Posted on 05/06/2006 6:55:06 AM PDT by maxwell
Gallina Man Killed by Pit Bull
Juan Garcia attacked, dragged 50 feet
By Mike Gisick and John M. Foster
Rio Grande SUN
A Gallina handyman was mauled by a pit bull Tuesday, then dragged by the dog more than 50 feet, a Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s deputy said. Juan Garcia, 52, died after the attack, which happened at a home off County Road 419 in Gallina.
The dog was later found covered in blood, Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Deputy J.B. Turner said. The dog, named Max, belongs to Julie Coletta Pederson. Pederson told deputies she had no idea what Garcia was doing at the property but acknowledged he occasionally did some odd jobs.
Turner said the victim arrived at the yard Tuesday to find the pit bull behind a gate. However, the gate was "feeble" and the dog managed to push through the bottom.
Once out, the dog began mauling Garcia, then dragged the man 50 to 60 feet down a hill. Two other dogs were present but there was no sign either was involved in the attack, Turner said.
More. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at riograndesun.com ...
Most everyone here has a dog with some pit in it??
So, I guess "most everyone here" lives in hell, is that your conclusion.
Congrats on making the final 100 most stupid statements I've read on FR.
My knee-jerk assumption is that you're being sarcastic...
Regardless: pits are misunderstood. People misunderstand how to handle them effectively, and when that misjudgement plays itself out in violence, folks hit one extreme or the other. I gave up painting the world in black-and-white a long time ago.
C-130
Only on my third cup of coffee, so not sure where this is coming from.
I'm positive that I could come up with some real whing-bangers if you're looking for stupid comments, however.
Hey, I'm sorry I said that. I haven't had much coffee at all, just a third of a cup.
I'd question what the guy was doing to cause the dog to get so mad as to get out of the gate in the first place. Sounds more likely the dog was doing it's duty in guarding the property.
Another one for ya!
This was my first speculation, hence my comment above about not judging the vic since I don't have more info.
No problem, just trying to understand where that was coming from.
"Pederson is the ex-wife of Antony Coletta, Turner said. Antony Coletta was arrested Oct. 6, 2005, after he entered an Española casino with $22,000 in cash, a handgun and a badge, claiming to be an international police agent."
"Davis said she spoke with Antony Coletta last week, and he told her that he and Garcia had been having a disagreement. Coletta then left the store as Garcia arrived in the parking lot, Davis said. She said she saw the two men arguing outside, but did not know what the argument was about."
I ran across an article a couple a days ago that has some additional info...
"Deputies are trying to determine whether Garcia was intoxicated at the time of the attack after finding a can of beer at the scene.
Coletta says that Garcia, who had done work for her in the past, had been told that he wasn’t supposed to be at her home unless she was there.
link
Not rushing to judgement here, but sounding more and more like the vic was contributing to things.
Like I am trying to hammer home above, these situations seem to be alot more complex than "devil-pit ruthlessly mauls innocent human out of the wild blue yonder".
You don't know that dogs bounce off the fence trying to get at whoever's on the other side? They're always trying to burrow out, like this one did. Some are chained and all they do is try to break the chain.
" Sounds more likely the dog was doing it's duty in guarding the property."
Then the dog would be inside the house. Else the entire house must be securely fenced and marked. This dog was outside it's fence.
It's amazing that a grown man could be killed by this dog.
42 year old male owner killed by his Pits last year:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/05/12/national/main694926.shtml
It's true that now and again Pit Bulls carry off the odd child, perhaps devour a letter carrier or two every once in a while, or occasionally kill some blundering handy-man who wrongfully invades their "turf."
But it's a big country, Max. These few hundred, or certainly no more than a thousand or two, cases evey year are nothing compared to the hours of pleasure and guard service these wonderful pets render their sensitive and caring owners, many of whom belong to colorful neighborhood organizations, and some of whom are engaged in ground-breaking research in domestic production of OTC pharmaceuticals.
Yes, Max, the brave Pit Bull is a breed apart, and so are their owners. In fact, I think Pit Bull owners should be allowed to share their cells with their pets.
It is illegal to set booby traps in ones yard or home for would be lawbreakers while owning dogs that have a reputation of attacking people is perfectly legal. I believe this is food for thought for lawmakers.
Right clever of you, Ken. Pat yerself on the back there.
Now: you and I see this orthogonally. The way I see it, some "fine and noble" homo erecti are being maligned.
I guess that is one way to look at it.
Acknowledging gray areas can also be a mark of pragmatism. We could get into alot here.
Personal property rights should also be food for thought for lawmakers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.