Boy Airlifted to Hospital
Ft Lupton, CO - Seven-year old Jesse Shaffer was playing football with other children in a backyard when he was severely bitten in the face by a 3-year old chow-mix, said Fort Lupton Police Chief Ron Grannis. Shaffer was flown by helicopter to Children's Hospital in Aurora, where he underwent emergency surgery on his face and head.
The children had been playing in the yard, with the dog there, for hours, Grannis said. The football went behind a shed and when Jesse went to get it, the attack occurred out of eyesight of witnesses. The dog, named Oso, is currently being held for observation by a local veterinarian. The owners of the dog were cited for not having a dog license, not having rabies shots for Oso and for having an animal that created a danger. Grannis added that the owners were being cooperative.
In a separate article, Jesse's mother, told reporters that their insurance did not cover the helicopter flight or much of the care at Children's Hospital.
Related article:
06/24/08: Chow-Mix Attack Requires LifeFlight Helicopter
06/08/08: Chow Scheduled for Adoption Release Attacks Shelter Worker
The information is out there, if people just made an effort to find it.
http://leerburg.com/chows.htm
Great find Mrs. Poodle:
“One last thing here, owners also need to do a better job of controlling their dogs environment. This means the use of a dog crate when visitors are over. It means keeping the dog in a fenced yard and even within a dog kennel inside of a fenced yard. It means YOU DO NOT TAKE CHOWS to dog parks. It means you do not ever let your dog be totally off leash unless you are in a secure environment (even if he is trained) It means you do not ever let your Chow meet other dogs and it means you do not let strangers pet your dog.
There is no reason for my dog to MEET any other dog and there certainly is NO REASON for me to let anyone pet my dog. This concept really baffles me. People who allow strangers or guests or friends to pet their dog are asking for problems. Especially if their dog is a CHOW or other aggressive breed. Dogs are pack animals. The only people who need to pet them are their pack members.”
Why would anyone want a dog like this?
Like the article says, Chows are cute looking when they are young. Who knows who sold the animal to the family? Or what they told the family? I wanted a chow when I was young. I cried to my Dad often. I never understood why he never got one for me, until I became much older. GOOD MOVE DAD!