Posted on 06/25/2009 12:14:54 PM PDT by Glenn
An Ambridge dog owner volunteered to have her family’s pet put to sleep after it attacked a 12-year-old neighbor.
Jamie Goerman, 12, of 1010 Kristufek Ave. received six stitches on his arm after the pit bull mix, belonging to Valerie and Nick Young, bit him three times on Friday.
His mother, Teresa Deutsch, said she and her son had been walking down Pine Street, with Jamie walking a few yards ahead, when the dog named “King” broke its choke collar at 1015 Pine St. and bit the boy.
Deutsch said she never saw the dog, but could hear her son screaming from the first platform of the 10th Street steps.
“I thought he got stung by a bee, the way he was crying,” Deutsch said.
When she saw the dog run back into his yard and saw her son coming back up the stairs bleeding, she knew right away what had happened.
“He said, ‘Mom, King bit me.’ I took him to the hospital,” Deutsch said.
Deutsch said her son was bleeding badly, and she could see the bone on his arm. She called police at 3 p.m. on her way to the hospital to notify them what had happened. He also received a shot and has to wear a sling. The boy was scheduled to return to the hospital today for a checkup.
Valerie Young said she feels “awful” about what happened and apologized profusely afterward. She offered to pay Goerman’s doctor bills and buy him some pizza. His mother turned it down, she said.
Nick Young told police the dog broke the chain that was attached to the deck on the side of the house. Police said the dog last had rabies shots in December 2007.
Police said Triangle Pet, the borough’s animal-control service, was notified and plans to charge the Youngs with allowing the dog to run at large and failing to stay up to date on rabies shots.
The dog is also being quarantined until Sunday. Triangle Pet will pick up the dog Monday and have it put down.
Young said she volunteered to have the dog put to sleep for safety reasons. Young has children ages 16, 5 and 2, who have never been bitten by the dog, which they have owned for six years, but she said she wants to prevent this from happening again.
She said the family has lived in their Pine Street home almost two years and have never had any problems, although people walk next to the house every day using the stairwell that leads to 10th Street. Two years ago, she said, the dog bit a little boy, but the dog was in the yard and the child dangled his hand over the fence.
“My dog is not a vicious attack animal. He’s not a vicious dog,” she said. “I’m not happy about losing my dog,” Young said.
Until the first time they attack, or now in this case.
Owners sound like idiots. Why was the dog chained in the yard? That’s a good way to create a biting dog. Clearly the dog should be put down, as it is unstable, but I think the Mom of the kid who was bit should be allowed to slap the owners in the face every day until their son’s wounds have healed.
Because unless the yard is enclosed with a fence, the dog has to be chained up. At least that's the law in most places.
I can’t stand pit bulls (my record on this is clear), but it seems like mother and kid were doing the drama queen act here... only six stitches needed and the kid was screaming and crying and sent to the hospital?
I have been told, repeatedly, that attacks like this are rare.
Clearly the dog should be put down, as it is unstable, but I think the Mom of the kid who was bit should be allowed to slap the owners in the face every day until their son’s wounds have healed.
Actually, many places now prohibit chaining a dog out. Anyone who understands dogs knows that it creates problems, especially if the dog has a tendency to be sharp. If you have a dog, you should have a dog proof fence, and/or keep the dog inside. A chained dog is often a menace, and it’s not much of a life for the dog.
Again. The owners sound like idiots.
Dog’s teeth are not necessarily wide or long enough to cause wounds that require stitches. They cause penetrating and deep wounds. I was bitten by my own dog years ago, a chow, and my fingertip was split in half by his rear molar while his canine went all the way through the first knuckle of my index finger. My finger tip stuck in his rear molars prevented any more of the teeth from penetrating after that. He was put down the next day, no stitches needed.
There are too many good dogs in this world that need homes to tolerate the behavior of biting dogs.
Make that - Dogs shouldn’t be chained unnecessarily and for long periods of time.
From the article the dog had bitten before. In light of that, the owners were negligent. I’m certainly not opposed to pits as a breed, but I”m opposed to stupid people.
Humans first!
Chaining a dog is dangerous. So are loose pit bulls. So why don’t people who want dogs keep them inside as domestic house/family dogs rather than let them rot away in a yard with a chain around its neck? What’s the point of that?
I don’t know, it’s a good question.
They are actually, other breed bite and kill more people than pit bulls.
The dog bit when another kid dangled his hand over the fence. So many kids have a bad attitude toward animals and their parents don’t teach them any better. They need to know not to tease but they do it and then wonder why they get hurt. I didn’t see that the dog was a pit.
I can’t stand pit bulls
~ Chet99
The war has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage.
~ Hirohito
Pit bull, pit bull mix. Seems like you almost never hear about someone being mauled by a Labrador.
Just like when someone accidentally shoots themselves, it always seems to be a Glock, never a Taurus.
There’s got to be a message there...
So, are you saying that because the dog bit only because a hand was dangled over the fence, it was ok to chain him outside? I’m not seeing the logic here. If you know your dog might bite, you are negligent if you don’t keep the dog under your control. I don’t own a dog who would bite someone for dangling their hand over the fence, altho I suppose they might lick all the skin off of their hands if they dangled long enough.
Bite?
Yes.
Especially the little yappy dogs.
Kill?
Not many.
Pit bulls are near the top.
There are fewer of them, but their serious and fatal attacks are grossly out of proportion.
They are doing the right thing...it’s a pit bull.
The principle of killing an animal who attacks, particularly one which has killed (as hunting down a lion or a bear who's killed a human) goes back to Noah's Covenant, in Genesis 9:5 & 6. And its the same place the Christian and Jewish justification for capitol punishment is found....based--ironically it seems to us--on the preciousness of human life.
"And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man.
"Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made man."
Better check your facts on the Kill...
but I would believe the bite part.
It can be virtually assumed that neighborhood kids will do things like that. If you put your dog in a position where it can bite a kid passing by your house, not only are you negligent and possibly harming kids and others, you are doing your own dog a disservice.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/make-chaining-dogs-illegal-in-florida
I guess you didn't read this part....."Deutsch said her son was bleeding badly, and she could see the bone on his arm."
yes pitbulls are near the top and some years are at the top.
Rottweilers are at the top too. Of course it varies by year and current data is hard to find.
Dooooogs of Peeeeeeeace Alert
Don’t get me started on the over-use of the Rottweiler.
I know one guy what got one, wouldn’t train it, and it bit three people.
Put down.
Two years later, he gets himself another one.
Great dogs, provided they’re trained, controlled and properly exercised.
I have a friend who got one from the litter of a German champion back in 1990.
Unfortunately, too many people are looking for an image dog, without understanding the special requirements inherent in large breeds.
And thats why I don’t have a dog, because I dont have the time to train it properly. Always had a dog growing up and miss havin one.
If the dog was in a fenced yard minding his own business he should have been considered under the owner’s control. Dogs have a right to be in their own yards, right?
A dog in his own yard biting a person for danging their feet through a fence is a vicious dog.
Sheesh.
Leaving a dog on a chain for long periods of time, can cause them to become vicious.
"We're going to need a bigger boat."
At what point does the dog stop being vicious and start being considered aa good watch dog?
Chet, I’m worried, because again, I agree with you!
Unfortunately, if they live in a city and will bite someone for just dangling their hand over the fence, then, I guess no. And, if they are chained in a yard and can get loose, that’s even worse. If you have a swimming pool and it’s not fenced well enough to keep neighborhood kids out and one gets in and drowns, you are legally at fault.
I’m not sure why you’re so wedded to the idea that the owner was not negligent, but I think you are fighting a losing battle.
The dog had bitten before.
The dog was in a situation in which he could bite again.
Case closed. And I love dogs, and I don’t have a problem with pits as a breed.
A watch dog is not a dog that is inclined to bite just because someone dangled their hand over the fence. If you have a dog that is protection trained and he gets off of your property and bites someone, you are likely to get sued. Bad dog owners ruin it for the rest of us, and I don’t cut them any slack at all.
There are some people who believe that they’re entitled to lay landmines across their front yard and if any kid is killed while retrieving a ball, it is okay because the kid was “trespassing”. That’s not how the law works.
the dog was in the yard and the child dangled his hand over the fence.
A dog relegated to a chain is nothing more than a kept animal. There are exceptions of course but the only exception I can think of are "working dogs" in farmland communities.
My dad had several wonderful German Shepherds that would never, ever bite anyone unless they were unwelcome guests into our house. But that was due to my dad giving them the love and training that they need..
In my opinion, there are no mean dogs, no matter what breed. Mean dogs are the result of ignorant people who have never taken the time to train them and more often than not, abused them.
As an example, I have never encountered a mean spirited Yellow Lab until I saw the way a friend of mine treated his Lab. He actually beat it when it was acting up.
A year later I asked Paul if he still had his dog and and he replied that he had to get rid of it because it was too mean...........That broke my heart knowing full well that that dog's behavior was due entirely to the ignorance of my friend.
I don’t see what else the owner is supposed to do besides keep the dog in the house at all times...which isn’t a bad idea. But if the dog is on its owner’s property why is it considered a risk? The dog was chained, and the chain probably was short enough to keep the dog inside the yard. And, there was a fence. If you consider the dog to be something that will attract children, like the swimming pool, the owner will never be able to allow the dog outside at all, because children might run over and grab it.
That really limits the dog owner’s rights.
Don’t think I’m not concerned about protecting children - I don’t want kids to be in danger at all.
I call them pink bunnies, and they need to be put down, after the first biting incident. And yes, the stupid owners should pay --- big time.
Any dog that bites for “feet dangling” is vicious and never stops being vicious if that’s all it takes.
I understand where you’re coming from, but I think legally, since the dog was not under the owners control and bit a kid, they are liable. And of course, in this case the dog got off of the owners property and bit a kid. Really, I bet if you had a dog who had bitten, even in the circumstance cited, you would not have chained it out in your unfenced yard. I just think these folks were not using common sense.
I am very sympathetic to someone who has someone come INTO their fenced property and get bitten. But, an unfenced dog is not predictable. If the kid had to go thru contortions to get to a dog who was secure, thats another story, but I think the law would say that you must have a fence high enough for a child not to be able to reach into. When you think about it, how high was the fence a child could dangle their hand over? My fences have always been 6 feet, now way someone could dangle a hand over, and get bitten (even if my goldens would bite).
He’s bitten before, but the owner still insists “He’s not vicious!”
This is where the ‘he just snapped’ myth comes from...Owners with denial about fairly obvious signs of aggression.
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