4-year-old boy killed by family dog in Orange, Va.

[Tara]

I just read this. Looking for more info. So sad.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories...801&ran=108803


ORANGE, Va. -- A 4-year-old boy was fatally mauled by the family dog, the sheriff's department said.

The boy was attacked Sunday afternoon by the Rottweiler at the Placid Pines mobile home park, Sheriff C.G. Feldman said.

The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, said Capt. Donald Brooks of the Sheriff's Office.

The child nor his family were identified.

March 8 in neighboring Spotsylvania County, 82-year-old Dorothy Sullivan and her small dog, Buttons, were killed by a pack of roaming pit bulls.

A grand jury indicted Deanna Large, 36, on an involuntary manslaughter charge March 21 in connection with the fatal mauling.

While Large admitted owning one of the dogs, Commonwealth's Attorney William Neely has said an investigation revealed she owned all three animals and had been warned to keep them under better control.

[Tara]

ORANGE, Va. -- Investigators say they don't know what provoked a fatal attack on a 4-year-old by his family's chained dog.

The child, whose name was withheld by authorities, was attacked Sunday afternoon outside the family's home at the Placid Pines mobile home park, Orange County Sheriff C.G. Feldman said. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

Feldman said there was no record of previous attacks by the animal, a Rottweiler-shepherd mix.

"We'll probably never know what provoked the attack," Feldman said. "The boy had grown up with the dog."

Feldman said the boy's parents were home at the time of the attack on their only child.

"At this point, no negligence was involved," he said.

The sheriff said the animal was taken by animal control officials and would likely be destroyed.

March 8 in neighboring Spotsylvania County, 82-year-old Dorothy Sullivan and her small dog, Buttons, were killed by a pack of roaming pit bulls.

A grand jury indicted Deanna Large, 36, on an involuntary manslaughter charge March 21 in connection with the fatal mauling.

While Large admitted owning one of the dogs, Commonwealth's Attorney William Neely has said an investigation revealed she owned all three animals and had been warned to keep them under better control.

"This is nothing similar to what happened in Spotsylvania County ... this was a family pet," Feldman said.

[rotnhouse]

Friends of mine who have seen pictures of the dog say that it more closely resembles a Bernese Mountain Dog and not a Rottweiler.

[divinedao]

Originally Posted by Tara

ORANGE, Va. -- Investigators say they don't know what provoked a fatal attack on a 4-year-old by his family's chained dog.

How long was the dog chained? I'm not suprised that it would attack someone seeing how it was always chained outside.

[Just No Other]

Do I have permission to crosspost this on the Pit Bull forums? Would like to see if anyone can find more information on the pitbull attacks!
Thanks, in advance!

Always,
*Bev*

[Tara]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2005Apr11.html

This was in the Washington Post. There's a picture of the dog also. Please feel free to cross post. Would like to find out more.

[TrishB]

People always crosspost from here.

The picture I saw looks like a Bernese Mountain Dog - another comment was possibly a Tibetian Mastiff. I think Berner because of the long and wavy coat (not Rottie or Shep trait). It has a white cross on its chest (also not a Rottie or Shep trait).

Anyway - if anyone has done any reading on fatal dog attacks, they'll see 2 key reasons why this horrible accident happened:

1) The child was unsupervised.
2) The dog was chained.

Both circumstances have been found in WAY too many child fatalities to be a coincidence. So sad that another child had to lose their life to prove the contributing factors correct once again.

There are no charges pending in the above case - they have not made any findings of negligence.

Until these studies are drilled into the public mind "Chained dogs create aggression" and "Children must be supervised while in the company of animals." the laws will not be able to be updated. Until the public is educated - children will remain at risk. Until the public is educated - chained dogs will remain a risk to all.

[Just No Other]

I was thinking more along the lines of a poorly bred Tibetan...wouldn't go so far as to say it's a berner...not even a byb one!
I've never cross-posted anything before so I wasn't sure if I had to ask permission or not...

I agree...too many times have children been mamed and mauled by a dog when they were unsupervised! Seems to be the common denominator in the majority of the cases! Chains seem to follow very closely behind! Then, there's always the drug dealer down the road who doesn't care what their dog does or gets into, as long it's there when he's making his next deal, incase the deal goes sour...sorry...just venting a bit! Please excuse me!

Thanks, again...will crosspost now...

Always,
The J.N.O. Crew

[Judi W]

The article clearly states that it is a Rottweiler GSD mix and the appearance would support that.

[TrishB]

Originally Posted by Judi W

The article clearly states that it is a Rottweiler GSD mix and the appearance would support that.

And they've never made mistakes before.... Com'on Judi - you know as well as I do that the coat, white cross on the chest and size don't support Rott X GSD.

This goes back to the post I had a while back about crosses. People will often pick two breeds that they know rather than leaving it up to people who know about breeds. Besides - there's no way to prove any of the theories anyway.

The main point of this thread is that a 4 year old child lost his life and it could have been prevented - even if the officials don't believe as such.

"This should be a warning to all parents that, in spite of what they may think of their animals, they should always be on alert," said Hayes, whose great-grandson, Robert W. "Robbie" Shafer, was fatally attacked by the Shafer family's Rottweiler-shepherd mix dog on Sunday.

The attack also appears to have focused attention on the debate about whether chaining dogs makes them more aggressive.

Orange County authorities say Robbie, during an unsupervised time of less than a minute, apparently wandered to an area where the 64-pound dog was confined in his family's backyard.

His mother, Laura Shafer, had stepped into the kitchen of their mobile home to get her son a drink when she heard the boy screaming. She managed to pull their dog off the boy, but it was too late. Robbie suffered a broken neck and was pronounced dead at the scene....

Authorities said they found no indication of negligence and that no charges would be lodged in the case. Orange Sheriff C.G. Feldman said no one witnessed the attack and that investigators had been unable to determine how or whether the boy provoked the dog.....

Authorities say Chance was secured to a 20-foot chain at the time of the attack.

Feldman said yesterday he had heard from some animal advocates contending that chaining makes dogs more aggressive.

The Humane Society of the United States and the U.S. Department of Agriculture consider chaining inhumane.

"An otherwise friendly and docile dog, when kept continuously chained, becomes neurotic, unhappy, anxious and often aggressive," the Humane Society's Internet site says. The society says chaining for any length of time poses a safety risk to dogs, which might become entangled.

Tammy Grimes, founder of Pennsylvania-based Dogs Deserve Better, said confining a dog, no matter how playful, to a small space poses a special threat to small children.

"The dog can become aggressive because it has only this small little space. It becomes more protective," she said. The group has cataloged more than 20 fatal attacks or serious injuries on children by chained dogs nationwide since October 2003.

Carr, Orange's animal warden, said the issue is hotly debated among dog owners. "A lot of it has to do with socialization. If you chain it up and leave it there all the time, yeah, it's probably going to be aggressive," he said...."

[Judi W]

Trish,
I don't disagree with you. What I object to is the huge flurry to name other breeds as if searching for a breed culpability makes a difference. What is more likely, a Rottweiler cross or a Tibetan cross? Sheer numbers would lend to a Rott cross than a T or Berner. And as we have discussed in the past, crosses are unlikely to be simply two purebreds, but usually multiple muts so any combination of marking can come into play. What, no white markings on the chests on Rottweilers?

I think the objection is the always denial that a Rottweiler or relative of the Rottweiler might be involved in such horrible incidents. They can and are involved in these things and it is good to be aware of that as that knowlege helps with responsible processes.

[Miabella]

What a sad incident. Anyway, as to the cross, we all know that longhaired Rotts are not all that uncommon. My dearly departed longhaired bitch, Mia, had a very similar coat (minus the white spot) in texture and length.

[TrishB]

Originally Posted by Judi W

I think the objection is the always denial that a Rottweiler or relative of the Rottweiler might be involved in such horrible incidents. They can and are involved in these things and it is good to be aware of that as that knowlege helps with responsible processes.

Oh - I know. There was a Rottweiler that bit a child here in the Toronto area a couple of weeks ago. I didn't see pictures - don't know either way. My point is more that there are also various other possibilities of what the dog is - however, it's Rottweiler that is in the headlines. It's later that it's suggested that it's a cross. Anyway - it's a very sad situation all the way around.

Since the sheriffs office has found no neglect and no charges are being laid - do you think it sends the wrong message? That there truly wasn't any neglect?

I have to admit - I find it strange that we're more than willing to accept the death of a child as a punishment in itself. But if that death could have been avoided - shouldn't there be SOME action? I don't know if it should be legal or not - but something? Maybe this should be a new thread.....

[Judi W]

I agree with you. The prosecutors office here is starting to bring charges in child drownings. About time.

[TrishB]

New thread started in General Discussion: Child Death Caused by Dog - Fault?

It was moved to 'Chit Chat' - although I don't understand why - it's hardly a casual topic.