Infant Died Quickly
UPDATE 10/07/08: Opal Sao, the grieving dog owner, said she left the baby on her bed, asleep, and had gone to the kitchen for a drink of water just after midnight. Penelope Rose, a pit bull mix, followed her to the kitchen, but while Sao was drinking, she realized the dog had left. She ran to the bedroom to find the dog standing on the bed over the baby.
The bed was reportedly off limits to the dog.
By the time she handed the baby to her niece, his mother, the baby was dead. But the dog attacked the niece, biting her thigh and calf. "The dog went wild," Sao said. "Penny grabbed my niece's leg. She was attacking her. I attacked the dog to get her off. Penny's behavior was something I'd never seen before. I didn't recognize her." The dog was euthanized yesterday by the Hawaiian Humane Society. The mother was not named.
"It replays over and over in my mind," Sao said. "If only we could go back in time. I'd give my life to bring this baby back. It was a tragic mistake." The Honolulu medical examiner's office conducted an autopsy yesterday and said the baby died from "cranial cerebral injuries" from a dog attack. The state Department of Human Services said it was investigating the attack, under a "possible lack of child supervision."
Sao said she bought the dog when it was 6 weeks old as a gift for her husband, who lives in 'Aiea. The dog lived four of the last five years of its life there, until it moved to her Wai'anae home about a year ago. The dog, she said, was not raised to be malicious or violent. Just recently, Sao had let Penny out of the kennel in the backyard to socialize with other dogs, who were inside and outside dogs. Soa said the dog had never attacked anyone before.
A Family Grieves
With only a few precious pictures of 8-week-old Iokepa, family members are grieving and seeking solace in each other's arms. Friends and family dropped by the home all day yesterday bearing flowers and food. A sheet of laminated photos taken at the hospital shortly after Iokepa was born on July 30 at 7 pounds, 12 ounces, was passed around to family and friends. A funeral date has not been set. Sao said. "We've been crying since Sunday..."
10/07/08: Star Bulletin Alters Story (Revised Story)
On October 6th (below link), the Star Bulletin published a story where the dog was described as a "pit bull mix" in several instances. The following day, these instances were removed. This may be due to pressure from the Hawaiian Humane Society, an entity that did not allow anyone to photograph the dog, did not offer a description except for a "mixed breed" and has many online news articles that show a clear biased toward protecting pit bulls.
DogsBite.org has written a letter to the publisher of the Star Bulletin asking for clarification. Specifically, why did the newspaper alter the description given by a witness, why wasn't the timestamp of the article updated -- to reflect that a change was made -- and why does the newspaper trust that the "mixed breed" identification offered by the society is true? Certainly the society can determine if the dog is a collie-mix or other mix.
10/06/08: "Hiding the Breed" Continues (PDF Original Story)
The Hawaiian Humane Society did not allow KITV to film the dog being held at their facility. Keona Leslie and his wife live in a home behind the family and heard screaming. "At first I thought it was a domestic fight," said Leslie. "But it was a startled, surprised scream that went on for a while." His wife called 911 after the couple heard women screaming and rapid, agitated footsteps across a wooden floor.
Robert Vidinha has lived behind the family's home for 32 years. Four years ago he built a 4-foot-high iron fence because the dog, named Penelope Rose, would bark violently at his young grandchildren. "My grandchildren couldn't go into the back yard because I thought that dog was dangerous," said Vidinha, 68. Vidinha said three other dogs lived at that home, but only Penelope Rose had a mean spirit.
10/06/08: Hawaiian Humane Society in Denial
The dog is now being identified as a pit bull. KHON states, "[Pit bull] A breed believed responsible for a young child's death." This may be another instance of an animal agency attempting to hide the breed. Initial reports labeled the dog a "mixed breed." This label was presumably supplied by the Hawaiian Humane Society because they had custody of the dog.
"That maybe the case [in reference to the breed], but definitely we don't feel this is breed specific to a pit bull or a rotweiler,' says Kawehi Yim, Hawaiian Humane Society. The Hawaiian Humane Society says no particular breed is more dangerous or deadly than another.
The Hawaiian Humane Society was founded in 1897. There is no excuse for the organization to be "unaware" of the pit bull's horrendous safety record, which began in the mid 1980's. For over twenty years pit bulls have been killing American citizens at alarmingly high rates compared to other breeds. One has to wonder if "prevention" is truly a goal of the organization.
10/05/08: Family Dog Attack
Waianea, HI - In a developing story, an infant, who has been identified as Iokepa Liptak, was pronounced dead at an area hospital early this morning after being mauled by a dog shortly after midnight at the family's home. The baby was 2-months-old and was attacked by the family dog, according to Major Frank Fujii of the Honolulu Police Department.
The dog, a black mixed-breed, was seized and is being held in isolation, said Kawehi Yim, Hawaiian Humane Society spokeswoman. The baby's mother was also bitten and taken to the hospital; she is reportedly in stable condition. An ambulance crew was called back to the home less than hour later to treat another adult who was not taken to the hospital but was also injured in the attack.
Nearly half (8 of 20) of the fatalities in 2008 have involved a child 1 year and younger.
Related articles:
09/25/08: 2008 Fatality: 3-Day Old Infant Killed by Family Dog
09/07/08: 2008 Fatality: Alexis Hennessy, 6-Days Old, Killed By Family Dog
This sweetie had to be pried off the infant then attacked the two rescuers…classic pit bull phenotypical gene expression.
It’s time to start examining the role of these 501C tax exempt groups and their relationship as lobbiest for the dog industry, while at the same time bidding for Animal Control contracts.
Who are they really working for? The taxpayer or the dog breeders?!
We got a neighbor saying it’s a pit bull mix as well, in addition to the Humane Society only calling the animal a “mixed breed.”
http://www.khon2.com/home/ticker/30501929.html
Society spokeswoman Kawehi Yim described the dog as a 40-pound female mixed breed. She says it will be kept at the Humane Society until police conclude an investigation. Yim said evidence gathered by HPD will help determine what happens to the animal, which could eventually be put to sleep.
Neighbors described the dog as a mixed breed pitbull, one of three or four dogs kept inside a kennel at the home.
It seems all “animal rescue” facilities enjoy a 501(c)3 status which allows for tax deductible donations. This is special to animal facilities. 501(c)3 organizations are not supposed to engage in “legislation” and policy making lobbying, at least not to a substantial degree. Clearly, these pet organizations do anyway.
Comments from the Pit Bull Breeder:
“Once you own that animal you’re responsible for that animal, every action,” says Black
No other defective product can be sold liability free by the manufacturer. The is why the Dog Industry throws it’s entire weight behind “It’s the owner” spam when the KNOWN DEFECT results in another mauling/death.
Who is the Watchdog over these frickin’ people?!
Animal control is just playing into the hands of the fighters and breeders by covering up the problem with pit bulls and being dishonest.
The deaths are going to continue as long as pit bull promoters get hired to do animal control.
“The Hawaiian Humane Society says no particular breed is more dangerous or deadly than another.”
IDIOTS
“…we don’t FEEL this is breed specific to a pit bull or a rotweiler”
Stop FEELing
Start THINKING!
Regarding the above comment on 501(c)3 animal rescue facilities engaging in lobbying, and legal restrictions to that practice. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary posts their 2007 tax forms on their website. This form indicates total expenses for the year at $26,696,366. They indicate animal care at $13,304,418Rapid Response totaled $2,921,944 Outreach and education came in at $10,470,004, clearly a huge chunk of a huge budget. On page 16 of the document – “Limits on lobbying expenditures” there were absolutely no entries posted. Take a look at this website. It is knee deep in anti BSL activism. Best Friends sends speakers to many cities to give “The truth about pit bulls” talks. Best Friends lawyers brag about talking communities out of BSL. Are we to believe that there are no no costs to this activism?
Education is a effective way to make propaganda.
Best Friends does not take many pit bulls at their desert sanctuary, despite their claims to being no kill.
They flat out raise money and tell people they are running a no kill sanctaury.
Look at how much they have in the bank, and their lower Guidestar rating.
They turned away Utah pit bulls http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=4351316 and then took the Vick pit bulls and the money.
They use the Vick pit bulls as promotion devices, and fundraise with them constantly.
And yes, their anti-BSL lobbying lines right up with the anti-BSL lobbying being done by the fighters breeders.
Hawaiian Humane Society blames Vick and other “bad guys” for the pit bulls bad reputation. They state their position quite clearly here:
Vick Pit Bull Pitty
Imagine being unwanted because of something somebody else did. That’s how Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes at the Hawaiian Humane Society must feel. They’re trying to find loving homes in the face of the disturbing Michael Vick dog fighting case. Whenever there’s a high-profile, negative case involving a certain breed, the Humane Society worries that more of those dogs will be turned in and fewer of them will be adopted. Kuu Niko of Ewa is adopting a Pit Bull. She’s naming the adorable puppy Bronx…
“It perpetuates a negative image about Pit Bulls in general, that they’re aggressive, that they’re the dog fighters, that they’re the dangerous dogs,” Alicia Maluafiti, Hawaiian Humane Society, said. “And it’s just simply not true.” She says it all depends on how the owner raises the dog.
All pit bull pups are cute. But when they get to be about 1.5-2 years old and start behaving as they were designed to, many owners of the cute pit bull puppies TURN THEIR DOG IN because they cannot handle them.
So apparently Alicia Maluafiti is totally unaware of dog fighting, and the long history of pit bulls breed for fighting?
And she is a spokesperson?
It boggles the mind how a Humane Society employee can tell new pet owners that “it all depends on how the owner raises the dog” and not be held liable for what ensues. It’s common sense – if what any dog did strictly was based on how it was raised and how it was trained, we would only have one basic kind of all-purpose dog used for all these different jobs we have dogs to do. The same dog could be either a hunting dog, a retrieving dog, or a herding dog. In the real world, we have well over 150 different breeds, each specifically created and bred to do certain limited tasks. And yet shelters do not explain this very basic concept of dog behavior to new adopters, they tell them instead that all dogs are the same and love and training will ensure there will never be a problem with the dog. They fuel the myths and the problems themselves! Let’s face it, there are a lot of impulsive, uninformed and irresponsible people out there who rely on shelters and organizations lie the Humnae Society to tell them the truth and guide them when adopting an animal. And instead they are being decieved and making pet ownership a risky proposition for society.
Now the Pitophiles will switch gears from “it wasn’t a pit bull” to “The owner trained it to be vicious”… Essentially accusing one of their own of murder, for the good of the pit breeders.
Remember that there is no one “Humane Society.” These Humane Societies all operate separetely and differently. It’s just a shared name, but not a shared management.
Other humane societies realize the dangers and the problems.
You have to consider each one independently.
BUT back to the problem here. We see again the same pattern of pit bull and “outside” dog. That means a chained dog or dog locked in a small pen.
Doing that to a dog takes the problem and makes it worse.
There is no ok thing about an “outside dog.” If a person has to keep their dog chained up outside, what they really need to do is get rid of the dog.
Chained dogs constantly have aggression issues.
Many people are ignorant about what chaining does to a dog. Do you think this hawaiian humane society is teaching them?
With all the dogs and kennels in this situation, could this be a breeder that the humane society is trying to protect?
Some people involved with some shelters (few but they are there) are breeders themselves and try to protect the breeding business reputation too.
If you look at the adoptions page at this facility there are many “lab mixes” and “blue heeler” mixes…just sayin….
Another killing by another beloved family pit. I do feel so sorry for the owner, because she probably bought into the baloney that it’s the owner, not the dog, that causes pits to be so aggressive. The owner stated that she had never seen her dog act like that before. That seems to be the way with these dogs. It seems like the majority of attacks are not caused by abused pits, or pits “trained” to be aggressive and violent. (Babypit — what do you think?) So many of the pits that cause so many deaths and injuries come from families who thought their pit could never possibly hurt anyone. Pits are ticking time bombs. I will never ever ever trust any pit anytime anywhere, or the owner that tells me, “Oh she wouldn’t hurt a flea.”
Thank goodness the owners had the presence of mind to euthanize the Penelope Rose — Kawehi Yim probably wouldn’t have done it. But while I feel sorry for the owners, it does appear that she was cautious with the dog. I guess Pit apologists would say that that is the reason this killing is the owner’s fault — she just wasn’t cautious enough!
That was one beautiful little sweet innocent baby, too. I can’t help but cry for her. My God — how many more babies must die before people get it?
I just wanted to clarify my comment about the owner buying into the baloney “it’s the owner, not the dog.” What I mean is that a lot of pit owners buy into that statement, so they get a pit and treat it well — thinking their dog could never ever do anything to harm anyone because they do not abuse their dog or train it for fighting. But time and time again a beloved family pit kills one of their children, or attacks a visiting friend, or just goes beserk, breaks the leash, and kills the neighbor’s dog. And time and time again, the pit owner’s claim their pit was the sweetest dog ever — and are in shock that it would do such a thing. Brainwashed — that is what they are. A girl where I work volunteers with a Pit rescue in Charleston, and she is always putting up notices about “Meet and Greets” on the work intranet. She often says things like, “Don’t Judge!” Thank heavens she posts these notices,so I can make sure I ain’t gonna be anywhere near that “Meet and Greet!”
foolmeonce, I think you have hit on it about some of the pit bull promoters.
There seem to be a certain group of pit owners (I’ll put out there they mainly seem to be youngish, naive females with no understanding about how the breeders work and what the ulterior motives of dogfighters are. Feel free to disagree) for whom this pit bull thing has become a kind of religion.
They have gotten sucked into the “poor persecuted pits” so they get one of these dogs so they live in a kind of perpetual persecution complex and “supporting the victim” and civil rights sort of thing.
The breeders fasten on to emotionally needy, naive, even impaired people to do their dirty work.
The dog fighters and breeders love using these young women for their own devices. It’s like getting free cult members to go out and spread the myths and weep and wail about “racism” and help dogfighters keep doing just what they are doing.
Of course, some of these “rescuers” are actually dogfighters or breeders, but that’s another subset.
“There seem to be a certain group of pit owners (I’ll put out there they mainly seem to be youngish, naive females with no understanding about how the breeders work and what the ulterior motives of dogfighters are. Feel free to disagree) for whom this pit bull thing has become a kind of religion.”
emphasis on youngish naive females with no understanding period! ergo this quote from the link someone provided above …
“People judge them as LIKE, YOU KNOW, mean dogs,” Niko said. “But I think it just depends on the owner, LIKE the way you train the dog.”
OH MY GOD! HOW OLD IS THIS BIMBO Miss Kuu Niko?
http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=6997278
On one of the Nutter boards, one of the Manipulators has a thread about how Denver has “slaughtered 1700 Pit Bulls” since they started reinforcing the 20 year old Pit Bull Ban…The Ban never went away mind you, it just wasn’t enforced for a little over a year, during the Court proceedings and breeders bred and sold pits like rabbits..
While the number sounds horrific and the author doesn’t mention that in Ventura County, where the girl was just killed, has “Humanely euthanized” 2000 plus pit bulls during the same with no end in sight….and it is the same situation in nearly every city…Pit Bulls being euthanized by the truckload!
These people really don’t care about dogs. in fact the Bully movement has been about nothing but unspeakable cruelty for over two centuries now.
It is astounding that the Humane orgs have become hand maidens for them, and have so freely obligated tax payer money towards cleaning up the mess created by the pit bull community.
“On one of the Nutter boards, one of the Manipulators has a thread about how Denver has “slaughtered 1700 Pit Bulls””
They are humanely euthanized, thanks to the breeders that caused the problem.
And no mention probably of how many dogs the dog fighters have slaughtered? And those dogs don’t die humanely
These people are just irrational.