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39 thoughts on “2019 Dog Bite Fatality: 9-Year Old Girl Mauled to Death by Three Pit Bulls on Detroit's West Side

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  1. “The dogs escaped a nearby home.” Same old story. I can not imagine why people are on the street undefended, and why people let their children be on the street undefended. It boggles my mind each and every time I see this. Attention all Americans: It is Not safe for undefended persons to be on the street!

    Only when the General Population is sufficiently defended, will this scourge be exterminated. Then it will be safe for any person to step onto the hostile surface of this (currently) attack animal ravaged nation of ours. The government can never be the solution to this problem. In fact, the government forcibly enables this constant threat that exists anywhere people step outdoors.

    Only a few deaths per year? How many severe maulings per year? Close to a million.

    • I have to take a bit of an issue here with your statement, Richard, unless I’ve misconstrued it.

      With three pitbulls, it wouldn’t matter if the child was with an older child, or her parents. We can’tparents and kids for these attacks. Nothing was going to stop those dogs. They went into fight/prey mode and the child was murdered.

      A six year old child is old enough to be outside on their own block.

      I know this is a bit off-topic but I will explain how it does relate.

      Ever notice why in countries with Universal Healthcare most of them have started instituting pitbull bans? There’s a reason. Statistics of expenditures for healthcare are kept and the savaging of people and patching up pitbull victims is very costly. Years and years of surgeries, medications, often disability payments–and when millions of tax dollars are involved in something so preventable by BSL…people are far more inclined to see why the dogs must be banned.

      Since the pets-before-people nutters can’t seem to see past their own self-interest and the pitbull nutters are the extreme end of the spectrum, showing them the deficit in their pocketbook seems to provide some solutions.

      As well, ALL dog owners need to stop their dogs from fence lunging. That’s always a sign that trouble is on its way, sooner rather than later.

      Another preventable child slaughter. I’m not surprised the neighbourhood is on the verge of blowing a gasket.

      • I don’t know about “Ever notice why in countries with Universal Healthcare most of them have started instituting pitbull bans?”

        Canada doesn’t just allow pits they pay to fly surplus shelter pits, the pits that even pitiots don’t want,in to the country. In the UK you can have a pit if you claim it is a staffordshire terrier.

        I absolutely agree that owners should stop fence lunging. No one would tolerate a person that ran up to the edge of the fence and shouted “I’m going to f you up!!” at every person that walked by. That is what every fence lunging, chain stretching,invisible fence deploying dog is saying.

        Ever went to get in your car in a parking lot and nearly have a heart attack when a dog lunges at the window of the car next to you? Or even worse jumps up from the bed of a pick up? Again swap out that dog for Mr. “I’m gonna f you up!” The person would leave in cuffs.

        At least it is less socially acceptable to leave your dog in a parked car now. That has nothing to do with human welfare. Everyone is convinced that Mr.Pupperwoofles will get heat stroke when it is 70 degrees outside and will film themselves breaking your window so they can put it on youtube.

        • I agree Dr. Duke, there’s been a big kerfuffle in BC about pit nutter shelters taking on American pitbulls, two of which mangled people in the past few months. They don’t have BSL there, yet.

          There was also a kerfuffle here where pits were being sent by the Ontario Humane societies, down to Quebec and getting sled dogs etc. in return. Now Quebec is looking at a pitbull ban due to rising problems with them. Not all provinces have the same rules, my friend 😉

          My point about healthcare is that 1) when it’s universal, there tends to be tracking of what gets paid, for and 2) The costs of repairing the damage tends to come into the BSL debate because everyone doesn’t want to pay for the idiots whose pitbulls are costing them millions of dollars in reconstructive surgery–that tends to work against the “we have our right to horrible dogs” argument. Something to consider.

          I have a serious problem with owners who somehow think their dogs are exempt from basic social interactions.

          I totally agree with the car window lunging madness. Ofttimes, I’m expecting them to sail out the window at high speeds to attack me or my dog when we’re crossing the street. I fail to understand how it’s not ticketed as a driving hazard. Likely the same dogs that try to eat you through the window in the parking lot. Heart failure, central, that.

          • CORRECTION: It is Manitoba that’s been accepting pitbulls from the USA. They can just drive them up as there’s miles and miles of undefended border in the province. No planes needed 😉

            Also, I’d suspect that in the prairie provinces, because of the vastness and impossibility to police…there may be dogfighting still occurring in some provinces which may be why those areas tend to obstruct BSL.

  2. The news reports say the dogs “somehow ” got loose. There is no enclosure that is secure enough to make someone safe around those nasty dogs. Poor child just playing outside in the summer and ended up suffering and losing her life. So it’s being blamed on a dog fighting ring, why, because pet and shelter pit bulls never kill anyone, right? How many more people and animals are going to die before people take this situation seriously?

  3. Quote snip: “…There is no enclosure that is secure enough to make someone safe around those nasty dogs. …” I agree. 1622 Cederwood Drive, white picket fence with two Nordic mixes that raise Cain when anyone walks past with their dog: I directly witnessed, after walking past 10,000 times past the aforementioned point, one Nordic mix push out one picket slat when a young girl walked past with her dog. I reported this to non-emergency police. A few hours later, the fence was repaired, you can see a stove bolt head where to removed slat was re-fastened. There are several such slats on this particular fence, and many other slats that have Not been repaired. 15 times? 20 more times? How many more times? The threat is real. Repeated at large dog offenders are allowed to keep re-offending. Nothing Ever Gets Done!

  4. This breaks my heart. I was born in Royal Oak back in the day. I grew up in Rochester and I don’t remember any pit bulls. I was bit by a beagle and a little dog who were on my paper route. My neighbor had a little yappy dog and the other a beautiful irish setter. I just can’t imagine growing up with these dogs in my neighborhood. She should be able to play outside and walk through the alley. She was plenty old enough and she was doing what normal kids do. I can’t imagine what she suffered. Then the neighbors who tried to help. God be with them all, this will not go away. My sister lives in the area still and says everyone has a pit bull nowadays. What are people thinking? My apartments have no breed restrictions. I fear the time a child will be hurt here because of that. Lots of rescues. Poor baby girl. RIP little one

  5. We live about 70 miles north of this area, so this incident is on the news alot today, and just saw an interview with the neighbor who threw the brick at the dog , he said “I can’t understand why these dogs would do this, they were gentle dogs, I don’t know why they “turned”. Well, that’s the thing with pit bull dogs, they’re okay, until they’re not, and no one knows when that will happen. I think the only hope to start to get rid of this menace is financial and criminal penalties against shelters that adopt out dangerous dogs and more “Darwin dogs” that kill the owners that love these evil nasty dogs. I’m guessing any civil litigation against the recent detroit arrack will go nowhere, my guess is they’re renters, and usually the landlord isn’t responsible for damages.

    • Landlords can be held responsible. I know of a Tucson case where the landlord’s homeowner insurance policy was held responsible. To the tune of $500k.

  6. This is, unfortunately, a typical pit bull attack. They see something, they get to it…in this case a 9 year old…and they attack and kill it. Please tell me that these 3 pit bulls will be euthanized immediately! When was the last time anyone was killed by 3 chihuahuas??? They may bite more, but pit bulls KILL.

    • Aye and there’s the rub.

      A dog should be able to break a leash or sneak out of a fence *and still be safe to be around* until captured, because sometimes, especially with young dogs.

      And you’re absolutely on the nose there, pardon le pun.

      Half a dozen people with PTSD and a neighbourhood and whole family in mourning because some selfish git thought he was entitled to own a pack furry murder machines without even basic dog management skills.

  7. It seems that this beautiful little girl who lost her life to three pit bulls running at large may have also lived with a pit bull type dogs at home. Her mother’s Facebook page shows photos of their dog which she refers to as an American Bully, a pit bull cross. I feel enormous sorrow that these dogs have such a hold on American families. The neighbors who responded to help look traumatized. How could one ever forget the sight of a beautiful nine yr old girl being murdered by relentless dogs in the afternoon, outdoors, while playing near her home? The two men who came to her aid and saw this slaughter are Victims too. The screams, the sight of her struggle, her injuries, her blood are part of their memories now. There is no going back now, regret is a life sentence but for this innocent child it’s a death sentence. I hope her family gets rid of their pit bull mix.

    • The ‘my dog would never do this’ mentality is what has brought dog maulings into main street USA (and the world, for that matter). As has been said over and over, these dogs are friendly, until they are not. It is not how they are raised, or kept, it is what they are! My thoughts and prayers are with all of these victims.

  8. A friend had a pit bull they trusted. It was their handicapped daughters companion. One day they came home from work and their trusted pit bull had savagely killed their little dog and two cats.

    They said blood was everywhere. It was like Charles Manson, Helter Skelter.

    Something set it off and it didn’t stop until every living creature was dead.

    • Here’s what I don’t get.

      Why a pitbull, in the first place? Depending on the child’s disability…why not a poodle (very clever can do lots of helpful things), a Beagle companion, or a Labrador? Or even a friendly, good temperament, mongrel?

      What on earth did the parents think they were going to get out of a pitbull that another breed of dog could not provide 100%, more of?

      What on earth made them think that a pitbull, other than committing mass pet slaughter, was going to be good for?

  9. Quote snip: “Something set it off…”
    What set it off was its genes. Its nature. By breeding, via artificial selection, purposely for that stated purpose. Intrinsically, it is a dangerous deadly animal.

    One problem is that that only intelligent, rational people that are capable of conducting an honest appraisal realize that they are sometimes unpredictable killers. If they were always predictably displaying aggressive behavior, they would have been banned a long time ago. So, we are currently stuck with animals loose in our streets that are merely sometimes unpredictably dangerous killer animals, that at the bare minimum, need to be positively, physically controlled continuously, at all times; or much better, simply banned from civilized society.

  10. Thank you for posting the detailed update indicating that the dogs owner was charged with second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter and for having a dangerous animal causing death. I hope that his sentence will serve as a deterrent to prevent any more similar tragedies. I hope that local animal control who knew that the dogs escaped multiple times in the past, but did not seek to have the dogs removed, are also held accountable for their negligence.

  11. I really like how when he knew he was going to get in trouble and get arrested, his concern with saving his own ass by having someone else come and get his marijuana plants. Shows you what does shit for brains cares about. By the way, that’s him sitting there on the cruiser with the arm wrapped up. When I initially saw these pictures I thought it was some poor neighbor who got bit by the dog trying to save a little girl.

    • Anyone else wonder if loosing 3 fingers in a “work accident” is a cover for “my dog ate my fingers”?

      At least he is getting charged. Here is hoping for a longer sentence than that other MI case you mentioned.

      Sadly in most states this would be written off as “a tragic yet unforeseeable accident”.

    • He stays in my neighborhood now… is defending his sisters identical behavior with her two pit bulls that have been getting a loose for more than two years. Damn shame, no lesson learned. Both liars. They don’t give a damn about who gets hurt!

  12. Accident my ass. You can’t say something is an accident if it is reasonably foreseeable and that a pack of known vicious dogs, know to escape their property could seriously injure or kill someone is absolutely foreseeable.

  13. I think it should be mandatory to show the injuries , show that dead , bloody body , just blur out the face.
    People should see the damage these dogs inflict.
    You hear this time and time again, retired soldiers who went into law enforcement or became EMTs, say it’s worse than what they saw in the battlefield……LET THAT SINK IN.

    • I think they should be banned. If not, then all potential pitbull owners should be shown 2 hours of videos of what these dogs can do, be forced to bring their potential dog to at least 6 weeks of training classes and be taught how to break up dog fights and use break sticks, even on their puppy. Then the dog is neutered so they can’t breed any more of them.

      Then they should be forced to purchase muzzles and insurance.

      After that, they should be forced to sit in a lecture theatre with volunteer victims, talking about, and showing pictures of their wounds.

      Let’s see how dedicated they are, after that.

      Talking on Facebook is cheap. Confronting the reality of what their sweetums pibble puppy will grow up to be could be a cold splash of wake-the-hell-up.

  14. Let’s also not forget……
    When he found out about the killing, the first thing he did was text ( I don’t recall whom, I assume his roommate ) to get rid of his marijuana plants !
    That’s how concerned this scumbag was……

  15. These dogs should be banned from city’s all together. They are very evil animals My dog was attacked and myself also by a pit bull. The American people need to do something about these dangerous dogs. The Gov. could put a stop to this if enough people would get together and write to the proper people in Washing. we need a spokesman for the people. STOP PIT BULL ATTACKS NOW NOT LATTER.

  16. An Australian prime minister once called Pit Bulls “crocodiles on legs”, which was a very apt description. Only an idiot would swim in water where there are crocodiles, or let their child swim there…. yet Pit Bulls are invited right into our homes. Weak people are mesmerized by their criminal potential and power.

  17. Recently a detriot free press columnist was on a radio program, and said pit bull bans don’t work, b/c there is a ban in a nearby community, Ecorse, and there are still pit bulls , he feels the ban would be unenforceable. But he also said his parents adopted a stray pit, that’s a real sweetie, so I’m sure there is bias here. How about enforcement of current laws, dog license and rabies vaccine, ? Just to at least start somewhere

    • Well that reporter needs to do his homework, then. Right on this site (as well as all over the interwebz) are the statistics *proving* that death and maiming by dogs goes down in areas with BSL.

      All pibbles are adorable. Until one day, when instinct kicks in…and too many of them, aren’t.

  18. So very sad this little girl was murdered by a pit. Makes me sick. I had no idea about what pit bulls do until me and my 12 lb. poodle mix got attacked twice on walks in the neighborhood by pits. We were very lucky. I googled pit bull attacks and saw what they do. I was never afraid of dogs, but pit bulls are very scary. I’m going to get my concealed carry now.

  19. It’s sad that so many people trust these dogs. Pit bulls are NOT meant to be pets. The average dog owner isn’t capable of handling them and getting a “rescue” is never a good idea because they were put in the shelter for a reason. A relative of my husband whose name I will not mention has a female “mix breed” that is most certainly a pit bull. The pit bull actually chewed up and killed their Eskimo dog and yet they still have the dog. I won’t go to her house because I’m scared of the dog. Especially since the dog was a rescue and deemed fit to be adopted. The only way one of those dogs could be possibly even safe is if they are show quality where they need to be good so as not to attack the other dogs. And even then there’s no guarantee and you won’t find anything nice in a shelter unless you get lucky and find a beagle hound or something non bully breed. They need to make stronger laws so more innocent people and their loved ones don’t end up mauled like this child or my husbands sisters pet.

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