Pit Bull Kills Boy, 12

[Travis McGee]

Pit Bull Kills Boy, 12

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/03/national/main699664.shtml

SAN FRANCISCO, June 3, 2005


(CBS/AP) A boy was fatally mauled by a pit bull Friday near Golden Gate Park, authorities said.

The attack happened about 3:15 p.m. in the city's Sunset District, about a block from the park, according to San Francisco Fire Lt. Bill Wickliffe.

Authorities got a frantic 911 call from an unidentified woman.

"She was yelling and screaming that her child was dead," Wickliffe said.

A neighbor said the same thing to CBS Affiliate KPIX: "We basically heard the mother in the back of the house screaming, 'my child is dead,' so our upstairs neighbor called 911," said Donna Castelli, who lives nearby. "We came racing out and the mother was hysterical."

According to preliminary reports, two dogs were involved in the attack, one of which was shot after it attempted to prevent officers from entering the premises, KPIX reported.

Animal Care and Control officers were at the scene. One dog was shot after it wouldn't allow a police officer enter the apartment, according to San Francisco Police Sgt. Neville Gittens. A second pit bull believed to be involved in the attack was found a short time later and was taken into custody, Gittens said. Both dogs weighed about 80 pounds each, he said.

Paramedics tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the boy. It's unclear whether the dogs lived in the apartment with the boy or whether his parents were aware of the attack, Gittens said.

Several streets in the area were blocked off, authorities said.

San Francisco has seen at least one other fatal dog mauling in recent years, the death of Diane Whipple in 2001. She was killed by two 100-pound-plus Presa Canarios in the hallway outside her Pacific Heights apartment.

 

[Travis McGee]

Details on this pit bull attack are still sketchy. One news report I heard said it was a neighbor's dog who killed the boy. The boy was torn to shreds, the police were stunned by the violence done to the child.

Personal opinion: The dogs' owners should be charged with homicide. If a gun owner left a cocked .45 in a day care center, you can bet he would hang.

Also, I wonder if an adult nearby with a gun would have been able to save the boy? By the time police arrived, the boy was torn apart.

 

[c_yeager]

Personal opinion: The dogs' owners should be charged with homicide. If a gun owner left a cocked .45 in a day care center, you can bet he would hang.

I think the dog is even worse than this. A gun really cant kill anyone all by itself, its an inanimate object. A dog is not an inanimate object and CAN kill a person all by itself. Thats a big difference.

 

[Hardware]

There aren't enough details to be certain of anything at this point. You never leave a young child alone, unsupervised with a dog, any dog. Most adults, let alone kids, have any idea what they are communicating to a dog. That said the dog had to, or has to die. Whoever is responsible for this situation, dog owner, parent or caregiver needs to answer to the law.

And the last thing, pit bulls are not supposed to weigh 80 pounds! The breed standard calls for a maximum weight of 65 pounds. {minirant} Grrr! back yard breeders! {/minirant}

 

[usmc0351]

Pit Bull Kills Boy 12

Any pictures of the dog or dogs like docked tails or cropped ears(for fighting) I personally am a Rottie fan and the same is true with them when it comes to the standard. I've heard of Rotties going over 150 to 180 that is way out of standard. Bigger is always better right? Not necessarily. We had a female and she was the sweetest thing at 89lbs, but we never left her alone with children even our daughter my wife or myself were always present. I believe responsible dog ownership is the key. It's a shame due to someone's ignorance that a boy had to die.

Sorry got alittle long winded there. These kind of stories really irritate me.

 

[only1asterisk]

Hardware,

Not enough facts? Even if you doubt the veracity of the details it would appear that a boy (who may, or may not, have been 12) has been killed by a dog (which may, or may not, be a pit bull). Assuming the dog has an owner, (it may, or may not) I think it is reasonable for that person to be fully responsible for the life destroyed by his/her/its animal.

I don’t think anyone has assumed too much. While I can image a situation or two where I wouldn’t get too upset with a dog that bit a teenager, they seem a bit unlikely in this case.


David

 

[joab]

The breed standard calls for a maximum weight of 65 pounds. {minirant} Grrr! back yard breeders! {/minirant}

There are about 4 breeds that are considered to be pitbulls other than APBTs. To the media in large muscular dog is a Pit. Mix a Beagle with a Lab and they will call it a Pit, Ive seen it happen.
Most Pits that attack are backyard mixes and usually Pit/Lab mixes..

Alot of these attacks could be avoided in the future if
1) The dogs, owners, and breeders were better regulated

2) Dog owners were held criminally liable for what their dogs do.

 

[MikeIsaj]

Does anyone here know of any statistics relating to pit bull attacks vs. general dog attacks? My concern is the media bias when reporting things relating to SUVs, guns, pit bulls, etc... I am curious if the numbers back up the general perception of pit bulls.

 

[LSCurrier]

I wonder how this might have turned out if CA was not so anti-gun. Perhaps someone that was close to the attack could have been carrying a handgun and stopped the attack before the kid was dead.

Luke

 

[joab]

CDC dog bite stats

dog bite stats refuted

Ambulance chasers resource site

Dogs that bite

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

Does anyone here know of any statistics relating to pit bull attacks vs. general dog attacks? My concern is the media bias when reporting things relating to SUVs, guns, pit bulls, etc... I am curious if the numbers back up the general perception of pit bulls.

It depends on where you are. In inner city locations, where these dogs are kept as commodities for sport, they are usually "raised" on a short chain, and only used for fighting, which will make any dog "mean," regardless of breed. In most other communities, however, they are kept as pets. These are the ones that vets see, when the family brings them in for a check up, or whatever, and vets almost universally attest to the fact that family raised Pitbulls are extremely unlikely to bite a human being. Less likely, in fact, than any other breed they deal with. I cannot tell you how many vets have said to me that when they see that their next patient is a Pitbull, they breath a sigh of relief because they know that Pits will let you do just about anything to them, in way of an exam, without aggressing. The bad rap generally comes from the dogs raised on a chain in the back yard, and unfortunately, that is the way too many people think you are supposed to keep a Pitbull. Pitbulls, like any other dog, need to be raised as a member of your family. The reason they should not be allowed to roam (beside the fact that no dog should be allowed to do that) is that when a Pitbull is met by another dog who is posturing in a dominant way, the Pitbull (unlike any other breed) will ignore it. This usually results in the Pitbull being attacked, and then when the other dog is killed (Pitbulls, unlike other breeds, generally don't stop fighting once a fight has begun), the perception of observers is that Pitbulls are a murderous breed.

 

[CAPTAIN MIKE]

Any Website with Useful Info on Dog Attacks?

Is there a website that might have useful info about which breeds are most dangerous, which have the most incidents of attacks, etc.?

 

[Travis McGee]

I just wish someone had been on scene with a gun, to stop the dog before the poor kid was dead.

Police just don't get there on time, to stop a dog attack or a murder or assault or rape. I guess that was the point of why I posted this article.

Poor kid. Nobody to protect him.

 

[GlenJ]

Here in Tidewater VA this year a pit bull was on top of a womans car barking at her and wouldn't let her out of the car. Her husband shot the dog (didn't kill it) and he was arrested. Go figure. My thoughts and prayers go out to the kids family.

 

[sfhogman]

The kid was killed by the family's own dogs. Neighbors heard the mother screaming, and called 911. Police had to shoot one of the dogs just to get in the door.

 

[Yooper]

It could be that "pit bull" is the "assault rifle" of the dog world where the media's concerned.

 

[The Real Hawkeye]

Yes, or the Saturday Night Special, or Sniper Rifle, or .... You get the idea.

 

[joab]

The kid was killed by the family's own dogs

According to the sites I posted most attacks are from family dogs are familiar dogs.

 

[MaceWindu]

Also, I wonder if an adult nearby with a gun would have been able to save the boy?

Yeah. But in Kali: You then get arrested on a gun charge, "sued", charged for discharging a firearm within city limits, public endangerment, etc....

If it is found you had a firearm and did not do anything, then: You are a coward, "see guns serve no purpose anyway, even when you have them.." from the media, STILL you get arrested on a gun charge, etc...

NO WIN SITUATION in Kali.

But in SF, Kali you try and take away a gay couples right to get married and then they bring up the CONSTITUTION. Ain't that a B****....

MaceWindu

 

[Barbara]

A sig line from another board: "Personally, I'd be delighted to live in a country where happily married gay couples had closets full of assault weapons."

 

[MountainPeak]

Pit bulls must be Muslims. We are told they are all peacefull too! :banghead: I know, that's a cheap shot! I won't bother telling you about the one that attacked and killed my 7 year old granddaughter's Toy Yorkie, in her yard, on her birthday. I won't tell you about how it terrorized 5 little girls that were standing there watching it tear the guts out of a dog weighing no more than a few pounds. I won't tell you how it snarled and threatened the kids. I will tell you, it put a BIG damper on her 7th birthday party. There were TWO dogs gone before the hour ended! By the way, the owner said "it's a mellow dog"! "It's never done anything like this before". SHEESE!

 

[drinks]

Dogs

Forget pits and rottenwilders, just wait until some backyard breeder manages to get a chihuahua/ toy fox terrier cross up to 75 lbs, look out lions and tigers.

 

[Surefire]

Poor kid, that is a terrible way to die.


The female Pit Bull that was shot was clearly involved IMO, as she was super aggressive toward anyone coming near the appartment.


The male Pit Bull hid in the basement and was cowering according to the latest news report, and was very mellow when authorities took him, which makes me wonder if he was involved in the attack. He did have some blood on him, but that could have been from fighting the female dog, or sniffing the little boy after the fact. Only time will tell if both dogs are involved, I assume they will take dental samples from both dogs and check against the bite wounds with a microscope [to determine which dog(s) attacked]. Contrary to what all the books and experts say, my brief experience with Pit Bulls is that females are ACTUALLY WORST than males in general, being more prone to dog and people aggression, and more gun-ho once a fight starts.


For the safety of the public, the male Pit should be killed as well if there is ANY evidence that he aided in the attack.


I'm not opinionated toward the breed either way, I've seen both good and bad ones. However, I admit if I see a stray Pit come toward me I am a little bit more nervous than say a stray Labrador coming toward me, mostly due to knowing how powerful and strong minded a determined Pit can be.

 

[joab]

I assume they will take dental samples from both dogs and check against the bite wounds with a microscope [to determine which dog(s) attacked].

he's a pit, guilt by association. He will be destroyed along with the other whether he had anything to do with the attack or not. Nobody is gonna waste money on tests to prove that a pit is vicious, that was determined when he was born with a big head

 

[Surefire]

he's a pit, guilt by association. He will be destroyed along with the other whether he had anything to do with the attack or not. Nobody is gonna waste money on tests to prove that a pit is vicious, that was determined when he was born with a big head

You're likely right, based on the hysteria of the media regarding Pits, Rotts, and other maligned breeds--a similar phenemenon to the media's hysteria over guns IMO. Do you share this opinion though?


I personally think every dog should be evaluated based on his or her temperament, regardless of what breed they are. I would be in the minority though I think.



And leaving a child home alone with ANY dog is not responsible, IMO. Even a tiny Pomeranian--any breed can attack, and children do not have the ability to defend themselves. There was a case about a year ago of a toy dog killing an unattended baby, I think it was a Pomeranian dog?