Please donate to support our work

DogsBite.org is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity organization. Learn more »

47 thoughts on “2023 Dog Bite Fatality: 6-Year Old Boy Killed, Adult Injured by Pair of Dogs in Northeast Portland, Oregon

Please review our comment policy.

  1. So two large, very large, dogs who are KEPT IN A GARAGE attacked a six year old ( he was SIX, he didn’t think that opening a door would kill him) and the owner escaped with minor injuries! Where is the sense in this?
    Who keeps dogs like these? What delusional grandmother aged woman keeps two maulers in her garage?
    Mastiffs are WAR dogs, not pets! We no longer wage war with dogs and horses! There is no reason
    (as in a reasonable person should be able to understand) to own a WAR dog! None! This is so sad, so stupid, and so preventable.

        • I have a feeling that the sweet, innocent little 6 yr old was in the custody of his negligent Grandparent. Portland is a hot-bed of drug abuse and homelessness. Poor little boy likely had no chance at having a normal childhood. I, thankfully, raised 5 children and none of them are “dog” deviants. BARK all you want, DOG lovers. I do not love your dog. Small, medium, large or X-Large.

      • This culture is why I’ve come to dislike dogs very much, and their clueless owners even more. So many barking dogs everywhere I’ve lived. And if you try speaking to the owners YOU are the one with the problem, not them. County and city officials are completely unwilling to enforce simple laws.

        • Dayna, have you been eavesdropping in my neighborhood? Because what you’ve described is exactly what I’ve experienced.

          And I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this, but one of my neighbors accused me of discrimination.

          Why? Because I began by politely asking them to keep their yappy little pug quiet. I wrote letters, and when that didn’t work, I made an animal control report and was required to go to mediation.

          What a waste of time that was. At the end of the mediation session, the man who accused me of discrimination gave me his cell phone number so I could call when the dog was barking.

          Call that number I did, morning, noon, and night. Didn’t take long for those calls to devolve into shouting matches.

          My next step was to get a lawyer to write a letter saying, in essence, that if they don’t get control of that dog, I would see them in court.

          Shortly after they responded to that letter through their lawyer, who offered a bunch of lies and excuses, there was a huge human trafficking bust that involved the United States and Mexican governments.

          And, wouldn’t you know it, my neighbors’ shuttle van business was associated with one of the companies that was taken down. Van disappeared a few months later, never to be seen again.

          Well, in time, that pug disappeared too.

          Nowadays, I don’t hear much of any noise from these neighbors. But, given what’s happening along the US-Mexican border, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that they’re still involved in trafficking.

          • Little yappy dogs or big loud dog with their incessant barking annoy me so much. I like to craft in my garage and all I hear is RUFF RUFF, YAP YAP! It’s truly disgusting and rude.

          • Wow YQN! That is crazy!!
            I don’t bother to call authorities or talk to them anymore, I just make sure they hear me yell across the yards to shut their effing dogs up. We live in a pricey neighborhood (overpriced kennel), my neighbors all think I’m nuts and probably are afraid I’m going to poison their mutts so they don’t leave them out continuously. I’m looking forward to the day my husband retires and we can buy some acreage with a buffer between my neighbors and us. And I can shoot the loose ones that come onto my property. Yes, I’m going to be the crank neighbor, I just don’t care anymore, I’m so done with the damned dogs.

          • Here’s the thing that troubles me as a (quiet) dog owner.

            Barking in a house/yard is not hard to fix. Any responsible trainer can show someone how to stop this in the first session if the owner is willing to work hard. Barking from excitement or beagles yodelling when out for walks, is a bit more of a stretch and takes a bit more labour and attention.

            Everyone blames “dog culture” but herein lies the problem.

            __The people who own dogs now are NOT “dog lovers.”__

            People who actually love dogs take care to choose a dog they can work with, with a stable temperament and spend time teaching them how to live in civilized society.

            As Eisenmann said, “A good dog is not defined by what it *does*, it is defined by *what it does not do*. It does not bite, it does not growl or snarl, it does not bark all day and it does not use the house for a bathroom.”

          • Rebecca J, Holly/Holland entered a guilty plea and was given 3 years probation. We sued her in civil court. My other Aunt got a little over $8K, after the attorney fees. That’s not what I call justice. 😒

  2. We feel exactly the same way. There is no sense in this and the boy never should have been at that home. Someone has custody of this boy. His welfare was not being protected at all by any of the adults.

  3. This poor little boy was at the mercy of irresponsible, negligent adults. So very heartbreaking. The grandmother and the dogs owner should BOTH be charged with his death. The dogs owner KNEW the dogs were dangerous and apparently told police that the little boy, 6 YEARS OLD, had been told to stay away from the dogs because they were dangerous. https://www.koin.com/news/portland/child-killed-in-northeast-portland-dog-mauling-incident/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=referral&fbclid=IwAR2C8hCqqyYu1dXYIADWWXc4VoakH6Nt8r6kc4UjBE2jfJ81r30aT-fdO-o

    • The Owner’s Twitter Home Page is a piece of work. She is pointing a gun at the camera, and is wearing a bondage type of outfit. She is 20 years too old for that outfit, too.

  4. The awful dog owner/babysitter has washed her hands of all responsibility. Love how she blames the child because he was told. I honestly don’t believe she had any intention of shooting those dogs. She couldn’t even do that to try to save his life.

    • Of course she didn’t have any intention of shooting her savage beasts. She LOVED them. Imagine telling an innocent 6 yr old that the savages in the garage are dangerous, DON’T come in here. He was 6 years old.

    • You only hear “minor injuries” when it is a negligent owner who values the dog more than the victim, yet often mothers and grandmothers nearly die trying to save the child. I could see trying to be cautious not to accidentally shoot the child, but one way or another there would have been two dead dogs when the police arrived.

      • This lady clearly valued her dogs more than any child. I believe the same is true of most people who own dangerous dogs today. If you cared about the lives of children and owned child-killing breeds of dogs then how on Earth could you live with the stress of knowing what could happen? If I had a potential liability like this in my life, nightmares would be waking me up regularly. People like the lady who owned these dogs either don’t know or don’t care that they are risking people’s lives.

  5. The poor boy he was a curious little boy of course he want to play with a dog.it so gross that grown up are blaming a little boy interested in animals.so the so called grandma is going to blame her own grandson for his death because he choose to open the door. No lady blame yourself I can’t never understand people cared about the life of dogs over a little boy life shameful.

  6. Oh yeah if the babysitter was so concerned about her dangerous dog then why didn’t she pay money out of her pocket to trained her “fur babies” so they can be lovable dogs.maybe she should keep her eyes on that trouble maker if she keep warning him not to open the door because that what babysitter are pay to do watch and keep an eye on the baby I’m guessing she’s a terrible dog owner if her dogs are dangerous.

    • These brain surgeons didn’t have the sense God gave a Christmas tree.

      Stick latch at an adult eye level so the kid can’t get in. Or if he’s a mischievous one, put a latch and cheap lock.

      This kid didn’t deserve to be surrounded by Darwin Award winners.

      Better yet, if they locked the dogs in the garage because they were dangerous, BE the dogs.

  7. there is no possible way people do not notice a these dogs have propensity to attack because that level of aggression isn’t just latent until they see a kid ,

  8. First time commentor here long time reader. Former pit foster out of Chicago. I can honestly say I’m probably built different than almost all of you, and used to try to convince myself and others all the lies about pits we’ve all heard. I then got married and started a family and started hearing the horror stories. Chances are I’d never hangout in person with any of you, but here on this site we’re in agreement. My wife got mauled by a neighbors pit outta nowhere and that kinda started me going down this rabbit hole. I’m one of those yo if my dog bothers you in my house leave, and I’d save my dog from anything but you idc what happens but he’s a loving lab and plott hound. Legit plott. All this to say we all come from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and country’s but all have the same goal in mind. Banning these murder machines. I’m 6’5 230 pounds and have to arm up to take my child to busstop enough is enough

    • I just wanted to say thank you for changing your mind. I find it’s rare that pit apologists / pit owners / pit fosters do so, even when confronted with statistics and horror stories. I was never necessarily a pit apologist, but I was once one who believed the lie that pits were like any other dog. We adopted a pit mix from a shelter in 2020 and returned 3 weeks later after it attacked our 9-year-old daughter. She was wearing heavy winter clothing and was not hurt, but obviously it really rattled me. I then was willing to look at the evidence and what I found shocked me. I am beyond grateful nothing worse happened!

      I still can’t believe all these deaths and horrific maulings aren’t national news every time! I am still a dog lover, though, and it saddens me a bit to see people on here who simply hate all dogs. Certainly, they are entitled to feel that way, but we need to unite in focusing on the unique danger that bloodsport breeds pose to all of us and work to get them banned. I’m not optimistic it’ll happen, sadly, but something has to change. Just since I’ve been paying attention, it seems the maulings and fatalities have greatly increased. It’s insane.

      BTW, we had a Plott hound / lab for 13 years! He was a fantastic dog. Of course, since I learned the truth about pits, I’ve looked back and wondered whether he could’ve been part pit (he did not come from a breeder – we just ended up with him, long story) but when I look at pictures I’m reminded he truly looked like a hound, with a long snout and long ears. He was a wonderful dog, perfectly gentle around our kids and never showed an ounce of aggression. We have a St. Bernard / GSP mix currently that we’ve had for 2 years, and if I believed in reincarnation, I’d think he was our Plott hound all over again!

      • That’s how I feel, too. It’s rough to see people lump all dog owners together. We’re not the same, believe me, and we want the fighting breeds gone just as much as they do. They’re a danger to NORMAL dogs, who in general aren’t a threat to anyone.

  9. If you wouldn’t allow your child to be in the proximity of land mines you shouldn’t allow your child to be in the proximity of dangerous dogs.
    Negligence in both cases can have the same result.

    • I don’t know how so many parents of small kids are okay with them being around a pit, much less even living with one. I won’t let my dogs anywhere near anything that looks like it has a drop of pit/fighting breed in it.

  10. Another day, another week, another month…ANOTHER dead child. This is an epidemic of abuse, neglect, propaganda, denial and sheer ignorance. Yes, this time it’s a Great Dane. Colleen has this breed on the fatality list, too. The breed, popularized in the Marmaduke movie as a big loveable lug when in reality can be a powerful, dangerous dog. Then, pair that with a “mixed” Mastiff another powerful killing machine. This woman might as well had two tigers in the garage. How can anyone expect a six-year-old to understand that a door stood between him and death? The argument that a child “should know better” is insane. How dare anyone question the judgment of a young child. Those irresponsible adults have blood on their hands. Many of us here will continue to ask, How many children have to die before this stops? That “caregiver” had a gun, but she waited until it was too late. Another recent case had grandma slitting her pit bull’s neck while it slaughtered her four-year-old autistic grandchild. I realize I’m preaching to the choir…I’m just so sad to know these tragedies will continue.

  11. I’ve gone to obedience classes routinely for much of my life. What I have learned is that dog behavior is predictable. I’ve heard and seen very little about Great Danes typically being killers. I, of course, realize a few Great Danes have killed people. I have seen some incredibly well trained Great Danes.

    On the other hand, Mastiffs normally do their own thing depending on what that is. In classes, they often targeted small breed dogs for their next dinner, but they didn’t catch them.

    In addition,I talked with a young woman selling Blue dog food. She said a very large male Mastiff had bitten her in the hand without warning after the owner had gotten the dog to do a down-stay.

    The owner took the monster home and called back telling a PetsMart employee that the bite was this dog’s third bite, and the Blue dog food rep’s bite was the direct cause of the required euthanasia. The rep had some nerve damage from the bite.

    Now I’m very stupid. I think the owner of the Mastiff could have left him safely at home. She could have had a muzzle on the dog. She could have warned the Blue rep that her dog was a biter. The owner had a pair of Mastiffs. This dog was the male and I don’t know if he was neutered.

    In the case of this little boy’s death, the owner was involved in protection or guard dogs. My question is why she couldn’t call off her trained biting dogs. Doesn’t she train an OUT command? Some people don’t, as dogs trained to out may not bite as hard. At any rate, the dogs’ owner had been involved with guard dogs for many years. She was careless, and her carelessness was the cause of the boy’s death. I hope she is prosecuted.

    • Sorry, not sorry, after looking at her FB, this Blonde Bimbo deserves everything she gets. Not mercy, …Justice. Her asinine beliefs killed an innocent child. That big dope and she making this false equivalency between child molesters and a poor, misunderstood mutt that attacks. That’s right, they say, forget the justice system, let’s shoot the human abuser. Just like we should shoot cops who are defending themselves or the public from dog attacks. What rock do these people live under? I guess her gun skills failed her when it mattered most? Oh, but wait, never shoot a dog even if it’s mauling a child to death.

    • Colleen, I believe it was the Public Info Officer that came up with the breed. He’s probably not dog savvy. Either that or Miss K9 protection, gun pointer told the police that BS. I also read that the owner said they were “mutts.”

  12. Wow, I regret the few seconds of looking at her Facebook page. Dominatrix maybe? Conspiracy theorist, clearly. “K9 Protection” with the gun, dangerous dogs, and lingerie. Yikes. Not someone most people would leave their child with, in my opinion.

    Could the Great Dane/Mastiff mixes actually be Cane Corsos? I’ve noticed an uptick in Cane Corso popularity based on various social media and Craigslist posts. It would make sense for someone to try and keep that breed name out of the headlines for dangerous behavior. I’d guess some people are making big bucks from breeding them.

    Finally, I’m so sick of the whole guard dog/protection dog nonsense. We have technology. It’s long past time to stop using animals as weapons (yes, that includes police K-9s like the one who just mauled a kennel assistant’s face while being boarded). Just my opinion. Dogs are meant to be our loving companions. We protect them.

  13. this is from her page …….koko Miller
    Just so you all know, this corona virus is BS. Coronavirus is a dog disease from eating shit. And our government is filling you scared ass sheep a bunch of shit, so martial law can be in effect, wake up people and see the truth…
    shes a dumdum

  14. I have to wonder what the dog owner, the first responders, and the public in general would have to say if this poor child had gotten hold of this woman’s gun and shot himself. That it’s his own fault because he had been told not to touch the gun? Would the dog owner have been arrested for having a dangerous weapon where a child could get to it? In my opinion, there’s not much difference between a dangerous dog and a gun, except that a gun has to be loaded and the trigger has to be pulled, while a dog can just attack at any time. However you look at it, no one was looking out for this child’s safety and this lady was about as inappropriate a baby sitter as one could be. He didn’t have much of a chance, poor little chap.

  15. The GFM has been updated to say that the Portland Police Department will be paying for Loyalty’s funeral and they also increased the goal to $25K. 😑

  16. The fact that those beasts weren’t immediately put down infuriates me. Why are they still breathing after they viciously killed a child?!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *