Attack by three rottwielers :(

[wolfsoul]

The RCMP and Crown prosecutors are considering charges in the case of a four-year-old boy who was mauled to death by three Rottweiler dogs in the backyard of his rural New Brunswick home.

Four-year-old James Waddell was killed earlier this month when he wandered into the yard by himself and was torn to pieces in an attack that has left investigators traumatized and bewildered by its ferocity.

Sgt.-Maj. Bob Gallup of the Hampton RCMP said police, prosecutors and the coroner met Wednesday to weigh the evidence in the case, but still have questions that need answers.

``It will take some more consultation,'' Gallup said. ``Hopefully, there will be a decision within the next week.''

Gallup said autopsies on the three dogs that did the killing and a fourth that was not part of the attack but was destroyed as well, have determined the animals were healthy and not suffering from rabies.

Gallup said none of the dogs was neutered. Two of the dogs involved in the attack were male, the third was a female and the fourth dog locked on a deck of the house was a female in heat.

``I feel that the fact the female was in heat played a part in the attack,'' Gallup said.

``It would more than likely raise the level of excitement in the animals and that could lead to this kind of pack mentality. One animal behaviourist called it the `avalanche effect' where they start feeding off their own energy and become progressively more aggressive.''

Gallup said the child's family is still in shock.

``They're having a tough time,'' he said.

The little boy died at the scene. His body was discovered by his father and a friend who were working in the basement when the attack happened in the backyard at the home on the Kingston Peninsula, near Saint John, N.B.

The three dogs involved in the attack belong to the father's friend, who was staying at the Waddell home after returning to New Brunswick from Alberta.

The fourth Rottweiler was owned by the Waddells.

Gallup would not say who police are considering charging, or the nature of the charges.

He said police and prosecutors have been studying other cases across North America. He said charges are common in dog attacks, but they depend on the evidence and the circumstances.

Gallup said police have received many calls from members of the public concerning the attack.

``We've had people calling and telling us the laws should be changed; people should be charged and people should be made accountable for the actions of their pets.

``Other people have called and said, `don't judge all dogs by one breed'.''

The attack has reignited debate over whether Canadian municipalities should limit powerful breeds like Rottweilers and pit bulls, which continue to make headlines because of bloody and sometimes deadly attacks.

Just days after the Waddell killing, a bulldog bit a five-year-old boy in Fredericton and seriously injured him.

The dog has been destroyed. The child is recovering in hospital.

Andy Wells, the mayor of St. John's, said this week he believes certain breeds such as Rottweilers and pit bulls, should be banned from the city.

Gallup said his research into dog attacks shows that all kinds of dogs have been involved in maulings and killings, including such family favourites as beagles and retrievers.

The police officer said he was shocked to discover that even a tiny Yorkshire terrier was once involved in a fatal attack. Gallup owns a Yorkshire terrier.

``It's very certain that you must be careful of your own family pet,'' he said.

``You might play with it, pull its ears, rub its tummy but one of these times blowing in its face might set it off and they might just become aggressive and bite.''

'Research into dog attacks shows that all kinds of dogs have been involved in maulings and killings, including such family favourites as beagles and retrievers.... even a tiny Yorkshire terrier was once involved in a fatal attack...' [Atlantic News] One golden rule remains constant: never leave a small child (or children) unsupervised with a dog, period. (even Pomeranians have attacked and killed children... )

Isn't that sad? i just came across this...they say that even the widely known family faves can do this, by why don't we hear about them attacking more than dogs like rottis and pitbulls? I hate it when this happens..

[ParNone]

My two lil' Cairn terriers love kids to the nth degree, but even
them I wouldn't leave alone unsupervised with kids. Murph
was outside playing with 3 family kids, all under the age of 5.
I was in the kitchen, but 2 other adults were outside supervising.
Somewhere in the play, the game turned to 3 screaming kids
chasing Murph around the yard. I went outside to see how
things were going and Murph made a beeline for me and jumped
up on me for me to pick him up. It was obvious to me that he'd
reached his limit, was exhausted of running, trying to keep out
of their reach, but the other adults didn't even remotely
realize he was in distress.

How much longer would he have gone before he'd have reached
his breaking point or got cornered and felt the need to growl
or snap to communicate to them? They weren't getting the
message that he wanted to be left alone, by running and hiding
behind stuff. I feel like any dog can bite, because us humans
just are totally clueless about their body language and miss
the communication.

Par...

[Desert Arabian]

How sad!!! :( :( There was a lady from the Milwaukee area got ripped up by two Rotties last summer. :(

There is a Rottie, Kane, at the local humane society. It is 115 pounds. It scared the c**p out of me!! Usually, I never get afraid of dogs...but this one did. It had a huge deep bone shaking bark that sent shivers down your spine. When you walked close to the run he was in, he'd lunge and the door bark, growl, and snap at you. I'm sure deep inside he is a real sweetie, but at first glance you couldn't tell. All he needs is some lovin'. :) :eek:

WAIT---- I just checked the website, his picture is not up there anymore, so he must have gotten adopted. :D :D :D

[Cisco's Mom]

Cisco was not raised with childeren and I would never, ever leave him alone with a child of any age!! He is only a 5.5lb dog. Why would anyone not pay attention to where their 4yr. old was when several 100lb dogs are around?? Will never get it! :mad:

[RogueFerret]

We had a German Shepard when I was little and she loved children. But my mom would always put her in a pen when we had friends over because she was afraid that Gypsy would confuse our play with danger. If she thought for one moment someone was trying to hurt us, she would have done anything in her power to stop them.

Alot of the cases involving shepards and retrievers are because they are thinking that they were protecting thier owners. They mistake our body language sometimes and beileve they are hostile actions.

But in this case, it sounds like the dogs went back to pack instinct.
And I agree with Cisco's Mom. That child was probably about 40 pounds at the most , so just one of them dogs is over twice his wieght!:mad: I honestly believe people don't watch their kids anymore!

[primabella]

I heard about this. It's so tragic and too sad :(

Mickey is great with kids but any animal should not be left unsupervised with a child, no matter how good or gentle a dog may be.

I feel so sorry for his family. :( Sending some positive thoughts to them.

[Unknown]

Ok, but i have a question, for mickey(SAD sad story about those rotweilers.) Mickey What do you mean by children though? Like what age?(Should dogs not be left alone with)

[wolfsoul]

Like what age?(Should dogs not be left alone with)
I think they should only be left alone with large children, maybe 12 years or so, that are able to control the dog and by then understand a dog's body language and stuff...but this only applies to children who OWN the dog...I don't think that strange children should be left alone with a dog that isn't theirs, whether they are old enough or not...

I was always left alone with Leather, when I was little and now...
It wasn't right when I was little, but I never thought of it then...She's a great dog though...She loves kids, but now that she's older, we have to be even more careful than usual, as she's becoming less patient...


They mistake our body language sometimes and beileve they are hostile actions.
My dad used to pretend to beat me up lol..and Leather would freak :eek: She couldn't bite him, because he's her daddy, so she felt like she couldn't help me, so she would just bark her head off....then we would tell her she's a good girl for protecting me :D

[primabella]

Originally posted by Unknown
Ok, but i have a question, for mickey(SAD sad story about those rotweilers.) Mickey What do you mean by children though? Like what age?(Should dogs not be left alone with)

Do you mean me? Okay, in my opinion they should not be left alone with a dog until they are physically able to protect themselves. It varies.

wolfsoul - I know, my dad would playfully hit my sister and my mom's dog jumped on him and started barking and biting. He had to let her know they were joking around.

[veegan]

"Gallup said his research into dog attacks shows that all kinds of dogs have been involved in maulings and killings, including such family favourites as beagles and retrievers.

The police officer said he was shocked to discover that even a tiny Yorkshire terrier was once involved in a fatal attack. Gallup owns a Yorkshire terrier."

THATS RIGHT. god. Im so sick of all this breed specific legislation, and bias and prejudice toward rotts and pit bulls! GRR. :mad: I wrote a paper for school 2 years ago about why breed specific legislation is useless so I know all about this crap. Something I found interesting that I learned while writing the paper is that there is no national reporting system for dog bites or national registry system for dogs by breed, so there is no way to arrive at comparisons of bite rates by breed. And it is estimated that only half of all dog bites are reported.

"Alot of the cases involving shepards and retrievers are because they are thinking that they were protecting thier owners. They mistake our body language sometimes and beileve they are hostile actions."

Yeah that is very true. Because a lot of people dont understand a dog's body language, esp children, this can cause a lot of problems. I mean terriers and toy breeds are notorius for having low tolerance, and/or getting frightened easier, like by kids esp, and they often snap. But compared to a rottie, a little toy dog bite is nothing, ya know? (even though they can do serious damage if provoked/threatened enough as was proved in that article).

But the main reaons pit bulls and rotties are so often involved in attacks is because theres too many people out there who aquire these dominant, powerful breeds either for the wrong reasons, (dog fighting, or protection) or from the wrong people, (people who dont breed for temperament, and or who abuse their dogs, or do dog fighting, puppy mills, etc), or both. And/or they dont know how to control and train and socialize them properly. Because they are so powerful, dominant, and naturally protective, if they arent shown from a very early age what is good and what is bad behaviour, AND who is in charge of the pack (you not them), then they can develop behavior problems that can be very dangerous because of their strength and size. And add bad breeding into that equation and its just a disaster waiting to happen. (I attached my essay in case anyone in interested lol) What should be done in place of BSL is make training and socializtion of dogs required!!!

And just on a side note.. does it sicken anyone else how they say the dogs were "destroyed"? Like they were a piece of trash. Makes me so angry how our society treats animals like property. Does no one realize these are living, breathing, thinking, FEELING beings? These are LIVES. Not just some object or posession. :mad: But anyhoo.. I wont go all animal rightsy here. Just found that sickening..

sorry that was so long, lol I have strong feelings on this issue! thanks for listening ;)

[RogueFerret]

I know how you feel veegan. My brother-in-law ran a rescue for pit bulls here in the area before he moved. It was so sad! Most of them were rescued from abusive homes and one was a female confiscated after the police shut down a dog fight ring. She was used to breed fight dogs.:( When they took her away, the owner said that he didn't care because she hadn't had any healtly puppies in a year!:mad: She died a week later from a hemmorage from her being overbred.:mad: :mad:

I have actually had the police called over here once. My dog is part ChowChow and even though she is in a pen and never gets out, someone called the law and told them I had a vicious dog.:mad: Apparently, she barked at someone who was walking down the road.:rolleyes: I showed the officer the pen I had her in and I let him pet her. He said he was satisfied with the sitiuation and appoligized to me saying that he had to check it out.

Yipes! I'm ranting! I'll stop now. lol.

[Jessica12345]

thats so sad:(

[tikeyas_mom]

posted by wolfsoul: My dad used to pretend to beat me up lol..and Leather would freak She couldn't bite him, because he's her daddy, so she felt like she couldn't help me, so she would just bark her head off....then we would tell her she's a good girl for protecting me

wow your dads got it good lol. Once my dad was tickling me soo hard I was crying cuz it hurt so bad and Tikeya freaked out because I was Screaming my head off. She attecked him with her teeth bearing and she bit the back of his neck and wouldent let go. It was scary. He never tickled me again lol

[turner]

Phoebe and Deisel just adore kids....and they have never ever hurt any child but I wouldn't leave them unattended........any dog can get to their breaking point...doesn't matter how big or small any dog can do damage to a 4yr old.

Why in the world would any parent leave their child unattended with any animal.......especially big dogs like rotties?
People just don't get it!

[Jack'sMom]

As I own (or is owned by) a Rottweiler, Jack, I really hate hearing about those stories where the "vicious attack dogs" kill somebody. But not every Rottie is like that...in fact, I bet the majority are not like that at all.

Jack has never gone after anyone, bit anyone or ever given the notion that he would do anything like that. I feel that I am a responsible pet owner and would not do anything that would put him in an uncomfortable position. He's skiddish around kids, so guess what? He is not left alone with kids. Some people don't understand that concept.

I also feel that kids - and adults - need to be aware of how to approach and be around dogs in general, not just Rottweilers. They don't understand that you can't just run up to an unfamiliar dog and put your arms around it. Ask the owner for permission to pet the dog, no matter what kind of dog it is.

And, why don't we hear more about the other breeds of dogs that injure and kill people? Total discrimination against Rotties and Pit Bulls! (As you can tell I feel very strongly about this!!)

[wolfsoul]

I know what you mean :( I wish the "aggressive dogs" would suddenly stop attacking and that we would hear more of the "family dogs" attacking (not like I want dog attacks, lol, I just wished that for once publicity would see the retrievers and the labs and the other more "family- type" (:rolleyes: ) dogs than have to blame rotties and shepherds and dobies and pitbulls and so on :mad: )

[rotties71]

[ I feel sorry for the child. and for the parents lost. I also feel sorry for the dogs.Rotties are not a bad mean dog unless they are made that way and provote,I am 37 yrs old and I had 6 rotties, and three of them I saves and they age was 11mths old from a shelter, the other one was a yr old and the last one was a 5yr old, and NO I DID NOT have any kids at the time,but a yr later I did have a little boy,at the time I had two male and one one female,when I brought him home,every one said I was crazy,but I wasnt the rotties did great,And if you own one or more you SHOULD know not to leave you kids or small pets alone.Dogs are kids to more then you know,and rotties have a specail spot in my heart just like my kids.if you leave your kids alone and grow with out teaching them the right way they will do what they want too do,dogs are the same way, that inclueds all breeds, I had three rotties the mom and two of her son, along with four kids, and nothing why?? well I train my pets and teach the kids. thanks for reading

[rotties71]

Rotties pits and other dogs get the blame for shit that they cant help not saying its the parents faults or the 4 yr old,but no one was around when it happen,they even put the female in heat down too,What the hell did she do to get killed:confused: not a thing she was locked up.While back down in N.C there was a 9 yr old boy that was told to go home bye a 16 yr girl and he didnt he climb a 8 ft stockade fence and two Masstiffs and a st bernard attack him but didnt kill him, the owners of the dogs wasnt sure why they attack for!!! Well let see they was doing what they do best Graud the family,the 9 yr old boy shouldnt been there,but he did and the three dogs was put down,,,When I was about 5 6 yrs old I had a shepard mix she was a great dog didnt like any one but me and my Father,and she didnt attack no kids or even try to bit them,DOGS R KIDS!!!
I know what you mean :( I wish the "aggressive dogs" would suddenly stop attacking and that we would hear more of the "family dogs" attacking (not like I want dog attacks, lol, I just wished that for once publicity would see the retrievers and the labs and the other more "family- type" (:rolleyes: ) dogs than have to blame rotties and shepherds and dobies and pitbulls and so on :mad: )

[Karen]

This thread is very old.

People need to be responsible and train their pets correctly.

[lilnuttbutt]

This crap that rotts and pitts are going to tear people apart is ridiculous. We have 3 pitts, one rott and one foxhound. Our one pitt is on her way to becoming CGC. The dogs even live with 2 cats and 2 rats peacefully. Its called training. Duh.

I'm sorry to vent but I'm so sick of people judging our dogs. I've had many dogs, and my favorite breeds are pitts and rotts. If you look up stats for dog bites before you even get to pits, you see labs, retrievers, and a couple little dog breeds, then pitts and rotts. Those idiots who judge rotts and pitts but buy a lab, are more likely to be it by their dog then me with 4. Idiots.

It is a parent's job to watch their kids and pups. I feel awful that this child was killed, and the thought of this happening to my younger brother makes my stomah turn but the rotts were probably put out back for a reason while the guests were over, and this father should have been watching his son. I feel like the father should be charged for neglect! The owner did what he needed to prevent this by having them outside. I would never leave my dos with my brother, no matter how much I trust them all.

It comes back to people need to control their freaking kids instead of blaiming their errors on other things... like dogs, made up disorders, video games... its all ridiculous.

[Karen]

Keep in mind this thread is several years old ...

[lilnuttbutt]

Yeah, I just saw that, but there are ones all the time very similar to it coming out all the time. In order to adopt our first pit we had to go through multiple interviews and applications, and now no agency will let us adopt, even though they say they want to change the stigma.

I guess when I saw this it hit a sore spot. We took our dogs to Petsmart with us the other day, and a lady with her duaghter went to pet our dogs. She said "oh no not the big one (the rott), just the little ones, what are they?". When we told her they were pitts she put her daughter behind her and backed away saying "you shouldn't bring those dogs out to places with people." It just saddens me.

[Karen]

Hmm, next time, try telling her they are staffordshire or terriers - less scary a name. And a pitbull terrier is a terrier! After the child has petted and played with the pups, and you are leaving, you can then choose to say, "they are 'pitbull terriers,' but people get nervous because of the name, and I wanted your child to have a pleasant experience. They LOVE kids, and getting petted and this helps them with their socialization, too!"

Just my two cents.

[lilnuttbutt]

Thats a great idea. At our old apartent we always said they were terriers too.

[noellenc]

They couldn't tell what it was just by looking at it? They are a very recognizable breed!

I thought the reason people point the finger esp. at Rotties and Pitbulls is because they have been historically bred as attack dogs. But I don't think they take into consideration the fact that ANY dog raised improperly can be equally as vicious as a vicious aggressive breed. But I thought I did read somewhere that a Pitbull has the worst bite of any dog because its jaws lock extremely tight...I have to admit they scare me a little... In the town I grew up in a woman's Pitbulls mauled & killed her elderly father while he was home alone :(

Also, I work for an insurance agency and it's kind of sad because if someone writes any aggressive dog breed onto a homeowner app, even into a 'mix', they automatically want to see a picture of the dog, and if that dog looks close enough to one of those 'aggressive' breeds they can nix the policy. Sometimes they don't, but they can with the snap of their finger. And if the dog is pure bred then there is no way. One company is a little more lenient on German Shepherds, oddly enough.

[Jags mom]

my huskies are not familliar with kids and dont know what they are, i dont know how they would react. i was reading an article somewhere that the most bites occur with a family fav dog i believe it was a golden. the bite force is different in all dogs. the dog can intend the same meaning with a bite but inflict different amounts of damage. i love rotties and now i cant have one due to bsl :(

[bckrazy]

They couldn't tell what it was just by looking at it? They are a very recognizable breed!

I thought the reason people point the finger esp. at Rotties and Pitbulls is because they have been historically bred as attack dogs. But I don't think they take into consideration the fact that ANY dog raised improperly can be equally as vicious as a vicious aggressive breed. But I thought I did read somewhere that a Pitbull has the worst bite of any dog because its jaws lock extremely tight...I have to admit they scare me a little... In the town I grew up in a woman's Pitbulls mauled & killed her elderly father while he was home alone :(


"Pit Bulls" are necessarily THAT recognizable. Partly because most of the dogs who are in the news and attacking people are horrendously bred, poorly cared for mish-mashes of numerous bully breeds. Pit Bull is more a term than it is a breed. American Pit Bull Terriers are compact, lean, athletic, and fairly balanced... not the beefy, 80 lb hippo heads that a lot of people envision. See if you can find the "Pit Bull": http://www.pitbullsontheweb.com/petbull/findpit.html

Rottweilers are an all-around breed, performing several jobs from cart-pulling to baby-sitting to herding livestock to protection. "Pit Bulls" were originally bred as bull baiters, protecting people from bulls, and in the last century or so for dog-fighting. NEVER has the Pit Bull's intention been to act as a guard dog. In fact, they were bred to be very people friendly so as not to attack the people throwing them in and pulling them out of the bull and dog fighting rings. Neither breed is historically an "attack dog". That is thanks to horribly irresponsible owners, neglect, abuse, and a lack of any training and socialization for the most part. Both breeds are people and family oriented. Bite statistics based on breed is stupid... it only paints a very, very small part of the big picture. What are the statistics of bite cases in different areas? What are the statistics of breeds in inner cities? What are the statistics of instances where the dog bite is NOT due to complete owner negligence? Etc, etc, etc. I hate how people's natural tendency is to want to immediately point fingers, jump to conclusions, and pick a scapegoat to blame all of our own faults on. :(

[Cataholic]

It is a parent's job to watch their kids and pups. I feel awful that this child was killed, and the thought of this happening to my younger brother makes my stomah turn but the rotts were probably put out back for a reason while the guests were over, and this father should have been watching his son. I feel like the father should be charged for neglect! The owner did what he needed to prevent this by having them outside. I would never leave my dos with my brother, no matter how much I trust them all.

It comes back to people need to control their freaking kids instead of blaiming their errors on other things... like dogs, made up disorders, video games... its all ridiculous.

I do recognize that this whole post is years old, and I am not sure I saw it originally. Having a 4 year old son, I take exception to the comment that "people need to control their freaking kids...". I don't "control" my child. And, no matter how viligant an adult may be, kids this age are notorious for sneaking out the door. While I may be blessed with a child that has never opened a door and walked out, unattended (without my knowledge), I also had hotel locks installed at the top of each door to avoid the possibility.

Having been around big dogs my entire life growing up, I can tell you without question that NONE of the 5-6 dogs (at one time) would never have attacked any of us kids (of which there were a lot of us, too). I think this is horrific. I can think of no justification for keeping dogs that would do this to a child (or an adult). As a parent, having my own dog tear my own child apart...there would have been NO hesititation as to my next course of action as it relates to the dog.

This is a parent's worst nightmare. You don't want anyone blaming the dogs? Okay, your perogative. On the same token, you cannot blame the child or the parent, either. Even in the BEST of circumstances, momentary inattention is a real possibility. No one is perfect...(despite claims otherwise), and that is a facet of life. No one should have to factor in their child being torn apart by family pets.

[bckrazy]

Ugh... but seriously, how clueless can one be? 3 unknown dogs. 1 dog in heat. The dogs are going to be extremely over-stimulated and excited. And no one knows what that kid did, because no one was there, at all. I lived with my little brother and Gonzo for 5 years, and I can honestly say in those 5 years they were never once alone together. It isn't that hard. I was a teenager, and I had enough sense to keep track of them both. No one is perfect, but when you have a young child, you should at least be in the general vicinity of where they are.

I've noticed that in so many of these cases, a dog in heat and unaltered males are involved. A few years ago in my area, a little boy was left alone for a long period unattened with two intact male dogs and a female in heat, and he was killed. I wouldn't leave DOGS alone together with a female in heat around - period. Much less with the possibility of a kid getting in the middle of it. It's very sad for the parents, but it's 100% their fault, unfortunately. Setting both the dogs and the child up for a disaster. Some people should not have dogs or kids ever.

[Cataholic]

I lived with my little brother and Gonzo for 5 years, and I can honestly say in those 5 years they were never once alone together. It isn't that hard. I was a teenager, and I had enough sense to keep track of them both. No one is perfect, but when you have a young child, you should at least be in the general vicinity of where they are.


Seriously? In 5 years, never? I would love to know what others that have dogs and children say to this. In the normal course of a day, I shower alone, use the bathroom alone, run up and down the stairs to do laundry alone, fold and put away laundry alone, prepare meals alone. I cannot imagine making the statement that my child is never alone with a dog. You are suggesting that you took your dog with you when you did all this activity? I find that very hard to believe. I find it hard to believe that most parents of smaller children and dog do as you suggest. You are either very unusual, or knew you had a dog with 'tendencies'.

Life happens. Accidents happen. I turned my back for two seconds and my son rolled off the changing table. Classic example...I KNEW better...and I am far from a negligent parent...my son fell just the other day, running...I was in the general vicinity...just didn't have 5 foot arms to catch him. Things happen even when one is right on top of their child. The distinguishing factor is that in the normal course of life there ARE accidents...then, there are those things that one can never imagine happening. Family pets tearing apart the child is one of them.

[atchbedyto]

Yes, this is VERY old news. I don't remember all the details but some I do remember. I met those dogs, they were you typical dominance based trained dogs that cowered around their owner. I dealt with these dogs at the Vet clinic, not bad dogs, fearful yes. Also has anyone ever heard of predatory drift??? if not that is what happened in this case. I believe it was confirmed that the female was not in heat.

That poor little boy who was killed lived a tragic life, in and out of foster care. The child was scared of those dogs and yes the men left the young boy inside the house to watch some videos while they went outside to the cellar/basement (I believe they had to go outside the house to get down). The little boy came out to look for his father and at the time the dogs were outside loose (normally they were kenneled). The little boy got scared of the dogs, perhaps ran from them and all of a sudden the little boy looks like a prey object. Predatory drift is the most common cause of mauling attacks.

I forget all the details as it was so long ago but these dogs were never trained to attack etc. The only unfortunate thing with these dogs is they had not been properly socialized.

A little boy was killed in a horrific manner. Even the ambulance attendants were sickened and horrified at the state the boys body was in. When the ACO came to pick up the dogs the dogs were very friendly and happy and not aggressive towards him in the least. Predatory drift is something we dog owners with breeds with the full series of motor patterns and enhanced drives have to be very aware of and...socialize, socialize and then socialize.

I feel bad for the little boy in this case and I feel the local authorities handled this well. They did not judge the breed, and even the vet mentioned predatory drift as she has dealt with this. For anyone to be upset over the dogs being destroyed needs to wake up...a tragic death for a little boy in a horrific manner and someone is upset because they used the word destroyed??? These dogs were not "bad" dogs but, they were potentially dangerous to meek children and possibly fearful adults.


And just on a side note.. does it sicken anyone else how they say the dogs were "destroyed"? Like they were a piece of trash. Makes me so angry how our society treats animals like property. Does no one realize these are living, breathing, thinking, FEELING beings? These are LIVES. Not just some object or posession. But anyhoo.. I wont go all animal rightsy here. Just found that sickening..
Veegan
What about the little boy!!! it was a horrific horrible death that little boy suffered. I find the way that poor boy died sickening.

[bckrazy]

Seriously? In 5 years, never? I would love to know what others that have dogs and children say to this. In the normal course of a day, I shower alone, use the bathroom alone, run up and down the stairs to do laundry alone, fold and put away laundry alone, prepare meals alone. I cannot imagine making the statement that my child is never alone with a dog. You are suggesting that you took your dog with you when you did all this activity? I find that very hard to believe. I find it hard to believe that most parents of smaller children and dog do as you suggest. You are either very unusual, or knew you had a dog with 'tendencies'.

Super late response, but...

do you leave a baby alone, while you're showering? No, I wouldn't do that. I don't find it incredibly unusual either.

There are ways to safely secure a dog and/or keep a dog and child seperate without having one physically at your side. Baby gates, his crate, and brief periods hanging out in the backyard ensured that my dog was NEVER left to the whims of a toddler. It's not that I have a dog with tendencies, there isn't a dog alive that I would trust moreso with "his" children (my brother and my neices) than Gonzo. It's that little children have "tendencies". A woman in my Obedience class started coming in after her Golden Retriever bit her child, while she was preoccupied, for seemingly no reason at all... she took her dog in to the Vet to be euthanized, and they discovered that the child had stuck an ENTIRE pencil into the dog's ear. Another person I know didn't realize that their child had put a rubber band around the family dog's neck until it began to smell from infection. No dog should be expected to simply tolerate the pain/fear that an unsupervised, young child who couldn't possibly know any better can inflict on them.

[atchbedyto]

There are ways to safely secure a dog and/or keep a dog and child seperate without having one physically at your side. Baby gates, his crate, and brief periods hanging out in the backyard ensured that my dog was NEVER left to the whims of a toddler.

In this case this was an accident. The uncle moved in with the father of the little boy whom the father had just gotten back from foster care. The uncle had Rottie's which he kept kenneled at all times. The father and uncle put the 4 year old in front of the TV to watch his favorite video because they needed to attend to something in the cellar. While they are out there they decide to let the Rottie's out to stretch their legs knowing the child is in front of the TV watching his favorite show. For some reason the child needs his father walks outside sees the Rottie's are loose and tries to be brave but ends up being afraid and runs back to the house. This triggers predatory drift in the Rottie's a running prey object and they automatically go into attack mode.

My own Rottwieler has an extremely high prey drive which a Rottie is supposed to have and I've seen her go into predatory drift...she did it to me a few times when I first rescued her and she attacked me! I was walking her loose in a field and decided to run and looked at her and she lowered her head (eye stalk) then came running after me and attacked me quite seriously. This took a lot of positive redirectional training to modify. Anyway, having first hand experience with this enhanced drive with my own dog I "know" how easily and accident like this can happen. I know we all like to put all dog breeds on the same level and tell people a Rottie is no more dangerous than a Newfoundland. But, that is doing the breed an injustice and an owner who doesn't understand can be a dangerous owner especially if they don't do the proper socializing. Some owners are fortunate that they are able to socialize without even realizing they have been doing so. But, the owners of these Rotties obviously did not socialize therefore the Rotties never imprinted properly on children. Take for example a dog that is imprinted/socialized with sheep will not show predatory drift towards them. To bring up a good guardian dog you raise them with the sheep. To bring up a good herding dog you don't want them imprinting on the sheep so they will show proper predatory drift towards them. Different breeds have different motor patterns as well, a good sheep herding dog should not have finisher tendencies where a Rottie and terriers should have finisher motor patterns. That is how breeds were designed, the behavioral conformation formed their physical conformation etc.

Any who, this was an unfortunate accident that happened. I can't remember if any criminal charges were given or not now.