Who's fault in this pitbull attack?

Question

Ky. Girl Survives Losing Scalp In Pit Bull Attack 9/10/07
Child In Stable Condition; Scalp Found In Dog's Stomach

HODGENVILLE, Ky. -- A 4-year-old Kentucky girl is lucky to be alive after a gruesome attack by the family's pit bull.

The attack happened Monday night at the child's home in Hodgenville, in Larue County, Louisville television station WLKY reported.

As Emily Page Stinnett remains in stable condition at Louisville's Kosair Children's Hospital, Larue County Sheriff Bobby Shoffer struggles to remember an attack as gruesome as Monday's.

"It's the worst I've seen in my 17 years of law enforcement," he said.

Shoffer added that when he and his colleagues responded to the Stinnet's home, they saw a blood-spattered doghouse in the backyard, Miller reported. And the pit bull hadn't seemed to calm down since the attack. The deputies then took action.
rest of article
http://www.wlky.com/news/3243296/detail.html

Answer 1

I have been warning, yelling, screaming about this for years. Pitt Bulls are very very unpredictable ! ! Yes, there are exceptions to the rule but I have seen it happen right in front of my eyes. Had it happen to me.

There are many reasons why it is this way but ignorance should not be an excuse. Pitt Bull are dangerous dogs no matter how you look at it.

It most diffenantly the Pitts fault. To chain a dog brings out aggression & you can not tell people they are doing wrong. You hear all kinds of excuses as to why the dog had to be chained & most usually it is because the owners haven't taken the time to do a little training. It is too aggressive, it gets out of the yard, it tears up everything. People don't pay attention the behavioral issues & just pass it off as something else.

I put 3 Pitts through guard dog training & all three failed in doing their jobs. They don't even make good personal protection dogs because of their unpredictablity. Two of them would redirect their aggression on to the handlers & would have to be choked down to stop the behavior. When they came to they still had redirect issues.

I hope by you shareing this that something, some how seeps into the conscience mind of some people. These dogs are dangerous, I know from working with them & from personal experience that they need a very knowledgeable owner to pay attention to the behavior.

Spirit blesses you for your efforts & concerns. Thank you for posting this.

What do you think of making temperament testing a mandatory test on all the breeds that are on the hit list? I would love to see this happen.

Answer 2

Because of all the ignorant masses that insist on giving these dogs a bad rep by fighting them, etc. They're already banned them in the town I live in [although you can have them outside of the actual town], and where I work [Cincinnati]. And it's all because of this, whether the dogs are actually fighting pit bulls or not. The best thing you can do is lead by example and show people what a great dog yours is. Sounds like you're doing a great job so far, so keep it up! It's great that you're trying so hard, despite what others say. It's ridiculous how breedist people can be. ANY dog can be mean and attack someone, but due to some people who actually CARE for their dogs, that's rarely, if EVER, the case. Bravo to you for pressing on!

Answer 3

Seemingly, the parents and/or guardians of this little girl are partially at fault by not watching her. BUT, the main 'culpret' in this gruesome act is the dog because he applied the actual damage! The problem, though, is that an animal cannot be held accountable; the parents have to. They are responsible for not watching their daughter, and they are responsible for their pet having to be put to sleep... as I am sure was the outcome of the incident. Yes, it was a hurrendous and freaky accident, but with a little precaution, it could have been avoided.

I love all animals, but some are not supposed to be trusted! For example, DON'T leave your cat alone in a room with your fish tank and DON'T leave your cat around birds! Your pet Pit Bull, and several other breeds of dogs and other pets should NOT be trusted alone when around your children because all animals are unpredictable...some more than others.

Surely, if a pet, of any kind, has a reputation at being territorial and protective of his/her environment, a parent of a small child and/or any older person should use precaution when approaching or interacting with such an animal.

The blood was found in andaround the dog house! This means that the little girl went to her pet's territory and her dog felt an intrusion was occuring...he acted in defense of his territory...that is basically all he did. He did not see the little girl as his friend; he saw her as an intrusion.

The parent(s) or guardian(s) of this little girl most likely trusted their pet (and child) to be in the same shared area, but did not take into consideration the instability that can occur in this breed, as in many, many other breeds of dogs, cats, birds, retiles, rodents, and the list can go on.

I have had a Husky and a Malamute...both with wolf blood. Although both dogs were "raised with my daughers as infants" and never harmed them or showed aggression, I never left either animal alone with my children. People would admire my two dogs and would ask me, "Can I pet them, do they bite?" My answer was, "I would not recommend that you pet them...they have teeth!" Remember: THEY HAVE TEETH!

This was a very unfortunate accident that can never be totally corrected either physically or mentally. Whatever the outcome, the best part is that the little girl will live. In time, hopefully, her scars will heal and perhaps her opinion of animals, too. This, everyone has to be very greatful for and stay possitive and focused on helping this little girl overcome this ordeal.

Answer 4

Don't have to hear rest of story. How many times have we heard about the same thing happening to other children, family related.

When are these parent's going to wake up and smell the coffee? God almighty, how could they have missed the hand writing on the wall? Was probably in plain few, but they chose to ignore it. They're probably still saying "oh! we never thought our dog would be capable of doing such a thing." Right, that's why the dog was tied to the dog house and probably told there 4 yr. old to stay away from the dog.

So, who's to blame the 4 yr. old, dog or parents? Parents should be charged with harboring a vicious dog. If they they haven't been, then where's the justice.

I'm assuming by saying the deputies took action means they shot the dog in the head. That's what needed to happen, no question.

Husband had to do the same when on the force. Pit attacked another (family) dog that was on it's own port. Pit came out of nowhere and attacked. Had to be shot. No other recourse. After shooting pit, the pit was still attached to the other poor dog. Family dog also died.

I have nothing against pit's. It's the owners who have no control, but like to think they do.

It's a sad, sad story when you read about such things, especially involving innocent children and other innocent people.

Answer 5

That is really sad about what happened and really ignorants of irresponsible Adults allowing there 4yr old, a 4 yr old alone with the dog, you dont do this with any dog, by the way this is siad she was the daughter of some mother or fathers pitbull, I hope this tuaght them a valueable lesson,
But as I ponder besides the fact that the parents were irresponible what could have cuased such a catastrophe?
The child had to of done something alot to make a family dog break into a rage like that. I wonder becuase the dog attacked its family like that, could the possiblilty of been that it contracted rabies.
and way the officer said it still hadnt calm down since the attack, that means there is more to the story, I believe that the parents should be investigated more, that dog was freakout,

but in all to say, what a bunch of ignorant irresponsible parents, that shows you right there how much people really know and understand Dogs as they think they do

Answer 6

I hate breed prejudice. I've owned a pit bull in the past, and it was wonderful for me. ANY dog breed can attack anyone at any time - pit bulls are naturally aggressive, yes, so that's why they get the press they do. To answer the question, it's the parents' fault for not properly training the dog. Pit bulls usually need to be bought from a breeder or someone who has the parents on-site so you can ask questions about temperament to make sure the dog is a good fit. Also, the mother should have been watching the children while they were playing. A good mother would have noticed the dog's agressive behavior and done anything to get in between the dog and that child.

Answer 7

parents. a pit bull should have never been around a four year old child in the first place. and it's insane that the parents did not have that dog properly secured to a stable object. now don't get me wrong i am not against pit bulls i just believe that if you are going to own one you should NOT have children and it should always be securely confined to a leash when outside. not all pit bulls are bad i have known many that were sweet little babies. but the breed is unpredictable and people think that it has been given a bad rep for no reason. the parents of that child should be held resposible for the attack. there is no reason that dog should have had any access to that child.

Answer 8

I agree with Nandina.

Also, people can't just leave there kids around any animal, not just dogs or pit bulls. I'm sorry the little girl had to go thru something like this.

Dogs aren't Babysitters.


Edit* Sherry,
It is a myth that Pit Bulls have "Locking Jaws"

Also, By "Banning" Pit Bulls all it does is make the irresponsible owners who own Pit Bulls own another type of dog and then give them a bad rap too! and sooner or later you and other uneducated people will have "Banned" all dogs when you should have done something about the owners in the first place.

Answer 9

While working with the AC in NLas Vegas I saw a lot of very bad dog attacks. Funny thing out of over 100 there were only 4 pit bull attack and those dogs were so abused they were bound to attack someone. My pit was attacked by a chihuahua thre days ago and I had to get him stichtup it took 5. The little thing wass running loss. Owners fault as are most dog attacks. why would anyone leave a child alone with any large breed of dog. All terriers have a high prey drive and a 4 year old is the right size for a dog that size. I own a pit trained service dog, I never leave him alone with a child ever. Why, dogs can play a child to death just like the GR in sSalt LAke last winter that broke the neck of a 5 year old by Playing

Answer 10

It is definitely the owner's fault. No one will ever know the exact details of what really happened. After all, who will admit that they were neglectful and irresponsible with their animal and child? The dog was most likely poorly socialized, and was probably provoked by something the child did. The owners should have been taking better care of their animal, and should have been teaching their child how to interact with the dog. Are the parents going to be investigated for neglect? I hope so. That little girl does not deserve to be back in their home.

It's statements like this one that send out false information and only serve to help spread negative stereotypes - "These dogs are unpredictable," Shoffer said. "The least little thing ... the dog could be happy one minute, and the next minute they go absolutely crazy." That really irritates me. Also, I don't know about anyone else, but I find it really difficult to believe that they had to cut open the dog's stomach to find the scalp.

Answer 11

Unfortunately, this article doesn't provide info about the circumstances before the attack, or the home life for the dog and child before the attack.

What the family may not tell you is that perhaps Daddy got mad at his little girl and was going to beat her again, and doggy got pissed trying to save the girl and being that it was only an animal, tried to get her away from Daddy in the only way it knew how, causing fatal injuries, or, the dog could have had some 7th sense, and tried to save the girl from god knows what... or maybe the girl wasn't nice to the dog, or maybe that dog really is a badly bred pitbull, how do we know this was really a pitbull????

We'll never know, unfortunately, and the breed suffers the consequences.