4-Year-Old In Critically Injured In Attack By Family's Dog

News4Jax ^ | 2.17.05

[ambrose]

News4Jax.com

4-Year-Old In Critically Injured In Attack By Family's Dog

POSTED: 3:47 pm EST February 17,

2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 4-year-old girl is in critical condition after she was attacked by her family's pit bull Wednesday.

Kaylin Flowers' grandmother said she was playing with the dog in their yard when the the dog snapped, biting the girl on the head, neck and hand.

"She so small. The dog just grabbed her and bit her," Karen Flowers said Thursday. "He slung her and ... dragged her on the ground."

According to the police report, the attack lasted several minutes, the pit bull throwing Kaylin's tiny body around the back yard.

Kaylin was rushed to Shands-Jacksonville, where she had emergency surgery.

"There are no skull fractures at all, but there are teeth marks in the skull," Flowers' said. "She's doing better. She's a fighter."

The family said they don't know why the dog attacked as he had never showed signs of aggression before.

The dog was confiscated by Jacksonville Animal Care and Control, where he will remain for 10 days.

"They are brought here and held in a quarantine area to check temperament and health issues," Animal Control's David DeWitt told Channel 4's Jennifer Bauer.

While all dog breeds have the potential to attack, experts say rottweilers, pit bulls and German shepherds are the most common breeds for deadly attacks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while almost half of all children are bitten by a dog at some point, kids aged 5 to 9 are most at risk for dog attacks. Statistics show that half those attacks occur at home or with a familiar dog.

Copyright 2005 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[dervish]

I believe Rage Syndrome was first identified in Cocker Spaniels, but it affects other Spaniels (breeds?) too.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“Rage Syndrome” by Linda Ward

What is Rage Syndrome?

In the early 1980s the term “rage syndrome” was applied to serious uncharacteristic behaviour in certain breeds of dogs (particularly Cocker Spaniels). The Cocker Spaniel Council has never approved of the term “Cocker Rage”, regarding it as “uncertain temperament”. Rage is often misdiagnosed and used to justify euthanizing dogs.

Valerie O’Farrell (1989), a canine psychologist, describes it as follows: “This is a variant of dominance aggression particularly common in whole-coloured Cocker Spaniels, though it can occur in other breeds.” She describes an affected dog as attacking suddenly and savagely, without any preliminary threats. Because the victim has no warning and no chance to move away, the result is often a flesh wound, which needs medical treatment. During the attack the dog often has a glazed look and does not seem to be aware of its surroundings.

http://www.cockerspanielrage.org.uk/Rage%20Syndrome%20by%20Linda%20Ward.pdf

[sandalwood]

Below is a GREAT link. It is from the website Joy first mentioned. I have two Pit mixes and still got it wrong.

Do you know what a pit bull looks like?

[Darnright]

Thanks, Dervish. I am more familiar with Springers having problems with it. "Rage syndrome" is somewhat controversial, and actually pretty rare.

It's very sad what's happened to the Cocker. Once it became so popular as a pet (and incidentally as a show dog), it's almost never used to flush birds in modern times. Thank goodness there are English Cocker breeders (and this is the breed known to the rest of the world as the Cocker Spaniel) still working their dogs in the field.

[Darnright]

>I have two Pit mixes and still got it wrong.<

They faked you out by using a puppy I think. I had no idea how much a Patterdale Terrier looks like a Pit bull.

[dervish]

Missed twice before I got it. They suckered me with #3 the Petey knock off.

makes a pretty good case for how the media can err even unintentionally.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Well here it is Mon and no1 has continued this thread for a while. Anyway, I feel the need to talk more of this.


I know AKC is only a registry; the problem is they pretend they are so much more, as if they are so concerned about policing things and promoting true good practices.

They talk alot, but don't do much.

"Documentation" I hardly care about, altho it can be useful. And as far as "back-yard breeders" - I'll bet some of the best dogs in truth come from them. 1 of my early dogs was from a farm w/no special interest in breeding - but I had a genuine German Shepherd, w/o any papers, and she was a good dog. No question she was purebred - and looked much more like the breed is supposed to, not the Irish Setter-bound can't-walk-normally weakling GS Americans propogate today.

The AKC stuff is corrupt, if only cuz they don't really control anything and the breeders are basically nothing but cliques of the most popular people who all agree they want dogs to look like this or that, regardless of the standard. (The GS standard has changed very little, yet the dogs clearly don't follow it - it's like the Constitution. We'll keep up that piece of paper and pretend we care about it but really we'll do what we damn well want.) I've had my suspicions about that but they were extra confirmed when I was looking for a puppy a few years ago and tried an "American" breeder who is quite known in the GS arena, but admitted she has dropped out of the "scene" alot and felt free to talk about how so many things are about who is most popular and who is networked. She wasn't bitter about it; she just said that's what it is.

Another example of what GS breeders from the original club in Germany do: the judges TELL people what they think of the dogs at the shows. Yup, you could be embarrassed in front of a big audience when your dog is called "weak" and "poor temperament" and "lacking good bone structure". Furthermore, there are dog summaries which give not only show placings but specific reports on the dog, as if it was the judge at a show telling the people there what he thinks of it. All parts of the body and character are covered. And it's published for all to see if they look it up.

How embarrassing for those who don't do the right thing. This is more than merely failing to place in a show; it's using a megaphone for every1 to hear and see. Embarrassment can do alot to curtail poor practices.

It also makes the judges pretty accountable. Now we know "what the $@! they were thinking" when they put up some dogs and not the others.

[Darnright]

>Another example of what GS breeders from the original club in Germany do: the judges TELL people what they think of the dogs at the shows. Yup, you could be embarrassed in front of a big audience when your dog is called "weak" and "poor temperament" and "lacking good bone structure". Furthermore, there are dog summaries which give not only show placings but specific reports on the dog, as if it was the judge at a show telling the people there what he thinks of it. All parts of the body and character are covered. And it's published for all to see if they look it up.<

I'll tell you a story. Years ago (back in the '70's) a specialty club invited a British judge, also a veterinarian, to do their judging. In addition, the club decided to have this judge write a critique for each placement. Sounds good, huh?

Well, after the critique came out, the majority of breeders reacted like scalded cats. Unfortunately, the judge was spot on in his assessments, at least of my dogs (and my 2 littermates ended up reserve male and female). He found their good and bad characteristics, as he did every other dog's. Not being kennel blind, I had to agree with him on his findings. One of my other females won a minor class. He said of her, "feminine bitch of overall quality and shape, except that her elbows bow out". Well, guess what, they did! She never got her championship because of that fault. I loved her anyway (grin), and eventually had her spayed.

I would LOVE for judges to have to critique dogs publically. There are some judges that don't know the backside of a dog from the front, and it would be incredibly good for the sport to get this information, not only from the good judges, but from the uneducated, blind (LOL), or political ones.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Yes, I think it would work both ways - bad dogs AND bad judges come to the fore very quickly.

I don't know all I should about the German SV situation (it's hard to find a book which describes it all; it's mostly by osmosis). I'd like to. But another thing is they supposedly are very strict about judging education. I think every1 who wants to be a judge is to apprentice w/another approved judge for some time, then perform several shows under apprenticeship, and his evaluations are, uh, evaluated. If he seems to follow the standard, he can become certified.

[Darnright]

>Yes, I think it would work both ways - bad dogs AND bad judges come to the fore very quickly.<

All dogs have faults, and there's a term called "fault-judging". If GSD's, for example, have a way to go to get back to the standard, then the mark of a good judge is to find the best dog. Some judges have hang-ups. A truly good judge will forgive an overall better dog's light eye, over a 2nd dog's incorrect overall (but subtle) deviation from the standard.

Another problem you see is judges who find the "generic show dog", and are not as knowledgeable as they should be about the finer points of the breed. What makes the Keeshond, for example, different from the Norwegian Elkhound.

[the OlLine Rebel]

BTW, what do you breed?

I think that's right about "fault-judging". The dogs really should be overall good, not just "outstanding this", but "piss-poor that". (Germans do point these out very specifically, but obviously they have to be pretty measured in their gradings. Every dog gets graded and placed, not just 4 placings. So of 20 you know who was worst as well as best.)

The all-breed stuff scares me. Not cuz I think it cannot be done, but to be able to judge BIS? Technically you should be very conversant in every recognized breed - but how is that ever possible for 130+ in a short time span? No way. Altho, I'll say there is also a distinctiong between "all-breed" and "specialty" GS. I prefer the all-breed. The specials are ridiculously mal-formed. Perhaps it's cuz the judges CAN see the forest forthe trees. Sometimes some1 who "knows little" can add alot of common sense.

[Darnright]

I have bred foo-foo dogs (Papillons) for many years, but I own at least one real dog, a Belgian Malinois. I got the Belgian over a GSD, as I was afraid of the problems, to tell the truth. The Belgian's parents were OFA excellent and good, and he's ATTS temperament certified, plus he has a certificate for herding aptitude. Unfortunately he forgot to quit growing, and so he's disqualified from the breed ring (too tall) and neutered.

Actually the Papillons may be little, but they are not nervous, shivering ankle-biters, as a rule. They are the most successful Toy breed when it comes to performance sports like obedience, agility and even tracking.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Yes I know Papillons are very smart and trainable. Of any small dog that was what you'd see at obedience rings.

What oh what are they doing to my breed that every1 - even those just for pets - are turning to a heretofore unknown, rare breed (the rarest of the 3 AKC Belgians in the '80s) to substitute for Shepherds??? (I have nothing against Belgians, but being a loyalist, it just disturbs me that Shepherds are going by the wayside. And it's all these American AND German a$$holes' faults!)

[1rudeboy]

Just once, I'd like to see someone quoted as saying, "Yeah, the dog was pretty mean, but I blew it off."

[the OlLine Rebel]

You won't cuz generally these people are the millions of namby-pamby clueless dolts who "love animals".

They would never, ever, dare think an animal could ever do wrong. Even an innocent puppy wrong.

Thus they never get disciplined. Certainly not seriously. They think training at PetSmart is the epitome of teaching manners.

They will smooth over all the rough spots w/"he's just tired" and "I shouldn't have done this he doesn't like", and my favorites in so many words "he is a free spirit" and "he has personality".

Bleeeccchhh.

[dervish]

So why did the AKC split up the Belgians? That's the kind of thinking that makes me disrespect them.

In addition, wasn't it the penchant in the ring for oversized GS that led to such bad hip problems for the breed?

[Darnright]

>why did the AKC split up the Belgians<

It did so at the behest of the parent clubs of the 3 varieties. AKC is made up of member clubs, most all breed, but each recognized breed has a parent club, and that club writes the standard for each breed.

A bit of Belgian Malinois history:

"the Belgian Malinois has historically been the favorite type of Belgian Shepherd in its native Belgium. Professor Adolphe Reul, one of the dedicated leaders in the breed formation, owned and bred many fine subjects, including the famous "Mastock."

There have been two periods of Belgian Malinois activity in the United States. Starting in 1911 when the first shorthaired Belgian Shepherds ("Belgian Blackie" and "Belgian Mouche") were registered with the AKC until World War II, the Belgian Malinois enjoyed American popularity Many subjects from the best Belgian bloodlines were imported and bred. There was some renewed interest after the war, but the breed did not flourish. Before 1959, the Belgian Malinois was relegated to the Miscellaneous Class (even though it enjoyed individual AKC Stud Book registration) because there were not enough subjects to provide competition for championships.

The second period of importation and popular support began in 1963. Progressing slowly, the first ten years saw only 107 individual Belgian Malinois registrations. By June of 1965, however, sufficient numbers had been registered by the AKC so the Belgian Malinois was moved into the Working Group and was eligible to compete for championships. Importations from Belgium, France, and Switzerland, as well as increased breeding activity since 1973, have given rise to a new era of relative popularity While still numerically one of the AKC's smallest breeds, the Belgian Malinois is beginning to make its presence felt in the Herding Group, formed effective January 1983.

The adopted standards recognized by the AKC differ somewhat for the three Belgian Shepherd breeds, but the basic dog is the same for each. In Europe and elsewhere in the world, they share a common standard."

[the OlLine Rebel]

AKC did not split up Belgians. They have been separate breeds for ages. And AKC does not recognize the 4th, the Belgian Lakenois, which is somewhat wirey.

I don't really know why hip problems exist - but obviously it must have been a problem rather early on, cuz Germans "stamp" dogs for what kind of hips they have and have for ages - excellent, good, poor, etc. (Again, that's part of the REQUIRED process! Unlike anything in America.)

Large? Only in height. American GS tend to be way too thin/narrow. They are quite literally going the way of Irish Setters (at least AKC 1s!). They're huge from the side - "deep" chest barrels - but narrow as hell. Never mind their over-angulation - legs so damn long that they cannot WALK properly. (Imagine a Paso Fino horse when trotting - only this is when walking.) But their trot is NOT correct, tho that's what the elite AKCers obsess on. These dogs wouldn't last 10 min of work.

Oh, don't get me going!

[the OlLine Rebel]

"Belgian Malinois enjoyed American popularity ..... Before 1959, the Belgian Malinois was relegated to the Miscellaneous Class"


Then it was never "popular"!

[dog breath]

Sad story, this should not be used as a excuse to outlaw certain breeds. The innocent would suffer along with the guilty. The American Staffordshire Terrier looks a lot like a pit bull, but are generally just big sweeties.

[Darnright]

>Then it was never "popular"!<

Thank heavens! This is a breed that would, imho, be tragic if it became popular as a pet. These dogs have a lot of drive, and they would end up in dog pounds by the hundreds, after shredding the family couch, or the woodwork. Belgians need to be kept busy, and they must be trained, especially when they are puppies/adolescents.

My dog has the habit of standing behind the couch, then launching himself over the back, landing beside whatever human happens to be sitting there, minding his/her own business. When we go to the Vet, he's been known to jump up onto the counter, to say hello to the receptionist (who by then has doubled up in laughter).