Meet Polar, the deaf pit bull-American bulldog mix baby killer.1
No Charges
UPDATE 07/13/11: Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that charges will not be sought following the death of Salvador Cotto. Chesterfield County Police Department issued a news release today stating that a "thorough police investigation" and discussions with prosecutors led to the decision. After the Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the cause of the boy's death, "cerebral edema due to a dog bite to the head," the dog was euthanized, according to the release.
Salvador Miguel Cotto was born January 10, 2011.
Separately, Polar fan club members along with some media members are still having trouble understanding the examiner's ruling. For instance, Donna Solinger writes: "Did they purposely leave out the part that the bite was ruled "accidental?" and Richmond.com writes: "Polar has been euthanized, on July 13, despite the medical examiner's office ruling the death of an infant as accidental." The ruling pertained only to the criminal culpability of a human being.
07/12/11: Cause of Death Announced
Richmond.com reports that a forensic pathologist announced today that the toddler's death was accidental, meaning that there was no human criminal responsibility.2 Chesterfield County Police continue to investigate the case. Police spokesperson Elizabeth Caroon, who provided no new updates, said only that the investigation is "still ongoing." The infant died of cerebral edema due to a dog bite to the head. Polar remains at the Chesterfield County Animal Shelter.
07/08/11: Sources: Cerebral Edema
Unnamed sources tell WTVR.com that the baby died from cerebral edema as a result of a dog bite to the head. Cerebral edema is the swelling of the brain and in this case was likely caused by traumatic brain injury. Donna Armstrong, who organized Friday's dozen person denialist event televised by WTVR.com, said that Polar was acting like any animal when it picked the child up "by the neck [scruff]."3 The so-called "vigil" greatly marginalized the toddler's death.
WTVR.com was also quick to point out via unnamed sources that the child's death was ruled an accident, "not a vicious attack." Readers should note the definition of Traumatic Brain Injury and the genetic bite style of pit bulls and other gripper breeds: hold and shake (Shaken Baby Syndrome may be a possibility here too). At the very least, the new information provides clues into why the police investigation continues. Death by cerebral edema is not always immediate.
Causes of brain swelling:
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): A TBI is also called a head injury, brain injury, or acquired brain injury. In TBI, a sudden event damages the brain. Both the physical contact itself and the quick acceleration and deceleration of the head can cause the injury. The most common causes of TBI include falls, vehicle crashes, being hit with or crashing into an object, and assaults. The initial injury can cause brain tissue to swell. In addition, broken pieces of bone can rupture blood vessels in any part of the head. The body's response to the injury may also increase swelling. Too much swelling may prevent fluids from leaving the brain.
07/08/11: "Save Polar" Cause Begins
It comes as no surprise that pit bull and animal rights activists have begun an effort to "Save Polar" from being euthanized. On June 29, Polar, a pit bull-American bulldog mix, killed a baby in Chesterfield. On the Save Polar Facebook page, Arlene Esan writes, "I was told there was nothing the governor could do when I called." In contrast to the story's headline, "Hundreds pray for dog that killed a child," only a dozen bizarre persons turned out for the actual event.
07/07/11: Breed Mislabeling Effort
While it is unclear who conceived the "dogo" story, news reports now say that the offending dog is a pit bull-American bulldog mix, not a dogo Argentino, which weighs up to 100 pounds and more. The dogo story might have stemmed from neighbor Geoff Rundless, who told the Richmond Times-Dispatch, "[The dog owners] are a loving family, and Polar is a loving dog." Or, neighbor J.C. Thompson who said, "Something must have triggered the dog."
The dogo story also might have originated from the dog's owners, Charles and Erin Teets, who left their home as soon as media members began appearing in the neighborhood. Chesterfield Animal Control might have been the culprit as well. According to Thompson, the "loving dog" was deaf, but was quick to obey commands and hand signals from family members. This same "loving dog" was also quick to kill a visiting baby, a human life now forever gone.
Surprisingly, Sochitl Rodriquez, the animal rescue worker who provided Polar to the Teets family, stepped forward yesterday and corrected the false dogo story. She said the animal is not a dogo Argentino as described by neighbors, but far smaller, weighing only 50 pounds. Rodriquez confirmed that the dog is deaf and was originally from Atlanta. Its previous owners used rubber bands to cut off circulation to the dog's ears to crop them (aka Poor Man's Crop).
Rodriquez added that Polar was "always a sweet dog no matter what situation you put her in." She too wonders if Polar was trying to help the child in some way (by killing it). Rodriquez does not want the dog euthanized, she might even want it back. Prior to placing Polar with the Teets, she fostered the dog for 6-months. If readers have not come to this conclusion already, this is a clear case of persons who value the life of a rescued dog over the life of a human being.
06/30/11: Dog Kills Visiting Infant
Chesterfield County, VA - In a developing story, Chesterfield County police say that a baby is dead after suffering a dog bite Wednesday afternoon from a relative's dog. The mother and her infant had been visiting relatives at a home on Overridge Drive at the time of the incident. The animal, a dogo Argentino4 -- a fighting and hunting dog breed and cousin to the pit bull -- apparently did not have a history of being aggressive, according to Lt. Randy Horowitz.5
2It is important to point out that the cause of death ruling does not mean that the dog did not kill the baby on purpose. Polar's fan club, including WTVR.com, however, would have you believe otherwise.
3Even the unnamed source said this baby died due to a bite injury inflicted on the head, not to the neck [scruff].
4The dog is also being called a pit bull-American bulldog mix and an American bulldog-mix.
5To say that a dogo Argentino doesn't have a history of being aggressive is somewhat like saying a tank hasn't been deployed yet. It may not have ever seen combat, but it is still a tank, not a passenger car or delivery truck.
Related articles:
06/03/11: 2011 Fatality: Kalamazoo Infant Mauled to Death by Family Pit Bull
10/25/10: 2010 Fatality: "Very Loving" Pit Bull Kills Baby in Jacksonville Home
04/15/10: 2010 Fatality: Pit Bull Kills 7-Day Old New Port Richey Boy
Now they are saying this animal was a 50lb American BullDog. Yeah.. that's the ticket!
VA amended it's dangerous dog law in 2005 and allowed the dog lobby to craft an anti-BSL provision into it.
Here are the results…EPIC FAILURE!:
David Quyon Haigler
38 years old |Spotsylvania County
June 13, 2011
Pit Bull
Theresa Ann Ellerman
49-years old | Norfolk, VA
December 12, 2009
Malamute
Jasmine Deane
23-months old | Orange County, VA
September 27, 2009
Pit Bull
Carter Patrick Ridge Delaney
20-years old | Leesburg, VA
August 10, 2009
Pit Bulls
Matthew Logan Johnson
6-years old | Richmond, VA
January 24, 2007
Rottweiler
Jonathan Martin
2-years old | Suffolk, VA
October 3, 2005
Pit Bull Mix
Robert Schafer
4-years old | Orange County, VA
April 10, 2005
Rottweiler-Shepherd Mix
Dorothy Sullivan
82-years old | Spotsylvania County, VA
March 8, 2005
Pit Bulls
first they say it's a dogo, then a ambull.
never heard of a 50 lb dogo or a 50 lb american bulldog with cropped ears.
this is sounding more and more like an APBT.
this is just another desperate attempt to split hairs and try to interject doubt. in the end, they are all GRIPPING dogs and every bit as dangerous as an american pit bull terrier.
Did the adoption involve Jeri Alexander, David York, or Barking Hound Village Foundation? Mr. York is in a heap of trouble these days:
I Team Investigation 2011 Videos:
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/iteam/iteam-fulton-county-animal-shelter-money-20110620-es
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/iteam/iteam-fulton-co-animal-shelter-part-2-20110621-es
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/iteam/I-Team%3A-Barking-Hound-Village-Foundation-20110624-am-sd
Breed as such isn't an issue. It's about biological type. There are various 'breeds' (ie, AKC/UKC registered types) that fall into the BIOLOGICAL category 'pit-bull type'. The Dogo Argentino is one of these. So is the so-called American Bulldog, etc, blah-blah.
I'm not sure it's a good thing if we anti-pit-bull-TYPE dogs people let the idiots make us discuss about specific breed-this-and-that. The pit-bull type dog is a BIOLOGICAL type, never mind how breed clubs do their fictive paper administration.
Meanwhile, whether this Polar thing was a pit bull, Dogo, or some other mix is rather irrelevant. It killed a child. Not by accident (digging in the crib in the hope of freeing up a lying-down space), but by attacking the baby with a focus to killing it.
I agree with Craven and Sputnik that pit bull pushers are trying to muddy the waters – they're gripping dogs that were bred for the SAME purpose and are therefore the same biological type.
When crafting BSL legislation, people should take note, and create a description of the TYPEs of dogs that are to be regulated.
This is also yet another example showing that with gripping dogs its often about bred for behaviors kicking in which makes a perceived "friendly" temperament irrelevant.
This dog sure looks like a pit bull (i.e. fighting dog type) to me. What ever it is, someone needs to euthanize or shoot it before it gets into the hands of people who want to "rehabilitate" it. It fatally mauled a baby, for God's sake! What is wrong with some people?
I live across from six Pitbulls and my neighbors keep them locked in cages or rooms so they are not socialized. One of them was on medication for aggressiveness. I wonder if municiplaities could get around dog bite ordinances that give the dogs just a quarantine after vicious attacks by making the legal distinction clear between a mauling like those Pitbull victims endure and a dog bite. Legally Maulings are treated the same as one dog bite and this is incredible to me. The whole Pitbull problem really highlights how SELFISH people will gamble and say "It will not happen to me and my dog… " even though we know so many of them SNAP without any apparent prior aggression. These people are selfish and don't care that their insistence on owning this breed in the future will mean others will die. My motto: BAN the Breed;Don't accept the DEED.
I live across from six Pitbulls. The owners keep them locked up in rooms and cages a lot so the dogs are not socialized and my neighbor admits that one of them is "tempermental" and she tried medication but it doesn't work. There is no fencing. I am not able to move and I do not feel safe enough to use the bus, but I must pay taxes for it. Pitbulls make us prisoners in our communities. It is so selfish to gamble and own a pitbull. Noone is going to die if they accept a moratorium on these dogs and get a different breed next time, but many people will be seriously injured or killed if pitbulls are not banned. My motto: Ban the Breed;Don't accept the deed. And for heaven's sake all animal control ordinances need to make a LEGAL distinction between one dog bite and maulings such as those pitbull victims endure. The two are treated exactly the same way where in comparison to each other one is usually minor and the other life threatening. If a dog mauls it needs no quarantine, it needs to be put down. Not rescued. Protect people from future maulings. Maulings are not dog bites!
50lb rescued Georgia fighting Pit….
The state of GA produces more man killing Pits per capita than anywhere. Of course when family members of the State Pit Bull club are involved in trafficking fighting dogs, what would you expect?!?
So much for "manbiters were culled."
This dog killed a baby, and breed advocates have taken to the streets in an attempt to save this animal. What can they possibly be thinking?
Several concerns here. First, has the rescue group that placed this dog really given consideration to exactly how responsible they might be for this? How twisted is the thought pattern of a grown man, moved to tears, not for the baby but for the life of the dog?
Are breed advocates incapable of shame?
This is a pit. Geez. This is a crazy rescuer we're having to listen to to say its an ambull. Obviously the original abusing owners thought it was a pit cause they cropped the ears – in a disgusting way.
I'm sick of this splitting hairs shit.
Obviously ambulls and calling pits ambulls is becoming more popular. Just another way to hide what they obviously know – gripping dogs are incredibly dangerous.
funny how people who weren't even there, SOMEHOW seem to KNOW what happened. no one was present, no one KNOWS exactly what happened. and it doesn't matter, A HUMAN IS DEAD. i don't care if it was a vicious attack or an accident. i don't care if the parents were in the room or at the north pole. the dog needs to die.
these freaking no kill pit nutters should have absolutely NO SAY in the fate of this ugly dog.
On the pit-bull AND deaf-dogs forums, there are now all kinds of petitions, email-campaigns, and such being organized to say how poor-poor Polar must have another chance.
There's a lot of highly emotional and utterly non-rational comparison going on with the Casey Anthony case. Poor-poor Polar should be declared innocent and get another chance just like Casey Anthony did.
Sicko on two fronts:
1) The freaks' assertion that man-killers are summarily culled. Apparently not…
2) The fixation on discussing, when a dog has killed an infant, of what breed this dog might specifically be.
We have to stop discussing with these sociopaths and start targeting politicians, people like Jean Donaldson and Ian Dunbar (who are important authors of this politically correct censorship), and so on.
I wish those people who want to save a dog that killed a baby from a humane end would think about redirecting their efforts toward strengthing laws against cruelty to innocent pets that have harmed no one. They would if they really cared about animals.
Remember…Human Aggressive Pits were always culled by the great and honorable dogfighters!
What grotesque breed stewardship…