Dog mauls baby to death in Brooklyn

So she ran next door while the dog was crushing the boy?
Good job.

I have been a pet sitter for over 10 years and I would like to offer dog owners some advice. Most dogs do not like people to touch their paws! I'm not sure if it is just a natural instinct or if it is just because they are in fear of having their nails clipped. Never leave a child alone with a dog, particularly if the child does not understand the rules of interacting with a dog. Dobermans and pitbulls are NOT appropriate pets for any household that has children--period! Furthermore, do not believe anyone who says that they do not know their dog can be vicious--it is a lie. There are always signs--these folks obviously ignored the signs and trusted the dog with the child because they assumed the dog loved them enough never to turn on them. Dog are not human, and they do not think like humans. All dogs are unpredictable. They killed their own child with their irresponsible behavior. She "heard the child scream and ran to see what happened." Obviously she left the child alone with this vicious animal. How did she know the baby touched the dog's paw if she wasn't in the room? The answer is--she didn't. She assumed that was the reason because she ALREADY knew the dog would turn if the paws were touched. I hope the district attorney takes note of this woman's statements and prosecutes these people for negligent homicide. This story is disgraceful and makes me ill! The sad fact is there are thousands of these irresponsible pet owners in this city. It's always the same excuse--I didn't know he was vicious, he never acted that way before. Liars! That line is ALWAYS a LIE and I just proved it by quoting her own words.

In addition to my previous comment I also would like to offer some advice in case a dog is in the midst of attacking someone. One word--water. Most dogs hate to have water poured on them and it will take their attention away from what they are doing. If you know that about your dog, i.e., your dog hates to be showered or bathed, then have a big big jug of cold water in the fridge available to pour on your vicious dog. Grabbing their hind legs (back legs) can also be effective--it makes the dog lose their balance, but don't get between the dog and the victim unless you are willing to sustain the attack yourself. Unfortunately, there are really no good solutions for this because it can be almost impossible to distract a dog when they are in attack mode. PREVENT it from happening by not introducing breeds of dogs that are known to be vicious into homes with children!

I have owned dobermans since 1982. They are very loyal, loving and personal dogs. They tend to favor one person only. It's not the dog's fault. Never leave an infant alone with any dog for any reason. Being a responsible dog owner would have prevented this tragedy. I'm not making excuses for the dog, however the people that were involved bears that responsibility.