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Texas boy, 4, killed by two pit bulls
Washington Times ^ | 11-22-06 | u

Posted on 11/22/2006 12:25:48 PM PST by JZelle

A Houston-area family was mourning the death of their 4-old-son who was killed by two pit bulls that attacked as he was playing with his 2-year-old brother. Pedro Rios died of his injuries Tuesday afternoon in a mobile home park east of Houston, the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday. He and his brother were playing when the dogs approached. The younger boy managed to escape. The boys' mother heard screams and raced to the boy and tried pulling the dogs off but they wouldn't let go until lights and sirens of sheriff's deputies' cars startled them, the report said. Deputies killed one dog and the other was wounded and taken into the custody of county public health and veterinary services. The mauled boy was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital but was declared dead soon after arrival, the newspaper said. Deputies said many neighbors had seen the dogs and thought they were strays. They said no one has admitted to owning the dogs, the Chronicle reported.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: armcitizens; badbreed; bsl; gunlaws; mauling; nomorepitbulls; pitbulls; putpitbullsaway; rdo; straydogs; texas; toddler; unarmedcitizen
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1 posted on 11/22/2006 12:25:52 PM PST by JZelle
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To: JZelle

A few years ago a rent house down at the end of my street had a pitbull in the back yard. They were always charging the kids as they walked by to the bus stop on the corner. The chain link fence stopped them. When people complained to the owners about them they were told to get bent and the cops did nothing. A few days later the dogs died. Rumor is some parent poisond the dogs with laced meat.


2 posted on 11/22/2006 12:30:11 PM PST by Hydroshock ( (Proverbs 22:7). The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.)
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To: JZelle

Mobile home. Two pit bulls. Animal (mis)trained for violence.

Pattern?


3 posted on 11/22/2006 12:32:43 PM PST by truth_seeker
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To: Hydroshock
Rumor is some parent poisond the dogs with laced meat did the right thing.

There, now it's correct.
4 posted on 11/22/2006 12:38:01 PM PST by Issaquahking (Trust can't be bought)
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To: JZelle

Those dogs are bred for one thing. To kill.


5 posted on 11/22/2006 12:41:39 PM PST by John Lenin (The most dangerous place for a child in America is indeed in its mother's womb)
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To: Issaquahking

It got so bad that one dad who worked nights and had a carry permit would stand out there with his hand near his pistol whenever the bus came.


6 posted on 11/22/2006 12:41:40 PM PST by Hydroshock ( (Proverbs 22:7). The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.)
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To: Issaquahking

lol yep!


7 posted on 11/22/2006 12:42:08 PM PST by moonman (`)
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To: JZelle
Deputies said many neighbors had seen the dogs and thought they were strays. They said no one has admitted to owning the dogs

So many neighbors (probably including the dead boy's parents) had previously seen unfenced, unleashed pit bulls wandering around the mobile home park where children play outside, and did nothing about it.

8 posted on 11/22/2006 12:46:48 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
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To: John Lenin
Those dogs are bred for one thing. To kill.

I've read plenty of articles about the American Pit Bull Terrier to know that it can be a loving, dependable companion if bred and raised correctly. But it appears the majority of the specimens are ill-bred, unpredictable, and dangerous. I can understand why so many communities consider banning them.
9 posted on 11/22/2006 12:49:13 PM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

Everytime I see one of those dogs I look for the nearest brick or club to beat them with if they attack me.


10 posted on 11/22/2006 12:54:09 PM PST by John Lenin (The most dangerous place for a child in America is indeed in its mother's womb)
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

All of these stories have at least one Post where someone says they can be such loving adorable pets.

Is it worth having 40 bad pitbulls out there to get one loving pet?

Its a breed that should be registered with the police the same as pedophiles and child molesters as far as I am concerned.


11 posted on 11/22/2006 12:56:37 PM PST by sgtbono2002 (The fourth estate is a fifth column.)
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To: GovernmentShrinker

I wonder, because I once called city animal control found them to be an impotent bureaucracy. I was basically told I'd have to make a citizens' arrest, after the obvious owners of the illegal, wandering animals-in-question denied knowledge of whose these roaming animals were, because Animal Control would only send them letters but could not enforce anything. I could only hope that they'd exert more authority if I'd been reporting pitt bulls.


12 posted on 11/22/2006 12:57:57 PM PST by MonicaG (Enjoying all the Freedom very much every day.)
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To: John Lenin

I saw an ad for a whistle that is alleged to drive all dogs away. However, I doubt it works.


13 posted on 11/22/2006 1:01:54 PM PST by Dante3
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To: JZelle

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1742333/posts?page=1


14 posted on 11/22/2006 1:05:15 PM PST by kanawa (Don't go where you're looking, look where you're going.)
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To: John Lenin
Pit bulls and Rottweilers to breeds that should be extinct, in my opinion.
15 posted on 11/22/2006 1:06:52 PM PST by ThisLittleLightofMine
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To: ThisLittleLightofMine

oops that should be two


16 posted on 11/22/2006 1:07:09 PM PST by ThisLittleLightofMine
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To: ThisLittleLightofMine

I've seen a few dog fights in the barrio. Those dogs are bred and trained to attack and kill. How does the average Joe know what is coming at them, one of the nice ones or one of the killers?


17 posted on 11/22/2006 1:11:54 PM PST by John Lenin (The most dangerous place for a child in America is indeed in its mother's womb)
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To: MonicaG

Usually if something like that has happened, the neighbors who are saying they'd seen the dogs before would be saying in the same breath that they'd called police before and nothing was done.


18 posted on 11/22/2006 1:15:39 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
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Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

To: ThisLittleLightofMine
Funny story. I have two Jack Russells, Lincoln and Polk. Polk is a 12lb fluff ball who translates every command to "toy". She's lovable and afraid of anything bigger than she - just about everything. Nevertheless, she feels the need to protect me from the two rottweilers who live in the next yard. There is a 6 ft fence, so Polk has never seen the dogs, except in silhouette, but she hates them. She snarls, barks and digs to try to get them. It's the strangest thing to see little Polk get defensive, especially against two enormous, mean (sounding) dogs.

She wouldn't be so brave if she could see them.
20 posted on 11/22/2006 1:23:11 PM PST by kdot
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To: kdot

LOL....she has good instincts.


21 posted on 11/22/2006 1:28:20 PM PST by ThisLittleLightofMine
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To: The Pastor
Here's your "dimmed witted fool," Pastor ...





The name of Helen Adams Keller is known around the world as a symbol of courage in the face of overwhelming odds, yet she was much more than a symbol. She was a woman of luminous intelligence, high ambition and great accomplishment. She devoted her life to helping others. Helen chose a Pit Bull as her family companion. Here is a picture of Helen and her dog.


(Pit Bull Rescue Center)
22 posted on 11/22/2006 1:31:31 PM PST by eastsider
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To: The Pastor

I grew up with a half pit bull, half bull dog. He was a very good dog to people. He wasn't so kind to other dogs (or puppies) who crossed his path.


23 posted on 11/22/2006 1:38:07 PM PST by ItisaReligionofPeace (lookw)
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To: ThisLittleLightofMine

NO! I had a Rottweiler once and it was THE nicest dog there was. It all depends on how you raise them, dogs like that just need an outlet for their aggression. For instance I let mine out every day to play in the woods (he came back one day covered in tar but that's another story). He was a biter but always in play and he never broke the skin.


24 posted on 11/22/2006 1:40:30 PM PST by Raymann
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To: eastsider

Of course she chose the dog before they were bred by drug dealers and dog fighters to kill anything that moved.

I don't trust any dog with babies. This breed particularly.
Sorry.


25 posted on 11/22/2006 1:42:45 PM PST by netmilsmom (To attack one section of Christianity in this day and age, is to waste time.)
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To: eastsider

Yeah, but they told her it was a golden retriever...


26 posted on 11/22/2006 1:43:32 PM PST by Oberon (What does it take to make government shrink?)
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To: Hydroshock

Good.


27 posted on 11/22/2006 1:44:33 PM PST by JTHomes
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To: netmilsmom

My Australian Cattle Dog died of old age a few weeks ago and I went to the humane society to pick out a new dog. The ONLY dogs they had were pit bulls or pit bull mixes. I said I didn't want a pit bull and the woman behind the counter got red in the face, leaned over the counter towards me and told me I was stupid to believe what the press wrote about them.

Er...if they're so wonderful, why was there NO dog there (NONE!!) except pits?


28 posted on 11/22/2006 1:45:54 PM PST by freepertoo
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To: Oberon
That's so wrong ...

LOL : )
29 posted on 11/22/2006 1:47:13 PM PST by eastsider
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To: freepertoo

>>Er...if they're so wonderful, why was there NO dog there (NONE!!) except pits?<<

Amen.
(sorry about the death of your friend)


30 posted on 11/22/2006 1:50:11 PM PST by netmilsmom (To attack one section of Christianity in this day and age, is to waste time.)
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To: eastsider
Wasn't it called a Staffordshire (SP) Terrier back then?
31 posted on 11/22/2006 1:51:38 PM PST by 4yearlurker (I'm surrounded by Union Dems in the 12th district! Alone in the wilderness.)
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To: eastsider

And I thought the only thing I didn't like about her was that she was a raving communist.


32 posted on 11/22/2006 2:03:08 PM PST by Gil4 (This tagline for rent - cheap!)
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To: eastsider

Helen Keller was blind and deaf.

If she could have seen or heard what she was getting into, she would surely have unholstered her .50cal Desert Eagle and put a round in the dogs eye without a moment's hesitation.

I'm certain of that, as she was a crack shot, in the dark, at 10,000 yards with that thing.

She and I collected blasting caps together. One of them went off in my right hand once, leaving my index finger.

When I got better, I shook hands to greet her, and she hit me in the head with the butt of that pistol. She apologized later, explaining that she thought I was getting fresh with her.

Those were the days. . . ;?


33 posted on 11/22/2006 2:03:16 PM PST by RinaseaofDs
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To: 4yearlurker
Wasn't it called a Staffordshire (SP) Terrier back then?
Here's what the PBRC says about them:
Pit bull is NOT a breed. It's a generic term often used to describe all dogs with similar traits and characteristics often known by the public as "pit bulls"....

Humans have created specialized dogs through emphasizing desired traits and eliminating unwanted ones. It is no different with the pit bull type dogs. The American Pit Bull Terrier has been "selectively" bred for hundreds of years to fight other dogs. This is the sad "work" these dogs were created for. In the same way that Labradors were bred to retrieve birds, APBTs were bred to face other dogs in mortal combat. Even in dogs that are not recently bred from fighting lines, the urge to fight can arise at any time. Not to strongly emphasize this fact would be negligent.

That said, we can't blame specialized breeds for behaving as they were bred to. Specific traits were bred into the dogs and are now part of the breed's character. It's like the digging instinct of many Terriers, the herding behavior in Shelties, the compulsion to run in Greyhounds, etc. Your Pointer may have never spent a day on a real hunt, but he may still point and flush birds as his ancestors did.

It's a mistake to think that the fighting gene can be trained or loved out of a dog, or that early socialization will guarantee your pit bull will always get along with other animals. There are precautions to take when owning pit bulls, especially in a multiple-dog environment. Unfortunately these precautions are often viewed as acceptance for the sport of pit-fighting when nothing could be further from the truth. Knowing how to avoid a fight, as well as how to break it up if, despite all efforts one strikes, is proof of smart and responsible pit bull ownership.

34 posted on 11/22/2006 2:06:11 PM PST by eastsider
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To: John Lenin

"Those dogs are bred for one thing. To kill."

I'm not so sure about that. Dogs' dispositions are caught from their owners.

I was walking my little 8" tall mixed breed one morning. It was dark, before sunrise time. She encountered a bigger dog - they sniffed eachother and that was that.

Then I spotted a man in the half light across the street. He came over for the dog. I asked what kind of dog that is. "Pit Bull" was his answer.

The breeders maintain the dogs aren't mean unless they're trained that way.
And plenty of them are.


35 posted on 11/22/2006 2:09:02 PM PST by RoadTest (Broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat -Matthew 7:13)
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To: Hydroshock
The chain link fence stopped them.

Rumor is some parent poisond the dogs with laced meat.

Hmmm...... the fence stopped them but some chicken shit bastard willfully destroyed another's property anyway.

Very conservative way to handle a problem.

36 posted on 11/22/2006 2:15:15 PM PST by Eaker (You were given the choice between war & dishonor. You chose dishonor & you will have war. -Churchill)
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To: JZelle

This is horrible. Prayers for the family. I have known a lot of good pitbulls. But some owners think it is macho to own a mean dog and don't believe in training. These owners should be jailed, fined and tarred and feathered and put on a rail out of town.

People who can not train or who let their dogs roam at large are idiots and a danger to society.


37 posted on 11/22/2006 2:19:46 PM PST by lastchance (Hug your babies.)
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To: The Pastor

"Shortly, some dimmed witted fool will post a message about how nice pit bulls are. If you are the dimmed witted fool thinking of posting such nonsense please coat yourself in meat sauce and go pet one of those adorable pits and get back to us."

I guess The FreeRepublic should be enough of a free speech forum to include all kinds of people, even rude and intolerant opinionated ones.


38 posted on 11/22/2006 2:21:04 PM PST by RoadTest (Broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat -Matthew 7:13)
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To: JZelle

A PS to my post.

I do think that if a dog is a stray and animal control will not pick up the dog or if no one claims ownership if their is any doubt if the dog may be mean then a person would be right to humanely shoot the dog.

I love dogs but a person's safety always comes first, especially that of children. So a person has every right to shoot a dog that is a potential threat.


39 posted on 11/22/2006 2:23:50 PM PST by lastchance (Hug your babies.)
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To: JZelle

Different canine breedss have distinct traits of their own. But the other side of the coin is that all dogs have a lot in common. The calmest, sweetest-tempered dog I ever knew had some prejudices - times she would threaten a person or another dog, probably out of fear.

Also, dogs can see things about people that we don't see with the naked eye.


40 posted on 11/22/2006 2:28:45 PM PST by RoadTest (Broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat -Matthew 7:13)
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To: JZelle

No apology to pit bull owners..but the entire breed needs to be euthanized.


41 posted on 11/22/2006 2:37:52 PM PST by gitmogrunt (Conservative and Republican are not synonymous.)
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To: kdot

My 14 year old Jack Russell died of cancer two months ago.
My wife and I miss the rambunctious but oh so gentle little scamp.


42 posted on 11/22/2006 2:38:02 PM PST by Ole Okie
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To: GovernmentShrinker
So many neighbors (probably including the dead boy's parents) had previously seen unfenced, unleashed pit bulls wandering around the mobile home park where children play outside, and did nothing about it.

The dogs were reported to the park office a few days previous to this incident.
What happened after that, I don't know.
Harris County field officers impounded more than 7000 stray dogs last year.

43 posted on 11/22/2006 3:03:27 PM PST by kanawa (Don't go where you're looking, look where you're going.)
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To: freepertoo
Er...if they're so wonderful, why was there NO dog there (NONE!!) except pits?

Use your God given brain and postulate some explanations.

44 posted on 11/22/2006 3:15:27 PM PST by kanawa (Don't go where you're looking, look where you're going.)
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To: RoadTest

"Also, dogs can see things about people that we don't see with the naked eye."

I definitly believe that. I've been afraid of dogs for most of my life. And it seems as though they know it and come straight for me! Since I started doing a lot walking outside a few years ago, I purchased a pepper spray to carry so that I feel more protected.
If I hear one more person tell me their dog won't hurt me I think I'll bite them! They don't realize that means nothing to me. Also I don't believe people can really know their dog wouldn't hurt someone. It could be an inbred trait as in the pit bulls that one day surfaces for whatever reason. I'm a little biased because of my fear but I'm especially terrified of pit bulls and rotweillers. German Sheperds can get nasty too but I've met some good ones. Nuf said.


45 posted on 11/22/2006 3:22:36 PM PST by happilymarriedmom
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To: gitmogrunt
No apology to pit bull owners..but the entire breed needs to be euthanized.

You'd kill one of your co-workers?

Read Neville's story here

46 posted on 11/22/2006 3:44:23 PM PST by kanawa (Don't go where you're looking, look where you're going.)
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To: JZelle

I have had four dogs in the last 20 years who got out of the yard and bit someone. Even though I love my pets, every one of those dogs made a final trip to the vet for euthanasia. Oh....two were basset hounds, one retriever, and one mutt; no pit bulls around my kids.


47 posted on 11/22/2006 4:33:08 PM PST by darth
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To: Ole Okie
I'm sorry you lost your Jack. They are such wonderful doggies with the biggest spirit. Here's a link to my Polk and another of Lincoln and Polk together. They are sisters, 5 and 6 years old.
48 posted on 11/22/2006 4:36:04 PM PST by kdot
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To: Eaker

"but some chicken shit bastard willfully destroyed another's property anyway."

Well, I shot and killed one of my neighbors agressive Rottweilers after it attacked my dog and threatened my children.

Dogs that are vicious come are last on my list of things to be protected. My children come first

Did I willfully destroy his property? You bet. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.


49 posted on 11/22/2006 4:54:47 PM PST by EEDUDE
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To: EEDUDE

Were you inside the fenced yard containing the neighbors's dogs when you shot them?

If yes, you should not have been inside their fence.

If no, and they were not fenced and were a threat then you did the right thing.

I have no problem shooting a dog that is a threat. Throwing poisoned food over a fence makes one a chicken shit bastard. One that I would consider a threat. Goblins have been known to poison watch dogs to set up a home invasion.


50 posted on 11/22/2006 5:05:46 PM PST by Eaker (You were given the choice between war & dishonor. You chose dishonor & you will have war. -Churchill)
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