Riley Miller was killed by a family dog while visiting his grandmother's home in Jeff Davis County.
Boy Killed by Dog
Denton, GA - On April 19, a child was killed by a family dog while visiting his grandparents' home. The attack occurred just before noon at a home on WH Smith Road in Denton, according to audio dispatch log files from Jeff Davis County Fire. Riley Miller, 1-year old, was attacked by the dog in a playground area set up in the grandparents' yard for their grandchildren, Sheriff Preston Bohannon said. The dog was a family pet that stayed both in the house and the yard, Bohannon said.
“He was just a family pet,” Sheriff Bohannon told the Jeff Davis Ledger. “The kids played with the dog. What triggered him, God only knows.”
When the dog attacked the child, the grandmother got a gun and shot the dog, but the dog fled inside the home, Bohannon said. When deputies and first responders arrived, the dog was still inside the home. Bohannon and another first responder immediately administered CPR to the boy, but it was too late. When Bohannon and the other deputies shifted their attention to the dog, the dog ran out of the house through the front door. Officers were forced to dispatch the animal.
There were no media reports about this fatal dog mauling. The Ledger apparently only became aware of his death two months later. Riley's obituary was first published in April. Bohannon said the dog was a "mixed-breed" with "some bulldog bloodline in him." In Georgia, that translates into a pit bull-mix. The child's mother, who is a dog groomer, posted a cautionary warning about pit bulls on her Facebook page several days after her son's death indicating the dog was a pit bull.
"I know I'm going to have people's opinions about what I'm about to post but you have a pit or any dog for that matter," she wrote. "My mother in-law's pit never showed aggression towards my kids because he's been around them since he was a puppy," she wrote. "I would never have thought I would have to bury my youngest," she said. She also posted in April that she and her husband wanted to become involved in charity awareness against dogs attacking small kids and adults.
Lastly, since Bohannon mentioned a "bulldog bloodline," one grandparent on the paternal side gave away six pit bull puppies back in October 2022. When asked by a potential adopter, "What breed?", the grandmother responded, "mixed gotti razor edge red nose." That is one pit bull bloodline, "Razor Edge Gotti," crossed with a red-nosed pit bull of an unknown bloodline. In some regions in the US, especially the southeast, pit bull owners refer to the dog's bloodline only.
The boy's mother posted a cautionary warning to parents about pit bulls after her son's death.
View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Georgia Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.Related articles:
10/14/22: 2022 Dog Bite Fatality: Elderly Woman Killed by Three Large Dogs; Daughter Charged
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.
Great reporting! It makes one wonder how often something like this fails to be tallied as a DBRF. No mention in the obit as to cause of death. Is protecting the stature of dogs in society (pit bulls in particular) really that important to some people? Or, are kids being killed by dogs no longer newsworthy?
Must not ever speak ill of the almighty doGs. They are sacred!
The obituary doesn’t need to list cause of death as the family doesn’t owe any explanations to the general public, if you’ve ever had to write an obituary then you’d understand this. His slideshow photos have a happy, loved, well cared for baby with older siblings and a little yorkie dog. Unless the child’s parents describe what happened, everything is speculation and I can easily see how years of having a questionable dog put away, maybe in the big dog run in the background of one of those photos, lead to that dog eventually gaining access to the kids with a “he’s older and calmer” approach. The parents want to educate others and prevent similar attacks, give them the grace to use their experience.
Time after time when a pitbull or mixed breed pitbull .killed someone the pro pitbull always said the same thing the pitbull show no aggression.the mom was smart enough to be aware of the dangers of pitbull but dumb enough to leave her sweet baby around around the dog because he been around the pitbull since he was a puppy.
The parents have my deepest sympathy. I’m so sorry for their terrible loss.
They should not be going through this. I wish dangerous dogs weren’t present in America so that this could never have happened. I hope that awareness will spread and overcome whatever forces are keeping these dogs present as a hazard to kids and elderly people (and strong adults sometimes too). Thank you for the important work you are doing, Colleen.
Getting a dog is now a matter of life or death.
Ownership of pitbulls includes danger to the family and extended family, bad feelings from neighbors, constant vigilance even in the backyard, no doggy doors, fences as heavy duty as prison walls and sunk 6 feet into solid ground, not much social life, no great trips, problems finding a kennel, no slumber parties, no friends coming over after school, getting an expensive harness, having expensive pet insurance if even available, having difficulty getting and keeping an apartment, keeping your car windows always closed because pitbulls are jumping out of car windows in traffic to prey on dogs out for a walk, keeping a sizeable bank account for when you get sued by the neighbors, the lifelong agony of knowing your insistence on having a dangerous dog crippled a child for life, scalped a child, took the life of an innocent person or animal.
Getting a dog breed other than a pitbull or dangerous dog means no doggy doors to prevent pitbulls from entering your home, constant vigilance for loose pitbulls who love to prey on your new pooch, fear of new pitbulls in your neighborhood, no slumber parties or house visits if you need be extra careful, money for hospitalization or emergency visits from pitbull encounters which are exacerbated by walks w your dog.
Playing Russian roulette has no fascination for me.
This was outstanding. I am a dog trainer of forty five years and regularly now include lessons about how to defend yourself and your dog from off leash charging dogs, how to determine if the other leashed dog is dangerous and why certain breeds are dangerous. Its no longer sit, stay and come.
This post encapsulated our current stare of dog ownership. I dont have a dog now and have no plans on getting one
I found your comment that you don’t plan to get another dog fascinating, as your background in dog behavior educaton is so experienced. Could you elaborate on why you won’t own another dog, even a particular breed that isn’t possibly dangerous? Are you just burned out on dog culture, which I totally understand and has kept me from returning to vet clinic employment. Have the behavioral issues drastically changed in your decades of training? Are your clients offended when you discuss certain breeds? Thank you for considering these questions as I find the experience of trainers from pre-pit bull saturation era very interesting, myself being in my early 50s and involved in dog showing/training in the late 80s.
Yes, that is the current state of affairs. Pit bulls all around where I live. One in particular charged me twice. Once while I was on public ground and once in my own yard. After the yard event, I told neighbor that the dog is not welcome in my yard and I have zero tolerance from now on. Didn’t believe me until they saw me out raking my yard with my 45 on my hip. Now, they’re diligent keeping that dog out of my yard. I always carry protection during my frequent walks due to pits running loose. Not pepper spray, either. I used to love to listen to tunes while on my walks. Now I keep my ears unoccupied all the time. This past weekend, I was working on underground sprinklers in my back yard. As such, spent a lot of time on all fours down low on the ground. In a very vulnerable position. Alas, as I started the job I went back into the house and strapped my 45 to my hip. It’s a shame having to go armed working in your own backyard. But, I refuse to be a victim to insane pit owners.
Marlin, I’m glad you wore your gun in your backyard while low to the ground. Pitbulls are so opportunistic that they attack often when someone has fallen to the ground, even their owner. That is even before the pitbulls have taken down their prey themselves.
A 97-year-old woman in Florida recently escaped sure death by 2 attacking pitbulls when she grabbed onto a chair in her garage and managed to STAY UPRIGHT and kick one pitbull away as she escaped to her house. Amazing!
Great observations here, both from Nunzia and Sue Myles, as to how one particular breed has tainted all dog ownership with fears and responsibilities that now effectively undermine the “man’s best friend” trope.
This story also highlights the irresponsibility of both local authorities and the media in failing to protect the public by ignoring their duty to make the public aware of the danger. Too many people can pretend that pit bulls are just another dog because all of the death, trauma and heartache go unreported.
Well said. A pitbull is a walking court case..
You cannot take a bloodsport dog, an animal that has been BRED for centuries to be the ultimate canine killing machine, and make it a safe PET animal. Pits should not be pets.
BAD nanny dog! Shame shame!
Deepest sympathy for this baby boy who died this way because his family rolled the dice with his safety and welfare
I am in Germany now. Yesterday I was at some town festival , burger fest, and the main walking zone street ( strasse ) was crowded with people. Three music stages and a lot of stands selling Deutchland sausages and bear. Some people wearing their native costumes and historic uniforms. It was loud and crowded, (CORONA distancing God is dead, thanks to the real God.)
In the middle of the crowd – there was a young man in his 40 ‘s , tattoed ( of course ) with an earing in his ear , walking with his lovely blond hair, angelic looking daughter ( 7- 8 years old ) and shiny grey pit bull on the leash… roaming among other people’s legs … hardly noticed by most of them.
I had chills …
My husband was at a convenience store a few weeks ago and felt something brush against his leg. He looked down to see a hulking squat pitbull without any leash sniffing his leg. He frowned and immediately looked around for where it had come from. The owner walked around the corner of the aisle and smiled smugly at my husband. They seem to love exposing people to their dogs to prove some kind of point. Why would someone need to bring any kind of non-service dog into a convenience store?!
Yikes! And if you dare to speak firmly to these pit owners, you stand a chance of the hyper-sensitive pit becoming more aggressive. Or the pit owner turning the beast into a weapon if you ruffle the owner’s feathers.
Sheriff Bohannon, “what triggered him, God only knows”.
Well, I must be God, because I know. He’s a Pit. That’s what they do.
Get a pointer puppy. A couple of years later, without any training, he’s out in your back 40 pointing at birds.
“I’ve never seen him do that before. I wonder what triggered him”.
It’s amazing that that this didn’t make the media until a couple months later. Local media doesn’t investigate the sudden, unexpected death of a 2y/o? Hazlehurst is a small town. Surely word of mouth got around pretty quickly. If the child had drowned, it would have been in the news immediately.
What aggravates me the most are the people who blame the victim. A baby is NOT intentionally aggravating the animal. Even worse the ones who say the child’s death or injuries are better than the euthanasia of the horrible creature. I want nothing more than world without these horrible violent animals, but know there are more “we wuv misunderstood pibble babies” people out there who never seem to lose this argument. God bless all of those who died unnecessary due to these disgusting animals
It drives me crazy, too. A normal, non-pit dog should NEVER maul a child to death. It’s like these people almost hope to normalize mauling deaths from this allegedly “domestic” breed. My children know to be gentle with our dog, but accidents sometimes occur with rambunctious young children. My son has startled our St. Bernard / pointer mix and accidentally stepped on his tail or legs. He yelps and startles, but never bites. That’s a normal domesticated dog. The idea that a toddler (or any child) could have done something to the pitbull which would have warranted the dog killing him is incredibly absurd and offensive.
Yes, good point. That’s exactly what “Any dog can bite” is: they’re trying to normalize pitbulls and maulings.
I believe it’s jealousy and/or other emotions. People have believed that animals don’t have ‘feelings’ for so long when it’s simply not true. Animals, especially mammals all experience a large range of emotions. Dogs get jealous of each other, so of course they are gonna get jealous of other people, including little children. Dogs don’t consider little children to be above them in the pecking order, of the household. Most dogs will tolerate small kids very well but some breeds are too dangerous to have around children because an outburst of emotion from a certain breed of dog can be fatal.