Aziz Ahmed, 3, was killed and his mother injured in a violent dog attack in Carteret.
No Criminal Charges
UPDATE 03/30/21: As expected, criminal charges will not be filed after the multi-victim attack by two pit bulls that killed 3-year old Aziz Ahmed and seriously injured his mother on March 16. New Jersey lacks a felony dog attack law, whereas California, Michigan and Texas do not. In short, there are no criminal codes available for prosecutors to charge the dog owner with. This is a travesty. State legislators are currently looking at legislation, but it's future is uncertain.
Two state legislators representing Carteret are looking to see that change for future dog attacks.
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez, both D-Middlesex, have joined as prime sponsors of the "Responsible Dog Ownership Act" in the state Assembly that would enact stronger laws about the leashing and fencing of dogs, as well as enacting stronger and even criminal penalties for irresponsible dog owners.
Under the bill, which is expected to come up for a vote in May, dog owners found in violation of leashing or restrain regulations could face a fine of up to $500.
In addition, anyone who allows a dog to roam without a leash or restraint in a park or other public area where a child may be present, and the dog seriously injures or kills a child, could be found guilty of a third-degree crime and face incarceration.1 If the dog inflicts bodily injury, the person faces a fourth-degree crime and if the dog is loose or threatens a child, the person faces a disorderly persons offense. - MyCentralNewJersey.com
The child's mother, identified as Shabana Mohammad, was released from the hospital on March 25. A vigil was held on March 28, where attendees called for "Aziz Law." A co-worker of the boy's father said, "He was murdered by those dogs, and the owners should be held liable." The fundraiser to help the family relocate to a new home has has reached over $225,000. The vigil was the first and likely only time Aziz's parents have returned to their home on Laurel Street.
At least three separate civil claims can be brought, according to attorney David Cowhey, who specializes in dog attacks. "The little boy died through pain and suffering. The mother has medical bills and also the mental distress of watching these pit bulls kill her son right in front of her. And thirdly, the little boys watching through the window went through extreme emotional distress," he said. All three are contingent on whether the dog owner has a homeowner's insurance policy.
Finally, a word about Defeated Prosecutor Syndrome and Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. It is always devastating when there are no criminal codes available to prosecutors. Ciccone, however, never contacted Aziz's family before issuing her decision in emails to private citizens on March 23. Lacking in courage and courtesy, Ciccone also did not hold a press conference about her decision, which would have forced her to face media and public scrutiny.
Ciccone's actions are so sheepish and cowardly, they are literally "beyond the pale." Our hearts go out to Aziz's family members.
03/17/21: Relatives Speak Out
On Wednesday, Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman issued a statement confirming that two unregistered pit bulls inflicted the multi-victim attack yesterday. At 4:30 pm Tuesday, a pair of pit bulls from a neighboring home on Birch Street breached a fence and entered into the backyard of a home on East Laurel Street. The dogs viciously attacked and killed a 3-year old boy and severely injured his mother. She remains hospitalized. Police shot and killed both dogs.
The young boy's family had moved to the home a few weeks earlier from Brooklyn. They are a father, mother and three young boys, reports Patch. Neighbors are stunned and heartbroken. Some broke down crying when interviewed by Patch Wednesday morning. One neighbor, Steve Koch, told Patch he heard the police gunfire. "I heard a single loud bang," he said. "I went outside and saw all the cop cars and ambulances. I saw an adult being carried out on a stretcher."
Carteret Fire dispatch audio logs: "I have a 3-year old with total evisceration, open to the face, head and thighs." - Broadcastify.com
CBS New York interviewed the child's relatives. The child's name is Aziz. Relatives said the boy's parents had pleaded with the dogs' owners to control their dogs. "The mother went to the neighbor two times to let her know the dog is wild. It is out of hand. And you know, the owner laughed it off," one female relative said. "This cost an innocent child his life," another said. "If you are not safe in your own yard, where are you safe at?" asked another. Relatives said the dogs "dug their way in."
A GoFundMe has raised over $50,000 with the goal of $250,000 to help the Ahmed family purchase a new home. A growing memorial outside the child's home includes: flowers, balloons, and candles. One relative told NJ.com that Aziz was the youngest of three sons and that his 10-year old brother witnessed the brutal attacks. “Imagine how traumatizing it’s gonna have to be for his 10-year-old brother to have to see that from the screen of the window,” the relative said.
Finally, the New York Post also published photos of the two suspected pit bulls from the owner's Instagram page -- we were correct about the dogs. Their names are Logan (black) and Rocky (brown and white). Both dogs were roaming in the area of East Laurel Street in October and were picked up by the Carteret Police Department. The Found Animals of Carteret NJ Facebook page called them "2 loveable guys." According to the boy's relatives, the dogs were habitually loose.
03/16/21: Dogs Kill Child, Injure Mother
Carteret, NJ - A 3-year old boy is dead and a mother left severely injured after a violent dog attack at a home in Carteret. Authorities responded to a residence in the 100 block of East Laurel Street in Carteret about 4:30 pm. The deadly attack occurred inside the family's fenced-in backyard. A neighbor said the dog (singular) came into the rear yard from underneath a fence. Two medivac air transports were called. The child was later pronounced dead. Two dogs are reportedly involved.
Video from ABC 7 shows crime scene investigators and police officers collecting evidence in the backyard. Apparently, the mother and her child had only recently moved into the home. A neighbor heard the mother frantically shouting. When he looked out his window, he initially thought she was playing with the dogs. When he realized it was a vicious attack, he called 911. Police shot and killed the dogs, according to ABC 7. The breed information has not been released by police.
A woman who knows the dog's owner told ABC 7, "The dog never showed any kind of aggression before, so it's just very surprising."
We obtained the audio dispatch files of Carteret Fire from Broadcastify.com. When medics arrived at the scene, the dogs were still "running loose." Two minutes later, "Get me a medivac!" Police sirens blare in the background. Next, they coordinate a landing zone. At 13 minutes, there is a status update. "We are responding to Laurel. Do we have an update on the condition?" Medic answered: “I have a 3-year old with total evisceration, open to the face, head and thighs."
Footage from NBC New York shows that the medivac landed at a nearby location. One can see EMT doing chest compressions on a small person lying in a stretcher. Witnesses said the dogs live at a home on the opposite side of the victim's backyard in the 100 block of Birch Street. The dogs burrowed under or broke through the fence-line to attack the boy. A news crew knocked on the dog owner's door, but no one answered. A "Beware of Dog" sign hung on their fence.
Suspected Dogs
Middlesex County property records indicate who owns the property in the 100 block of Birch Street. According to the owner's Facebook page, he owns up to three pit bulls. These very same pit bulls -- two of the three dogs -- were found "running in the area of Laurel Street" on October 23, 2020, according to the Found Animals of Carteret NJ Facebook page. "If anyone knows who their owner is please have them contact the Carteret Police Department." The owner was located.
By late morning Wednesday, multiple media outlets began confirming that two pit bulls carried out the attacks. Officials said the dogs were not registered with the borough. Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman said in a statement that the boy's mother remains hospitalized. The investigation is ongoing by the Carteret Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor's office. The owner of the dogs has not been named by police. It is unclear if the owner will face charges.
Two pit bulls belonging to Santos Rodriguez were found running loose in October of last year. On March 19, 2021, police confirmed these are the same pit bulls involved in the fatal attack.
Crime scene investigators in the backyard of the home were the fatal dog mauling occurred.
Related articles:
05/28/20: 2020 Dog Bite Fatality: 9-Year Old Boy Killed by Two Pit Bulls in Arkansas
10/28/17: 2017 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bulls Kill 7-Year Old Boy in Lowell, Massachusetts
11/10/15: 2015 Dog Bite Fatality: Tenant's Pit Bull Kills Visiting Child on Long Island
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.
Dangerous canines are too dangerous to own as pets. Only one of the many problems of this Stygian scourge: Dangerous canines are insidious. For every second of every day, and for every second of every month, and every moment of every year, they lick the babies’ face. One second later, they are bathed in ten pints of the babies’ blood. One tiny, microscopic comforting thought: The police were safe.
One mans’ pet animal is a young mothers’ baby killer.
“These two lovable guys”
Man, are people delusional…
It’s outrageous that kids aren’t safe in their own fenced back yard because of people’s idiot choice of bloodsport dogs for pets. Pits are not pets.
I hope that this mother sues the [bleep] out of the dog owners.
Pit owners never have money to pay for the damages their dogs do. They need a factory prison setting where people like this owner can be incarcerated until their judgment is paid in full.
They just murdered a kid. They need to go to jail.
Common sense and a desire for justice would insist that the owners of these two killer dogs be given a humongous fine (to go to the boy’s parents) and a very long prison sentence. It was the owners’ responsibiliy to assure that their dogs would not be able to get loose. I am so very sorry for the family of this little boy.
If my dog attacked and killed a bald eagle, I would be fined a great deal of money and possibly get a jail sentence. When did birds (even the majestic Bald Eagle) become so much more important than a 3 year old child. Something is messed up here.
This link claims they were terrifying the neighborhood for a while: https://abc7ny.com/dog-attack-in-nj-carteret-new-jersey/10425989/
Reading about the child’s injuries has me sickened. The amount of pain that boy must have suffered because the neighbors just had to have maulers AND couldn’t contain them.
Another reason why you can’t trust pit people to self-police…The owner failed to register the canines with the borough — probably because there were too many or there was a record of these pits being loose…
Another reason why you can’t trust pit people to self-police…The owner failed to register the canines with the borough — probably because there were too many pits/dogs or there was a record of these pits being loose…
“The dogs burrowed under or broke through the fence-line to attack the boy”
These dogs are nothing but predators. Period.
When they’re not attacking, they’re just on a break.
Can’t wait for all the pit nutters to come and spam these articles with pics of their disgusting shit eaters NOT killing anyone to ‘prove’ how ‘sweet’ they are, and blame the child. The child must have spooked the poor pibbles so badly that they had no choice but to run right toward the big scary 3 year old and fight for their lives. Or the owner must have aboosed them! NEVER the pit’s fault!
Ever notice nobody slaps flower crowns on beagles and spaniels?
Maybe because it doesn’t take a con job to convince anyone they’re good family dogs.
Every case discussed here is heart-wrenching but about once every year or two, there is a case that is so chilling that my mind stops reading at a certain point and does a moment of silence before re-reading one particular sentence over and over. This is one of those cases and that sentence is in yellow.
Seriously, screw anybody defending these beasts. You obviously have NO regard for human life because “oooOOOhh look At mY pReCiOuS pIbbLe!! MY bAbY woUlD LiCk yOu tO dEaTh! It’S HoW yOu RaIsE ThEM!”
You can’t love the genetics out of these dogs.
You can’t “train” the genetics out of these dogs.
The fact anybody would consistently defend these beasts more and more with each brutal mauling or murder they are responsible for proves just how ignorant pit nuts are.
It is remarkable that these dogs were actually, correctly, identified by breed. Perhaps people are waking up to the danger of these dogs? Also, the police killed both dogs….The usual nonsense about “all” dogs can bite, it is all about how you raise them, etc. is spouted off. Sure, all dogs can bite, but the pit bull attacks….big difference. And the pit bull breed repeatedly sends people to the ICU and the morgue…..no other breed does that.
The mother even spoke to these neighbors more than once about the dogs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h_EKfMhdbk
Talk to the neighbors. How many times have we heard that advice when it comes to dogs running loose, attacking people, growling, barking, et cetera, and so forth?
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have tried following this advice and have found it utterly useless.
And, in the case of this little boy’s family, it was orders of magnitude more useless than it ever has been for me.
Talk to neighbors is a complete, total utter waste of time. And worse; when they lie to the police and fabricate what they falsely allege that you said. Fifteen minutes ago, I was walking on Rosser Drive near Piping Rock cul de sac, in Prescott, and a nice elderly lady in her driveway allows her small white fuzzy dog to snap/yarf/yap and run to my ankles. Full of immediate ankle anxiety, I dart from the sidewalk to the middle of the busy, double yellow lined street. Me and the fuzzball almost get run over by a car. I make good my departure by proceeding away. My turn around point is two blocks away. You will ever guess what happens a few minutes later when I pass that property again. The same exact thing. Same lady, standing there with her loose snapping/yapping fuzzball directly running and targeting my ankles; me and the dog in the middle of the busy street, again. I asked her nicely to mind her dogs’ safety. Of course, this was all recorded on my GoPro camera strapped to my head so she can receive a two-count ticket for both dog at large and also a two-count ticket for assault by approaching threatening dog/street endangerment. Nothing will change. People will die, and worse; be traumatically injured.
Good job Richard. I was about to suggest getting a bodycam.
Also if any of the neighbours gets arrested for punting the little menace into traffic…you’ll have proof to help them.
All talking to the neighbors does is make you the “prime suspect” if anything ever happens to their dog that they refuse to contain. If that dog ever gets ran over or drinks some antifreeze from under a car expect the police to show up at your door asking questions.
Likewise the same animal control that was “too busy” to enforce any of the laws about keeping your dog contained will have limitless resources to investigate you for animal cruelty if you ever have to defend yourself from their dog.
Well, clean-up has begun. The “2 lovable guys” post has magically disappeared from the internet after multiple new comments with people linking this story. This appears to be protection measures for Carteret Police Department (who picked these two up), The Found Animals of Carteret, and the municipality in general. Part of the clean-up includes continued questions about who the dogs belonged to. I guess since they were not legally registered in the city they don’t belong to anybody so therefore no one is to blame (sarcasm font off).
Thankfully, this news site has named the owner who claims: “This is a traumatic thing, and I have no idea what happened.” He is lawyering up.
https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-brooklyn-new-jersey-boy-fatally-mauled-neighbors-dogs-20210318-nskpt23habc37exxrildpcfjui-story.html
The dog owner needs to be sued into the ground and jailed. They told him to control his dogs, he didn’t, and a little boy is now dead and a woman badly injured.
I can’t even imagine what the family is feeling. To lose a child in this way is horrific. I especially feel back for the brothers who not only lost their brother, but witnessed him being killed by the beasts.
I’m sure the dead child will be blamed over its own brutal demise.
The family will probably be targeted with insults and hatemail , perhaps even death threats……
You know how these Shitbull worshippers go about protecting their lovable Nanny Dogs 🙄
Sued ….. !?
He needs to be taken for a drive !
A ….ONE WAY KINDA ROAD TRIP 😠
This petition is asking for criminal charges:
https://www.change.org/p/phil-murphy-justice-for-aziz
I agree, trying to reason with a dog owner is useless. It’s sickening. When I first heard this story I couldn’t stop crying for that kid and his family: I’m still crying.
According to the GoFundMe, the mom is in intensive care with life threatening injuries.
Can you imagine, she may not even know that her son is dead yet…..
Surviving this brutal attack to learn that you’re not only disabled for live, but that your little boy was brutally and savagely ripped apart…..
Some parents never recover from such a devastating event…” mentally “ .
I hate to say it, perhaps she’s better of joining her son then live a live of pain, dispare and guilt.
This mother is a hero.
Murder via Dangerous Dogs unrelated to the victims.
It is unclear if the owner will be charged with any crime ……..
WTF kind of clown show society are we living in !?
The money raised for this family will more likely go to medical bills , live long PTSD therapy and funeral expenses, not a new home !
Terrifying how pit bulls have literally dug underneath fences to kill children and other dogs on the property of their own homes.
This article victim blames. They blame the family for having holes in their fence. If you click on it, it “command + F” or “control + F” and search the word “fence”. UnEffing believable!
https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/3-year-old-was-playing-in-yard-for-1st-time-when-he-and-mom-were-attacked-by-neighbors-dog/2952351/
Disgusting.
The people *without* a dog are not responsible for keeping their fence in good repair.
In fact, they have zero legal obligation to fence their yard *at all*
Where I grew up, most people didn’t bother with fences. Their kids all played across yards.
Ack, the level of victim-blaming is astonishing whenever it comes to pitbulls.
The entire planet is a pit playground now. If you don’t want yourself, your kids, your pets or livestock mauled to death it is up to you to spend the money to install a pit proof fence. Nevermind the fact that zoning in most towns will only allow 6 foot high on the back and sides and 4 foot high in the front and that pits can easily clear fences that high.
The phrase “total evisceration” is going to stick with me for a while. Yet the media still calls these “dog bites”. As if there was one bite and in some fluke the dog hit the jugular or something.
I know this is semi-off topic but I honestly would love to see Americans have universal healthcare.
Watch how fast pitbulls are yeeted into the stratosphere when it costs *everyone* millions for these injuries and the public gets sick of paying for the results. That was one of the primary motivators in Ontario launching BSL.
How vigorously is the BSL enforced in Ontario? Or is it just another one of those dog laws that’s on the books, but nothing ever happens?
Not vigorously enough in my estimation. Used to be much more strictly enforced. However, if a neighbour does call animal control, they generally do tend to turn up at some point.
However there *was* a massive drop in the number of pitbulls for about a decade after and they’re still not as prevalent as say, huskies, GSDs etc. as large dog choices.
There shouldn’t be any left at this point–or they should be so decrepit they would have no teeth to bite with. Also, no shelters are allowed to adopt them out so a trip to the dog pound is a one-way trip which I expect has massively impacted their numbers. The rescues have been caught and publicly shamed about shipping them out of province–resulting in that practise being stopped as far as I can tell.
That said, pitbull murders are pretty much down to zero.
Can’t remember the last time I saw one although I suspect a number of dog attacks are covered up. I suspect the fact that one recorded bite means the dog is immediately euthanized has had not only had a chilling effect on the purchase of them, but owners are more cautious if they do see signs of aggression to keep them contained or get rid of them.
Clarification:
Can’t remember the last time I read about a pitbull murder…not that I haven’t seen any pitbulls.
The one thing that hasn’t been properly enforced is that pitbull owners are required to muzzle them in public…and that was more prevalent right after the ban, and not enforced enough, now.
The above story is devastating. My GSD was attacked on my property 11 days ago by nextdoor neighbor’s pit that busted through a wooden fence. $750 in vet bills later, the dog has been allowed back on the property deemed potentially dangerous as she just mauled my dog. She has to attack me or kill my dog and then be deemed dangerous. Neighbors not required to fix fence or completely fence back yard so dog has access to anyone unfortunate enough to be walking by. Dog is also required to be tethered whenever outside but that is not making me feel safe. WTF is wrong with this picture ? Bear spray on sale at Costco…..
i was wondering if there have been any updates on the status of the mother? i havent been able to find any
She has been released from the hospital and she will be at tomorrow’s vigil! Has Santos Rodriguez been charged with any crime? We continue to wait on this and my online searching is showing nothing. A snippet from yesterday’s GFM update:
“There will be a vigil on Sunday, March 28th at 6:00 PM at 49 Laurel street, Carteret NJ 07008
There has been no prosecution towards the owners of the murderous Pitbulls and it seems like justice is being swept underneath the rug. We need the town to hear our voices, we need them to see our faces and our disappointment on how this is being handled. Please join us there! Shabana has been released from the hospital and she will be there with her husband Tanveer. Please send a message for more details if needed.”
*******
Thankfully, the family is at $212K on their GFM but it will never be enough for what they have been through.
On another note, according to one of the GFM donors, this child died last week:
https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article250139744.html
According to the GFM, he lost pretty much all of the right side of his face. The family cautiously uses the work “dog” and never mentions it was a pit bull that did this.
wow that is unbeleivable- that rodriguez is prob not even going to have any consequences whatsoever-zero-and 1 thing that makes it so much more wrong on another level is the fact that the mother confronted him more than once on her concerns about his dog running loose was unacceptable and he laughed her off each time – thats just too wrong and now the worst happened-i dont know how he can live with himself-he SHOULD kill himself-he should want to anyway
(im sure alot of ppl prob think thats horrible of me to say but thats my opinion)
and also the fact that those sorry cops had the dogs in their custody and STILL those 2 dogs were never registered for a license-i think that is laziness and sloppiness on their part and they helped cause a 4 yr to die a very painful and horrifying death -shame on all of them and that frichin santos rodriguez
thanks for the update Christy
Not horrible to say, I happen to agree,
Again the unthinkable, again the heart rending suffering of a little boy and his mother. Again a prosecutor with no imagination or determination or character to find a way to deliver justice. The impotent dog codes are not the only laws on the books that pertain to this predictable outcome of an aggressive pit bull’s repeated behavior over time demonstrated for all to see and a spineless prosecutor who doesn’t have the brains or the courage or the sense of justice to find a way to bring charges and prosecute this horrific crime.
I’m hoping she will have a confrontation with her conscience and turn around and find a way to exact the awful burden of the law on the man who is responsible for the horror and endless suffering and grief visited upon this innocent child, his mother abd his family.I have written her and encouraged her to find a way to prosecute this owner and to heck with the useless dog codes. There is an endless record of case law. She has to have the conscience and dedication to find it and use it. I hope the family will go after the city for a settlement. And I hope their community will stand behind them to that end and go and demonstrate outside the police department and demand justice.
I acquired my concealed carry license and purchased a handgun after a next door neighbor’s pitbull continually displayed aggression every time I walked down my driveway to the mail box.
I have since moved. unfortunately there are three people with five aggressive pitbulls in close proximity to me in this new neighborhood.
fortunately, the lease is up soon.
also I live in florida where ‘stand your ground’ applies to dogs.
Is there not a way to charge Santos Rodriguez with gross negligence manslaughter. From everything I’m reading on Wikipedia about this, his negligence concerning his dogs constitutes gross negligence manslaughter. Seems to be especially true since there was a history of these dogs being out, a clear history of being an irresponsible pet owner without having them licensed as well as not keeping them contained, and a reported history of one of the victims verbalizing to him on more than one occasion that the animals were aggressive and out of their enclosure.
From another source: Ciccone, in her letter, said there was no evidence of “intentional, knowing, or reckless criminal conduct,” on the part of the dog owner.
So, is it not evident that these 2 loveable guys were known to the police for running loose and not being licensed? Is it evidence that Santos Rodriguez has a “Beware of Dog” sign on his fence? No, I think something else is going on here because Yolanda released this as a joint statement with the police department. The same police department that had these 2 loveable guys In their possession and returned them to the owner unlicensed as they were previously. They made no follow-up to make sure the owner got the dogs licensed. What this is, is CYA all the way and trying to prevent the police department/city from being held culpable in any way and sued.
https://nypost.com/2021/03/31/dog-owner-whose-pitbulls-killed-nj-child-will-not-be-charged/
I finally see the pit owner’s name. Is there any element of a hate crime here? Government entities did their job in a lackadaisical fashion, the pit owner ignored the mother’s and other neighbor’s concerns; government entities also failed to address the concerns, and there is overwhelming evidence that pits are dangerous, and these pits were going into the yard. It’s a ridiculously long chain, but why not pursue it? It amounts to a hate crime to shrug it off.
No words, absolutely pathetic system that favors dangerous dogs and their low level owners over dead victims !
https://nj1015.com/no-law-violated-nj-prosecutor-says-about-dogs-that-killed-3-year-old/?fbclid=IwAR05g2Iu08jsqGY6zxphERpcZLPkd-toV-gepTUiFvqPQw3bnUK0OLLgMnw
My county has a new $12,000,000 shelter. It is a no kill shelter so I figure it will become a pit bull sanctuary.
If the authorities are too cowardly to act, then the people of Carteret need to make sure that they never let the dog owner forget what he did. Make every minute of his life a living hell. Call him out in public anywhere he is seen. Don’t give him a moment of peace.
This reminds me so much of the Klonda Richey case. She tried so hard to keep herself safe from her neighbor’s dogs, even offering to buy their house. Calls to the cops and animal control were to no avail. The lily-livered prosecutor declined to press charges there as well.
They are always trying to rename these beasts, I have a suggestion. Total Evisceration Terriers. At least when they do what they do nobody has the right to act surprised.
I hope the family gets a good lawyer and goes after the police (and the city and or county) for returning these illegal killers to their irresponsible owner. Had they actually been taken to a shelter and not retuned unless the owner paid the fine and registered them I bet the owner would have abandoned them. Then this poor kid would still be alive and playing with his brothers.
I just *googled ‘evisceration’
It can mean : the removal of entrails, to disembowel
stupid laws, are you aware that a farmer can shoot to kill,a wild animal, if they THINK it (MIGHT) or WILL attack or kill their livestock,but if a loose pet pitbull attacks your child, the by-law officer ,will put the dangerous attacking murderous,PITBULL in a animal shelter,with warm place to sleep and food,and most times , given back to owner,or up for adoption,so the citys by-laws will protect chickens, but not your child,SO SAD THAT LITTLE BOY GOT BITTEN TO DEATH