5 month old and 2 year old killed by family pet pitbulls

[eucalippy]

That the family had for over 8 years without a single prior violent incident. The attack went on for ten minutes leaving the baby boy and 2 year old girl dead and the mother with an "uncountable amount of stitches and injuries"

Stuff like this makes me so sad but scares me too, I've always been scared of big dogs, but it's something I try and keep at bay and not put on to my kids. My brother and his wife have 2 Rottweilers who I was petrified of at first but have learnt to be around, they are very calm but stuff like this makes me feel like I can never take the kids round there again because what if they just turn?

I know about the whole it's owners not breed spiel, but stuff like this brings that into question surely? You can never truly know what a dog might do can you?

Link if anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about. RIP to those beautiful kids.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/baby-sister-killed-pitbulls-memphis-b2197336.html?amp

This incident was in Tennessee not in the UK and the mother was with the two two little ones when the dogs attacked

It’s a hard no from me. Lots of cases if this at the moment with the bully breeds. I would t let my child go to a friends house if I knew they had these dogs let alone have them in my house!!

Apparently the mother has lost her dominant arm in the attack. Her being there didn't make a bit of difference.

Apparently the Bully dog who killed its owner, a 40 year old woman, in Rotherham a few months ago weighed 14 stone! You wouldn't stand a chance, these certainly don't sound suitable as family pets.

This is so true.
All these videos you see online of adults letting their babies pull at dogs faces, stand on the dog, pull the dogs ears or tail. Bragging that the dog is "so soft you can do anything". Yeah, until you CAN'T. Until that living, breathing, animal finally has enough of being mistreated in that way and snaps.

I always am suspicious when something like this happens and the family claim there was never any warning. You can almost be certain there was and it was either ignored, or simply not recognised.

I’ve just looked at the Dogsbite site mentioned above. Sobering. The majority of recent deaths seem to be caused by pitbulls.

American Bully XL definitely seemed to have replaced pitbulls as the mean dog of choice.

Regarding GSD, they were very much the guard dog growing up, and a relative got bitten by one.

god Bless that poor family, that’s so horrible. We have a cocker spaniel pup who is a legend in every sense of the word but when he’s mouthing and picks up his teddy because he’s excited and starts to shake it the odd time I think ‘Jesus, imagine if that was a person/child, not a stuffed toy.’ I wonder sometimes about the whole dog/ puppy with kids thing, a dog gets excited and even mouths, it’s going to hurt a child. Also people can say it’s the owners, but I think more people talk the talk than anything- I get so much advice from people and their dogs are just that, dogs- they’re not pristine examples of dog training ability- in fact I think I only know 2 people who have fully trained dogs, who would listen to their owner over anything happening in the background. And that’s fair enough because your average person is not a dog trainer!!

How awful. It sounds as if perhaps the owner dying may have been a catalyst.

Me too.

I think we have the right idea here regarding dangerous dog breeds.

So many of the owners of these animals will say it's not the breed, it's the owner. Even the dad in this tragic story has posted on Facebook before protesting against breed specific legislation. Ok, so it's not the breed. You were the owner, and it's killed your kids. He must of trained his dogs to do that, if that's the case? So does he think that he should be charged for it?

The likelihood is he'll realise, far too late, that it is the breed. No one thinks it'll be their dogs until it is. Just tragic and I wish people would wake up.

It didn't make much difference that this mother was in the same room with these dogs and her children.

Same. I knew a very aggressive one when I was growing up, I always made sure it could never corner/catch me.

Another gsd bit my father badly.

The problem is that there are a lot of dangerous breeds, and cross-breeds.

Yes exactly. It's not exactly accurate to say it's the owner not the breed as a smaller dog is much less likely to cause the kind of damage inflicted here. Not saying it isn't possible, goodness a chihuahua could kill a baby but a pit bulls sheer size and strength makes it much more possible. Poor poor family!

Out of all the breeds there are to choose from I just cannot fathom why parents
would choose a pitbull/bully I just don't get it . Why take any risk at all , baffles me

I am in a border collie group, some one asked for advice after their dog had landed their 4 year old in A and E after a bite to the face. I was warned for being too blunt after suggesting the dog should be pts or rehomed and never allowed near children again. I said they would be on SS radar after this incident. Lots of other people were not impressed with me and made excuses for the dog and suggested behaviourists etc. In the end children and their safety come before dogs. Our attitude to dogs has gone wrong somewhere.

The fact that Staffies etc can’t actually ‘lock’ their jaws is neither here nor there, they have the power to keep the bite in place

I said they would be on SS radar after this incident

Certainly! They will have more luck in making the owners see sense I think.

I've commented on another thread on here about 5 dogs killing a lady and sadly another owner killed by her xl bully in July. This terrifies me as my dd boyfriends bought an xl bully from a breeder and they have now moved into my dds and dgs (age 7) flat. He also has a 2 year old sharpei. He is the typical bully owner. He says the pup is being given proper training and they do give her and the other one boundaries but we are really alarmed my dd would let this happen. She has been brought up with dogs and horses etc. We do have an old yorkie and a jack Russel who have been the sweetest of dogs but I have never left them alone with any of my children when they were little (they are adults now). My daughter is besotted with her bf and no amount of saying anything helps. My dgs was under social services in his first few years and still only does reduced timetable at school. I dont know wether to say anything to anyone. He has stayed with me for the last week as dd been away with a friend abroad. Sorry didnt mean to hijack this thread. Just don't know wether my worries are valid or being prejudiced by the latest news.

@WingingItSince1973 your worries are valid.

I have a small companion breed, who I've had for 5 years. I won't lie, I was guilty very much of treating him like my 'fur'baby and not like a dog. Until I bought my son home from the hospital, and he became my dog. I was really wary of him and had a few instances (it sounds awful!) where I'd get stressed about having him and my baby and just wanted to leave the door open and let him run away. I didn't, and wouldn't ever of done it, but I just suddenly saw him very differently. It's something I don't speak about as people are so dog mad in todays society I feel like I'd get flamed but it took me a while to re-adjust to my dog after having kids. My son is now 3 and I'm due another soon, we do still have our dog but there have been phases where my toddler is too much with him, won't listen to reason and the dog has gone to stay at my mums for extended periods of time because despite him being small and gentle, it's not nice to have a toddler incessantly clambering all over you and screaming whenever someone tries to stop them. To be even more honest I've asked my mum to have him permanently which she won't but if she would I would of done that. This is with a well known soft breed that you cannot find a single violent incident about online. It baffles me how people bring home babies to homes where they already have bigger dogs, and scarier breeds and don't feel the same way I did. Why they let them lie by their children and have photos with them. It's crazy to me.

@WingingItSince1973 I think it may be worth starting your own thread as you hopefully will get some really helpful replies.

These dogs need to be rounded up, put down and banned.

My sister was bit on the face by my nans dog.

She was climbing all over her and despite my Nan telling my sister to leave the dog alone, she didn’t. The dog bit her and all that happened was my sister was told “told you so”. She never bit anyone before or again after that because my sister gave her a wider berth.

Nowdays it wouldn’t happen like that.

I’ve been bitten twice in my life by dogs. Once where I threw a toy and the dog lunged, missed and got my leg instead.

the second when I was actually working with dogs. A little terrier was going mad barking at other dogs and lunged at them. Got my knee instead.

I worked with rescue dogs for about 18 months. Plenty of staffies. The only time I was ever bitten, was with that little hairy terrier n