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33 thoughts on “2010 Dog Bite Fatality: 'Very Loving' Pit Bull Kills Baby in Jacksonville Home

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  1. My heart goes out to these parents. I'm sure they believed that the dog was a member of the family, since they had him from puphood. So many pit bull owners love to tell the story of how their pit bull truly does act like a nanny dog with their children, protecting them, sleeping with them, slobbering them with kisses, letting them pull their tails and nip their ears without even so much as a grrr. But then, when something horrendous like this happens, they all blame the parents immediately, saying no dog is is to be trusted around children unsupervised. It is terrible how quickly they will throw fellow pitbull owners under the bus.

    And Anonymous,if that is your real name, you should take the time to read through the archives here and read about every fatal dog attack article that is listed here for 2008. It's far more than 8, unfortunately. So unfortunately.

  2. Anon 1:48
    In 2008 there were 6 adults and 9 children killed by pit bulls in the United States, that makes 15 pit bull fatalities in one year. Please do not make false statements and think nobody will check your stats.

  3. I'm Anon 1:48 and I was being *sarcastic*, people. Of course I know there were more than 8 fatalities in 2008 and of course I know that none of them involved Chihuahuas. I just wanted to post the link to Sheddan's lies.

  4. In the photo, the dog's eyes are back up in its head and/or appear totally ABSENT — So characteristic of a "pit bull." It's disgusting that mankind created this breed. One could never shoot a photo of any other dog breed depicting these eyes!

  5. That's the funny thing about pit-advocates. They don't think anyone will check the facts.

    Silly nutters…

  6. Michael Shannon is a neighbor and says he can't imagine what they're going through. "It's sad, really sad." Shannon is a father, too, and also owns a pitbull. He worries this attack will continue to give the breed a bad name. "I have a pitbull. He's the sweetest dog in the world. I have a two-year-old. He plays with it, but it depends on who raises the dog," said Shannon.

    I guess fellow pit bull owner (and neighbor) Shannon believes that the father "trained this pit bull to attack!"

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20020791-504083.html

  7. I am a very new dog owner and I am glad I have found some sites like this one that cut through the propaganda we have been fed over and over about the Pit Bull breed type. I see so many of this type of dog everywhere, especially our local dog parks, that it worries me for my 6 month old puppy (and myself). With all the shows on Animal Planet promoting the breed, and dog lover friends who (though not owning the breed themselves) spew the same lines promoting them as pets I was almost buying it, but there were still the news stories like this one with babies and small children being "killed by the loving family pit bull that had never shown aggression". One story a few years ago locally where the dog attacked several family members for no apparent reason. I can just about guarantee that I get more warnings about my very friendly Border Collie mix having a high activity level because of her genetics than pit bull owners get about their dog's genetic disposition to attack. I have been watching the pit bull shows on Animal Planet and even in those you see people being very careful when these dogs interact with other dogs, and careful in how they approach them. But they are still pawned off to the unsuspecting public as great family dogs, just "not for everyone". My little BC tried to herd me to the door to take her for a walk the other day, I didn't teach her that…

  8. Sorry, Anon. I can "read" your sarcasm when I look back, but you gotta admit, you did a great job of sounding like a pit nutter! 🙂

  9. M, thank you for sharing your story. Very eloquently told. I like the way you point out that the pit bull loving shows tout them as just like every other dog, and then treat them with kid gloves. I also appreciate your observation that you were given a lot of warning about the high activity level of your border collie, because of its breed, and contrasted that with the denial from the pit community that their breeding is something to be concerned about.

  10. Excellent point, Truthbird. The neighbor also implies that the pit was not properly trained. Contradiction alert! Either you can train a pit bull to NOT kill infants, or you should never ever ever no natter what leave them alone with infants. Which is it? Their excuses are like jello.

  11. He said the agency will want to know if there were other incidents involving children and that dog. He called the incident a tragedy and extended sympathies to the family. Police are also investigating, said spokeswoman Melissa Bujeda of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
    –snip–
    The dog, a male named Briggs, was between 1 and 2 years old, said Scott Trebatoski, division director of Jacksonville Animal Care and Protective Services.

    http://origin.jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-10-27/story/investigation-continuing-dog-mauling-death-jacksonville-newborn

  12. Well, which is it, pit nutters? There are hundreds of websites and dog forums where pit bull "experts" will tell you these dogs are "nanny dogs", and are GREAT with children. In fact, I could produce a million testimonials from pit bull owners insisting that pit bulls are SUPERIOR pets with children, more tolerant and patient than any other breed.

    So for pit bull owners who "educate" themselves on the internet about the nature of pit bulls, why shouldn't they feel comfortable leaving the baby alone for a few minutes with the dog in the room? These are NANNY DOGS, remember? If its all how you raise them, and you raise your pit bull with love, than why shouldn't you leave the kids alone with him?

    Which is it? Why lie to you want to cling too, pit lovers?

  13. Thanks to DBO for providing a place with accurate stories on an American epidemic. Pit bulls are completely out of control.

    The only thing I agree with pit bull nutters about is that man is the problem. The difference is that I don't blame all of this on the individual owner, I blame it on the dogmen who created this Canine Frankenstein over thousands and thousands of very selective breedings. Again, pit bulls do things that wolves in the Canadian Rockies don't. Wolves won't fight to the death. Pit bulls will.

    Truly amazing what man has created in American Pit Bull Terriers.

  14. The people who say "never leave a child unsupervised with ANY dog" are people who have never had children. As a mother and a dog owner, I can tell you it is realistically impossible in any normal family to make sure a child is NEVER unsupervised with the family dog, unless the dog is kept in a crate in the basement all day. Remember, millions of children grow up with dogs in the home, and are never hurt. I can think of literally a hundred friends, family members, neighbors, and aquaintences who have raised dogs and kids together and never had a problem.

    It is delusional to think that you can treat a dog as a member of the family, let it live in the house with you, and never have it alone with children for short periods of time here and there…are you going to take the dog into the toilet with you? What happens if the doorbell rings and you leave the room to answer the door? Do you chain the dog to your belt as you do laundry, cook, clean, and move around your home? People don't live that way in the real world.

    Telling people that they can NEVER leave a dog and child unsupervised is a diversionary tactic used by pit bull apologists to deflect blame and excuse the behavior of aggressive pit bulls. The reality is, if you can't trust the dog in your home with your kids, you should NOT have that dog.

  15. "I see so many of this type of dog everywhere, especially our local dog parks, that it worries me for my 6 month old puppy (and myself"

    M, please be as overprotective as possible with your pup. The maulings of innocent dogs such as yours are widespread and out of control, and you may well be blamed for an unprovoked attack on your dog, and the offending pit bull returned to owner to kill again.

    I believe we live in a world right now where pit bull fanatics have taken away our freedoms. It is not safe any more to go for a walk or go to the park.

    I do recommend bombproof fencing, and scheduled play activites with your friends and their dogs rather than submit your pet to whatever pit bull happens by. The owners of pit bulls cannot control them, and pit bulls are even killing other dogs while leashed.

    Pit bulls are intentionally bred to attack and kill other pets. This is the "work" they were and are bred for.

  16. Also please contact Marjorie Kaplan of Animal Planet (owned by Discovery) with your concerns

    http://corporate.discovery.com/leadership/marjorie-kaplan/

    It is inexusable that this woman is using Animal Planet to help dog fighters and pit bull breeders to not only hurt people and pets like yours but pit bulls too, particularly when the KKK has had links to pit bull breeding and fighting for many years in this country.

    It could be that the influence of Jane Saul Berkey is clouding Kaplan's judgment.

  17. anon, 1;48, I got your sarcasm about that ridiculous lie by animal control.

    If you or anyone else is interested, please send information about fabrications and deceptions like this to my blog. I am collecting the information.

    Also any personal experiences.

  18. I don't feel sorry for these parents. They knew the risk with this dog and chose to ignore the facts. I hope they remember for the rest of their lives what their child looked like ripped to shreds. These morons don't deserve children. For individuals who have never seen what a human being looks like after one of these attacks I can tell you they are horrible. It's too bad the general public can't take a look and have pictures of the body posted on pit bull central.

  19. Defective Nanny list 2006 to present:

    Justin Valentin
    4 days old/Arlington FL
    October 24, 2010
    Family Pit Bull

    Jason Walter
    7 years old/La Salle IL
    August 25, 2010
    Mother’s boyfriends Pit Bulls

    Jacob Brisbee
    2 years old/Concord CA
    July 22, 2010
    Grandfather’s breeding business

    Savannah Gregg
    9 years old/ Kokomo IN
    June 3, 2010
    Family pit bull

    Nathan Aguirre
    2 years old/San Bernardino CA
    May 27, 2010
    Family pit bull

    Thomas James Carter Jr.
    7 days old/Port Richey FL
    April 14, 2010
    Family pit bull

    Jane Doe
    5 days old/Conyers GA
    February 23, 2010
    Family pit bull

    Anastasia Bingham
    5 years old/Terry MS
    February 12, 2010
    Neighbor’s pit bull /dog fighting operation

    Omar Martinez
    3 years old/Apple Valley CA
    January 9, 2010
    Family pit bull

    Destiny Marie Knox
    16 months old/Union County MS
    November 5, 2009
    Baby sitter’s pit bull

    Matthew Clayton Hurt
    2 years old/Prescott AR
    October 28, 2009
    Neighbor’s breeding business

    Colten Smith
    19 months old/Delhi CA
    October 23, 2009
    Baby sitter’s pit bulls

    Jasmine Deane
    23 months old/Orange County VA
    September 27, 2009
    Family pit bull

    John Doe
    3 days old/Rio WV
    August 15, 2009
    Family pit bull

    Gabrial Mandrell-Sauerhage
    3 years old/Johnson City IL
    June 27, 2009
    Family pit bull during visitation

    Justin Clinton
    10 years old/Leverett’s Chapel TX
    June 15, 2009
    Neighbor’s breeding business

    Leonard Lovejoy Jr.
    11 months old/Eastpointe MI
    April 22, 2009
    Family dog

    Izaiah Gregory Cox
    7 months old/San Antonio TX
    March 31, 2009
    Grandmother’s Pit Bulls

    Tyson Miller
    18 months old/Luling TX
    March 26, 2009
    Pregnant female Pit Bull

    Cheyenne Peppers
    5 years old/Thomasville GA
    January 6, 2009
    Family breeding operation

    Alexander Adams
    2 years old/Las Vegas NV
    November 26, 2008
    Family dog

    Lopeka Liptak
    2 months old/Waianae HI
    October 5, 2008
    Family pit bull

    Katya Todesco
    5 years old/Simi Valley CA
    September 26, 2008
    Neighbor’s pit bull

    Cenedi Kia Carey
    4 months old/Las Vegas NV
    September 12, 2008
    Family pit bull

    Isis Krieger
    6 years old/Anchorage AK
    August 14, 2008
    Family pit bull/US Army dependent, Father flown home from Iraq to handle mortuary affairs

    Tony Evans Jr.
    3 years old/Jackson MS
    June 22, 2008
    Neighbor’s pit bull

    Pablo Lopez(Hernandez)
    5 years old/Weslaco TX
    June 18, 2008
    Family pit bull/DCPS Placement

    Joshua Tanner Monk
    7 years old/Breckenridge, TX
    May 18, 2008
    Neighbor’s breeding business

    Julian Slack
    3 years old/ Camp Lejeune, NC
    May 14, 2008
    Friend’s pit bull staying in base housing

    Holden Jernigan
    2 years old/Summerville, SC
    December 13, 2007
    Grandmother’s pit bull

    Seth Lovitt
    11 years old/Killeen TX
    November 7, 2007
    Mother’s pit bull/military dependent, Father flown home from Korea to handle mortuary affairs

    Scott Warren
    6 years old/Dallas TX
    August 31, 2007
    Family pit bull

    Zachary King JR.
    7 years old/ Minneapolis MN
    August 16, 2007
    Family breeding business

    Sabin Jones-Abbott
    6 years old/Bath NY
    June 27, 2007
    Family pit bull

    Dandre Fisher
    3 years old/Hunter Army Airfield GA
    May 26, 2007
    Neighbor’s pit bull/base housing

    Brian Palmer
    1 year old/Charleston SC
    April 27, 2007
    Family pit bull

    Carolina Sotello
    2 years old/Combine TX
    March 23, 2007
    Family breeding business

    Robynn Bradley
    2 years old/Lithonia GA
    February 16, 2007
    Family pit bull

    Amber Jones
    10 years old/San Antonio TX
    January 12, 2007
    Neighbor’s pit bull

    Pedro Rios
    4 years old/Pasadena TX
    November 21, 2006
    Ownership details not available

    Allen L. Young
    22 months old/Bamberg SC
    October 4, 2006
    Family pit bull

    Mireya Puga Davila
    3 years old/Hargill TX
    July 25, 2006
    Family breeding business

    Javelin Anderson
    15 months old/Conehatta MS
    June 17, 2006
    Family pit bull/broke chain

    Cody Adair
    4 years old/Bartlesville OK
    January 3, 2006
    Uncle’s pit bull

  20. I so agree with Anon 7:27.

    All these warnings that you can't ever have dogs with kids is just a made up rule to serve pit bulls and it's insane when you think about real house pet dogs.

    "It is delusional to think that you can treat a dog as a member of the family, let it live in the house with you, and never have it alone with children for short periods of time here and there.."

    Yes, yes, yes. I grew up with dogs from birth. I was the oldest and watched my siblings grow up with the dogs too. My mother told me about the danger of the poopy diaper, and no newborn was left alone with a dog. But apart from that, our dogs were our companions.

    If you listened to the pit bull propaganda, dogs would never have been allowed in any home
    -children can't be left alone because the dog might attack
    -dogs must always be supervised because the dog might attack
    -you can't have food around a dog because the dog might attack
    -if you trip over a dog, it might attack
    -if the dog doesn't understand what you're doing, it might attack
    -if the dog is exposed to something novel, it might attack
    -if the dog becomes overstimulated, it might attack
    -if the environment changes the dog might attack

    no, no, no. the reason we take dogs into our homes is because they can adapt to human life.

    Dogs would never have been allowed into our homes in the first place if the dog's tie to us was so tenuous that we had to walk on eggshells to simply keep from being attacked.

  21. The usual pit nutters are at it again! They are spreading all their overplayed myths about "nanny dogs" and "labs bite more kids per year" on all the Readers' Comments sections of websites that carry this story. These pittards are also very active on FaceBook right now spewing lies. Please help combat the pittards by presenting pitbull bite statistics!

  22. Here's another news story where the pit nutters spammed the Comments section with outrageous lies! A pair of pitmonsters broke into a house trying to attack an infant and killed that family's chihuahua which was defending the kid. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Chihuahua-Dies-Defending-Newborn-Baby-From-Pit-Bulls-97392849.html

    Read the comments. The stuff that pit nutters say are simply disgusting (including the typical blaming the victim lines! It's unbelievable to logical people that anyone can even say such boldfaced b.s.! But then, the pittards do live in a fantasy world, don't they?

  23. I looked again at the picture of the dog. I wonder if the police asked where they got the pup? Who bred this dog? The size of this dog's head makes me wonder how close it was to a fighter. Anyway this information the police should acquire. The vast majority of the time where the dog or pup came from is never known. The breeder (if there are any truly legitimate AmPBT breeders) should be informed of the killing.

  24. I so agree with Anon 8:16. We need to start demanding that owners divulge where the dog came from…was it a "rescue"? Was it a breeder? If there is an investigation as to the possibility of charges against the parents, lets hear where dad got his muscle dog. If dad got his pit bull from a "breeder" at, say, "Chainsaw Kennels", whose website depicts snarling pits with spike collars and obscenity laden rap music…then I would discount his assertion that he had the dog as a "loving family pet". The parents should be charged with manslaughter. If the dad got his pit bull from a rescue that guaranteed that pit bulls are "nanny dogs" who are GREAT around kids, then the rescue group should face charges.

    The sourse of the dog MATTERS, and reporters and LEOs should start asking the question.

  25. Remember the fatality in San Bernardino City where the pit nutter had the nutter magazine poster on his front window. Also he got the pit from Muscoy, a well known place for fighting pits. Yet the police in SB City said it was an "accident" and didn't file charges. What are you to do?

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