Posted on 10/13/2005 2:03:03 PM PDT by tuffydoodle
Dog Owner Indicted For Animal's Attack On Boy
POSTED: 9:53 am CDT October 13, 2005 UPDATED: 10:05 am CDT October 13, 2005
WACO, Texas -- A man accused of sitting on his front porch drinking beer while his pit bull-terrier mix attacked a 9-year-old boy was indicted.
A McLennan County grand jury on Wednesday charged Jorge Grijaiva Cardona, 42, with injury to a child, a felony with a maximum penalty of two years in a state jail.
In May, Cardona's dog bit an elementary student in the right arm, right leg and rib area while the child rode a go-cart in front of his own house, according to reports.
After the boy's family members rushed to help him and chased the dog away, he was treated at a local hospital and released.
Cardona, who was "heavily intoxicated" when investigators talked to him that afternoon, was on his porch drinking beer during the attack, according to police reports.
Cardona is charged with acting recklessly by not having the dog restrained and by not coming to the boy's aid.
Animal control officers seized the dog, and reports do not indicate what happened to the animal.
I would rather err on the side of safety. The mere ownership of one of these animals raises a question about whether or not the person is responsible. These dogs are just too dangerous. They have proved it not once but hundreds of times.
"I don't see Cocker Spaniels in the news ripping up innocent children."
You're not paying attention. Cockers have a very bad biting history including their very own aggression problem that causes inexplicable attacks called Rage Syndrome.
The fact that these attacks don't make the newspapers says more about media bias and hype than about the nature of the breed.
"There is a definite breed-association with aggressiveness. The most common breed of dog I see this problem in is the Cocker Spaniel."
http://www.2ndchance.info/aggresive.htm
"Unstable temperaments. American Cocker Spaniels are a dime a dozen, and most of them are bred and offered for sale by people who don't have the slightest idea of how to breed good-tempered dogs. Obedience instructors and behavioral consultants see LOTS of American Cocker Spaniels with neurotic behaviors, including aggression, biting, moodiness, and general nastiness."
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/americancockerspaniels.html
Many a family has bought a darling little Cocker Spaniel puppy at the pet store only to have it grow into a psychotic, screaming, urinating, biting terror. Cocker Spaniels are a wonderful breed, especially suited to families, when purchased from a reputable breeder. Cocker Spaniels are notoriously awful dogs when purchased from pet stores and poor breeders. This is true not only of Cocker Spaniels, but many, many other popular breeds.
http://www.virtualimpax.com/klhh/2897.htm
Cockers are not recommended to families with young children. Many Cocker Spaniels have behavioral problems resulting in defensive biting.
http://www.gopetsamerica.com/cocker-spaniel/cocker-spaniel.aspx
In reported dog bite cases, authorities found that:
* In over half of the bite cases, the victims were children under twelve years of age.
* More German Shepherd Dogs, German Shepherd mixes, Chow Chows, Chow Chow mixes, Cocker Spaniels, Cocker Spaniel mixes, and Akitas had more reported bites than other breeds.
http://www.lizpalika.com/dogbite.html
The breed has a poor reputation among many veterinarians and is a top contender on their list of most disliked breeds. A veterinary exam must be done with or without the patient's consent, and a sensitive Cocker, stressed by pain, fear or both, may self-protectively bite the hand that reaches for it.
'snip'
Groomers, like veterinarians, commonly cite aggression in this breed. Ahwren Sheldan, owner of My Pet's Place Grooming in Bellingham, Washington, has groomed professionally for 27 years. She says, "For 15 or 20 years, Cockers were one of the most difficult breeds to groom."
http://www.dogworld.com/dogworldmag/populardogs/cocker.asp
As usually happens, popularity breeds excess, and the cocker spaniel suffered for its stardom. So did many unsuspecting buyers who wound up with mean instead of merry cocker spaniels. Cockers became infamous for behavioral disorders -- particularly a constellation of passive-aggressive behaviors that drove them to crouching and urinating submissively or to screaming and biting. The term cocker spaniel rage was coined to describe their behavior.
The AKC, before caving in to pressure from breeders and recalling the entire first printing (30,000 issues) of the 19th edition of The Complete Dog Book, had listed the cocker among 40 breeds deemed "not good" with children. For all the indignation fired toward the AKC, its opinion is shared by many observers.
"The cocker spaniel's reputation for not getting along with children is well known among those who work with them," reported the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last year. In that article the director of Broward County Animal Control declared, "We don't recommend that families with children adopt them."
http://www.petpublishing.com/dogken/breeds/cocker.shtml
on rage syndrome
http://www.cockerspanielrage.org.uk/memoriam.htm
I would rather err on the side of freedom.
The mere ownership of one of these animals raises a question about whether or not the person is responsible.
Elitist and naive codswallop.
These dogs are just too dangerous
All dogs are potentially dangerous.
Larger dogs are potentially more dangerous.
You have a right to be safe...
But this does not give you the moral authority to impose your will upon me if I am a responsible owner and my pet innocent of any unacceptable behavior.
Gratuitous Sam pic
"...breeds that are not bred for aggression, including golden retrievers, cocker spaniels, and Yorkshire terriers, have been involved in fatal attacks as well."
link
This article describes bites that could have been inflicted by many breeds of dogs.
It certainly doesn't warrant the hyperbole of 'ripping up'.
The dog is described as a "pit-bull mix". Could very well be a Cocker Spaniel mix.
But would the story have been written in that case or would it have caught your attention?
If you haven't personally experienced the way the media distorts,
you at least have been around here long enough to be made aware of many examples.
Here's a case in point that I was involved in debunking...link
The other day during my rounds I met a pleasant lady.
She saw my dog and talked with me about her "pit-bull mix' that she had to recently put down (old age and poor health).
I could see the love and sorrow in her eyes as she spoke.
I was curious and asked her what was the other part of the dog's mix.
Had to chuckle when she said, basset hound.
My daughter, ill-advisedly I think, bought a Cocker Spaniel.
The dog has on several occassions bit my young rambunctious grand-daughters.
My dog on the other hand has endured their behavior with stoic patience retaliating only with slobbery kisses that sends them into squealing contortions.
2nd gartuitous pic...Sam sleeping after long day of hunting down innocent kids
Well done
That will eventually come to every state.
I recently experienced a savage and brutal attack on one of my cats, in her own yard, by a pit mix, that resulted in her death.
If the owner had not left immediately, I would have shot his dog, and him, if he had tried to get in my way.
You are fighting a losing battle. Enjoy your dogs while you have them.
"The pit bull is a type of dog bred for fighting, not a specific breed. Responsibly bred and owned, the American Staffordshire Terrier and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier -- often referred to as pit bulls -- are not fighting dogs."
God bless you Sink....I needed a good laugh before bed.
Enjoy your dogs. The breed will soon be history.
Oh, another story about the cuddly Pit Bulls!!
Chocolate labs don't bite?
"Chocolate labs don't bite?"
Nope! And they don't taste like chocolate either!
Oh...I should have known. Here in socially engineered Pennsylvania, he would have.
I have nothing but contempt for this man. He only get's two years for letting his dog maul the child? Somethings wrong with that.
Ah! Another opportunity for people who are arrogant enough to tell us they can "understand how dogs think" to tell us that the fault and the problem is with the owners, and not the dog.
Personally, I'm tired of these stories, and tired of having to worry every time one of these dogs is in the proximity of one of my kids. It's long past time to ban the breed, nationally.
As for the "owner" of the dog in question, I think this is a case where it would be appropriate for the family of the victim to be allowed to administer whatever sort of justice they think is appropriate.
Personally, I'm tired of these stories, and tired of having to worry every time one of these dogs is in the proximity of one of my kids. It's long past time to ban the breed, nationally.
***
It's true that some breeds are prone to be more violent than others, but I have also known even supposedly benign dogs to turn on humans. If we start banning certain breeds, before long we'll be banning them all.
I guess we can have the debate of whether it's the dog's fault or the human's from now till judgment day, and I doubt that issue will ever be resolved. What makes this story particularly odious to me is that, if I read it right, the owner supposedly just sat on his porch drunk out of his skull and basically let his animal maul the child. I also gather that he was absolutely no help afterwards -- made no effort to help the child -- administer first aid, call 911, etc. etc. I don't know much about criminal law, but we hear all the time the term "depraved indifference to human life." In this layman's opinion, that term applies to this owner, and that alone should add more than a few years to the paltry two year max he is facing.
I have nothing but contempt for this man. He only get's two years for letting his dog maul the child? Somethings wrong with that.
***
I agree...see my post #38.
LOL! Years ago I was with a group of friends at a local park with our children. We were all taking a walk around the small lake when a guy passed us walking his Pit Bull. I nervously/sarcastically said: "Oh, a Pit Bull. Let's see if he can swim ... with a few bricks tied to him!" We all laughed - they knew how I felt about the breed then. The guy must have heard me. He turned and just gave me an evil look. He must have been "responsible" since he didn't sick his dog on me.
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