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24 thoughts on “2021 Dog Bite Fatality: Boy Killed by Dogs Being Fostered at Grandfather's Home in Doña Ana County, New Mexico

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  1. The dog’s enclosure was not child resistant. The child’s flesh was not dog resistant. What can possibly happen in a few seconds?

    It would have been nice if he could have enjoyed a few decades of earthly life’s pleasures, before suffering an excruciating death on earth due to proximity to deadly animals. But no. He had to be born to a family that handles deadly snakes… oh… uhm… …dogs. Now, he is in a place where they are all outside.

  2. “The child’s name was not released. The breeds of dogs involved in the child’s death were not released. The agency that owned the dogs being fostered was not released either.”

    The reporters must have asked that “Human Resources” looking Sheriff.

    “Oh…We can’t go to blaming anyone or any thing.”

  3. First and foremost I’d like to express my condolences to the family of this poor child. A young life gone. This tragedy is shared with sadness by all who reply here. Unquestionably.

    And please do not take offense at my suggestions and inquiries. I only wish the truth to be known.

    I think it time for Federal oversight to be utilized in the case of any dog attack that involves a fatality as I have no confidence in local municipalities or.state law enforcement to properly investigate these cases. All too often these tragedies are only discovered after weeks or months of independent investigation.

    I’ve no confidence whatsoever in the Sheriff interviewed in the KFOX interview, who appears to be as concerned over this latest death as she would be over the fact that it’s the last day before a long holiday weekend and a relaxing 4 or 5 days spent reclining on the LAZY Boy is here at last, and nothing will stand in its way.

    And do I trust her concerning behavior to provide factual evidence that all six dogs have been euthanized, along with any forensic details that might ensue such as positively identifying the dogs involved, breed.

    You’ve at least seen the dogs, I hope Sheriff? How about you verify this with Federal authorities? What do you have to lose so long as you tell the truth?

  4. The pictures of these little kids just break my heart. It makes me think of my own kids, so full of life and curiosity. All that changes in seconds—a sweet, spunky kid maybe interested in the dogs, just wanted to visit them, then dies so tragically. It is so so sad.

    I hope more people become aware of dangerous dog breeds and that more people will see through the twisted PR campaigns that promote foster/adoption of dangerous dogs. I love animals, but killer dogs have no place in our communities. It is time to be sensible about dogs again.

  5. If a six-year old could open the enclosure, any clever dog could, as well. I’ve known dogs that could open anything short of a padlock–and even then find a way around it. Fence latches of any model are easy for bright dogs to open.

    This is a tragedy in so many ways. The people who were wanting to be “kind to animals” and so fostered them, without a deep enough understanding that dogs have the intelligence of 3-6 year olds without opposable thumbs or language skills…and without knowing the background of those animals or if so, ignored the dangers because they “felt sorry for them”

    Parents who loved their child but did not accept that a child’s natural curiosity might lead them into danger.

    Those are mistakes anyone could have made. In this case they were compounded together resulting in a child torn to shreds before his life, even began.

    Meanwhile, authorities refuse to name the agency that sent these dogs to be fosterd yet failed to require a safe enclosure to keep those dogs.

    • If you need a “safe enclosure” to keep your pets from murdering a child, you ought to re-think your choice of pets. No doubt these were either pitbulls or rottweilers,

      • It is an agriculture related residence or a ranch. So keeping animals penned and separated is a necessity.

        I’d like to reiterate that I feel so sorry for this family’s loss. Not much worse for a Grandparent than this I would think.

      • If you have large working dogs, for the safety of children, it’s wise to always have some kind of sanctuary where the dogs are not constantly exposed to a high level of stimulation. This situation can lead to bites when the environment cannot be controlled by a dog-experienced, adult.

        When one is training or fostering dogs, this need becomes compounded. Quickie temperament testing by a shelter is not the same as long-term observation and environmental control in assessing a dog’s character. Strange dogs and children are a potentially dangerous combination.

        Due to the nature of this mauling, I’d suspect pitbulls or another molaser breed, as well.

        • What these people have is an obsession.

          Happens even in hobbies. We all know of people with various hobbies that are so immersed in them that a steel pipe along side the head can’t get them to cease pontificating on them.

          Poker
          Deer hunting
          The NFL

          Just a few examples of some of the zealots I’ve had to suffer in a past workplace where I interacted with hundreds upon hundreds of people every day.{Uggh!}

          Even after rolling my eyes point blank in their face with a clearly spoken “WILL YOU PLEASE JUST SHUT THE F UP?”

          Won’t even register an interruption in the sermon.

          You know how these pits are so impervious to pain that no outside stimuli seems to have any effect? Like owner, like dog.

        • Well, y’know KaD, if ya can’t afford to be Tiger King famous, pitbulls are cheap. 😉

          At least crazy cat ladies’ obsessions don’t kill the neighbours, so there’s that.

          Walkin’ my dog, mindin’ my own business when an SUV pulls up to the corner with two pitbulls who go completely insane smashing themselves against the window to try and get at my dog. The window glass is *bouncing* with pressure. One day, they’re gonna make it. Meanwhile, this woman is trying to drive while screeching at these two vile monstrosities in the back of the vehicle.

          Talk about unsafe driving conditions. If those dogs don’t kill something through the window, one day they are going to get that driver, killed.

          Takes a special kind of nutter to break the BSL law to keep TWO of them, then risk everyone on the road as well as herself for her obsession.

  6. Thank you, Colleen, for today’s update. Dangerous shepherd-type mixes and dangerous border collie mixes: These are the animals of choice that make my ostensibly nice neighborhood a battlefield for survival. These animals attack full-grown adults, too. Just walk on the public street and see how they behave behind a fence, and then anyone will know what they will do when the gate is left open.

    • Who declared the breed of the dogs? And where were the deceased dogs brought to after they were immediately euthanized?

      Just another reason for to establish Federal oversight. And oversight that is not a bureaucratic mess influenced by lobby groups.

      • There’s that ever elusive “Mix” breed replicating themselves yet again into the bloodline. Sly little devil, whatever dog he or she might be.

        I wonder why such secrecy? /sarcasm

  7. So very sad. The unattended boy got into the dog pen and was killed by 2 fostered Shepard collie mix adults. Four puppies were also there. The boy’s mother was on the property at the time. A custody dispute between boys parents has been ongoing since 2015. Lots of moving parts here.

    • Yea, that seems just a little convenient to me. “I took my son to visit my father, lost track if him and he got in to the dog pen and was killed. I would like to be paid.”

      I suspect the shelter will produce a signed document that states they are not responsible for anything. The mother will then be left to go after her dad and his homeowner’s insurance. Since she was on the premises at the time of the attack, I think this will be a hard sell.

      After all society is expected to accept that dogs kill every now and then. If you can’t get paid when a stranger’s dog comes in to your yard and kills your kid it would seem odd to expect to get paid when you choose to take your kid to the house of a relative who had a pen full of what turned out to be killer dogs.

    • Probably the shelter’s stating beforehand that the mother dog was aggressive in protecting its pups might spare them from responsibility.

      I think KaD called it right. Why can’t people find a better hobby? Did this all start with a fascination with Sea Monkeys, Steve Irwin, Siegfried & Roy? {Obvious warning signs to look at in childhood development.}

  8. They glibly blame a protectiveness on the part of the mother of the younger dogs. I have my doubts about this – the sheriff’s report mentions TWO large dogs with bloody heads, and 6 dogs total were euthanized. That’s the mother, her 2 offspring – and 3 dogs that have never been described.

    But even if mother love started the attack, why was that dog still pregnant when she was turned over to the foster? At the height of overpopulation, pregnant dogs in the shelter system were frequently aborted to reduce the number of unwanted dogs in shelters. This dog was observed from the start as fearful and asocial, just the sort of temperament we don’t need more of. If the shelter had aborted that litter, that supposed “trigger” wouldn’t have been in place.

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