What are your thoughts about the family pit bull raping the 2 year old?

Question

Lockport police are investigating an apparent attack by a pit bull on a small boy.

The 2-year-old is recovering at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo after police say he was attacked and sexually assaulted by his family’s pit bull.

Police said the toddler was in his home on Washburn Street about 2 p.m. Sunday when the pill bull attacked. According to police, the dog sodomized the boy.

“The dog sexually attacked the kid and caused some pretty significant injuries,” said Lockport Police Detective Capt. Larry Eggert.

Eggert said the boy’s family members, who were reportedly home at the time, and neighbors had to beat the dog to get him off the boy.

http://www.tonawanda-news.com/local/local_story_191114137.html

Link to actual news story:

http://www.tonawanda-news.com/local/local_story_191114137.html

Link to later news story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19701430/

Answer 1

This is in fact a true story. As sad as it is, the details of this have not come out 100%. What I would like to know first and foremost is this dog neutered. If it was not neutered, was it ever able to mate. Does it hump people, stuffed animals etc and the family thinks it's funny and cute?? I have seen many families who encourage this as they think this is funny. Please know that an un-neutered dog that is never able to actually mate, is an extremely frustrated dog. This is normally when aggressive behaviors will occur. The fact that we do not know all of the details, ie was there another dog in close proximity of where these people live if not in the home that was in heat. This could prompt a dog to mount a child, an adult, etc...how many dogs have mounted a person's leg in the past, this incident is not really much different to the dog??? The other thing that I ask is, why would a mother leave a small child lying on the floor with a large powerful breed dog in the first place??? This is dog/baby 101 here people...in all of my years in helping people with animal behavior issues, I always tell them, I do not care how much you trust your dog...DO NOT LEAVE THEM ALONE with your baby in a room, especially your baby on the floor, it is a recipe for disaster. NO, we have never heard of a situation like this before, however to call it rape or sodomy is absolutely ridiculous. This is an animal that we have domesticated and we cannot forget that they are instinctual creatures (my guess is the dog is not neutered or has never been able to mate). We want in our hearts to believe they are human and that they think about things the same way that we do, however if you have ever seen a dog that has just killed another animal, you will know that this is not true. We run over a dog or a cat or even a squirrel and we feel horrible, probably for a very long time...a dog does not even think twice about this because they are instinctual creatures and this is not abnormal in their normal existence to do this. I just wish more people would realize that they are not humans, they do not think like humans, they do not act like humans and they should not be treated like humans. Therefore, I will have to say that I hope this family can get through this as it is heartbreaking, however...I have to say that this dog should not be put down because it was doing something that it had no control over.

Answer 2

Perhaps it had an internal deformity in the womb, or perhaps somehow the mother underwent a stress during the pregnancy that killed the puppy. Either way, you should probably have the female spayed, to prevent further problems. I don't know what these people are talking about, saying that the age of the father killed the pup; sperm is sperm, and has nothing to do with whether a puppy lives or dies, unless it died from a congenital inherited condition. However, you really should not breed your dogs unless you know they are proven show dogs (which I don't think is the case, or else you haven't mentioned it), or there is such a high demand for their puppies that you automatically know they would be placed in loving forever-homes, which is exceedingly rare for all dogs right now. And even if that were the case, why not have your dogs neutered and spayed anyways? With all the pet overpopulation in the world today, there are already enough puppies and grown dogs worried about whether they will find a home or not; why not do your part, and make sure you do not contribute to the vast number of unwanted pets.

Answer 3

I too am having a very hard time believing this. Anything is possible, we all know that. But if the dog attacked and then supposedly sodimized the boy.....wouldn't the boy have yelled or something upon the initial attack? And any one who leaves any child alone with any dog is just careless. Even the most docile dog can suddenly turn aggressive with any child. All it could take would be a simple accidental step on the dog. Or pulling of the dogs fur.
I also have to say that I don't think that neutering had everything to do with it. Neutered or not, I think that would have to do with the individual dog. Even neutered dogs have been known to mate with a female. My shep mix spent his whole life un-neutered (I was very young when I got him, he was my first dog. Didn't realize neutering was so important back then), never was able to mate.......BUT he NEVER once ever tried to go after either of my children. I never had one single problem with him ever. I was lucky, he lived a long, healthy, happy life and was never sick a day in his life. Old age took him from me!
My point is, I really think there is more to this story. My heart goes out to the little boy.....what a tragic thing to happen. And the problem here, no matter what way you look at it, is the parents, or owners fault. Not the fault of the dog.

Answer 4

Edko asked this question earlier so I am posting the link http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AoupbjMeC8wRa.VRAJe19Cnty6IX?qid=20070711215532AAswTHb&show=7#profile-info-rTQ4YLBIaa

Simply put though people are responsible for this. Either the dog was trained to do this or a person is hiding behind this to escape the consequences. I have read the news reports along with some of the statement's made by "witnesses" and they don't agree on the facts regarding where this happened, who was present, how long the child was alone and what the neighbors did.

Regardless I hope the child and dog are taken properly care of and that the child is given the love and support to deal with this horrible experience. I did contact lockport police at 716-433-7700 who confirmed that a child was sexually assaulted and an investigation was underway. Anyone can contact them at this number if they wish to confirm the story.

I would encourage people to read the link because I answer in further detail why my beliefs are as they are. People need to understand that for many reasons (this being the most remote possibility) you should never leave a child and dog unsupervised together.

As for the dog, I would have to wait to see whether getting the dog fixed resolved any behavioral problems. I would also want to see the assessment from the behaviorist they called in before passing any judgment. Jumping to the conclusion that the dog should be killed before any of you know the truth is foolish. I have raised, handled, trained and owned pits and never heard of anything like this before. When the experts don't understand this what makes people think they are better able to comprehend just what has happened here.

My thoughts are with this young boy while he begins what is sure to be a hard recovery. I hope the police identify who was behind this and ensure that person or people are brought to justice quickly and they receive the treatment they so desperately need.

Answer 5

Wow, what a strange story! There are alot of interesting views on this issue. I agree with many of them.

1. This doesn't make sense. Dogs don't rape people (or even other dogs) so I don't understand what brought this on, but even if the dog was horny or frustrated, I don't believe it would take it out on the family's 2 year old.

2. Where were the parents? A child should never be left alone ESPECIALLY AT 2 YEARS OLD!!!!

3. Dogs don't have agressive behaviors unless they are taught to be that way. Was this dog trained to fight and very strong as a result? I can't imagine it taking family members and neighbors having to beat the dog off the boy!

4. This will sound really gross, but please keep an open mind. How did the dog know to put it there? Dogs do not have our bodies and they don't know where things are unless they are taught! Too many things just don't add up!

This dog should not be put down because of this incident. IF in fact, he did rape the boy (which I HIGHLY DOUBT!), he should be placed in a new home and not allowed near children while a trainer works with the dog to see if his aggression can be reversed.

My thoughts and prayers are with this young boy. He was unable to defend himself against such a horrible act and whoever did this should be brought to justice swiftly.

Answer 6

I own a Pit Bull and it is neither a rapist nor a child sodomizer. This is so bizarre it should be raising lots of red flags to say the LEAST.
A mother says she was changing her baby's diaper and then left the room for a minute with a undiapered baby in a room with a big dog.
SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE.
I don't know any mothers that would leave a baby half naked on a bed or wherever she left the baby,in the middle of changing a diaper, with or without a big dog in the room to go do something else for a minute!
If a big dog even started to do something like try and hump a baby, the baby would be screaming and crying before any contact could be made. This would have brought any mother leaving the room in the middle of diaper changing- running back immediately.
SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE.
They say the boy was dragged by the dog, having been in a locked position I am guessing. I don't see how this would have been possible, all things considered, unless the mother was involved.
A woman in my city recently accused her pet Dachshund of biting off the genitals of her baby. Upon the investigation, it was found the woman mutilated her own child. Not the dog.
THINK ABOUT THIS STORY.
I used to work in psych with children and NOTHING would surprise me about what people can do to children, even their own children. I can't see this dog involved unless the mother or some twisted boyfriend or whatever was involved in inciting this. It doesn't make sense.

Focusing on acts or allegations of acts committed by dogs by breed and then maligning that breed would be no different than saying all people of a certain race, (media focusing on that race, too, with constant stories of crimes committed) are dangerous, lazy, theives, rapists, etc; in order to create FEAR of that race.

OH WAIT, that has happened in the USA, with certain races. It has happened in Germany under Hitler where Jews were targeted as a race as the cause of societal ills, and it has happened between the Serbs and the Bosnians.

USE YOUR BRAIN and think beyond sensationalistic media and you might come to a very different conclusion and avoid labelling a breed according to acts of one dog, and in this case, most likely instigated by people.
USE YOUR BRAIN FURTHER and put two and two together about the sequence of events and that the dog was not beaten to get the dog off him. The dog was not holding the boy in his MOUTH.
PEOPLE were involved in this. I can guarantee it. I hope it is investigated properly.
Oh, and since family members were there, why was the undiapered baby left alone at all and then dragged out in a yard or whatever where people started beating on it? This is a very sad and tragic story with parental neglect being one factor. It does not make the whole breed bad any more than Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson make all humans bad.
Still, I think a person was behind this.

Answer 7

honestly i'm dumbfounded.....i mean come on how could or why would a dog do this? never have i heard such a strange story...it like th one where the pit or ferret chewed the toes off a newborn(still bet it was the ferret) and the sad thing is i think the parents are to belame. and like many others why did it take neighbors to help BEAT the dog off the kid locked i'm sure he was but still..i don't get it..ppl are sick... i feel sorry for the kid and for the dog aswell......like someone else said dogs often get belame for many human 'abuse' cases....

my dog pulled me off the porch at about 8yrs old and broke my wrist...the ER drs kept asking if someone pushed me cause they didn't think the dog did it....he did he went after another dog and i wasn't paying attention...and down i went...still holding the leash....with a broke wrist. i didn't want him to get hurt by fighting...lol. so there is a case where the dog did it...but its not like he had thoughts of hurting me...he just wanted to hurt the dog walking by...lol....as far as dog rape child sounds a bit to made up and human caused to me as well.

Answer 8

My first reaction was do a rape kit on the poor child. My insinct is to suspect a human element in this. Dogs are targets for the blame on a lot of human indiscretions. If the dog was attempting to sodomize teh kid, why did he not scream his head off and alert his mother to the attack? Was he perhaps not permitted to scream? There are some very sick people out there.

Answer 9

I don't believe it. Probably a guy did it and got scared and made up the story about the dog. I just do not believe that a dog would do that! There may even have been a gang rape. The ones involved had to make up some kind of story about what happened. They could even have gone as far as getting semen from the dog to put inside the boy. When all the facts are known, I say it was a human attack, not one made by a dog.

Answer 10

Its the parents fault. Where were they? Why was the child alone with a dog? Why was the dog not trained? There is to many questions that need to be answerd before even judging this story. I dont belive for a minute it is the dogs fault. A dog only acts the way you train it. And it looks like in this case its the parents fault 110%