3 yr old Pittsburgh boy was attacked by dogs

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

There are many things that will cause a pit bull to bite/attack. A lot of these same things will make any dog bite/attack.

But, there are thousands and thousands of pit bulls in this country that have never bit and will never bite.

Anyone that purchases a pit bull should be responsible enough to train the dog or have it trained. Keep it in a fence, inside or however but not allow it to roam. And the dog should be fixed. I am sure there are other things but I don't own one so I don't know.

A lot of (not all) the attacks that make the news are in fact done by dogs taught to attack either because of their owners illegal activity or they are used for fighting or just becaue the owner wants a mean dog. Whichever it still goes back to the owner.

If pit bulls are ever outlawed, there will be another dog that is used in this same manner and makes the news. Rotweiler, Doberman, Chow are all dogs that can do the same damage.

My prayers are with this child and his family. The dogs should be put down and the owner should be charged.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

 

[HelenePA]

a small pug terrorized my bus stop last week. he got out of his house and bit at least one kid. I dont think it was serious though.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

a small pug terrorized my bus stop last week. he got out of his house and bit at least one kid. I dont think it was serious though.

I just got a little funny picture in my head of a newspaper headline..."PUG TERROIZES BUS STOP IN CENTRAL TX" with a picture of a really bug eyed pug under it...I know it's not funny, but I have a tendancy to laugh at things that aren't always outright funny.

It definately makes you realize that ANY animal small or large can be aggressive. And I do get the amount of damage done is totally different...But the dogs should be treated no differently.

I had a lab and a pitbull. My lab would tear someone up if she had to, but my pit wouldn't waste the time to bat an eyelash. I am firm believer in the fact the owners of these dogs are the problem. Not saying it's all how you raise a dog, because some dogs are just plain mean, but in those cases they should be cared for in a way that keeps everyone safe.

 

[Art 1]

Not all pit bull owners are drug dealers but it seems most drug dealers own pit bulls.

And snakes, statistics prove.

 

[Hannathy]

I just got a little funny picture in my head of a newspaper headline..."PUG TERROIZES BUS STOP IN CENTRAL TX" with a picture of a really bug eyed pug under it...I know it's not funny, but I have a tendancy to laugh at things that aren't always outright funny.

Thanks for the chuckle, I have a warped sense of humor also and had a similar thought flash through my mind.


To the person who said where was the parent, it DOESN'T matter that has nothing to do with allowing dangerous dogs loose.

I'm glad the police or who ever stopped the owner from taking the dogs away and I"m sure removing them from the area if they would have got them away from the park.

Poor little guy. I agree all dogs can bite and be not friendly (my friend had a "killer" chihuahua that hated everyone and was nasty) but certain breeds do have more of an ingrained possibility due to what they were originated to do. And to own these dogs you have to be super vigilant so that nature doesn't take over.

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

To the person who said where was the parent, it DOESN'T matter that has nothing to do with allowing dangerous dogs loose.

It Doesn't matter that a three or four year old child was left unsupervised at a playground and was only saved because two good samaritans driving by stopped to help???? Really?????

While it doesn't make what the dogs did any less horrific or make the dogs' owner any less responsible, having a supervising adult there might have prevented some (or all) of those injuries from occurring.

 

[Mermaid02]

It Doesn't matter that a three or four year old child was left unsupervised at a playground and was only saved because two good samaritans driving by stopped to help???? Really?????

While it doesn't make what the dogs did any less horrific or make the dogs' owner any less responsible, having a supervising adult there might have prevented some (or all) of those injuries from occurring.

It matters where the parents were, BUT it's 2 different incidents. DHS can see if the parents are fit and the law needs to deal with the vicious dogs.

 

[Hannathy]

It matters where the parents were, BUT it's 2 different incidents. DHS can see if the parents are fit and the law needs to deal with the vicious dogs.

That is my point. Thank you. It doesn't matter to the story, it is the old blame the victim mentality. It is up to the parents whether they let him play there that is a parent decision, they should be able to have reasonable expectations that vicious dogs shouldn't be roaming the neighborhood looking for prey.

 

[Mermaid02]

That is my point. Thank you. It doesn't matter to the story, it is the old blame the victim mentality. It is up to the parents whether they let him play there that is a parent decision, they should be able to have reasonable expectations that vicious dogs shouldn't be roaming the neighborhood looking for prey.

Exactly. The parents were morons for leaving their small child alone, but it doesn't change the fact that the dogs were vicious and shouldn't have been at large.

 

[PghLybrt]

a small pug terrorized my bus stop last week. he got out of his house and bit at least one kid. I dont think it was serious though.

I have 2 mini pugs. My female I can no longer take to the dog park because last time a pit smelled her the wrong way or looked at her funny (who knows!) and she took the pit down. The owner was in shock that my 15 lb pug could do that.

They both were fine.

 

[sunnyday123]

We probably would never know because the Cocker Spaniels wouldn't make the news.

But like I said there seems to be an unusual amount of dog attacks lately in this area. No matter what the breed , its sad to hear about.

I am sure if there was a roving band of cocker spaniels, labradors or poodle running around mauling small children, we would hear about it. Anyone remember the first face transplant recipent? She was mauled by a labrador. That wasn't kept secret.

Google most common dog to bite.

 

[Jey12]

I really hope the child makes a full recovery. I agree with one of the PP's that the owner should be arrested, fined and given jail time and the dogs should be euthanized. No questions, no chance to argue, end of discussion. I also think you can ban pits all day and half the night and it's not going to stop the problem. These same kind of attacks have been reported since people started living in urban type of communities and keeping dogs. Dobermans, Rottweilers, German Shepherds and Chows have been highly banned in cities at one point or another. If all pits were removed from this earth the dog attacks wouldn't stop or lessen in number, you'd just hear about a different breed doing the attacking. The same type of owners would just go get a different breed of dog. I don't care what breed it is, what the child did, etc...if my dog aggressively attacks a child that's the last thing the dog is going to do in life. Dogs should not be unattended when there's any chance a child can be around them.

Unsupervised children and dogs together, no matter the dog or child is a disaster waiting to happen.

I think pits are fine dogs to own, and will let my child interact with one I know has been properly raised. The same rules apply to any dog she's ever around. She's been taught how to properly be around a dog, and I supervise her play with our dogs and other people's. I don't care what breed of dog you own honestly as long as it's trained and socialized. I have a german shepherd and from the first day I brought her home she's been taught that teeth on human skin is never acceptable. Period. I would never own a pit personally for the same reasons I wouldn't own a westie, jack russel, or any other terrier breed. I don't like the terrier personality in general.

My thoughts on media reports is that often the dog being reported isn't even a pit. Yet they scream pit bull attack all over the headlines. Most of the time I see a dog that maybe has some type of bully breed in it, but usually it's a boxer, lab or some other block headed type of breed mixed in. I feel if we're going to ban a breed the public should at least know what the breed they are banning looks like. This is a link to a quiz that gives pictures of breeds commonly mistaken for being a real American Pit Bull Terrier. By the way I chose the actual pit first attempt. I have found it interesting how many people can't pick the actual pit after several attempts.

http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

 

[HelenePA]

I have 2 mini pugs. My female I can no longer take to the dog park because last time a pit smelled her the wrong way or looked at her funny (who knows!) and she took the pit down. The owner was in shock that my 15 lb pug could do that.

They both were fine.

yes it was a mini pug that was at our stop as well. the more the owners chased it the more it ran. I tried to get it but it wanted to bite me so I stood my ground and tried to shoo it away. thats when it ran after a kid who was running from the bus to his house to get away from the little devil... the owner said it was a bad dog and hoped someone would run it over.

 

[novajeanjellybean]

I also hate that pit bulls get such a bad rap. I have 2. I blame the owners too. Where were they??? Anyone with any type of dog should know that your dog needs to be supervised and on a leash when out in public. Its just sad all the way around.

ETA: Isn't there another thread about a small dog biting someone in the face and they had to get stiches???

 

[bumbershoot]

I actually was told I could not adopt a 9 week old cocker spaniel from the pound because the person interviewing me asked if I planned on having babies and I said yes. She said that though it doesn't get publicized like "large" breeds, cocker spaniels are one of the leading dogs bite numbers, especially to children.

I have known cocker spaniels to be one of the most common, if not THE most common, dogs to bite since the 80s. (my mom quoted that they were the "most bitingest" but that sounds goofy, even though it makes sense if you really think about the word) I always get confused when others don't know that. But...big difference between a cocker bite and another dog's bite...

Not all pit bull owners are drug dealers but it seems most drug dealers own pit bulls.

Worked out that way in my neighborhood, that's for sure! I avoid the owners around here because they all dress to make themselves appear to appear street-tough, so I just have decided to believe them...

ETA: Isn't there another thread about a small dog biting someone in the face and they had to get stiches???

Read it again...doesn't seem to have been a small dog....

 

[high meadows]

The difference is between a bite and a death. Most states keep records of the breeds and crosses most likely to attack unprovoked. Pit bulls lead in almost every list. Sure the owners are often idiots, and sometimes they get mauled, but somehow the attraction of fool to power goes on.

 

[novajeanjellybean]

I have known cocker spaniels to be one of the most common, if not THE most common, dogs to bite since the 80s. (my mom quoted that they were the "most bitingest" but that sounds goofy, even though it makes sense if you really think about the word) I always get confused when others don't know that. But...big difference between a cocker bite and another dog's bite...



Worked out that way in my neighborhood, that's for sure! I avoid the owners around here because they all dress to make themselves appear to appear street-tough, so I just have decided to believe them...




Read it again...doesn't seem to have been a small dog....

I've just read the most recent posts and the question is : What if I told you a now that it wasn't a small dog, it was a pit bull mix?

It doesn't say it is or isn't. Regardless of the breed I blame the owners. And it wasn't one dog it was two. Two dogs of any large breed (Rottweiler, German Shepard, Lab, Pit Bull, Staffordshire Terrier) when attacking can do alot of damage. Its sad all the way around.

 

[Missy1961]

It Doesn't matter that a three or four year old child was left unsupervised at a playground and was only saved because two good samaritans driving by stopped to help???? Really?????

While it doesn't make what the dogs did any less horrific or make the dogs' owner any less responsible, having a supervising adult there might have prevented some (or all) of those injuries from occurring.

Not necessarily. There are plenty of stories of adults being right next to the child being attacked, and they were still attacked.

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

Not necessarily. There are plenty of stories of adults being right next to the child being attacked, and they were still attacked.

Yes, dogs can attack and cause a lot of damage very quickly, and large dogs (especially when there's more than one!) would be very hard to fight off. However, there is also a good chance that a vigilant adult would have seen two loose, large dogs long before they approached the child, preventing the attack in the first place.

I realize that bringing up the fact that the mother (or father) wasn't there might seem to be blaming the victim, but I don't mean it to be. I just can't help envisioning this poor, defenseless four-year-old, crying for his parents as he's being attacked. Yes, we have every right to expect to be safe from roaming bands of vicious dogs. I just think that every small child has the right to be protected by those who are responsible for him, as well (to the best of their abilities). Four-year-olds shouldn't have to rely on strangers driving by to protect them from dangers...there should be an adult already designated in that role. What if those two ladies hadn't stopped...the boy would probably be dead! It is definitely a separate issue, but I still think it's a valid one.