Mother of Mauled 12 Yr. Old Justifies Son's Death

Did you read the quotes from the mother of the 12 year old boy in San Francisco who got mauled to death by one or both of the family's pit bulls? If her quotes are anywhere near accurate, there needs to be some serious negligence charges pressed against this family.

CNN: Mother of mauling victim feared family dog

The mother was afraid the male dog might be violent so she locked HER SON in the basement jammed the door with a shovel that her son managed to get loose. Her quotes are outrageous. "I told him: 'Stay down there until I come back.' Typical Nicky, he wouldn't listen to me...It's Nicky's time to go...When you're born you're destined to go and this was his time."

O.k., you think that's nuts, you should read the full article in the SF Chronicle. The CNN piece was probably pulled from that. It gives a bit more background and adds even more outrageous statements.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file...MNGJND7G5L1.DTL

These people should not be allowed to procreate.

Yeah, maybe we should spare the knife on the dogs and spay the owners.

Well, your headline (Mother of Mauled 12 Yr. Old Justifies Son's Death) kind of says it all. Letting people like that procreate is akin to letting a crack addict keep having babies. It's the definition of insanity.

Spare the dogs, it's all about the owners. How about a 3 strikes and you're sterlized? It's not like the ACC wouldn't help, she could have surrendered that dog no problem. Course, if they were both fixed, dogs wouldn't have wanted to procreate either..... with or without people around.

Three strikes is too generous for these kind of people. If they don't learn after the first time, there's not a whole lot of hope.

Let's see, how can we count the ways that she personally could have prevented that and is unbelievely lacking intelligence?

1. Start with the obvious- got the dogs spayed and neutered.
2. Locking the 12-yr-old kid in a basement and blocking the door with a shovel? Pray tell, why were the DOGS not in the basement? Clothes be dam ned.
3. Blaming said kid for actively trying to get out of the basement where he was locked in?
4. She could have called ACC to turn Rex over, they'd be there in an hour or less, no charge, no problems.
5. She wanted to breed them- where the bleep did she get the idea there was a shortage of pit bulls, or any other dogs for that matter, in SF?
6. Not taking all her children with her when she went out, or at least the ones that weren't already somewhere else.
7. Claiming that there no violent tendancies, ever, with these dogs, while out of the other side of her mouth explaining that it was out of concern for her son that she had to lock him in a basement with a shovel.
8. Announcing after all of this that it was 'her sons time to go.' Raise your hand if you feel, perhaps, that last week would have been a better time, of none other, for Rex to go?
9. Having puppies could have fulfilled few purposes. One might have been to make money off them. (Not responsible breedership, for starters.)
10. Another one shelters hear a lot, wanting to show their kids the miracle of life. Some miracle when someone else gets killed in an irrational fit of rage, and unwanted puppies get killed at a shelter.

Anyone else?

She ought to face animal cruelty charges and child cruelty charges. Honestly, with a mom that thinks so little, clearly, about their safety and common sense in the same week, her other two are probably better off without her.

This woman is clearly mentally not all there and needs some serious help. The sad thing is that there are a lot of people out there just like her.

Isn't SF Mayor, Gavin Newsome is trying to pass some regulations regarding pit bulls in San Francisco? I haven't heard what it is that he's proposing, but I'm interested in what he's saying.

My cousin got attacked by his neighbor's pit bull in San Diego, which was one of the reasons why he sold his house and moved across town with his wife and infant daughter. About a year ago, a pit bull started to take a bite out of my thigh when his owner called him back over in Willow Glen.

The owner didn't see what happened. He just heard a lot of commotion and called for his dog. Of course the guy was like, "No way! He would never hurt anyone! Not my dog! Are you sure you know what you're talking about?"

Yeah, I was there for that one - it was terrifying. The dog was running around an apartment building with no leash as the owner was making repairs/painting. It really underlined for me how fast those animals can turn nasty, and for no reason at all.

CA state has a law that prohibits banning dogs of a particular breed, so I think that ban is unlikely to happen. But there's a reason why we have strict leash laws, and why so many responsible owners even have a snout lead if they have so much as an extra friendly dog.

My brother was also bitten several times by a dog in a yard unleashed, but it was a german shep. Incidentally, the breed responsible for the most bites is actually the daschund.... just not generally fatal.

Daschund????? O.k. Pam, you really do know your stuff.... We all laugh, but I've been bitten by a little dog before, and I was really surprised how much it hurt - the bacteria in the wound was the worst. It took quite a while for the scar on my leg to heal up, and it was a really minor bite.

Check this out - yet another pit bull mauling, this one in Rohnert Park, and the dog went after the owner:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c...BAGPED8Q3N1.DTL
When will people get the picture here?!?!?!

This goes for everything: You can't blame a whole group for the actions of a single member. Pit bulls are terrific dogs, the owners are more likely bad owners. I have two pit bulls that I care for and see daily. They would not harm anyone or anything. They were raised in loving, trusting and socially active environment. If you neglect, abuse or don't train a person, they will be a social deviant as well. Are humans a bad breed?

I really hate these knee jerk reactions to bad "dog" incidents. I walk my tribe of dogs everyday. We run into literally hundreds of dogs a week in the local parks. NOT ONE INCIDENT. One lady gets attacked, ONCE and we have to pass new laws applicable to all dog owners. If I would have been there, I could have stopped the incident. Dog owners are self policing as well. I have never even seen one incident but we are now increasing the fines, and enforcement of the leash law to the detriment of every frisbee, tennis ball chasing dog everywhere.

Dog owners are terrific people. Watch how many take their babies for rides in the car. Watch how attentive they are when walking, exercising, picking up after them. I see the good everyday. I read about the bad about once a year. Emphasize the positive. Treat the bad owners responsibly. MOST IMPORTANTLY, Don't blame the dog.

Just my opinion. I also own four well behaved cats that coexist with my dogs. Never an incident.

The increasing scrutiny of dogs is a problem. Dogs have not suddenly become dangerous and nasty. Same with children! What seems to have changed is either the number, or just the publicity over the people who have either and in light of rather a lot of information currently available about how to take care of them responsibly ignore it, don't get it, or are incapable of proper care and have them anyway.

We do have an issue with pit bulls and a few other breeds. The issue is that HUMANS have made a choice to breed the brains right out of them... dogs are pack animals, fighting was not a natural thing to get them to do. Breeders of known breeds of dogs and cats with genetic issues are trying hard to breed out those conditions, as well as personality traits that make them not excellent companions. If this was being done for breeds such as pit bulls, we might be able to reverse some of the damage. But dogfighting is unfortunately still popular, and the very people who are least likely to be responsible breeders are also the ones that aren't responsibly spaying and neutering.

As a cat lover, my felines stay inside only, where they are safe from hazards they can't navigate, the bugs and small birds are safe, and they are safe from the crows.

As a dog lover, knowing the joy of a dog in a big park, or the beach, etc. safe from hazards off-leash, it kills me to hear that SF and Santa Cruz, etc. want to restrict dogs in parks so severely there is no place for them to go and be the happy, running, chasing, tail-wagging, friendly creatures they are, and the behavior that gives their often owners so much pleasure. If people that had dogs that didn't get along with other dogs, or strange people, or had any othe behavioral issues kept theirs on leashes and did the best they could as owners, this wouldn't be an issue. But that's the Catch-22. They are least likely to care what others think of their lack of owner responsibiity.

BTW, the new animal shelter is in need of behavior analysts for animals for adoptions... among other things, though, you have to euthanize sick and unadoptable animals. I don't have the guts! It's hard enough watching Animal Cops.

I don't know what you are saying: Pit Bulls are unrefutably bad? Do you know one privately owned Pit Bull that is bad. It is a cycle: Dobermans, rotweillers and even Mastifs get in the news and they are dangerous. I will make a bet that there are more bite reports for Shepards then any other breed. I have several mail men in the family and this is what they report to me. No one would say shepards are a risk to society. We don't have access to breeders who are breeding for dog fighting. My roommate's family is in breeding circles and they are a great group. They only make money breeding animals that are good to families. I know exactly where the pit bulls came from that I know personally. If anyone knows a bad breeder, let the authorities know. I am four for four with positive experiences in my personal pit bull history. FYI I don't own a pit bull. I own a Rotweiler (protective, loyal), a dalmation (holly terror to the neighborhood, too many kisses) and shelty (best breed I have ever seen).

Now chihuahua's are a big problem, never met a friendly, non-agressive, controllable one..... I am kidding. They are a great breed too.

Oh, man, now can we ever get along! My heart will forever belong to Shelties. For those that can't stand the herding dogs, Schipperkes are also delightful, similar personalties to Shelties, less so to Aussies or Borders.

I know several delightful Pitts, one is my cousins! My old college coach had two Rotties who went running with the team, and when I was away at school I loved having their attention since I missed my own dog at home. I have also known 2 Pitts who were menacing and scary and nippy and not at all friendly owned by someone who simply refused to train them, and I do believe they were removed by ACC at one point and likely euthanized, because as adult dogs, they were not adoptable like that. I also knew a Sheltie abused in his first home but nipped easily in fear even when provided a loving 2nd family- it was my own family dog, Jason, and it broke my mom's heart to have to put him down when I got a serious bite as a toddler.

Pitt Bulls, like Dobermans, were bred to be guard dogs, and bred to fight. (Pitts get their name from 19th-century England where they were bred to fight in pits. They were bred for their aggressiveness, the same behavior that in the 21st century isn't cool in a family pet. A lot of it seemed very practical at the time, there weren't electronic security systems at the turn of the 20th century. Some of it was for sport- and indeed, dog-fighting, like cock-fighting, is still going on all over the Bay Area, despite, well how do I say this? our different attitudes about all kinds of things from other places in the country more known for the "sport". If it was only breeders with licenses, etc. and requiring good homes and responsible humans to get puppies, we'd have no issues. But if Animal Cops shows are any indication, that accounts for half of new puppies- the rest coming from people that shouldn't have had the adult dogs that preceeded them in the first place. Spaying and neutering actually cuts aggressiveness, marking and other unwanted behaviors in family pets... in many cases, it can also protect the animal's health. Bonus that it also means that there aren't more unwanted pets, or more pets sold more for money or given away to whoever will take them, not just responsible, loving people. 900,000 dogs and cats are born every year- and 600,000 are wanted.

I'm glad we have the law in CA that prohibits discriminating against a specific breed of dog, if it wasn't, cities would just ban "scary" dogs instead of dealing with the more complicated problems of bad behavior (in owners too, of course). After all, if you had a breed that was banned, would you be more or less likely to get it spayed or neutered, or get proper medical care for it, like a responsible owner of any pet should? Of course, most insurance companies already refuse homeowner's insurance to people who own Pitts, Dobermans, Chou/Chows, Shepards, Akitas, Presa Canarios, Jindos, Tosas, Dogos, etc. You can't hide them in your shirt or a cat carrier like ferrets.

I dogs, period. I HATE hearing about people who don't treat their dogs as a beloved family member, and train them right, etc.

Mom charged in fatal dog mauling

The mother of a 12-year-old boy fatally mauled by the family's pit bulls was charged Thursday with child endangerment.

That's it?!?

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/06/24/dog.mauling.ap/index.html

Dalmations were breed to run under carraiges and to tak the horses to the barn when the day was over. My dalmation is lucky to sit upright while I drive her around. What animals were bred for and what they are now have no relation. All dogs are good. Some owners are suspect. Many owners are BAD. Lets give the animals the benefit of the doubt.

I suggest we punish the owners, anyone disagree?

I bet with a muzzle and some love I could train this pit bull. My dalmation was out of control when I got her. If there was any question, I would never leave my kid alone with the dog or my cats or any smaller dog. Only a dog that can defend itself. Common sense.

I am reminded of that story about the frog & the scorpion - as well as that Al green song where the woman takes the snake into her home and he turns around and bites her. He says, 'well you knew darn well I was a snake before you brought me in!"

It just bothers me to no end that some people dont want to change the laws because they think it's unfair or cruel to the animal.

So I ask, how many people, including children, need to be mauled, seriously injured or killed before the liberals are willing to make a change????

There are SEVERAL countries that have outlawed pits. France for one.

Does anyone know what it takes to rehabilitate a biter. I can speak from experience on this. It takes alot of time. work and dedication on the owners part. You have to consult with a behaviorist as well as a trainer. You have to practice a minimun of 30 minutes a day. It took me over a year to get my dog to where I can trust him again. I wont even mention how many times I had to bring out my checkbook.

Now think about the people who own pits. Yes, there are some who take the time, and make the effort to train their dogs. But most of them dont. The dog is just too much a liability to leave untrained.

Would you leave a loaded gun in the house unlocked? The same applies to pits.

My dog was attacked by a pit bull in the park. My dog was on a leash, the pit wasn't. Wasn't neutered either. The owner didn't pay for my vet bills, didn't even apologize.

Now I carry a golf club when I walk my dog.

Sorry for your experience. I still can't believe all this happens as I am out there everyday. I live next to two pits. I have only been afraid of one dog around my dogs and that was a rotweiler. I BELIEVE there are bad pit experiences but shall we poll for bad doberman experiences; bad mastif experiences (I know first hand of a deformed kid); bad shepard experiences; shoot my dalmation bit my fiancee as she stupidly tried to pick up a bone that the dog was working on. The dalmation loves this woman and kids. I trust MY dalmation around infants and the kids pet the dalmation every outing, ask debbie (Petsrpleasure). Can't we treat them as exceptions as there are millions of pits out there? If you need to meet a good pit or two, I am sure my neighbor would accommodate anyone. Dogs aren't bad, owners can be. Would you ban all mexicans if a small percentage of us were anti-social? We error on the side of innocent I thought.