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39 thoughts on “Beyond the Interview: Father of Child Killed by Babysitter's Pit Bulls Speaks Out After Attack

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  1. phew.. my heart goes out to you all.. what a brave trio you are..keep fighting the good fight.. blessings Lee

  2. Heartbreaking but so very proud of these parents to share this story. I lost my dog to a pit bull attack, in my house, while I was home alone. I did everything in my power to beat the two pit bulls, that I too, had known/raised since puppyhood. I share my story every chance I get and still suffer the lingering effects of what I saw, heard, experienced. I will continue to share my story and all stories that prove it's not 'in how they are raised'. Bless you for sharing this and all this website does.

  3. What a tremendously impactful story. No pit bull owner should be able to read this and still believe the lies and myths although they will….with the usual excuses and blame. Every normal person will be shocked into learning how often pit bulls devastate lives. Thank you, Jeff, Kim, Susan and Colleen.

  4. Jeff, Kim and Susan are extremely brave to share their story. Hopefully their bravery will lend courage to others whose experience with pit bulls reflects their own to come forward and share their stories.

    I believe these brave people coming forward are essential to battling the propaganda machine.

    The myth "its all how you raise them" is insidious because once an attack takes place, even dedicated pit bull owners keep silent in shame and guilt – still believing it is not about fighting dogs, but their inability to be perfect. And, usually, if they attempt to say something they are shouted down by the rest of pit bull advocacy.

    The "zero margin of error rule" describes what pit bull advocacy is really advocating – don't worry if your neighbor gets pit bulls. As long as he's perfect, you're safe.

    Thank you to Jeff, Kim, and Susan and the others who have recently come forward. Your voices are extremely important! Best wishes to you all in your grief.

    Your story will undoubtedly save children. My hope is that people will contact you and tell you exactly that. That would be a great gift that some of us reading can give to all of you.

    I can tell you that you are making me rethink how I see this problem.

    Thank you to dogsbite.org for writing this!

  5. Kudos to all the brave parties concerned for having shared your story. I'm positive this will have a great influence and will act to save a life or lives of children in the future.

    I feel sorry for all concerned: Dax, his parents, and the babysitter who had no reason to expect her pits were anything other than normal/friendly dogs, just as the pit nutters have been insidiously claiming for years.

  6. I was one of the "Nutters"commenting to Jeff about it's not the dog, its the owner. After reading more into it, I'll never own another Pit

  7. I was one of the "nutters' who told Jeff "Its not the dog, Its the owner". I was wrong. After doing some more reading and seeing what these dogs do, I will never own another Pit. And to think I use to use the "Nanny Dog" excuse. I was an idiot.

  8. I was nearly mauled to death by a pitbull 15 months ago. I am plagued continuously by insensitive pitbull advocates all the time. Like you, I share my story in hopes of saving a life. It took two bullets to get the beast off of me and a third to stop it from attacking the police officer who saved my life. I am happy to be alive, but my right hand is destroyed and my left is about 80%. I send love and prayers to help this family through this devastation.

  9. This essay is illuminating for many reasons, but one that struck me that I'd never realized before, is that if you genuinely believe that "its all how you raise them," "there are no bad dogs, just bad owners," and "all dogs are the same," there is absolutely no reason for you to investigate or worry about some stories you might have heard about concerning fatal dog attacks. Those myths stop all inquiry – there is no need to even wonder if pit bulls might be more dangerous or are a good match for you if you believe its all how you raise them.

  10. No words can express the sorrow I feel for Jeff, Kim, Susan and Dax. May you find peace, and may there -somehow, someway, somewhere, someday – be a happy ending.

  11. Thank you Rob, for being brave enough to admit that AND being brave enough to reconsider your views.

    If you decide to share this, your own experience of the event, yours will be a powerful voice.

    HUSHBU – I am so VERY sorry for your experience. If you have a facebook page and you would like to join a group of pit bull attack survivors working to end these kinds of attacks email me at [email protected]

  12. Thank you Jeff, Kim, and Susan for sharing this, and I am very sorry.

    I am sure that you have helped many people already.

  13. I have relatives of young children that keep pitbulls as pets.. as well as countless neighbors. It is gambling.. playing Russian Roulette with the dog breed that continues to suddenly attack unprovoked and they attack children that are no where near them.. even if they are kids they once loved. I am so sad about their loss but I am happy Jeff, Susan and the family are strong enough and caring enough to not hide like others that have had problems with pitbulls. They are taking these "incidents" out of the closet and speaking TRUTH to the myths promoted by wealthy dog fighters who don't care about human or canine victims.. and the groupies and celebs that help them.

  14. Thank you for finding the strength to tell your story, amongst so much heart break. You are making a difference, keep fighting.

  15. Kim and Jeff so so sorry for your loss. Dax is with GOD now he is happy and watches over you every day. The kind child he is he would want you to go on and be happy. And I know it is hard. But one day you will all be together again, but until that day comes, know that he is with you and watching over you. Every time u see a rainbow its dax saying " I'm here mommy and daddy and I am ok now". Love you two so. Diane Schultz……God does save the children…….God bless you both

  16. Thanks for sharing this emotional experience so that others might learn from it. The myth is a terrible lie!

    People should know better than to promote these man-made devil dogs. Genetics and heredity matter. Ask any farmer about the crops he plants or the animals he breeds.

    From the middle of America, Omaha, NE, you have a friend that understands just how dangerous these dogs are. So, so sorry for your loss…

    Don B.

  17. I am so sorry for the loss of little Dax. When will people learn? It was heart wrenching to read the story. Quite an emotional roller coaster. The lingering emotion I feel though , is anger. Anger at the cruel, spiteful posts poor Jeff and his family had to endure by vicious pit bull advocates. They circled and mauled ,just like the dogs they claim to love. I've heard it said people choose dogs that reflect their personalities. That is a damning indictment on pit bull advocates. My prayers for Jeff and his family.Thank God for DogsBite.org for getting the word out!

  18. Heart wrenching reading this. Thank you Jeff and Kim and Susan for the strength to share your story. I am sure it makes a difference. Bless all here who are brave enough to speak out against this cultish worship of a breed of dog that never should have been created in the first place.

  19. This story was tragically poignant. It really made an impact on me. I was willing to give pit bulls the benefit of the doubt, that maybe if they're socialized and trained like all these pit bull fanatics say, that they can be a good pet. This story undeniably convinced me that pit bulls ARE a dangerous breed, regardless of how it is raised. There's no responsible way to own a pit bull. All it takes is one mistake, or in poor Dax's case nothing at all, and the breed does what it was meant to do– attack and kill without warning. There is no logical excuse to own a dog engineered to kill. The refusal of pit advocates/owners/rescues to admit and leave out such crucial details is disturbing. This is not a pug. This is a breed that it is unpredictable and aggressive, that is strong and hard to control, especially when it wants to attack something, there's an unknown risk that it may or may not have the unpredictable urge to maul or kill children, the elderly, other animals, and maybe even its owner. Its even more inclined to attack and kill other animals and people if it escapes the yard or home, so one accident can be a lethal. Other than that it's a sweet breed if those things never happens.
    If only more supposedly credible sources like the ASPCA or rescue/advocates/owners have mentioned these risks, it would have saved Dax's and many more lives.I hope Jeff and his family don't blame themselves for what happened, they did everything humanly possible. The only people responsible for this are those who adopt and sell and continue to peddle and advocate an animal who is meant to kill and was never meant to be a house pet.
    I can't even fathom Jeff and family having to endure some the worst verbal attacks I can imagine on top of the loss of their son. No one should ever have endure that. The people who write these verbal assaults on dog attack victims are truly sickening. I can only hope Jeff and his family have begun to heal a little more each day and will continue to fight back and inform people about the consequences of listening to pit bill advocates.
    I hope Jeff and his family know that by telling their story, completely changed my open-minded feelings about pit bulls. Nature conquers nurture in any animal. Especially in a dog that is designed to kill.
    If only these advocates would have the logic to funnel their passion into a different abused and neglected breed like the greyhound that can be rehabilitated without killing and mauling people, then maybe they wouldn't have to be so vile to the victims of a dog attack or worry about greyhound stigmatization and BSL laws.

  20. I can not begin to express how I am now feeling after reading your story. It was very difficult to get through it and I had to stop several times to recoup. Our family experienced a pit bull attack on my granddaughter, and I thank God everyday that she survived with what I would call minimal damage, considering how brutal this breed can be. She sustained facial and leg scaring due to part of her top lip being ripped apart and detached from her gum inside her mouth and the calf of her leg received severe puncture wounds going to the bone, both requiring plastic surgery. She will always have the scars, no amount of surgery can take those away, not just physically but emotionally. I can still hear her words in the ER that day, she said "grandma, I don't blame the dog, it didn't know what it was doing". I cringe thinking about her honestly believing that. Yes, that dog knew what it was doing when it attacked her unprovoked. She had been around that neighbors dog many times, and the owners having small children also, could not believe that their sweet, loving, laid back pit could have done that. They defended that dog to the end. Yes, it was destroyed by a court order, after it was deemed to be viscous. Really? it took a judge to figure that out? My granddaughters story never made the papers or news, the hospital never reported it after we were told they had. We had to call the police ourselves after we returned home from the hospital. We wondered why no police showed up to question what had happened. The dogs owner took her to the ER and left her there after giving them her name and my sons phone number. They never even called to check on her, not even one time. The police showed up within minutes after we called to find out if they had been notified so the dog could be taken in. We had taken pictures of her in the ER, but they were after her lip had been cleaned up to help keep infection down and while waiting for the surgeon to come in. The police did take after pictures also and questioned her about the attack. They went to the neighbors house to take the dog in and couldn't get anyone to answer the door. It took them banging on the door and threatening to kick the door in before they would open it. They did not want the dog taken, said it had all of its shots that they had proof and the dog was not a bad dog. Ok, so had it been their child ,would they still be defending that monster? I have many friends that will stand behind their pits and defend them, saying like all pit owners. "it's not the dog, it's the owner", "it's how they are raised". Do they not get that there are instincts bred into animals, that no amount of love and training can change. I try to get them to use common sense by reminding them how certain breeds have certain instincts for hunting, herding and working. We have both types of dogs and we had to do very little training on our hunting dogs, they were born with that natural instinct, in fact they taught us more than we taught them. Our Aussie, herds our other dogs, even though it is all in play, that herding instinct is still there. I can throw facts to those pit owners all day and it goes in one ear and out the other,and they will argue their point. It terrifies me to know that some of them have small children and knowing that it could happen to them at any point in time. Why would anyone want to take that chance is something I can not figure out. I also get the " I know more viscous chihuahua's and other small dogs, than I do pits with bad attitudes". OK, great, but I do not see a chihuahua ripping someone child apart, and there is a difference between getting bit and being mauled by a dog with jaws big enough to fit a head in. Sorry that this has been long, but I think that the more people speak up can only help get the message out and hopefully make some of them open their eyes to the danger these dogs present. God bless you and keep you strong to keep fighting this fight.

  21. As a lifelong dog lover I am fully guilty of falling for "the myth" myself. I have moved recently from an area where pit bulls were rare to an area where they are common. In the past 6 months of taking my Labrador Retriever to the dog park, I have witnessed 4 serious dog-on-dog attacks. All of them were instigated by pit bulls. One of these attacks was an attack on my own dog. The most recent attack was 3 days ago, and the victim of the attack was a very young and very tiny puppy. The owner of the pit bull and I were desperately trying to free the puppy. Fortunately, it did finally let go when I delivered a hard kick to it's ribs. The very same approach I used to used to free my own dog.

    Before these dog park incidents, I could not ever imagine the day in which I might intentionally try to hurt a dog. As I said at the start, I am a dog lover. But until recently, I had never actually witnessed the brutality of a pit bull attack. All of which were unprovoked by the dog who was the victim.

    These attacks have caused me to begin googling such terms as "pit bull attack" and of course I have found dogbites.org.

    I cannot imagine the pain and loss the Borchardt's. I cannot imagine the guilt of Ms. Iwiki. And my heart is broken for them. I admire their amazing strength and courage to speak as they have on this issue. Especially in the face of this ever present "myth".

    You all can consider me a new, but forever unwavering ally to help make sure that this senseless violence of pit bulls is brought to an end as quickly as possible.

    Kirk Gunderson

    Also I'd like to thank all involved at dogbites.org. You are doing important work here. Thank you.

  22. I'm in Australia, far removed from the daily pit bull horror stories in America and to some extent fortunate to be protected by BSL so the risk to my children from these dogs is significantly reduced. But your story and the wealth of informayion regarding the lengths pit bull advocates will go to have led me to discover that the protection that BSL is supposed to afford is no more effective than a rice paper fence designed to contain a tiger.

    In 1999 when BSL came into force, I worked in animal control and attended training in the new companion animals act that enforced the BSL. As an officer one of my first questions was 'what powers do we have to restrict a dog if we think its a pit bull (or any other dog on the list) but are told by the owner its something else?' I was happily asured that the owners could call it whatever they wanted but if it looks like a duck and quakes like a duck, its a duck and that the legislation is written to support this as public safety was the priority, not an owners feelings.

    Rare at the time, I only encountered the APBT breed in a dangerous capacity twice, ( though the british Staffordshire bull terrier was common, we were told it was not classsed as restricted) but it was enough to convince me that the legislation was well worth it. I left the work in 2000 to go into teaching, got married and started a family.

    Recently, however, I have been reintroduced to the pit bull debate, when in a state that is protected buy BSL I encountered dogs I was trained to recognise as pit bulls or pit bull kinds on not one but four separate occasion in six months. More than I had ever seen while working in animal control in 2 years. So seriously concerned I've investigated. Turns out that breeders and owners had been side stepping the legislation by calling their dogs AmSaffs, which a 2 min Internet search will tell you is the essentially the same breed, and even council pounds were selling them because despite a supreme cout ruling that said they were the same the QLD state government caved to breed advocates and amended the legislation to exclude them from their act. The other states have followed suit. So now pitbulls are roaming our streets and introduced into the homes of unsuspecting families and our children are at risk.

    So I want to thank Jeff, Kim and Susan for their incredibly brave stand, depite the tragedy and horror on Dax's death, and DogsBite.org. Without you we are at the miniscule selfish mercies of pit bull advocates. I can only hope your message and research reaches not only the America legislative bodies but ours as well before more lives are lost.

  23. This story rips my heart out!! I cried the whole time reading it! It takes an amazing amount of courage to share ur story, thoughts and emotions with the world! After reading til the end I realize that Dax gave his life to save yours!!! Bc of Dax you guys are now saved and going to church. I can only imagine how many lives this story is going to save!!

  24. I can't imagine the horror that you went through. I too am plagued by the flashing images of my son's face after his "family friendly" pitbull attack. To see his name embedded here, to know that his name is used to spread awareness in another country makes me feel like maybe one day people will be smart enough to stand up for human life. My son's life was saved that day because he knew that he was not allowed near that dog because mommy said no! I have Nevermind trusted that breed. I know how much work was put into training the dog that tried to kill my son. This was not an owner issue. This is a breed issue. My son gave his face to save the life of their (then 8 month old) daughter. That day at the camp ground I had pointed out that the dog growled at me when I walked to the garbage. It came out later that she was aggressive to other people as well and they never said anything to her owners until it was too late. My husband cried himself to sleep that night while I held onto our son all night. I will never get the sound of his scream out of my head or his tiny little face awash in blood with two little white eyes, and his voice saying"Mommy are I gonna die? Are I gonna die?" Afterwards my 4 year old son was blamed for almost being killed. He shouldn't have looked at the dog because that was challenging it and he shouldn't have said hi to her. I guess that we're never allowed to look at our pets because it's our own fault if they try to kill us and we should never talk to them either. Jeff, my heart is with you and your wife. Susan, to you too. We've never spoken to my husband's (now ex) best friends again. They never meant for their dog to try and kill a little boy they cared about. I have thought only briefly of their feelings. It is too hard for me to forgive them. I will never get over it. We will never get over it. I pray for peace alot now. I will pray for peace for you as well.

  25. Some time ago, back in the 1990's, I was leafing through a dog magaine, and one of the personal ads in the back jumped out at me. It was from a breeder of pit bulls, and I don't remember the wording of the ad, except that the breeder was boasting that his dogs were bred to be pugnacious and aggressive.
    I cannot understand, when the breeders of these fighting dogs themselves, admit to their ferocity, why is there such refusal from so many, as to their inherent nature? They completely ignore the genetics aspect of dog breeding. How do they think border collies instinctively have a talent for herding sheep, or bloodhounds can track the faintest of scents. I don't understand the whole pit advocacy movement, it's almost like some kind of blind religion.
    Thanks to Jeff, Kim, and Susan, for coming forward with this painful story.

  26. I cried so much reading this. Just earlier today I was up against insane dog advocates of the "myth" that is perpetuated. No matter what I showed them, the statistics from the CDC report before they abandoned it, this websites dog attacks just for this year, news articles about family pets killing their children. It was the same song and dance, they were probably neglected, it's the owners fault, etc. I was even called a bitch, a moron, stupid, hateful, one person even compared me to Hitler!! To friggin' Hitler! Because I am against a breed of dog that is obviously dangerous to children and people! I hope more people actually read through this site, and read your story. May we finally get these dangerous dogs, not just pitts, but all of the dangerous nasty breeds, put down.

  27. I can't imagine the heart ache you all are feeling everyday. I'm so sorry! I first read your story several months ago and it has haunted me since. I have since done a lot of reading and research about these dangerous dog breeds that seem to be taking over. I have 2 little boys and I've had nightmares about trying to protect them from dangers like these dogs. We live in a rural community and I am amazed at the number of pit bulls in our area… Not just one or two in a yard but sometimes four or five!
    It took reading and researching and hearing stories like yours and so many others for me to open up my eyes and be prepared. I used to let my boys play more freely outside in the fenced yard, now they are never left alone outside. I used to carry a golf club for protection when we went out for long walks, now I carry a gun for protection, I hope I never have to use it but I will use it to protect my family and myself!
    I'm always amazed when I hear people talk about their dogs…"they are such sweet dogs and are so protective of our kids!" What about my kids and the neighbors kids? Don't we matter too?!
    Pitbull advocates WAKE UP! Human lives and precious pets lives are being cut too short at a terrifying and violent end.
    Jeff and Kim I pray you'll have peace knowing you are helping and even saving others. Dax will be forever in our hearts!

  28. I just withdrew an offer on a house. Two of the neighbors have pit bulls. I didn't initially want to judge the dogs unfairly; I actually made a point of meeting the dogs that some of the other neighbors had felt the need to inform me of. They seemed sweet. They seemed friendly. But that is not enough! After reading your story and doing a lot of research I know that I would never feel safe living near those dogs and will never trust a pit breed. I am so sorry for the loss of precious Dax. His life IS having an impact, you can be sure!

  29. I cried. This is so preventable. I have owned 3 pit bulls over a span of about 14 years. The last one was in the 1980's. All 3 were aggressive. The first one was raised with my daughter from the time she was 2. When she was 5, my son was born. I never liked the way the pit looked at my son, so he was never ever left alone with the dog. When he was 1, I was folding laundry and the dog was laying on the floor. The baby was sitting on the floor by the dog. Mind you, the child is 1. He took a washrag and began rubbing the dog's side. Suddenly and without warning, the dog lunged and barely scratched my son's face near his eye. I immediately put the dog in the bedroom and closed the door. When my husband came home, he took the dog out to the woods, dug a hole, put her in it, and shot her. Done. It was 8 years later that we got another pit bull. Don't ask me why. I have no idea. But this was still back in the mid 1980's and the breed wasn't popular yet so there were no published attack incidents. At 6 months of age, the dog peed on the floor one day and I shook a paper towel at him when I cleaned it up. He lunged at me. A few days later, my daughter, 14, was sitting on the couch and my son, 9, plopped down beside her. Immediately the pit jumped up on the couch to get between them. I had him euthanized the next day. The 3rd dog was brought into the home also as a pup a few years later and at one point pinned my 5 pound poodle to the floor by the neck. My husband and I divorced shortly after that and he took the dog. There were no incidents after that, fortunately. In 2006, while riding my horse on a dirt road, an SUV drove by and a pit bull jumped out of the window and began lunging at my horses throat. We circled several times while the owner tried to get the dog. They were afraid of the horse so couldn't get the dog. I fell off and the horse ran back to the barn with the pit bull on her heels. The owner drove after them and managed to get her dog. When I got back to the barn, the horse had a saucer-sized hole in her chest. I was never compensated for the vet bills. The dog went to the animal control but was released after a $1000 fine was paid by the owner. I hate these dogs with a passion. I am behind your efforts 110 percent. I try to educate, but it falls on deaf ears. Same old justification via the myths. "it's not the dog, it's the owner." I am a dog groomer and see people on a daily basis bringing pit bulls into our store along with their toddlers and babies. It scares the heck out of me. If only they knew. Again, I am so so sorry for your loss. I have placed you on my prayer list. I pray for your healing. Sincerely, Michelle

  30. I am struck by the denial/myth, and its similarity to the Motorcycle myth that the danger is due to Poor driving by people in cars. "It's not the Motorcycle's fault, it's bad drivers."

    This brand of denial and myth costs many lives. The NRA is famous for it as well.

    That poor kid. How very sad. Pit Bulls are illegal in many countries, and should be in the US as well. Period.

  31. Let me write in spanish cause I don´t have a good level in english.
    Escribo desde España para dar mi opinión sobre este tipo de razas de perros. Estos perros son agresivos por naturaleza; su mandíbula tan potente, su cuerpo robusto y ágil, su cabeza de gran tamaño, lo tienen así no para que los admiremos, sino porque la naturaleza (o la selección de los criadores en el pasado) lo ha diseñado así para fines concretos, ni más ni menos como animales de guarda y de lucha. La educación que puedas darle a un perro es fundamental para su socialización tanto con personas como con otros animales, pero por mucho que logres educar a un perro es completamente imposible inhibir todos sus instintos, es imposible controlar el 100% de sus instintos, es de lógica matemática, y el instinto de estos perros es la lucha. Con otras razas sucede de forma similar, como el Presa Canario, Rotwailer, Fila Brasileño, etc, son todos del mismo perfil, perros para la lucha, perros de defensa, además son muy territoriales.
    Estoy harto de ver cómo en España cada vez más gente adquiere perros de estas razas, y no se dan cuenta que tienen un arma entre las manos que cualquier día puede causarles un disgusto serio.
    Estos perros sólo deberían tenerlos auténticos especialistas, me refiero profesionales de verdad y para fines concretos, no ciudadanos normales.
    Pero el problema no se limita solo a los Pitbul, también sucede por ejemplo con los Alaska Malamute, éste es un perro muy independiente, es un cazador y muy territorial, su instinto será cazar a cualquier animalito que considere que entra en su territorio, y su territorio no es ni más ni menos que el lugar por el que está paseando.
    Nunca hay que bajar la guardia, no te puedes fiar ni un momento, puede que un perro haya sido tranquilo la mayor parte de su vida pero en un momento dado puede salir a flote sus instintos de predación.

  32. "You will be able to function in a week"- like hell you will. The loss of a child is something you get THROUGH, but you never get OVER it. I knew a lady whose son died from a heart problem-it took nine years for her to get off antidepressant drugs. It gets better but it is never 'okay'. And for someone to lose a child in such a savage manner, then have to endure the creeps of pit advocacy, these can only make it that much worse. I commend Jeff and his wife for their bravery in standing up to these psychopaths and try to get the truth and reality of this shit breed out to other people BEFORE they too become victims.

  33. We had a Pitt that we thought was a big baby & believed that myth that it is all in how you raise them, too, & he was asleep in the hallway & my husband accidentally stepped on him in the middle of the night & he attacked my husband & we like not to have got him off of him. We had him put to sleep. My first grandson had just been born so decided we couldn't take the chance in him killing a child. I cringe every time I see children with pitt bulldogs. They'll turn on you in a heartbeat & are very strong dogs.

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