Vanessa Husmann, 3-years old, was killed by her grandfather's two rottweilers.
Family Speaks Out
UPDATE 03/07/11: New information has been released about the attack that killed Vanessa, including the 911 call made by Blake Muller.1 The child's mother, Rhonda Marty, said the girl was "never left unattended with the dogs. Somehow they had gotten out on their own." She said that the dogs might have dug underneath the fence surrounding the kennel. But no one knows for sure. The following day, family members "destroyed the kennel and removed it."
Marty also clarified that Vanessa went into her fenced-in backyard because it was "her yard." Her swing set was outside. "She came and went a lot," she said. The two rottweilers were kept in a separate, locked kennel in the same area, but for undetermined reasons got out that day (In the video, the mother's statement includes that the gate was "still locked" after the attack2). The Des Moines Register offers additional insight into Blake Muller's account that day.
03/07/11: Mauling Victim Identified
The young victim has been identified as Vanessa Husmann. The Des Moines Register reports that by the end of the day Sunday, persons working in the backyard of the family's home had removed all reminders of the little girl and the dogs, including: a swing set, a playhouse and the dog kennel. A painful photo depicts a yellow tractor removing a fence as well. The scene recalls a glimpse into what occurred after the death of Kaden Muckleroy last November.
Delaware County Sheriff John LeClere said the dogs where owned by the child's grandfather and were usually kept in Monticello. It was not known if the animals had a prior history of problems. According to LeClere, Vanessa's father, Vaughn Husmann, and her mother, Rhonda Marty, were not home when the attack occurred. The child had been left in the care of her brother, Brandon Marty. Family members did not comment. No charges have been filed.
The City of Hopkinton currently bans pit bulls. Mayor Cathy Harris said that City Council may add rottweilers to its list of prohibited breeds.
03/06/11: Death Investigation Continues
Information from WCRG-TV reveals that the babysitter was the victim's 18-year old half brother. Somehow the toddler got out of the house while under his care and into the backyard with the dogs. The child's grandparents were not home during the incident. A neighbor witnessed the mauling and called 911. Some neighbors said the family breeds rottweilers, others said they rarely saw the animals. The little girl's name has still not been released.
03/05/11: Toddler Killed by Rottweilers
Hopkinton, IA - In a developing story, two dogs killed a toddler Saturday in the small town of Hopkinton. The Des Moines Register reports that the girl was in a fenced backyard when the rottweilers attacked. Hopkinton is yet another rural town -- population of about 700 -- to be struck by a devastating fatal dog attack this year. KCRG-TV reports that the dogs belonged to the victim's grandparents, but at the time of the incident was being watched by a babysitter.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: U.S. Fatal Rottweiler Attacks By State2This magical explanation not only refers to the somehow Maul Talk term, but may truly be otherworldly, such as a creature from the X-files re-locked the gate afterward.
Related articles:
12/21/10: 2010 Fatality: Houston-Area Baby Girl Killed by Family Rottweiler
03/11/10: 2010 Fatality: Rottweilers at Home One Day Kill Baby on Iowa Tribal Land
01/19/09: 2009 Fatality: Brooklynn Grace Milburn Killed by Rottweiler
Photo: Des Moines Register
Parents, please raise your right hand, and repeat after me;
I, (name), DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL NEVER, NEVER, EVER ALLOW PIT BULLS, ROTTWEILERS, OR ANY DANGEROUS BREED OF CANINE ANYWHERE NEAR MY CHILDREN. NOR WILL I EVER, EVER TAKE MY CHILDREN TO ANY RELATIVE, OR BABYSITTER, OR ANY PERSON WHO OWNS THESE DOGS TO BE BABYSAT FOR ANY REASON, OR ANY LENGTH OF TIME, EVER!!
Parents, these dogs are very dangerous to your children, and it is not ok under any circumstances. It's not worth the risk. Understand??
That is disgusting. He sells the puppies for $600 a pop too.
Price: $600.00
Gender: Female
Nickname: PRETTY GIRL
http://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/dogs/0354c158-7de1.aspx
Breeders.
search for "husmann rottweilers monticello breeders"
How many of the offspring of these dogs have gotten shipped out all over the country?
And is this a licensed business with the state? Are they reporting their breeding income and website sales?
Yes, these are AKC breeders.
Ryan Husmann advertises AKC registered dogs and lineages.
No these are not the "backyard breeders" that AKC points the finger at and blames.
Still, the AKC opposes all laws, even just simple laws to keep people and animals safe. and breeders honest.
But people are being killed and attacked by AKC registered dogs.
A travesty. Breeder money matters more than people's lives.
"All puppies for sale are AKC registered.
Adults have great markings, blocky builds, big bones, DNA analysis, and are family oriented"
Yet one of these AKC registered, DNA screened, "family" oriented dogs just killed a child.
And the AKC screams "no legislation! no legislation!"
How much money in registration fees has AKC received from this operation?
http://www.husrottweilers.com/about.htm
Champion AKC bloodline CULLED by the deputies on site. Must have been a horrible, horrible scene. Where was gramps when it went down?
As you can see by that dog sales link (a website also used by puppy mills to sell animals) these dogs are getting shipped to people who don't even inspect the breeder's premises or the parent dogs.
The AKC and AKC breeders and breed clubs has fought against licensing these online sales breeders, which result in millions of dollars in unpaid taxes and licensing fees, as well as consumer fraud, disease transmission that is difficult to track, and aggression and killing issues.
But the AKC profits from the registration fees to the tune of millions upon millions of dollars.
The bottom line for the AKC is money, however it is obtained and no matter the risk to the public or pets, or even the dogs being bred, as we can see by the AKC's puppy mill registrations.
This is why the AKC lobbies to oppose laws. Money. The bottom line, all else be damned.
"A Few Questions We Get Asked Often.
How much is shipping? Shipping anywhere in the United States is $275 more, it includes crate, vet health check, and EVERYTHING!!.
What form of payments we accept? Cashier or bank checks, money grams, money orders, wire transfers, western unions, and cash when picking up.
How much for a deposit to hold until ready? $200 deposit to hold until ready (not refundable)."
All UNDOCUMENTED payment sources. Essentially, a cash business where it is difficult to trace the money flow.
Again, is this being reported to state and federal tax authorities, as it is LEGALLY required to be done? Is there a sales tax id number?
How can we trace the transmission of disease across state lines and within states if the business is not licensed and documented? If the animals cannot be traced back to source?
What about the breeding animals at the son's residence?
Does anyone understand why the AKC lobbies against things like breeder licensing?
Does anyone understand that the rest of us are paying the costs (phyical and financial) of unlicensed, undocumented businesses?
The "working" dog line. "Working" at what?
And what about the constant AKC line we hear that AKC breeders always screen their homes carefully, and require altering, and that no AKC dogs or offsping end up in shelters? Fooey!
Meawhile, what happened to the relatives of the dogs that killed? Still being bred?
"Excellent AKC show and working Champion Puppies."
AKC German show, champion, and great pet quality puppies for sale..
I have been raising Rottweilers for over 11 years some of the same bloodlines for 3 generations.
I CAN FLY TO YOU NOW!!
CALL NOW FOR YOUR PICK!"
This "man" is still breeding and selling AKC "family oriented" rottweilers. His site is still up and running and he still states I CAN FLY TO YOU NOW!! When you all made these posts, the tragedy was fairly new so of course his site was still up but it is now 2015, 3 YEARS LATER, and he is STILL openly conducting business. I am sickened.
I nearly had a breakdown after PitBullPushers wrote, "Working at what?" You are so right: Working at what exactly? Yes, there are working dogs such as herders, service and police dogs, but hanging out in a pen is NOT working. Owners of pit bulls, rottweilers and other frankenmaulers use the term once their dog is house broken (if they wait that long), not if the animal has been through real training. They use the term for a specific reason too: Working dogs often get cut slack when they maul someone while in the line of duty. "I got me a working dog" is just one more way for owners of dangerous breeds to absolve themselves of responsibility after a destructive attack.
Something is seriously messed up with these people when money is more important than human life. Why cant the IRS go after them for tax evasion?
"Why cant the IRS go after them for tax evasion?"
People need to report it.
It can be done anonymously.
The IRS and the states are very serious about the tax evasion issues, and tax evasion in the dog breeding world is literally rampant.
In this age of layoffs and states going broke, the harm done by this tax evasion is even worse.
But this is why these breeder lobbyists oppose licensing and other regulation. They aim to keep breeding underground so it is easier to hide illicit activity.
Citizens need to say Not going to take it any more!" and report.
IRS says income from animal sales is to be treated as regular, taxable income and MUST be reported.
Search for, report irs tax fraud, as well as for each state. It can be done simply with letters with information such as name, address, email addresses, cell phone numbers, any info and printouts of dog sale ads if possible.
The same is true for undocumented rescues that are charging for dogs and in essence acting as dog brokers.
SOMEHOW, famous last words.
Rottweilers are hundred pound beasts that should not be allowed anywhere around children, or frankly, anywhere that human beings congregate. There is this prevailing attitude espoused by some that advocate for the humanization of animals. This absolutely needs to stop. Greater anthromorphization of these dangerous and violent beasts has led to "animal rights," which is nothing more than a fallacy of putting creatures on the same legal and moral footing as human beings. Unfortunately, these dangerous beasts and the psychotic owners and breeders who advocate for them forget that greater "animal rights," comes with a price.
Vanessa Hussman and other children and innocent people like her will no longer be able to experience their God-given right to life. The truth is the only thing more dangerous than these beasts are the misguided people who ridiculously proclaim that their pit bull, or rottweiler, or other dangerous beast is a lovable creature. These beasts present a danger to our children, our communities, and our livelihood.
Daniella, I have 2 dogs that I care for, love even, but I agree with you for the most part. I was even discussing the recent animal rights chaos with someone, and I had mentioned that people are putting animal rights on the same level or sometimes on a whole different (and higher) level than humans. I think that's actually quite twisted. If either of my dogs viciously attacked someone let alone killed someone, I'd be the first to take it out. Animal life is not human life. There is a reason we are rational creatures and they are not; there is a reason humans rule the earth and animals do not.
Domesticated animals are pets, and pets only. They are not our "children" or our "babies". They are animals first, then dogs.
There is nothing wrong with being a pet owner. Animals can bring fun and even joy into our lives. But they should never be on par with humans. When a society begins to value a dog's life over a human's, I have pity on that society.
By the way, I have yet to hear peoole cry and lobby about overpopulated foster care systems, overflowing with unwanted children and teens.
But I can't watch TV for a night without hearing ablut Fido and Sparky in the shelters.
Human beings, get your priorities in order.
– A rational dog owner
I agree Daniella. I have 2 dogs but I will never place them above human life.
It is now 2015, 3 full YEARS later, and this man is still breeding and selling monsters via his very active website. I am shocked, sickened and at a loss for words.
It's been four years and if you look at the previous comments from four years ago, the same dog names that are on the "current site" are still on there. Maybe he can be faulted for not taking the website down but I can guarantee he hasn't bred or sold any dogs since the accident.