In most cases I've heard of the owner is USUALLY at the root of the problem ...especially with Pitbulls. Some people have no business having Pits in their custody...same as some people have no business having children in THEIR custody.

While I agree with you this may have had something to do with the owner, I do not agree that all god owners are responsible for all dogs behavior. They are animals, unpredictable. The owner may be at fault because she knew the dog had already attacked and killed another dog, but that behavior may have come out of the blue- or what the owner felt was out of the blue. Dogs have reasons for behavior which is not always because of the owner. To claim such is irresponsible IMO.

In my experience most owners are just unaware or misinformed. There are definitely some bad and good owners. In this case the owner may have been told about pits being only dog aggressive so they thought children were safe. I have rarely witnessed dogs attack with no warning. Even listening to the stories of people that tell me their dogs attacked out of the blue there is always a sequence of events or signs that led up to the attack that people just simply miss.

 

[Harry Dresden]

This is an animal, to say that all animals will only show aggression if its being brought up wrong is ridiculous. It is an animal.

try delivering male and have a Rottweiler coming at you full bore .....with no owners around.....its an exhilarating experience.... and when the people on the Street come out to help the dog goes after them...."oh its Joes dog,it got out.....its a mean one".....yea no shit.....

I can't imagine, I would have needed new pants! I thought of this video when you said you were a mailman, always makes me smile!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av2u8OO8Dpw]Angry Cat Battles Mailman Through The Mail Slot - YouTube[/ame]

we had a guy who was attacked by a Rooster on his route....he said that thing was pissed.....

 

[HUGGY]

And the dog/puppy this dog mauled to death, whose fault is that?

The dog's owner. Sounds like this idiot had priors. I repeat he should be in jail. I'm not saying there is NO possible scenerio where a dog needs put down. In most cases I've heard of the owner is USUALLY at the root of the problem ...especially with Pitbulls. Some people have no business having Pits in their custody...same as some people have no business having children in THEIR custody.

While I agree with you this may have had something to do with the owner, I do not agree that all god owners are responsible for all dogs behavior. They are animals, unpredictable. The owner may be at fault because she knew the dog had already attacked and killed another dog, but that behavior may have come out of the blue- or what the owner felt was out of the blue. Dogs have reasons for behavior which is not always because of the owner. To claim such is irresponsible IMO.

Sorry. I'm around Pitbulls every day 24/7. There is no way a Pit owner has NEVER seen what they are capable of. That is just nonsense. Just the fact that they are powerful and lightning fast alone in how they "play" is enough information. Every Pit I have EVER seen will take a typical stuffed animal toy and shake it violently untill it is in small pieces in just a few seconds. Only an idiot would think they could prevent a POSSIBLE attack by one of these animals. There just isn't enough time. Horrible damage can be inflicted in the blink of an eye. IF a dog owner doesn't know this then they are too stupid to have a Pitbull in their care.

Certainly a Pitbull CAN be a docile loving family pet if the dog ONLY has exposure to what it is bred to defend to it's own death.

There is enough information about Pitbull attacks out there. There is NO excuse for human beings taking care of a Pitbull without prior knowledge of what can happen.

 

[blackhawk]

40,000 take the time to ask the authorities to not put the pit bull down. The dog that ripped the face off of a 4 year old neighbor boy for taking away his bone. The pictures of the boy are very sad.

So how much risk are children and people in general expected to assume with pit bulls? One attack is more than enough for me. I would be fine with city ordinances banning pit bulls. Yes, I know… it’s all about who trains them. Whatever. Do you distinguish DWI laws based on it all depends how responsible the party is who had the drinks?

This country is too much in love with animals at the expense of taking risks with children. How many kids being malled is an acceptable number to keep pit bulls in the community? How many times should a pit bull be allowed to attack before it is taken away? And, yes, I am all for the owner being put in jailed or sentenced somehow for what his dog did. I am liable for any minors in my home.

For as hyper sensitive our society is with risks of any other kind (such as toys, chemicals, etc.) they sure seem to look the other way when it comes to dangerous dogs.

------------------------------------------
In 2012, there were 38 attacks by dogs that resulted in death. Out of the 38 deadly attacks, 23 of them were by pit bulls.



Campaign to Save Dog in Arizona Mauling - ABC News

Dog That Mauled 4-Year-Old Gets Online Support

PHOENIX March 16, 2014 (AP)

A dog that mauled a 4-year-old Phoenix boy has received thousands of pleas for mercy through a Facebook campaign ahead of a court hearing to decide his fate.

A municipal court judge could rule at a March 25 hearing on whether Mickey, a pit bull that bit Kevin Vicente in the face, should be euthanized. Kevin received injuries that will require, according to doctors, months and possibly years of reconstructive surgeries.

Since the Feb. 20 attack, Mickey has become the object of a Facebook page that has gotten more than 40,000 likes and an online petition to spare his life.

Supporters say the campaign doesn't mean they value the dog's life above the child's.

"This is not Kevin versus Mickey," said attorney John Schill, who is representing the dog in the court petition. "Having Mickey killed is not going to take away Kevin's pain or injuries. The only thing this is going to do is kill a poor, innocent dog."

Pit bulls are viewed by some as a dangerous breed, a reputation their fans dispute.

Guadalupe Villa, who was at the scene of the attack, filed the vicious-animal petition to have the dog put down.

"I just looked at all this as this could have been my son, and I don't want it to be someone else," Villa said.

Schill said he is working pro bono at the request of The Lexus Project, a nonprofit that collects money to legally defend canines in danger of being euthanized. The organization has set up a trust for Mickey that has received more than $5,600, he said.

Schill said the person watching Kevin while his mother was at work should be held responsible.

"But for adults involved, this never would have happened," Schill said. "They're trying to put all the blame on Mickey."

Villa, whose boyfriend's mother was baby-sitting Kevin the day of the attack, said her friend is not to blame.

"She took amazing care of that little boy," said Villa, who claims in the petition that Mickey killed her dog last year.

According to Villa, Kevin picked up a bone lying on the ground near the dog, which was kept on a chain. That's when Mickey suddenly attacked Kevin, Villa said.

Villa said she can't understand the Facebook attention and doesn't see Mickey as a victim.

Kevin was hospitalized at Maricopa Medical Center with a broken eye socket, cheek bone and lower jaw bone, according to doctors.

Dr. Salvatore Lettieri, a Mayo Clinic physician and chief of cosmetic surgery at Maricopa Medical Center, said he was able to fix the broken bones and reattach the muscles that allow Kevin to open and close his eye.

"He still can't open his eye. We'll need to fix the tear duct drainage system — that is if he makes tears," Lettieri said.

Flor Medrano, a family friend, said Kevin continues to recover at a pediatric hospital in Phoenix but will return to Maricopa Medical Center later this week for more surgery on his eye.

Medrano also said a fundraising website has received about $6,000 in donations for the boy. The Maricopa Health Foundation also established a website that has received 50 donations.

The social media support for Mickey doesn't indicate that people care more about a dog than a child, Harold Herzog, a psychology professor at Western Carolina University who studies animal interaction.

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My question is why did the adult let the child get that close to a pit bull? As the article states the dog was on a chain so it could only go so far it seems to me someone was asleep at the switch letting the kid get that close.

My question would be how long was the chain, was it a 6 foot chain or a 25 foot chain?

My other question would be did the owner warn the sitter that the dog was vicious and had just viciously mauled another dog to death.

If the sitter was told by the owner it was safe for the child to be in the back yard, the child could have been bit coming within any length of the chain.

Good questions as well.

 

[Mr. H.]

A friend of mine spotted a neighbor kid getting attacked by a dog, ran outside and killed the damned thing. The city gave him a commendation.

 

[CaféAuLait]

The dog's owner. Sounds like this idiot had priors. I repeat he should be in jail. I'm not saying there is NO possible scenerio where a dog needs put down. In most cases I've heard of the owner is USUALLY at the root of the problem ...especially with Pitbulls. Some people have no business having Pits in their custody...same as some people have no business having children in THEIR custody.

While I agree with you this may have had something to do with the owner, I do not agree that all god owners are responsible for all dogs behavior. They are animals, unpredictable. The owner may be at fault because she knew the dog had already attacked and killed another dog, but that behavior may have come out of the blue- or what the owner felt was out of the blue. Dogs have reasons for behavior which is not always because of the owner. To claim such is irresponsible IMO.

Sorry. I'm around Pitbulls every day 24/7. There is no way a Pit owner has NEVER seen what they are capable of. That is just nonsense. Just the fact that they are powerful and lightning fast alone in how they "play" is enough information. Every Pit I have EVER seen will take a typical stuffed animal toy and shake it violently untill it is in small pieces in just a few seconds. Only an idiot would think they could prevent a POSSIBLE attack by one of these animals. There just isn't enough time. Horrible damage can be inflicted in the blink of an eye. IF a dog owner doesn't know this then they are too stupid to have a Pitbull in their care.

Certainly a Pitbull CAN be a docile loving family pet if the dog ONLY has exposure to what it is bred to defend to it's own death.

There is enough information about Pitbull attacks out there. There is NO excuse for human beings taking care of a Pitbull without prior knowledge of what can happen.

This is not an indictment on pitbulls from my standpoint. Although, I can see how some who are against pits may use this case to further their cause.

I believe that we can't train every dog (not just pits) to be what we want it to be, their genetics and history will always come to the forefront at some point.

Do the owners have culpability in many cases? Sure. But every case does not always point to the owners but the breeders looking to make a quick buck and breeding dogs with traits which should not be used. That could include issues with being vicious or hip dysplasia. Sometimes the owner has done everything correct or what they believe is correct.

 

[HUGGY]

While I agree with you this may have had something to do with the owner, I do not agree that all god owners are responsible for all dogs behavior. They are animals, unpredictable. The owner may be at fault because she knew the dog had already attacked and killed another dog, but that behavior may have come out of the blue- or what the owner felt was out of the blue. Dogs have reasons for behavior which is not always because of the owner. To claim such is irresponsible IMO.

Sorry. I'm around Pitbulls every day 24/7. There is no way a Pit owner has NEVER seen what they are capable of. That is just nonsense. Just the fact that they are powerful and lightning fast alone in how they "play" is enough information. Every Pit I have EVER seen will take a typical stuffed animal toy and shake it violently untill it is in small pieces in just a few seconds. Only an idiot would think they could prevent a POSSIBLE attack by one of these animals. There just isn't enough time. Horrible damage can be inflicted in the blink of an eye. IF a dog owner doesn't know this then they are too stupid to have a Pitbull in their care.

Certainly a Pitbull CAN be a docile loving family pet if the dog ONLY has exposure to what it is bred to defend to it's own death.

There is enough information about Pitbull attacks out there. There is NO excuse for human beings taking care of a Pitbull without prior knowledge of what can happen.

This is not an indictment on pitbulls from my standpoint. Although, I can see how some who are against pits may use this case to further their cause.

I believe that we can't train every dog (not just pits) to be what we want it to be, their genetics and history will always come to the forefront at some point.

Do the owners have culpability in many cases? Sure. But every case does not always point to the owners but the breeders looking to make a quick buck and breeding dogs with traits which should not be used. That could include issues with being vicious or hip dysplasia. Sometimes the owner has done everything correct or what they believe is correct.

I agree about the potential for breeders to "push" the sales of their animals. There are plenty of breeders that should be held accountable for placing Pitbulls in environments that they have no reasonable business being in. I also find it outrageous that these dogs are knowingly sold to drug dealers and other criminals.

 

[Kooshdakhaa]

When I would walk my dobermans (I only have one, now ) kids would start to run up to us, and I would hold up my hand and command "wait!" (just like I would to my dogs lol). Sometimes the parents would be nearby, listening. I would tell the kids, "You NEVER run up to a dog you don't know!" I did it to protect my dogs from somebody's snot-nosed little brat. I could just imagine something going wrong and there being a big witchhunt for the killer dobermans. Over my dead body.

But once the kids stopped and started behaving I would ask them if they would like to pet the dogs and then I would tell them what to do. Stand still, put your hand out palm down and let the dogs come to you. Do NOT try to pet them on top of their head or nose, just scratch them under their chin. And this is all with the dog owner's permission, of course.

Unfortunately, most pitbull owners I've encountered are not this responsible. And my dobermans would NEVER be CHAINED UP and kids have access to them.

It's the stupid owners. That said, I'm not a fan of pitbulls, I've had trouble with loose pitbulls when walking the dobes. Nothing a little pepper spray couldn't fix, though. Of course, then, the pitbull owners would get all pissed off because I pepper sprayed their dog, who was running around loose and approaching my dobermans with a challenging attitude.

The owners are idiots, but it's usually the dogs who pay the price. Personally, I won't own a pitbull. There are so many great breeds of dogs available, it's not necessary to have a pitbull.