11-year-old boy killed by pit bull

They outta to be illegal.

He was a great boy! They should not be allowed to be owned by families with children...

now you cant say they outta be illegal, my friend trains pit bulls and all of his pit bulls are certified search and rescue dogs...they should go through testing before your allowed to own one but not be illegal!!!!

I have been a firefighter and in EMS for 15 years, and a police officer for 4. I have never seen a pit bull used for any type of search and rescue.

cant use these sad news to bicker. i sure do agree with some kind of test for them prior to owning. how could you tell, is their personality in their frontal lobe like ours?with humans they can tell!!would it be affordable to run these tests??i do have to say that just like pits can kill other breeds can too and we would have a hell of a time killing all of them. think about it: a tiny breed could still kill an infant. can we get rid of all dogs??? i love dogs but i am not wanting to be bias on this!

Horrible tragedy. Could it have been prevented? Maybe. What kind of owners were these people? Did they allow the dog to be aggressive in the past? My AmStaff would be defenseless in a fight as he doesn't know any unkindness.

It is very sad and my heart goes out to the boy's family.
But these dogs should not be illegal. These dogs are wonderful dogs. I have owned Amstaffs for over 15 years. Unfortunetly, these dogs are owned by people who do not know how to properly care for them.
I'm not saying what happend isn't a tragedy because it is. But banning the dogs is not the answer.

Any dog can attack....it is just heart wrenching knowing that a child has died because of it. Animals learn their actions......my prayers go out to this family.

Kimberly wrote:

It is very sad and my heart goes out to the boy's family.
But these dogs should not be illegal. These dogs are wonderful dogs. I have owned Amstaffs for over 15 years. Unfortunetly, these dogs are owned by people who do not know how to properly care for them.
I'm not saying what happend isn't a tragedy because it is. But banning the dogs is not the answer.

AMEN!

yeah, any dog can attack , but wny is it that every time we here a story like this one, there is a pitbull involved?

pecosa wrote:

yeah, any dog can attack , but wny is it that every time we here a story like this one, there is a pitbull involved?

Because its like racism on breeds. I have owned pits all my life and I have kids and we have raised our children with our pit... my dog doesnt have a mean bone in his body but I trust him with our lives. He would die for us. Its all in how you raise your animals just as how you raise your children.... if you raise them to be hard they will be. PUNISH THE DEED NOT THE BREED.

Being a breeder, trainer, and on the show dog circuit for many years, You get a real chance to see what ideal temperament of these and all dogs should be. It is simply not throwing any two dogs together. There is a study of pedigrees and breed types that should go into it. Unfortunately many people breed just for a quick buck. Putting out there many unstable dogs OF ALL BREEDS.
Dogs are not a status symbol, you should know and study on any breed you own. There is a discrimination on many breeds for aggression. But proper breeding,training, and care would help to remedy a lot. Seek out a breeder, one who is concerned with the temperament of the dogs he or she turns out into this world. As a breeder it is a reflection on you, the type of dog you breed. Not so much can be said for a backyard breeder who gives no guaruntee.

My sympathy to the family.

I heard about this story a couple of days ago, and have read a lot of the articles and blog posts about it. I had a couple of arguments, just today, about this subject. One with a girl I work with, and one with a girl that serves me drinks at a bar I frequent. Neither of them made very much sense in their argument. Both have very young children residing in the same home as their pit bulls.
The girl I work with even has photos of one of her TWO pit bulls face to face with her daughter, who is not even a year old. The dogs head seems twice the size of the child, and the dog is allowed to approach her child freely, close enough to lick the childs face. She thinks it makes for "cute" pictures.
I think I made some headway into talking a little sense into the girl that I work with, but the latter...let me just tell you this much, I made the point that a pit bull attacking a child that the dog was raised with is like winning the Power Ball or getting struck by lightning...the chances are not good, but it does happen. I asked this person "What are you going to do if your pit bull attacks your child?" Her response: "I guess I'll have a funeral." That response simply disgusted me to no end. What kind of a person puts a DOG over the safety of their child?
First and foremost, I am a dog lover, no matter the breed. I also understand that pit bulls are not the only species of dog that attack and kill. It does seem that the media focuses on pit bulls for some reason, but there are several large breeds of dog that are capable of, and will, kill a small child in a matter of seconds.
I can't stand the fact that people that own large dogs, and have small children, don't realize the danger involved. Everyone thinks that their dog would never do anything like that because the dog is their "baby".
Anyone that thinks like that is a moron.
My ex-fiancee has a small dog, a mutt, he is really the sweetest dog on Earth. But, he is mostly blind because of cataracts. By instinct, whenever something or someone startles him, he attacks. He has bitten my ex several times, she has scars to prove it. Luckily, he is a small dog, and does not do much permanent damage when he does. It is his instinct to attack because he is pretty much defenseless, and must not show weakness. If he shows weakness to another dog, he will most likely be killed. It's a law of Nature. When there are small children in her house, she locks "the Bear" away in a back room. We both realize that the chances of Bear randomly attacking are small, but you cannot always keep a child from grabbing or scaring a dog simply by playing with them. She does not take the chance.
You cannot change instinct. You can only hope to control it. That is not always possible.
Very young children cannot keep from being kids. They run, they scream, they flail their arms around, they grab, they pull, they tug...all of this threatens and can make dogs very primal. Children running around, simply playing and being kids does not show dominance. It is easy for an adult to control how they act around an animal, but kids will be kids.
No responsible parent should have a large dog, that is capable of killing in a matter of seconds, NO MATTER THE BREED, living in the same home as a child. I'm sorry, that is my opinion.
Keep your "killer" breeds outside in a pen. Your children should be taught the right way to handle dogs, and NOT be allowed to be around large dogs until they are old enough to FULLY show dominace to the animal. Toddlers and kids younger than 13 or 14 are probably NOT mature enough to live under the same roof as a pit bull, or any other large, powerful breed of dog. It is a fact. Get used to it.
Stop trying to defend an animal...that is just that, an ANIMAL. Take the proper steps to protect your children, who DO NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND THEIR ACTIONS. Otherwise, you just might win that lottery...but it won't be so enjoyable.

Just wanted to touch on a point you made. About keeping the "killer" breeds out in a pen. Keeping any dog out in a pen not being part of the family , socializing them with many types of people, and situations is a means to a bad ending. The dogs get bored , are not properly socialized and can become very aggressive. That I am sorry to say is not the answer.
I have worked with many breeds deemed "aggressive" Rotts, Dobies, GM. Shep., to many to list. They are working breeds. They love to be given a purpose in life. Not just laying in a pen with their daily food and water. They need exercise. Both physically and mentally.
Any one who owns any dog should understand that they should always be monitoring, the dog and child together. They should never be left alone together. Both of my children (ages 16 and 4)have been raised with numerous German Shepherds and other breeds as well as mixed breeds. Between us running a rescue for unwanted and ailing animals, to showing on a circuit. Where they are taught how to treat and act around the many breeds of the AKC. Strange dogs unknown to them. Basically any dog.
People please, be fair to your children as well as your pets. They all need training and have limits set. With proper training and education for all parties involved Especially the parents, things like this may in the future become less and less.
I sit and wonder if everyone who owns a dog with or without children had to go to special training in order to have that pet, how many would own one then. Not for them to just become a whim or the newest lawn ornament.
If you had to invest in each dogs education as you do your children. Yes they are animals , but even animals need training, it even starts from day one with their own mother. As an owner you are obligated to continue that training for their safety as well of that of society.
Unfortunately not everyone in society, who owns a dog understands exactly what you take on by owning it and the obligations that you should be held to.
Please be wise educate yourselves about your pets. God Bless!

My last entry here, My deepest heart felt sympathy to the family. No ones words can change anything that has happened, for your child or your pet.
May God be with you in your deepest hours of need, and may you find the strength you need to help your family cope with your loss. I am in no way condemning you for what has taken place. I do not know your full situation and I do not know from where you obtained your dog. I can only hope to help educate others about the circumstances and responsibilities to ourselves, our children, our pets and our neighbors.
Everyone has an opinion as I have my own. We are all entitled to it. I only hope that others may learn and try to improve from others experiences in life.
May you find some peace in your journey forward.
God Bless!

I finally asked an owner of an adorable and lovely Amstaff, why it is always that breed that is involved in these maulings and killings. She did say that normally they are used as fighting dogs because a well trained pit won't bite a human. I asked her because I had recently called the police on a man with vicious pit bulls at the dog park. He actually called me stupid for bringing my dog into a "DOG PARK". What a Moron. I told him he better get his dogs on a leash and get them out of there because I was calling the police (which I did). He laughed and asked me if I would really put my dog in with his after seeing what they will do to him. I said after I get the police there I would. He did leave, before the police came. I think they should be illegal, sorry, I know there are good ones, but they just should not be able to breed them anymore. Eventually the breed will die out. Its just best. Buy a boxer not a pit bull!! God Bless the family. I am so sorry for them. I know they never thought it would happen.

To lose a child because of your family pet, is more then devastating. I pray the family will have all the support they will need to help get them through this tragedy. Deepest sympathy in your great loss.

interesting reading...http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Dog_attack

http://www.forpitssake.org/sar.html search and rescue pit bulls, just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it isn't so....

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_an...
hardworking_pit_bulls.html

it is amazing the information that is out there, with a simple click of a mouse. I am not promoting the ownership of any breed of dog. Even if you don't own a dog, it never hurts to have knowledge about them.

Watch out for wikpedia, ANYBODY can post anything there. You don't know where the information is from or if it is reliable.

Thanks, but it wasn't just for the wikpedia. It was also for the links from their research at the bottom. Basically the point was do research yourselves also . Find your own sources not just the pros but also the cons.