Pit bull bites toddler? And the mother? WOW!

[Star*]

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/07/15/dnt.oh.pit.bull.brawl.wnwo

Okay - I am an advocate for molosser breeds & pit bulls. I have owned, showed, trained, bred them for over 25 years. I tell people that they are NOT for everyone. THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT a first time dog owner dog.

But yet EVERYONE seems to think that they can get a pit bull and raise it in a loving home and- voila - they are fine. This is not so. And it is NOT just the breeding. I've had pups born to 2 absolutely fantastic parents that we bred as breeders to improve the breed for temperment, and good qualities that promote the breed, and have the pups turn out to be totally bad dogs.

The breed is wild and they were bred to hunt cattle, hogs and be a guardian. It is NOT just treating them well that makes them a good dog, it is not just the breeding - it is a combination of the two.

I own them, I live with them - and I LOVE them - but I WILL NOT AT ANY TIME - allow them to be where a.) anyone outside our immediate family is present b.) they are alone even in the yard. We are there.

Watch this video - and you tell me WHO the dysfunctional one is. The first thing I noticed was the bite on the toddlers face. This is a snap bite - like say through a fence. So HOW does your infant child get THAT close to a dog in the first place? If the dog had attacked the child there would be more damage. Second - the entire time she's talking - she is BLOWING CIGARETTED SMOKE in the childs face and then puts her lit cigarette IN the babys face. OMG - first a dog bite then a potential cigarette burn.

Then we find out that NO ONE called the police or dog catcher??? WT_? Wouldn't that be the first person you call? And lastly we see this mother once again setting an example for the rest of her children who are crying and freaked out - by her running up into the house of the neighbor and pummeling the neighbor which looks to be about a 13 year old CHILD! Then the poor child yells at the news man and flips him off.

Why weren't the police called FIRST? Does anyone else see that this woman needs some help? No wonder she didn't call the law - she would have gone to jail. And you don't see her getting IN THE CAR and TAKING HER TODDLER TO THE HOSPITAL AND YOU NEVER SEE?HEAR her calling an ambulance.

Honestly - what a moron. Sorry for that child all the way around. - In the end they apparently did take the dog. Thank GOD - she'll hurt it if it stays there - that is evident.

What is wrong with people? My first line of thought would have been 911 - ambulance - medical care - NOT my cigarette and revenge and the news? And did the news JUST happen BY????? OMG this is so dumb.....surpasses dumb.

 

[flutterbee]

Apparently she did call the police, but they didn't call animal control - instead blamed the mom. I dunno...watch the video and I can see why they would be inclined to think that way.

Dog bites are nasty and Pit Bulls have the potential to do a lot of damage because of their strength. I will say that if the dog was really attacking, the results would have been a lot worse.

I'm partial to animals. I know Pit Bulls are a risky breed - as are others. For a while it was rottweilers that got all the bad press. If you don't know how to train and handle them, you have no business having one. If the mom was at all concerned, she shouldn't have let her child over there.

As much as I love all animals, I would not let my toddler around a neighbors Pit Bull unless I was sure of the nature, training and supervision - both of the dog and the child. in my opinion, children shouldn't be around any animals unless they know how to respect them. Even the most docile of animals will react if you pull on their tail or ears, etc.

I feel bad for the child and I feel bad for the dog. The mom needs to take some anger management classes.

 

[Shari]

Can't wait to watch this at home tonight. Sounds like some people shouldn't be given licenses to own dogs, let along children.

 

[Genny]

Have to agree, Star - if the pitbull had grabbed the child and "thrown him into the kitchen" as the mother claimed, there would be a heck of a lot more damage. I feel for any child that is bit by a dog, but 99% of the time it isn't the dog's fault - it's the owner of the dog or the parent of the child who hasn't provided proper training and/or supervision.

by the way, my baby is a Rottweiler, another breed that is unfairly punished because of idiotic people.

Genny

 

[totoro]

Umm, I am sorry but the Mom's actions speak for themselves... the whole thing is disgusting. I agree with you Star and I hate the fact that this child was bitten. The poor dog most likely needs to be with someone that can handle it and hmmm, the family? They need to be seriously looked at.
N since she has gotten over her huge phobia of Dogs, has gone the complete other direction. She is in dogs faces, smelling their ears, wanting to hug them and lie on them. Full sensory just complete Autism like thing. If she were to be bit, it would not really be the dog's fault. (Unless one was unleashed and just came at her)
So we have to watch her any time we are near a dog. Especially one we don't know. Even ones we know, we watch.
Some dogs, most dogs are just very possessive and territorial.
Clemmey lets N lie on her pretty much do anything to her, but I still talk to N about giving Clemmey her space, watching for Clemmey to act nervous or annoyed! I try to always be around...

I am just sickened by this video. I also want to know where the heck this woman got those jeans, and who told her they looked good???

 

[Hound dog]

I'm confused.

So, if the dog supposedly threw the baby into the kitchen........what was the woman doing with her child in the house of someone with a pit bull roaming free?? Is she brain dead, or what?

And I'm no fool (and neither are the cops) if that dog wanted to hurt that child, he wouldn't have come away with only a snap mark on his face. The wound is superficial. Odds are baby was teasing or too rough with dog, dog snapped to warn off child and caught the face.

I don't care what breed it is, I don't leave a baby / toddler alone with a dog. Little kids are rough, they don't know not to tease, ect. For that matter I rarely live them alone with a cat.

This Mom is a piece of work. No mention of running the baby to the ER, nuthing. She just wants to hurt that dog. Good thing the family gave it up. At least she can't get to it now.

This sort of thing really burns me up.

 

[Lothlorien]

Looks like a real classy bunch there.

 

[DammitJanet]

I tend to agree. We have owned large dogs including pits and rotties. I wont own a dog that bites. We put down a mutt that belonged to my mom because it bit Billy. We never had a problem with the pits or the rotties with people. We had to get rid of one of the pits because it was aggressive with other dogs though. We had rescued it from the side of the road and it had obviously been hurt before and we couldnt overcome its past.

I would never leave a baby alone with a dog I didnt know and trust. However, Im more afraid of the small breeds. My rottie and chow would have protected the kids to the ends of the earth and let them climb all over them. In fact, Cory used the chow as a walker.

 

[jal]

No bad dogs only bad owners!

husband and I had a pure bred rottie from 5 weeks old until we had to put him down last summer at 14 1/2. He was the most gentle loving dog ever. One time I was lying on the couch petting him (he was on the floor) I called his name and looked down and he looked up and we smacked into each other. I received a 1/2 gash under my nose which required a plastic surgeon and 7 stiches. The hospital admin people freaked on me that I was "attacked" by a rottie. The plastic surgeon said to me if you were attacked you'd be missing your lip and part of your nose. It was a straight cut under my nose made by ME bumping into the dogs canine tooth.

When I got home from the hospital the dog warden was waiting to file a report. As he could see it was an accident they "confined" him to our home for 2 weeks.

He was as gentle as ever with difficult child, but most certainly never, ever left alone. You can never fully trust an animal.

But that scene in the video-all the way around- DEPLORABLE!

 

[Andy]

I sense something else going on here. Looks to me like another incident in a long line of ugly situations. The mom seemed more concerned with being angry with the neighbor than anything else - this is a good excuse to rage at the neighbor. I think there is something else behind the story and the police know about it.

There is no way the police would ignore a dog bite call. They may put it down on the list to have an officer visit later in the evening or the next day and probably told her to take the child to ER. Not the answer she would want - Mom is looking for a way to make life miserable for the neighbor and it is not totally over the dog bite.

I would question if that dog was even the one that bit him? Would be interesting to talk to the kids in both homes to get the truth.

 

[susiestar]

The mother is a piece of work, she should be allowed to be a neighbor to anyone with a dog, much less a child.

The dog did NOT want to hurt the child. If he did, the child would have been hurt VERY BADLY because it is obvious there was no supervision of child or dog.

Poor doggy. He is getting all the blame for this crazy person's behavior.

Even poorer kid, he has to live wtih the crazy bimbo mother. Yes, I said bimbo. Look at her behavior. Too stupid and mean to live, let alone be allowed to breed.

I hope and pray the dog gets a rescue and a decent chance at life. I also pray that those children get a better chance at life.

 

[TerryJ2]

Loth, you said it! LOL.

Adrianne, I totally agree. 1) It's a neighborhood feud, and 2)That kid would have been an easy snack for any pit bull.

Sigh.

I used to have Borzoi, and now have collies, and never left them alone with-the kids when they were babies or toddlers (although borzoi are known more for aloofness). It's just common sense.
Which is apparently way more than some people have.

So many animals think they're playing, or that they're giving a warning nip, and have no idea how fragile human skin is.
We never had a gate at the top of the stairs because the collies would herd difficult child ea time he came near the top step, and I used to be able to take a bathroom break and use them as sitters. Still, dogs are dogs and it's just not smart to leave them alone with-little kids for any length of time.

Well, I'm preaching to the choir.

So sorry this has yet again probably given the breed another black eye. I have personally never met a nasty pit bull. They are loyal and calm.

Didn't know you were a breeder, Star. Cool.

 

[Steely]

I also want to know where the heck this woman got those jeans, and who told her they looked good???

Thank you Toto...........You made me giggle. Exactly what I was thinking the whole time I saw the video. Seriously~!!!!

H. has/had a Pit, Petey. He is now in the care of M.
H. was as vigilante as you are Star* in making sure Pete was never in situations that might cause him to act on his Pit instinct. She was an amazing advocate of the breed. It was one of the things I loved about her the most.

Petey had a brother, Zeke, that had to be put down because he was so aggressive as a puppy. H. just could see from all of his actions of nipping and growling at people that his behavior was going nowhere fast. I admired her for being such a dog lover, yet knowing when imminent danger was present, and acting on that, despite her love for Pits.

 

[witzend]

When I was a girl, I had a friend who had a miniature (not toy - about knee height) poodle. It used to bite my ankles and legs every time I stood up out of a chair or otherwise moved too fast. I mean good sized puncture marks.

We had a standard poodle, which is the large labrador sized one. He never bit anyone, so far as I know. But he did kill a cat that came into the yard. And I wouldn't have wanted to be the garbage man if he was out in the yard.

You can't ever trust a dog to not hurt someone. They don't reason the same way we do, and humans have to be strong enough emotionally and physically to control a dog.

The one thing I remember from being on grand jury for a month, and hearing case after case of people running from the police, is that when they set the K-9 out after someone, those people always stopped running. An officer might think about his family and pension and reputation etc. before shooting. A dog just takes you down and people know it. That mom should have known it, too.

 

[Star*]

I grew up in a kennel home. I knew what packing, grooming, traveling and showing was all about. My mother trained dogs for the police and gave training classes for years in obedience. She was the first person to finish a Shih-Tzu in CD and CDX titles in America and Canada. Her Shih-Tzu was the first Shih-Tzu to do so for his breed. They are in lots of dog books from the 70's and 80's. Her care and attention to breed standards for Shih-Tzu are legendary in the breed with breeders - although it's been years since we did show.

I think this is also where I learned about gay men. lol. You learn more than you think in dog showing. I absolutely am out of it now and do more rescue/education/spay & neuter/ advocacy than anything else. The Pit that we have now will be our last. The breed while I am sure has it's absolutes - ours was also a "top" quality dog and he's nuts. He's great with the family - but he is what he is and nothing is going to change that.

I'm in the process of writing AT&T about their newest commercial - the one where the man jumps a fence to get to a shiney cell phone guarded by 2 beautiful pits - the commercial portrays them as BAD dogs - well freaking DUH - if you jumped into a fenced in lot - (oh well I can't explain it) but the letter says it speaks ONCE AGAIN down about a breed that is BRED to do what it does JUST NOT EVERYWHERE - if you're going to raise them to pull, or to show? Great! Do that - but to get one just to "have" one and then chain it outside for it's life to BARK? - argh. And ATT - that commercial would have been LOADS funnier and more memorable if you had used tea cup poodles on logging chains to guard that phone -

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

Well, I guess this makes me the odd man out.

I am an animal lover, but I hate pits. For one, they are not even a little bit cute. For two, I don't care what anyone says, they are vicious dogs. in my humble opinion, they should be illegal as housepets. Whether it is their "fault" or the fault of stupid people who own them just because they think they are cool, pits are responsible for more attacks than any other breed.

by the way, that lady kind of looked like the north end of a south bound pit bull in that get up.

 

[flutterbee]

Chows are the dogs I don't trust. They'll be fine one minute and turn on you the next. When I worked at the vet clinic, it wasn't the Pits we had to worry about. It was the Chows.

I won't have a Pit while I have kids coming and going in my home. But, I'll never have a Chow.

And, by the way, when I worked there I never got bit by any of the so-called vicious dogs. It was always the little ankle biters. Their little bite isn't much except they keep gnawing on ya. Rotten little dogs.

 

[KTMom91]

I have no personal experience with pit bulls, but just this week, four pits attacked a letter carriers standing by her truck here in town.

I have a Jack Russell, who is great with the immediate family, but is not fond of others, including my mother (he bit her on the arm). He has been to obedience classes, and he obeys most of the time, but you can't be sure what dogs are thinking.

 

[OpenWindow]

I have personal experience with pits. I used to foster puppies for Stray Rescue. There were a lot of Pits because there was a big fighting ring in the "bad part of town." Some of the strays were vicious and had to be sent away to intensive obedience school, some had to stay with very experienced, specially trained fosters because they weren't adoptable. The puppies, we never had a problem and never heard of problems with any that were adopted out. We kept one that's part pit and part american bulldog. He is very gentle, and submissive. When we go to the petstore he lays down on his back for any dog, even little bitty dogs.

Having said that, he is ALWAYS on a leash unless he's in our fenced back yard, and the kids are not allowed back in his yard unless we are there too. He doesn't go to dog parks and play with other dogs. We took him to obedience school. He's never, never unsupervised with little kids. Usually if it's a new kid or one who won't leave him alone, we put the dog in another room. If he did bite someone, even if he was playing, he could do a lot more damage with his big strong jaws than our vicious chihuahua, who has been known to bite a few people's ankles who dare come in our front door. You have to be extra vigilant with a dog that size and build. But, he is nowhere near vicious.

 

[Lothlorien]

Pitts make me nervous. American Bulldogs make me nervous too. They are huge and very muscular and the jaw muscles are just about the same as the pitts.

That being said, I have always been raised around dogs and even with those dogs, I always act the same around them and show no fear. I let them smell me and get to know me before trying to pet any dog.

The dogs that make me most nervous are Dalmations. I was mawled by one that lived with a neighbor. If I hadn't had a really thick, furry coat on, I would have been torn to shreds. I was about 7. Later on, I found out from a dalmation owner who had to put his dog down, that these dogs are prone to leukemia in the brain and if the dog has a lesion, they can get nasty. He had his dog for years and he was a great dog, until one night my friend went home and the dog attacked him for no reason. Now, that's scary!