Have you seen the show Ax men on History Channel? One of the stars of the show is Jesse Browning. Over the weekend his four year old daughter died after being attacked by one of the family dogs. The dog was a Rottweiler. His daughter was airlifted to the hospital but it was too late and she died. Apparently this is not the first time one of the family dogs has attacked a family member. Four months ago one of the family dogs attacked someone. That dog was put to sleep. You would think after what happened four months ago, the family would have learned their lesson. This was not even the same dog as the first incident so I'm guessing these dogs have been trained in such a way that no one is safe around them. Apparently under Oregon law, the dog that did the killing doesn't even have to be put down. The dog can actually be brought back into the home. Seriously? How messed up is that?
Aw, man. I will never understand people wanting aggressive-breed (or aggressively bred dogs) and then have them around their little kids.
ReplyDeleteWe found a home for our jealous cat, that we had for years before having my son, when I caught her stalking him. It was awful to get rid of her and I think about her often still but I think we avoided a potentially bad situation. And this was a cat. I wouldn't think twice about a dog.
My parents have had a pitbull/bull mastive (2 dogs bread for fighting even though we weren't into that) mix and we never had any problems.
DeleteMy parents have had a pitbull/bull mastive (2 dogs bread for fighting even though we weren't into that) mix and we never had any problems.
Deleteparents should be charged and other children removed from their care.
ReplyDeleteYour a fukin idiot!!!
Deletepoor little girl. i hope she didn't suffer.
ReplyDeleteSuch a tragedy. Thoughts go out to the family. And, yeah, WTF don't have dangerous animals around your young children. Children who do not know better.. So Sad.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad it wasn't a Pit Bull. I'm so sick of them getting the blame for all dog attacks...
it is illegal, in the county i live in, to own a pitbull...i'm so very thankful for this law, especially when i hear of cases like this. i don't know who this guy is and i've never heard of the show...i'm trying to be compassionate here b/c he's most likely grieving--but wth considers it a good idea to allow aggressive animals around children?! i predict a divorce soon, if there isn't already one.
ReplyDeleteI feel bad that you live in a area that full of idiots and would ban a certain breed of dog. I've seen more vicious chihuahuas then I have pitbulls. And don't even get me started on cats. It's sad to see certain breeds so mislabeled due to people's stupidity.
DeleteI agree. Dogs can be a common breed meant to fight. How ever having said that, it also has a lot to do with how they are raised.
DeleteIt wasnt even a pitbull that attacked that poor child. Your a fukin idiot too!! ITS NOT THE DOGS FAULT YOU MORONS
DeleteJust to be clear. This WAS NOT a Pit Bull that attacked the girl. It was a Rottweiller...
ReplyDeleteIt's not the dogs, it's the owners. The family should bear the brunt of the responsibility, especially since the earlier incident proved that these people cannot handle a strong-breed dog. Aggression is not a "trait" of a rottweiler. It's either a symptom of some sort of frustration and lack of discipline or it's been conditioned into them by owners who want "defensive" animals. Only the most experienced professional handler and protection dog trainer can turn an animal into a weapon and also make sure that weapon has a safety catch. Most owners who buy powerful breed dogs for "protection" have no clue about how to handle them. What a tragedy - but you can't blame an "evil" dog that is only doing what it has been conditioned to do.
ReplyDeleteThese people shouldn't be allowed to keep that dog, though, that's for sure. Nor, if I were them would I want to.
We have a Rotty that is the sweetest dog ever she plays with the kitten and our three pugs. As well as my two handicapped boys she was taught never to open her mouth when playing unless its with a toy. She licks can't stop that but has never raised a hair with any one she knows. If a stranger ever came near my kids and didnt have the sense to back off I can't promise they wouldn't have a problem 110 lbs of problem . But as far as my family or friends she is a big sweet baby. Its all in the way you raise them you should never play rough with them or teach them to be protective that comes natural to them .
DeleteThe breed isn't to blame. The owners are.
ReplyDeleteSo sad, that poor girl. Some people shouldn't have kids or animals.
^i'm aware of that.
ReplyDeletei was speaking about aggressive breeds in general. hence, the law in my county applies to pitbulls, not rotties. (altho i wish they'd include them too).
pitbull, rotweiller, who cares?? It could be a poodle for arguments sake...the dog KILLED this kid. I just don't understand what was going through the parents head...through their own bad decisions a poor little girl had to suffer. I hope children's services investigates these idiots.
ReplyDeletei don't care what kind of breed,some dogs have a tendency to turn and 1 time is enough to show you that.
ReplyDeletei was attacked by a fucking wiener dog when i was 3 for god's sake and still have scars.go ahead and laugh,it does sound funny.lol.
why are people constantly putting their pets before their children, safety wise? f-cked.
This is a truly sad story, but please remember that ALL animals have the ability to become agressive.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't agree with forcibly euthanizing an animal if rehabilitation is a possibility. So, in that respect, I like the Oregon law.
Yes, the family maybe could have prevented this tragedy. Or maybe there was nothing short of never having any animals in the house that could have spared them the pain they now share.
And for the record, I have fostered Rottweilers, Pit Bulls and American Strat. Terriers. While they may have scared me at times with their snarling and growling, they never bit me or lunged at me. Not every dog of a certain breed is inherently violent.
However, I don't really believe that these people will welcome the dog back into their home. That would have to be too hard for anyone. Perhaps the dog can find another home after proper training. Or maybe it will have to be destroyed. That should be decided on a case by case basis.
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ReplyDelete^A, it's not about what i think. i'm just saying i'm very happy we have that particular law in my county. i think it's awesome.
ReplyDeletePookie??? Your a fool, nuff said. Your parents never bought u that pretty puppy u wanted, now ur against all dogs...moron
Deletei can understand that because there are some really ignorant pittbull owners out there as well as other aggressive breeds. it's a hell of a lot easier to get a cocker spaniel off a 3yo than the jaws of a rottweiler.
ReplyDeleteI only mentioned the breed because I have an awesome Pit, and I guess I get a little defensive and pissed off when other people think they have the right and/or knowledge to lecture me on MY dog...and I totally agree it isn't the dog it IS the people who own the dog. The people who made it the way it is.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, the little sister of a friend got attacked by a Police German Shepard because she was swinging her book bag while she walked home from school and that triggered something in the dog to attack. So, yes dogs can be lethal weapons when conditioned that way...
I didn't mean anyone here was lecturing me... :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, I had a German Shorthaired Pointer (Rita) who attacked my friends 3 year old right in front of us. We were standing in the living room, talking, Rita walked up and just went for the kid.
ReplyDeleteThank God no eyes were lost, and today (6 years later) the scars are mostly invisible.
Rita was my baby...Rita went to the Vet to live for 14 days (check for rabies) Rita was put down. I won't live with a biting dog- don't care WHAT the circumstances are.
oh, I lived in Oregon at the time.
I've had dogs all my life, bred and showed them, too. Biting dog- gone. Some things you can not allow.
Absolutely, I'm same way one growl and and a bite and they are gone once a dog displays the intention to lash out . Bye bye puppy.
DeleteI rarely comment but had to when I saw this. My son was 7 when he was bit on the arm by our friend's dog (Rottweiler). Luckily enough it wasn't too bad of a bite but he still has the scar (he's almost 16)and for years he was afraid of dogs.
ReplyDeleteIt really divided my husband and his friend for quite a while because that dog had a history of biting people. So when I hear something like this I'm sickened. That poor family - they need to put the dog down. My heart goes out to them.
Kids vs. Pets
ReplyDeleteKids Win....Every Time!!!
If a dog can easily kill a human, they don't belong in a family with small children. Period. End of story. I don't care if you are the best dog owner in the world. I love dogs and have 3 of them and have 3 small children. That said, even my kids can easily fend off an attack from my little dogs.
I think bigger dogs are also intimidated a little by children. They are at eye level and that scares the dogs.
ReplyDeleteI agree with A...most dog attacks are by Cocker Spaniels and Dalmatians...it's the owner. Yes, some dogs are naturally more aggressive than others, but the right training can control that. A person who doesn't recognize that their dog (whatever breed) is trying to 'alpha' the humans (usually the kids because they're smaller) in the family are the ones to blame, not the dog.
ReplyDeleteCats are a little different as they are not generally pack-type animals--so the person who recognized that their cat was having issues with their child was right to find it a new home.
I was raised in part by Standard Poodles (say what you will, but if you‘ve ever had the pleasure to know one, you know what goofy fluffy bastards they are), and have zero experience with “aggressive” dog breeds as an owner. That said, I spend a lot of time at the dog park with my swamp dog observing these so-called aggressive breeds with their owners and noticed their owners tend to have much better control over them than people with labs, goldens, and little yappers. I was also a little fearful of pits, rotties, dobies, mastiffs, etc. but the ones I’ve met are sweeties.
ReplyDeleteAs others have said, it’s not the dog so much as the owner. Unfortunately, we live in a world in which people can buy any type of dog breed they want without understanding what that breed needs in terms of guidance and social structure.
My dog really wants her own mastiff or Rhodesian Ridgeback for her birthday.
Agreed with others who say it's the owner, not the dog. UNLESS, the dog is of a line that has been bred for viciousness.
ReplyDeleteTemple Grandin writes well about this issue in "Animals Make us Human."
From what have read Rotties are much worse to own than pitbulls. Their jaws have a trememdous amount of force, and rotties must be socialized and trained very early to ensure that they become properly socialized. That poor girl. If the parents keep those dogs in the house they should be shot.
ReplyDeleteI'm in my last years of veterinary school, and it is true that it is the owner, not the dog. Although some dogs are more predisposed to aggression than others (such as Rotties, German Shepherds, and Dobermans), it's how you raise and control them. I have a Chow Chow, which have an unfair reputation for being aggressive dogs, and she is the sweetest dog around. I socialized her from the day I got her, both with people and other dogs. I don't doubt that she would protect me if someone tried to hurt me, but so would my Golden, a dog that is not known as aggressive. It is the dog owner's responsibility to know what traits are present in their breed, and to control them.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, does anyone know which dog breed is one of the most hated by vets? Chihauhaus! They may be little, but they can be extremely vicious, and if they get you in the face, you could lose an eye. Frankly, I'd rather deal with a Pit Bull than a Chihuahua!
I went to elementary school with a girl who was attacked by a neighbor's rottweiler. Luckily she lived, but had major plastic surgeries and really went through a lot of recovery. It was not the first time the dog had attacked someone, but it had never been bad enough to report I guess. I will never understand why people put their own selfish needs of owning a dog that that has tendencies or a genetic likelihood of hurting someone especially when you put them in the same house as a child. I agree with many here, the owners have a LOT to do with the dog's personality, but considering this family had an issue before it's a shame a four year old had to suffer the consequences of their actions.
ReplyDeleteMy old dog, a cocker spaniel, used to chase the Great Danes around at the dog park - they were scared of her!
ReplyDeleteI have a Pit Bull now and I am like IceCat - very defensive about my dog. She's the biggest baby in the world, and you might be in danger of being licked to death...My fiance and I are responsible dog owners though - she goes to dog playtime at Petco everyweek to learn to get along with other dogs, and she is very good around his nieces, but she is NEVER around them without us present...Just gotta learn to be responsible.
Agree with everyone saying it's the owners, not the pets.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's necessarily the breed, but some dogs are born more aggressive than others and it doesn't matter how great they are trained, they are still a danger.
ReplyDeleteWe have the doggie death penalty in Oregon. When I was prosecuting, it was my job to prosecute the "death penalty" for dogs. The case when through the county court (a politically elected group) rather than the circuit court (traditional courtroom).
ReplyDeleteIt's not that an animal would not be put down after killing a person, it's just that there is no specific trigger for putting the dog down. You don't need to wait until the dog has done x, y, and z - you just need to prove that the dog is a threat.
I prefer rehabilitation of the dogs if all possible.
I think DHS is probably already involved in this case if the guy has other kids. All DHS needs to prove to take kids into care is that the circumstances are such as to endanger the health and welfare of the children in the home.
When I was a kid, our neighborhood was terrorized by a boxer that jumped a fence, chased kids around the adjoining back yard and had some of them trapped on a swing set before the police arrived to subdue it. Everyone I've talked to tells me how good boxers are with kids, so something must have triggered that dog's episode. As far as pit bulls are concerned, just watch "Pit Boss" on Animal Planet, the reality show about Shorty Rossi and his pit bull rescue service. He conducts public awareness programs to counteract the negative stereotypes about pit bulls, even taking them to nursing homes for visits, and signs a strict contract with people who adopt the dogs he rescues to provide a proper environment, health care and obedience training. He's the model for responsible animal ownership. If they're raised correctly, those dogs are big, lovable slobs!
ReplyDeleteWhile there are dogs that are more aggressive than others, I agree that a lot of it has to do with the owner it has and the training it receives. We had a Doberman while I was growing up (from 3 on) and he was the sweetest dog in the world - to humans; he even slept in bed with me every night (imagine sharing a twin bed with a big dog who woke you up every morning as soon as Mom hit the outside light!). I never so much as heard him growl at a human, but get another dog near him and it was on.
ReplyDeleteI feel for the parents of this poor child.
That is supremely messed up .. both the getting the dog back and the fact dude didn't figure it out fast enough to save his child. : /
ReplyDeleteI have a German Shepherd and have been around GSD my whole life. Not sure about other breeds but with German Shepherds aggression is bred into the dog by some breeders as a desirable trait, for sport, protection or police work. The sport of Shutzhund has become more and more popular. With the dog I have now we searched for over a year before I found a breeder that I trusted to sell me a dog with the "pet temperment" that I wanted. My dog is one of the goofiest, yet smartest dogs I have ever seen. And of course we socialized the snot out of her the second we brought her home.
ReplyDeleteI have owned Rottweilers since '94. I would never leave a dog and a child together be it a dachshund or a cocker spaniel... even though I was left with the family standard poodle. You just can't risk doing that anymore. My dogs - with the exception of my first Rott were all out of schutzhund-bred dogs and this story makes me sick.
ReplyDeleteMy ex neighbor had a rotty that she would let wander the neighborhood. On two occasions that rotty attacked my little Maltese, while he was leashed, when we walked by her house. I pried my little doggie out of his jaws ( after kicking the dog in his side and head and tackling him- adrenalin is a beautiful thing) and was bit myself. Animal control was called on both occasions and b/c the dog was docile, nothing was ever done except issuing a citation. She finally moved away and recently had a baby. I worry about that child b/c something about my little dog attracted him. I don't know how she could take such a risk.
ReplyDeleteYeah, some breeds are more agressive than others. They can be the best, sweetest dogs, if someone trains them right, but they often end up in the hands of people who have no idea how to conrol that power.
ReplyDeleteDalmatians are a perfect example - families get think thinking its a sweet adorable puppy (and it is) but its not really a family dog, is it?
The same with the rotties, I would never pick a rottie if i was planning on having a bunch of small kids running around it. Kids dont know how to act around dogs, and if the breed/dog is agressive, it could end very, very badly.
People. You cannot deny centuries of breeding preferences and standards. Some dogs have been bred for generations to be fighting dogs, to ignore pain, to have muscular, powerful builds, to be aggressive. Say what you want about a Cocker Spaniel, but you don't have to use a broom handle to unlock the jaws of a Cocker who bites your leg, your dog, or your kid. I do think that any breed may bite, any dog can be aggressive. But we cannot blindly pretend that some dogs are not more likely to cause damage when they do attack.
ReplyDeleteI truly believe that only ignorant people keep aggressive dogs around children. I have had dogs my entire life and simple common sense must dictate that a child is more important than a dog. Stories like these are so sad. Obviously, this family enjoyed keeping aggressive dogs and their little girl paid a terrible price.
It is not the dog's fault. Either the dog was badly trained or aggressive due to some other reason. The dog should not be put down; it just needs to be with a different family.
ReplyDeleteI used to rescue border collies. I now have three, which is why I stopped rescuing. One of the dogs I adopted out was placed with me because of his behavior. He was an escape artist. During an escape he bit someone. It was not a bad bite but it was the second incident. The judge said he would have to go to another home or be put down.
I never had a problem with him. He was terrified of men and I am sure he was mistreated. Add to that a border collie's tendency to nip (herding instinct) and you have trouble. He was adopted out and really bonded with the family's 16 year old (female). After a few years he finally warmed up to the males of the household. It was a good placement. They treated him well and were very patient and responsible. When new people came to the home they warned them and put him away.
I am so sad for what happened to this child. It is a terrible thing for all parties involved. This dog should probably have never been put in this situation and children are children and many times don't understand how their actions can have dangerous consequences. I don't know how the parents will cope. I don’t think I would ever forgive myself.
This is terrible, but I agree with everyone else about it being the owner, and specific dogs, not breeds.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, in my college psychology classes, studies have found that certain breeds aren't inherently more aggressive, they just have the reputation, and so more aggressive people adopt those dogs, and so they become aggressive. Hence pit bulls being lovable family dogs with some owners, or aggressive when their owners are gang members or want to fight them.
It's not the dogs, it's the owners.
ReplyDeleteI agree. If you go to YouTube and search for TexasGirly79 and her pitbull, Sharky, you will see the most adorable pit getting swatted by the owner's cat and lying around with her guinea pig.
http: //www.youtube.com /watch?v=vf9wHkkNGUU. They don't all have to be vicious and the same goes for rotties and other breeds with a reputation for being aggressive.
@Treesap-Covered Lady, Humanist: I don't mean to be flippant on such a tragic thread, but you wrote that, "I was raised in part by Standard Poodles". Hmmmmm, I've heard of being raised by wolves, but never of being raised by poodles... :)
I used to volunteer at a vet's office and have owned several big dogs.
ReplyDeleteThe only dog I've ever been afraid of is my grandparent's standard poodle. Another poster uses that breed as an example of a harmless dog.
I don't think you can predict the viciousness of an individual animal by breed.
Sad news for the family.
It is all on the owners. The dogs only do what they have been trained to do. Or want owners have neglected to train them not to do. It is never the dogs fault.
ReplyDelete