Tanner Kinnamon, 2-years old, was killed by his aunt's rescue dogs in Alachua County.
Suspected Dogs
UPDATE 03/13/19: Media reports have not named the child, the babysitter or the owner of the six pit bull-type rescue dogs. On Tuesday, the dog owner's husband deactivated his Facebook page -- a primary source for the images of the dogs.1 Due to this and other removals, we are now providing screenshots of their public Facebook pages showing their full names. Also, we believe we pinpointed the two attacking dogs based upon their pairing in the multi-pit bull household.
The dogs' owner, Jessica Hoffner, privatized or deleted the "collage" photograph that shows her half dozen pit bull-type rescue dogs.
The grandmother and babysitter, Julie Davis, started a "New Job at Personal Assistant to 7 Fur Grandogs," states an October 1, 2018, post on her Facebook page.2 In the comments sections, Davis posted a photo of each of the dogs, along with their names. Each dog is photographed separately, except the last two, Riley and Tasha. The multi-pit bull household was under a crate-and-rotate routine. The dog crates were separated into "multiple rooms" stated authorities.
Two dogs were in the yard together at the time of the fatal attack. This pairing was very likely the red-coated male pit bull-mix, described in media reports as a "chocolate lab-mix" and a white and brown female pit bull-mix, described in media reports as an American Staffordshire-mix -- a substitute name often used for a pit bull -- or an American bulldog-mix. Alachua County Animal Services appears to be behind this mislabeling effort after the dogs destroyed a 2-year old boy.
Finally, the other "job" listed on Davis' Facebook page is the "personal assistant" to her two grandsons. Being the "personal assistant" to a half-dozen pit bull-type dogs requiring "crate-and-rotate" due to intolerable dog aggression, along with being a "personal assistant" to her two grandsons, did not work out. The two pit bull-mixes that could tolerate each other are the dogs that killed the child and attacked Davis, who tried to save the boy by beating the dogs with a shovel.
The two family "rescue" pit bull-mixes suspected in the fatal mauling of a 2-year old child.
03/09/19: All Six Dogs Were "Rescues"
Additional information has been released by Alachua County law enforcement, including clarification of family relationships, the routine nature of the child's grandmother caring for the six dogs, and that all of the dogs were "rescues." On Friday, about 10:30 am, two family dogs fatally attacked a 2-year old boy and left his grandmother with "traumatic" injuries at 20915 NW 210th Avenue, a mobile home property at the end of a dirt road off 210th Avenue near High Springs.
One of the grandmother's daughters lives at the home; the child was the son of a second daughter. The grandmother often tended to the dogs while her daughter was at work. Two of the dogs were let out into the yard. The child went out to play and the grandmother went inside. When she returned, "there were no dogs and no boy," Lt. Brett Rhodenizer said. She heard sounds from an outbuilding behind the home. This is where she found the two dogs attacking the toddler.
The dogs' owner told Ed Williams, director of Alachua County Animal Services, that she "adopted all of the dogs from rescue." He added, "They were all sterilized as best I could tell and were current with their vaccines." What Williams did not say is that all of her rescue dogs are pit bull-type dogs. The owner and her husband are pit bull "breed advocates" too, according to each of their Facebook pages. The attackers are described as a pit bull-mix and American bulldog-mix.3
One can only deduce the obvious from a montage image posted by the owner to her Facebook page in 2018: pit bulls, pit bull-mixes, a Dogo argentino-mix along with an American bulldog-mix, which can have docked tails. There are no "chocolate lab-mixes" in this collection, but there is a red-nosed pit bull-mix. The Gainesville Sun article describes very similar dogs as these, but no photographs of the dogs taken during the 10-day quarantine period have been released.
Finally, we address part of Williams' statement during the media briefing: "housed in large, clean crates in multiple rooms." This indicates a crate-and-rotate pit bull household, where the crated dogs cannot be kept in the same room. Thus, there were multiple dog-aggressive pit bulls in the home. The crate-and-rotate "system" reduces dog fights in a multi-pit bull household. Also note that only two dogs were let out in the yard at the same time, the very dogs that killed the boy.
03/08/19: Dogs Kill Toddler, Injure Adult
High Springs, FL - Two dogs attacked and killed a 2-year old boy and severely injured his grandmother, according to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office. The vicious attack occurred about 10:30 am at a home on Northwest 210th Avenue, between High Springs and Interstate 75. The toddler died of his injuries at the scene. The woman was transported to a hospital with traumatic injuries. Neither of the victims lived at the property, according to Lieutenant Brett Rhodenizer.
Rhodenizer said the two victims had gone to the home to let the dogs out, as apparently, the dogs' owner was away. While the child played in the backyard, the grandmother stepped away, reports WCJB. When she heard noises outside, she found the dogs attacking the child. The grandmother tried to fight off the dogs, suffering serious injuries during her effort, but she could not save the toddler. Rhodenizer called the double mauling, "an incredible tragedy for the family involved."
"Our investigation will ultimately determine the facts that lead up to the attack, but no answers will ever make up for the loss of a child," he said.
A spokesman for Alachua County Animal Services gave a media briefing this afternoon. The property had six dogs, all housed in "large, clean crates in multiple rooms." Only two of the six dogs were in the fenced backyard when the attack occurred. The agency seized all six dogs. Two will be euthanized; the others will be held until the investigation is over. Conflicting media reports say the dogs are a pit bull-mix and a "chocolate lab-mix" or the latter, an American bulldog-mix.
The spokesperson said the home is owned by the child's aunt. The grandmother was there by herself taking care of the child and the dogs. According to the Sheriff's Office, the grandmother and her grandson go to the home every day to let the dogs out. On Friday, the child was in the backyard when two of the dogs "got out." The grandmother had gone inside to get food for the dogs. When she returned, she saw the dogs attacking her grandson and rushed to help him.
Partial Transcript of Media Briefing"Alachua County Animal Services was notified of this morning's attack at approximately 10:36 am. We had an officer in Alachua working another case at the time. She was immediately diverted to this call. I was en route back to our shelter at the time and immediately diverted to this call. Arriving on scene around 11:05 to assist our officers. Upon arrival, I tried to ascertain the facts and make sure that all the dogs on scene were properly contained, so that no one was in immediate danger. Around the time of our arrival, first responders were already transporting the child's grandmother to the hospital. At the request of law enforcement, we awaited the arrival of ASO detectives and the forensics unit before attempting removal of the dogs. We removed a total of six dogs from the residence at 20915 NW 2010th Avenue in High Springs. They were housed in large, clean crates in multiple rooms and all appeared healthy and in good body condition. It was later reported to us that only two of the six dogs were in the fenced backyard when the attack occurred. The owner has surrendered those dogs -- those two dogs -- to animal services. They will be held for the standard 10-day rabies quarantine period and they will be euthanized. The remaining four dogs are being held until the completion of the investigation…"
"My understanding is the residence is owned by the child's aunt and the grandmother was there by herself taking care of the child and obviously the dogs…"
"The two [dogs] that were involved in the attack were surrendered to us. They will be held for 10-days rabies quarantine. That is for the safety and welfare of the grandmother, who was also attacked and injured in this incident. After the 10-days, they will be euthanized. The owner understood that when she surrendered them to us. She was very upset about it, as was she upset about what happened to the child as well. My understanding is the child was the homeowner's and dog owner's nephew." - Ed Williams, director of Alachua County Animal Services
Florida Children Killed by Dogs
This toddler's death comes after dogs killed four children in Florida last year. The death of 9-month old Liana Valino, killed by her father's pit bull while under the care of her grandmother in Miramar; the death of 6-year old Jaelah Smith, killed by a pit bull her family was dog sitting in Jacksonville; the death of 7-month old Khloe Williams, killed by a dog while in foster care in Clearwater; and the death of Cecileigh Garris, just 6-days old, killed by her grandparents' pit bull in Citrus County.
During the 911 call, the grandmother speaks to dispatch about the child's severe injuries.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Florida Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.2Some time on or before March 17, the grandmother removed this post, "New Job at Personal Assistant to 7 Fur Grandogs," and deactivated her Facebook account. We replaced link with a screenshot.
3On Friday night, WCBJ reported, "All 6 dogs at the home have been taken into custody, the 2 dogs responsible for the attack have been confirmed by Animal Services as an American Staffordshire Terrier mix and an American Bulldog mix."
Related articles:
11/15/18: 2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Adopted Dog Kills Baby Girl While in Foster Care in Clearwater
11/14/18: 2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Family Pit Bull Fatally Attacks Newborn in Crib in Citrus County
07/18/18: 2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Child with Life-Threatening Injuries from Dog Attack Dies...
06/07/18: 2018 Dog Bite Fatality: Infant Killed by Family Pit Bull While Under Care of Grandmother
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.
Well, the CDC announced that they will be studying injuries related to rented electric scooters. I find this a complete failure since these are only in a handful of cites (mostly west coast) and it is a new thing. Here we are with another death and likely scores of daily maulings by pits and they won’t study this. Total, political failure by the CDC. They are supposed to work for the people but they are just as political in what they do as any politician.
I should add also the insult of this is they are studying drunk (48%)and high (52%) people getting injured on scooters.
The man who lives in the mobile home at NW 210th Ave. is a registered sex offender. Both he and his wife are dog-crazy pit nutters.
Who wants to bet the “chocolate lab” mix is the brown pit bull seen in the upper left hand photo of the FB collection?
“Put bull lives matter” :D….But not those of toddlers or grandmothers, apparently.
WCJB in Gainesville is reporting the killers were an American Staffordshire terrier-mix and an American bulldog-mix. https://www.wcjb.com/content/news/Dog-attacks-and-kills–506888211.html
I was also just wondering if that brown pit was the “chocolate lab mix.”
It would be laughable if it weren’t so deadly serious.
It all really comes down to this: people are dying because of something as simple as BREED CHOICE. Sometimes the person who dies is reaping their own consequence of BREED CHOICE. But more often it is someone like this child who did not choose.
I’m waiting to hear the pro-pit folks start their cry of “it’s how you raise them” when from the photos you can see that these dogs were socialized with humans, in good health, that some at least had been with the family since puppyhood, and that this family was crating and rotating just as is needed for the breed. I see no signs of fighting, no signs of abuse. These aren’t photos of pits hanging on ropes to show off their gripping, they aren’t wearing spiked collars to make them look extreme or frightening which might indicate that they’ve had extra training to be more aggressive. These are dogs that ride in cars, take baths, nap on the couch, and sit for treats. Normal dogs… except that they must be separated from one another to prevent fighting and that at least two of them followed the urges that have been bred into them for hundreds of generations and one day decided to kill something for no reason at all. It’s no more shocking than seeing a corgi herding some ducks even if the owner didn’t specifically train it to do so (mine does) or seeing a beagle following the trail of a rabbit even if it was never used for hunting before. In any other case everyone would say, “Look at how that dog is doing exactly what its breed was designed to do!” But in this case people will exclaim in shock and wonder what went wrong, when it is clear that BREED CHOICE is what went wrong.
I’ll never understand the appeal of having dogs which must be kept separated… or of having dogs which must be kept caged for a great majority of the time. Although the photos show happy dogs interacting with an owner, what about the hours of solitude they must spend locked in a crate so they won’t tear each other apart? What’s the appeal there? Especially if you have to call on (burden) family members to come let the dogs out each day as was the case here with the grandmother? She was likely the mother-in-law of this young man in the photos, since the articles mention this being the home of the toddler boy’s aunt. My mother-in-law is no longer living, but if she was, I couldn’t imagine asking her to come out to my property daily to care for crated dogs, especially if she was already caring for a toddler. Why should she have to accept responsibility for her grown child’s poor BREED CHOICE? And now she will forever be haunted by this ordeal for the same reason… her adult child chose to keep the most lethal breed of dog and asked her to help out.
Keeping multiple pit bull type dogs locked up apart from each other so they won’t follow their breed instinct of fighting and killing each other seems like such a hassle that I can’t see why it could possibly seem worth it. If you want multiple dogs, get almost any other breed from the hundreds available and you won’t have to “crate and rotate” or have crates stashed in various rooms of your home. It’s about as confusing as the “rescue” folks who go in to “save” a pit bull from a life of isolation in a pen at a shelter with little exercise and interaction with other dogs or people…. simply to bring it home and put it in an even smaller pen with little exercise and interaction with other dogs or with people. What’s the point? Feeling like a hero? Feeling like a lion tamer?
I’m grieved when thinking of this poor child and of what the grandmother saw that day. But I am not at all surprised, and no one else should be either. That child is dead and that grandmother traumatized due solely to someone’s BREED CHOICE. Although we live in a “free country,” we should not be free to make choices which are inherently harmful to other people.
(I was once a pit bull apologist until I saw the true nature of the breed in my own pit mixes, and educated myself about dog bites after my child was attacked in the face by a non-pit dog. If that dog had been a pit bull, my daughter would likely be one of the victim stores found here. What I discovered was appalling. People should know by now that this breed is deadly, but pit owners care more about their own freedom to have any breed they want than they do the lives of humans.)
Excellent comment. I too can not understand the denial about and the loyalty to this dangerous dog breed. I have an older sister who adopted a pit bull from her foolish son who had 3 pitbulls but could no longer take care of them. I worry about her and her grandchildren. I tried to inform them, warn them of the danger, even directing them to this website. My sister believes, like many pit bull owners do, that her dog would never attack anyone. I hope it never happens, but why take that risk, why does someone need to have the dog breed that kills the most people?
A lot of the blame goes to the pitbull advocates and those in the media that promote the pit bull breed. It is criminal how dog rescuers and pitbull advocates lie about and defend that dog breed. They must know how dangerous pit bulls are. They must know about all the maulings and deaths. Many of them are from pitbulls they rescued and adopted out.
I do not believe the pit bull advocates are brainwashed or just uneducated. They are either evil and/or mentally ill. Denying reality is mental illness. Putting people in mortal danger is evil. My opinion is, and I think God feels the same, is that the lives of a trillion dogs are not worth the life of one human being.
The public needs be educated in the truth. The best solution is to make it illegal to own a dangerous dog breed. Short of that, extreme restrictions on who, where, how and how many and what type of dog is legal.
Also, I believe until the punishment for owning a dog that mauls or kills someone is more severe and responsibility and punishment for dog advocates and dog adoption agencies who release a dog on the public that mauls or kills someone is more severe these tragedies will continue to happen.
Yes and there are so many, many lovely dogs being euthanized every single day in America, yet we have these nuts “saving pitbulls” I went to the local pound to adopt a dog for my children, one is autistic and the other has ADHD. I told them this and that I wanted a really mellow dog like a lab. She started showing me pit bull mixes, and I said definitely not I had seen a neighbors pitbull kill cats, and a try to tear the throat out of a dog while being beaten with a shovel and a water hose spayed in his mouth before he’d let go. The dogs little spaniel it attacked had broken it collar a while before and the neighbors used a wide leather belt mans belt to make it a new designer collar, which saved its life because the pitbull couldn’t get through this belt before they saved the dog.( Someone accidentally ran that pitbull over so children could safely play in the neighborhood after that.And no it wasn’t me) so I wouldn’t have one of those vicious dogs around my children! Well she went into her rant about it’s the way they’re raised blah blah! And I told get exactly by pitbull nutters and went out and bought a safe puppy! Yet the humane society’s cry about the lack of people who are willing to adopt a dog! No, it’s just when all they have not euthanized is the pitbull mixes what choice is left!
A reporter has already lied about the breed. She states they are getting a lot of questions about which breed and then
she definitively states on air they are NOT pit bulls. The lying continues. The hiding of the victims names continues. How is this NEWS?
https://mycbs4.com/news/local/deputies-dogs-kill-2-year-old-boy-injure-woman-at-high-springs-homed
Not sure if Colleen allows links in the comments.
Don’t blame the reporter. It was Ed Williams, the director of Alachua County Animal Services, who said “none of the dogs were pit bulls.” https://mycbs4.com/news/local/deputies-dogs-kill-2-year-old-boy-injure-woman-at-high-springs-home
If the wretched beasts are going to be iced anyway, why hold them for 10 days at the expense of the taxpayers? Kill the abominations and test their tiny lizard brains for the disease we all know is NOT the reason they slaughtered a toddler. It takes seconds. My father shot a raccoon that he suspected of having rabies. He brought it to the state lab to be tested, and they told him it was positive in no time. There is no long wait for rabies tests. Dogs that kill should be euthanized post haste. None of this “10 day quarantine” nonsense. When is the last time rabies was the real cause of a dog killing someone?
In the USA, I doubt if a single rabid dog has killed anyone in the last 25 years. In foreign countries, rabid dogs do kill people because of lack of rabies control. However, dogs which bite and are sick or dead must be rabies tested, as to do otherwise is scary to the bite victims.
Furthermore, quarantining a dog in a shelter involves food and cleaning. If the dog is handleable, this is easy and inexpensive. If the dog dies or is euthanized within ten days of the bite, the dog’s head must be removed from the body and hand-delivered or shipped overnight on ice to the proper state lab. Although my state doesn’t charge for the testing, the rest of this will likely be charged for.
One stupid incidence of this was the demise of my neighbor’s little obnoxious 12-year-old, mixed breed, intact male dog. Bruno was out chasing his girlfriend, a chocolate lab, when her owner got irritated, live trapped him, and sent him to the pound. At the pound, this unvaccinated dog contracted parvo and was rescued from the pound by his owner already sick but did get his rabies vaccination. I treated him, and it appeared he would survive. Unfortunately, he didn’t. The owner had her neighbor bury the dog and then asked me if he could be rabid since he had bitten her. I told her the only way to know was by rabies testing. So they dug up the dog, brought me the body, and I handled the situation as the law required. The dog was not rabid and likely had died of heartworms. Frankly, most veterinarians and staff don’t like decapitating dogs and delivering heads. We would rather you feed the dog for ten days, as that’s easier on us and the lab.
Note that if the owner of the dog is the person bitten, whether that dog is rabies-tested is the owner’s choice. Why? The owner cannot sue himself/herself if the dog ends up being rabid. If the person bitten is anyone but the owner, rabies testing is mandatory.
Thanks for the info! You definitely put it in perspective. Is rabies confined to the brain tissue, therefore no blood testing is possible? I wish there is an easier method than decapitation. How gruesome! I can understand why no one would want to do that. I was under the impression that there is an easier way of testing.
I know it’s CYA and the law to test, but it bothers me that rabies is even bandied about as a reason for pits doing what pits do, especially when the sheriff said the creatures were up to date on their vaccinations. I know the nutters probably hope the things are rabid, so they can blame ANYTHING other than the genetics of the breed.
I’m still for euthanizing immediately, decapitating and rabies testing. I do know that in NH, that’s the standard for ALL euthanized ‘strays’. Euthanize, decapitate, test. Doesn’t matter if they’ve bitten or not. The protocol also goes for cats. At least it was so when a friend of mine was a euthanasia tech there.
Protocol does vary by state.
And why keep the dogs alive? The incubation period is three to six weeks and a dog prone to attacking is a danger until it’s dead with or without rabies.
The quarantine period is ten days. If the dog had rabies, it would be sick or dead during that time frame. The incubation period for rabies is longer than that but irrelevant here. The dog cannot give anyone rabies before it has clinical signs of rabies.
Looking at this family’s Facebook pages is stomach turning. So many pit bulls, involvement in “rescue” work, and pit bull propaganda memes such as “pit bull lives matter” and a picture of a pit with the caption “I have a dream that I won’t be judged by my appearance but by the content of my character.”
And most ominously and sickeningly, the apparent grandmother even had a post about starting a job in October of last year as a “personal assistant to 7 fur grandogs” with photos and names of all the dogs. And now apparently because of that arrangement she seemed so proud of, her REAL grandchild is now dead.
It is enough to make me feel sick. Meanwhile the news agencies won’t even report the breeds with any accuracy.
How did people become so blind?
The aunt is upset about the dogs being put down? I’m sure she will get the other 4 back.
I bet she blames the grandma for “leaving them unsupervised”, though you know she also calls them nanny dogs and let’s her kid lay all over them. Or, maybe she thinks they were fighting and the baby put his hands in their space? Nutters make wild excuses so who knows.
Crate and rotate ought to tell her all she needs to know, but I guess not. And I wonder if she has said “but they are only dog aggressive”…..
If these are supposed “rescue dogs” they simply prove that the pit bull rescue system is severely flawed. The aunt who owns the dogs had multiple posts on her Facebook page (at least she did earlier today, they mysteriously seem to be gone now) of pit bulls in need of “loving furever homes.” All the posts talked about how sweet the dogs were and how each case was urgent as the dogs were soon to be put down. Very much an “oh no, time is running out, save them all!” mentality which appeals to the heartstrings with photos of innocent looking pit bulls which only have days to live. For folks who usually say “it’s all in how you raise them,” these people are awfully quick to bring a dog with an unknown past into their home in an effort to be a hero. And they’re awfully quick to push such dogs onto the public with no warning that it could lead to disfigurement and death. The rescue culture has gotten completely out of hand and it seems like those involved have lost their minds.
Also, the aunt’s description on her page said that she has seven dogs, not six… as does her mother’s “job description” as caretaker. Makes me wonder if she had to get rid of one or something. Woops. People don’t “get rid” of dogs. They “re-home” them, right? Even the terminology is enough to show people have misplaced values these days.
I’m an animal lover with 5 dogs, 2 ferrets, 2 hedgehogs, 3 parrots, a pot-bellied pig and more. I care for my animals deeply. But I don’t kid myself into thinking that I am anything other than their OWNER. I can buy and sell them. They are not humans. They are not fur kids or feather kids, they’re my PETS and human lives will always take precedence over them. When did we become so messed up that we think otherwise?
If the aunt is as upset as articles describe about having to euthanize the dogs which killed her supposedly beloved little nephew, it indicates a level of depravity and backward thinking that I can’t comprehend. I understand that childless people can come to dearly love their pets… I was infertile and longing for a child for many years and my pets were a comfort to me. But never, ever, EVER did I think they were even close to being as important as my sweet nephews (or any other child). I would have struck the killing blow to any of my dogs myself without hesitation if they had ever harmed one of those boys. I simply can’t fathom feeling otherwise. And I wouldn’t have wanted the rest of the dogs back who were of similar breed either. She has at least one other young nephew, and if it were me I’d never make that child even look at dogs that are similar to the ones which had killed his little brother. And of course I’d never want such a tragedy to have the chance of being repeated. Who in their right mind would?
You are so right. I can’t comprehend the delusion that these nut jobs labor under.
I hate to see it when someone so tiny and innocent dies such a terrifying and horrible death. I know that the baby is at peace now, but I can’t comprehend his last little helpless thoughts. Anyone that can’t think about that and is sad to see the killers be put down, must be antisocial and psychotic.
I wish that this fate was reserved solely for the nut jobs themselves, and not innocent people.
The satrical website The Onion has a similar report. https://youtu.be/he6O9nZ3CZs
Via the update it’s reasonable to say this was a severe or fatal attack waiting to happen, apparent to anyone BUT a pit bull advocate. This also exemplifies why there needs to be an enforced limit on the number of dog a person is permitted to own. In the case of weaponized dogs that limit should be ONE.
I admit that I have never heard of “crate and rotate” before. After reading the link in the article I have three thoughts:
First, why would you get dogs that require this much real estate in the home and this much time?
Second, I was appalled at the part that talked about scheduling with a roommate, family, and friends to do some of the tasks related to your dogs and getting them out to toilet. How dare you get these awful dogs and then expect others to help participate in keeping these dogs on a schedule.
Third, I was actually pleasantly surprised that the link actually stated point blank that once this behavior starts, you can’t fix it with any training or reintroductions.
“First, why would you get dogs that require this much real estate in the home and this much time?” -Christy
Because the kind of people that harbor these animals probably don’t care about a whole lot of things, to include their living conditions.
Wow, the PBRC crate and rotate instructional was so much more honest than the “testimonies” at Bad Rap. Notice that on the Bad Rap page, although a pit is pictured in the photo, the testimonies all feature other breeds being the aggressor… a Corgi bullying a Staffordshire (pit), boxers, a cranky old Lab, etc. I wonder how many reader stories did they have to go through before they found several to put on the page that don’t make it seem like crate and rotate is mostly needed for pit type dogs? Because they wouldn’t want pits to seem like they have a bad reputation of course, since they’re the perfect family dog! Just look at the pictures from the 1800s that prove it! (hope the sarcasm is evident)
I noticed a theme in the accounts that having dogs which can’t be kept together forced spouses to have to spend time apart in different areas of the home. I wonder if both husband and wife were really on board in these instances? Years of living this way, or with dogs tethered on each side of a couch? Sounds incredibly draining and stressful for both humans and dogs. And best of all, the two dogs in the last story are “both therapy dogs.” Of course they are. And because it did NOT mention their breed but did mention that they were rescues, I also have a very good idea that they were pits.
Seems like only a pit pusher would believe that such aggressive dogs would make suitable therapy animals.
It’s frightening to think that there are people who believe having such aggressive dogs is a normal part of life, and even more so to know that these same people can’t grasp that uncontrollable aggression toward other dogs often eventually translates into uncontrollable aggression toward humans. I wonder if the family in this latest mauling death honestly didn’t know that, or if they just thought it was worth the risk?
That’s what I thought! Can you imagine that daily stress and routine? Your entire day, no life, centers around these ridiculous rules. My dog and my brother’s dog don’t like each other for some reason. Only each other. They are fine with every other animal on the planet. (I have a theory why, but that’s immaterial.) They will fight if they get together. In the off times that he and I end up at my parent’s house at the same time, we have to keep our dogs separated. It’s exhausting and obnoxious, and I have actually left my parents place before (they live about 2 hours away) when my brother springs a trip at the last second. I HATE the dog choreography.
The idea that people choose that madness in their lives is beyond comprehension.
Nutters throw all logic and reason out the window. They’re insane, and innocents pay the price.
Can someone please educate the shelters about the dangers of adopting out pit bulls, or better yet hold the shelters legally responsible for when attacks happen ? Yesterday, 35 pit bulls were so called rescued in Detroit from a confirmed dog fighting operation, and the Michigan Humane Society wants to adopt them out ! Hope they will be held responsible when a child dies because of this irresponsible policy. Maybe when people adopt a pit bull they should make the shelter sign a release confirming the dog is pet and child safe.
Shelters are starting to be held accountable. Through BSL, aka Breed-Specific Litigation.
Sad for the child but he was doomed by the fact “you can’t pick your parents”
Currently someone I know has a friend who has a small child and now has a 1 year old grey pit bull that suddenly “has to be socialized”. (Nutter speak its wanting to kill either a person or another pet). She has warned them about having that kind of dog around the child. His response was that he “grew up around pit bulls, his dad raised them….”
I am going to bet that this tragedy does nothing to change their mind about their chosen breed. I will never understand the appeal of owning a creature whos sole purpose is to kill others of its own kind.
Don’t go into that house. Sounds like a ticking time bomb.
Definitely more likely when a pitbull is involved, but I must agree. I had a friend as a child whose face was ripped off by a Corgi. She’s had 12 reconstructive surgeries. It really was a Corgi, saw the dog with my own eyes. That thing had mental issues, and I was always terrified of it.
The two killer pit bulls are scheduled to be euthanized. The other four have already been reclaimed by Jessica Hoffner, the owner. I’m sure it won’t take her long to find replacements for the two nanny dogs that murdered her nephew.
Julie Davis, the “babysitter” grandmother, has removed the photos of the six maulers that she described as her “grandogs.”
May he rest in peace. Poor child never had a chance, in a household like this one, with multiple dogs in multiple rooms, with two dogs allowed to be in the backyard at the same time when the toddler was there. Instead of rescuing dogs, why wouldn’t people worry about keeping their children safe? Charity starts at home, and your “rescuing” career should start with raising your own children in a safe, peaceful home. Because you kids are your number one responsibility, and as for dogs in shelters – you didn’t cause them to be there, so it’s not your responsibility to get them out of there, not to mention that dogs are part of the natural world, they’re born in huge amounts, they die in huge amounts, who cares? Why treat them like some kind of very special unique creatures whose lives are precious, when they are really not?
I’m so sick of pit bull apologists and people who have no idea about dogs or dog behavior! It’s not just “how you raise them”. That comment is very ignorant and completely ignores the specific characteristics that each breed for actually bred FOR! Not to mention, the science doesn’t back up the “It’s how you raise them” claim. The ongoing, over 50 year old silver fox study in Russia has provided some great insight into the relationship between genetics and behavior. Over the many, many years of this study, they selected foxes who exhibited the most social and friendly behavior towards humans and continued to select and breed these foxes. Not only did those foxes eventually come to behave quite like dogs, very social and friendly towards people, but even their appearances began to change and resemble domesticated dogs much more than foxes. At the same time, they also selected the foxes who showed the most aggression and bred them. They even took fox pups born from aggressive parents, raised them with the foxes that were selected and bred for their friendly/social traits and were social with people, but that made no difference in the fox pups that were born from aggressive parents. They too were aggressive and exhibited these aggressive traits, regardless of the fact that they were raised with the friendly/social bred foxes. This was a very significant finding since apparently so many people believe “It’s all about how you raise them” which clearly isn’t the case. You can absolutely select for “aggression” in breeding and if a particular breed was bred for fighting and not to back down, it doesn’t matter how you raise them. If they DO attack, they DON’T back down. They have extreme fight drive and just zone out to everything else around them. This is also a reason why I hate to see these dogs used as “protection” dogs. They are FAR too unstable, unpredictable and unfocused if attacking to ever be trained as a true protection dog. I have a Malinois. She is trained in protection. She was specifically bred for this. She is not fearful or fearful aggressive, is social with people and dogs, not reactive, solid nerves and level headed. She can assess a threat and I can call her off. Even though she has defense and fight drive, she has great focus, even while working. She was BRED to be this type of dog, not raised to have those traits. I couldn’t take a golden retriever and do the same thing. Pit bulls don’t have those kind of traits. They are unpredictable and reactive. If they attack, they won’t stop until whatever they are attacking is dead. The owner could be screaming and beating them with a stick, it wouldn’t matter. I would never have one of those dogs around kids. I don’t even like to be near them.