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24 thoughts on “2009 Dog Bite Fatality: 23-Month Old Toddler Killed by Family Pit Bull

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  1. You need to update this to include the police say the family had this pit bull for 10 year and it never before showed signs of aggression.

  2. "Family Pit Bull"= Does not Compute!

    I think this is Pit Bull DBRF number 60 since January 2006. There should be no legal defense anymore…….

  3. "Neighbors say the family has several children and the victim was the youngest. They also say the family has several pit bulls…"

    "They probably should have been more careful, especially with a toddler around a dog like a pit bull," said Orange, Va., resident Rebecca Sellers."

    Yes, crocodiles pinned up in one's yard is a very bad idea. In 2005, the State of Virginia nailed the parents of Jonathan Martin after their normally chained up pit bulls spent a "rare" night in the house. The boy went downstairs in the morning, encountered the dogs and was killed by them.

    "Police said a 5-foot area of wall was covered in blood, and there was blood and cereal all over the floor of a spare room where the dogs, normally kept outside, had spent the night. A doctor said that the boy suffered more than 100 bites and died of deep puncture wounds and internal bleeding."
    —-
    http://hamptonroads.com/node/102271

  4. This just breaks my heart — the horror that poor child must have gone through! And this morning on 94.3 WCSC Charleston, I am so very sad and angry to report, Kay Hyman of the Charleston Animal Society weighed in on the wrong side of the pit bull/rottweiler ban on Marine bases. She called it "breedism" and said pit bulls get a bad rap. The reporter related a story of a terrier her family had as a child that bit someone in her family, and her mother gave it away, then it bit someone in that family, and was given away, and so on. She was trying to say that terriers are vicious, too, and Kay replied, "Was it a Jack Russell?", never letting on that Pit Bulls are Terriers! Kay spouted the pit-nutter line that "Any thing with teeth is capable of biting." She also said cat bites are the worst. She then said that the only reason you hear about pit bull attacks is because they do tend to cause more damage, and can "literally" kill you. Oh, is that the only reason, Kay? I am so disgusted, and when I calm down, I plan to write to her about the well-deserved pit bull reputation.

    Colleen, I know you can't post all the pit attacks, but in this past week alone, I have saved 10 articles about pit attacks, including this killing.

    And now, a pit bull mix has moved in just down the street from my house, and I see it running loose all the time. Just a few weeks ago, it ran through my yard. Now I no longer feel safe walking in my own neighborhood. I thought about getting mace and pepper spray but I know it does no good. I live outside of a very small town with no leash laws. I told my husband to make sure his gun is at the ready.

  5. Here in Worcester, Massachusetts, a three year old was mauled by a neighbors pit bull, causing a gash in his face that required 100 stitches to close. The owners were a downstairs tenant. The pit bull was only 11 months old, and had been around children and allegedly never shown any aggression.

    According to the Boston Globe, the child is so traumatised by the attack, he refuses to go back home, and is currently recuperating at his grandmothers house.

  6. i am tracking dog dighting, animal attacks, psychopaths and puppy mills. we should all be setting up blogger accts and taking the nutters on.
    blogger is easy to use. why not set up a blogger acct and post these attacks. and another person set up another blogger acct to post shootings?

  7. A mandated covered enclosure would have saved this little angel and many others who wander into a killing field of chained canine IEDs….BSL Now!

    BSL works great for Wolf-Hybrids. VA Legislature: Shame…Shame…Shame!

  8. I forgot to mention that Kay Hyman said dachshunds were more dangerous than pit bulls because they don't give any warning before they bite, whereas pit bulls will growl, snarl, and show body language that lets you know. How could she get it so wrong???

  9. "The Orange County Sheriff’s Office has identified the toddler who was mauled to death by a pit bull Sunday evening. Jasmine Deane, the daughter of Johnny Deane and Kristy Fincham, died Sunday after being attacked by her family’s pit bull. Deane and Fincham reside on Beech Tree Road in Orange County and previously lived in Culpeper County."

    http://tinyurl.com/ycqg9u2

  10. love the neck tattoo on the family spokesperson.

    the parents are Johnny Deane and Kristy Fincham.
    http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/orange/article/sheriff_identifies_toddler_killed_by_pit_bull/46322/

    i don't have enough info yet to absolutely determine if this is the father but i suspect that it is:
    http://www.criminalsearches.com/details.aspx?id=w1x00xC8&vw=criminal&1=rBUQYx%2fKgENCaQiRypsKLPq0lZIlOpcfhnnm3S%2fewZY%3d&input=name

    that is one of the longest criminal records i have come across, especially for a 27 yr old.

    i will check back to see if anyone has the middle name on the father.

  11. Just thought of a few new breed nickname instead of the obviously dreampt up "Nannydog"….

    "Manslaughter on Four Legs"

    "Canine IED"

    "Closed Casket Dogs"

    "Lifeflight Bulls"

    "Plastic Surgeshire Terriers"

  12. Speaking of how to describe a pit bull….

    A city councilman in Council Bluffs, Iowa, prior to passing his vote to outlaw pit bulls commented, "They are like a stick of dynamite with a tail".

    I refer to them as land-sharks.

  13. I've been reading this blog for about 3 weeks now, since I was bit by my neighbor's pit bull, naturally. It wasn't a serious bite, but it was deemed a vicious attack. The dog also attacked another person in the neighborhood, but that was considered "Not vicious" as it was, "provoked." I started a petition in the neighborhood to keep the dog away, for fear of a serious tragedy like the ones posted here. I also started a blog so people can read the whole story. Here's my blog. http://nopitbullbites.blogspot.com/ Here's the newspaper article. http://www.eastbayri.com/detail/131609.html?comment_result=posted#comments-post
    I'm going to keep blogging and push for policy changes in my town.
    I can't believe people are not ashamed to voice such hateful opinions. The comments after the Boston Herald article on the Worcester Boy are ridiculous. Both the article on my bite situation and my blog have received many hateful angry "blame-the-victim" comments. I'm on board with dogsbite.org. What can I do?

  14. UPDATE – October 16, 2009

    "Orange County Commonwealth’s Attorney Diana Wheeler said the investigation is on hold until the family of 23-month-old Jasmine Deane, who died after being attacked by the family’s pit bull, agrees to cooperate with the investigation led by local child protective services and police. Deane was the daughter of Johnny Deane and Kristy Fincham of Beech Tree Road in Orange County. “The investigation by child protective services and the sheriff’s office is continuing and will continue until the family cooperates,“ Wheeler said. “They are not cooperating with the investigation into their child’s death. Until they cooperate, we cannot finish the investigation.“

    http://www2.orangenews.com/ocn/news/local/article/pit_bull_attack_case_still_open/47475/

  15. Looks like the family has finally agreed to speak with authorities.

    October 22 — "The family of a little girl mauled by a pet pit bull is cooperating with investigators in Orange County. According to the county's Commonwealth's Attorney, the Deane family has made an appointment to talk to child protective services. 23 month old Jasmine Deane died September 27 after wandering out of her home on Beech Tree Road, where she was attacked by the dog."

    http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=11369850

  16. My neihgbor has a pitbull and it is terible!Today,I found one in my yard.I had my grandchildren with me,and we could not get out of my car.When we tried to get out, he almost bit my leg off.

  17. Posted by: Shirley Location: Culpeper on Oct 2, 2009 at 08:35 PM

    "I am a family member and would like to clear up one thing and that is no the dog wasn't chained for the past ten years! My cousin lost his home and had to reside with his sister! They had just move there the day before this happened! Yes the dog had been around his 23 month old prior to this! They kept the dog inside where they had lived! I would like to leave one thought for everyone "do not judge unless you would like to be judged yourself"!"

    http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/62325882.html?storySection=comments#commentSection

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