Toddler killed by family rottweiler (Camp Hill, AL)

[Rene Allegrini]

How could this tragedy have been avoided? How awful for all concerned.


Toddler Killed In Dog Attack

An east Alabama town is mourning the loss of a toddler who was attacked and killed by a dog. Investigators say the two year-old girl was killed Friday evening at her home on Carver Hill Road, near Camp Hill in Tallapoosa County.

Neighbors say the girl and her mother were getting out of their car Friday evening, when one of the family's three Rottweiler's, which wasn't tied up, attacked the toddler.

Fourteen year-old David Holloway was walking nearby with a friend, when he heard the baby's mother screaming.

"And she was yelling help on this dirt road. I ran all the way from my Grandma's house to her house to help get the dog off," Holloway said.

Despite Holloway's heroic effort, Ariel Pogue's injuries were too severe and she died at the scene.

"I went over there and he told me, he said I just couldn't pull them off of her," said Carr.

"I've been here for 12 years as sheriff and this is the first one we've seen where a person in the county was attacked and killed by a dog," said Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett.

Neighbors and family members say the dogs were never aggressive in the past.

Now they're left wondering how this could happen.

The sheriff says the dog involved in the attack was euthanized Friday night, and sent to Auburn University's Veterinarian Clinic for more testing.

Sheriff Abbett also said they are still investigating the attack, but it does not look like the parents will face any charges.

Toddler Killed In Dog Attack

[gabbyacuna]

Originally Posted by Rene Allegrini

How could this tragedy have been avoided? How awful for all concerned.


Toddler Killed In Dog Attack

An east Alabama town is mourning the loss of a toddler who was attacked and killed by a dog. Investigators say the two year-old girl was killed Friday evening at her home on Carver Hill Road, near Camp Hill in Tallapoosa County.

Neighbors say the girl and her mother were getting out of their car Friday evening, when one of the family's three Rottweiler's, which wasn't tied up, attacked the toddler.

Fourteen year-old David Holloway was walking nearby with a friend, when he heard the baby's mother screaming.

"And she was yelling help on this dirt road. I ran all the way from my Grandma's house to her house to help get the dog off," Holloway said.

Despite Holloway's heroic effort, Ariel Pogue's injuries were too severe and she died at the scene.

"I went over there and he told me, he said I just couldn't pull them off of her," said Carr.

"I've been here for 12 years as sheriff and this is the first one we've seen where a person in the county was attacked and killed by a dog," said Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett.

Neighbors and family members say the dogs were never aggressive in the past.

Now they're left wondering how this could happen.

The sheriff says the dog involved in the attack was euthanized Friday night, and sent to Auburn University's Veterinarian Clinic for more testing.

Sheriff Abbett also said they are still investigating the attack, but it does not look like the parents will face any charges.

Toddler Killed In Dog Attack

Thats so sad. I dont understand how a rott that wasnt aggressive before could all of a sudden attack a child like that out of nowhere. Kind of scares me since i am pregnant and i own two rotts. The dominant one is sweet but aloof with strangers but warms up right away, but i still feel nervous. His brother is a fear biter and barker. ive tried to socialize him with several dogs, and i can tell he does not like them but wont do anything because he knows im watching.

[TR Young]

If you are pregnant with a fear biting dog, it is my opinion that you contact a rescue (even though most rescues WILL NOT take a fear biter) and see if they are willing to take the dog and rehome it with someone who can rehabilitate the dog.
Also, is the other dog obedience trained? Is it crate tranined? If you have not done either, then you had better start, asap. You can't afford an ill-mannered dog with a new baby. BABY COMES FIRST, and if you can't train your dogs to accept the baby, then THEY MUST GO. I hate to be saying that, but your post tells me that you are not prepared to have children around your Rottweilers.

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by TR Young

If you are pregnant with a fear biting dog, it is my opinion that you contact a rescue (even though most rescues WILL NOT take a fear biter) and see if they are willing to take the dog and rehome it with someone who can rehabilitate the dog.

Expectations that any bona fide, responsible rescue group will take a biter reflects a profound lack of knowledge of what rescue does. Suggesting rescue will take such dogs needs to be stopped.

What person in his or right mind wants a dog who bites?

Further, expectations that any bona fide, responsible rescue group will take a dog needing major rehabbing also reflects imperfect understanding of rescue's mission.

Rescue doesn't have the volunteer personnel with the skills to rehabilitate diecey, problematic dogs and the people who come to rescue are looking for PETS. They aren't looking for dicey, problematic dogs they'll have to keep in line for the rest of the pets life.

Why do people still think/even suggest rescue is the solution for biters when the only solution is to have the dog put down? If people who own biting dogs don't feel comfortable having this dog in their home, what makes them think anyone else would? Why would it be OK for another family to own a biting dog when it's not OK for the original family to own such a dog? Suggesting rescue--even with qualifications (as in "...even though most rescues WILL NOT take a fear biter") is particularly troubling when long time RDNs make such statements.

[Gunsey'sMom]

None of these articles ever seem to tell the full story. I just find it hard to believe a Rottweiler with no history of any agression would suddenly "snap" and maul a child to death with NO precipitating event.

Neighbors say the girl and her mother were getting out of their car Friday evening, when one of the family's three Rottweiler's, which wasn't tied up, attacked the toddler.

Is this to mean they were regulary tied up? Maybe that would have something to do with this, but being that the ariticle says that they all had NO history of any agression, maybe it doesnt.

[TR Young]

Originally Posted by AngelBunny

Expectations that any bona fide, responsible rescue group will take a biter reflects a profound lack of knowledge of what rescue does. Suggesting rescue will take such dogs needs to be stopped.

What person in his or right mind wants a dog who bites?

Further, expectations that any bona fide, responsible rescue group will take a dog needing major rehabbing also reflects imperfect understanding of rescue's mission.

Rescue doesn't have the volunteer personnel with the skills to rehabilitate diecey, problematic dogs and the people who come to rescue are looking for PETS. They aren't looking for dicey, problematic dogs they'll have to keep in line for the rest of the pets life.

Why do people still think/even suggest rescue is the solution for biters when the only solution is to have the dog put down? If people who own biting dogs don't feel comfortable having this dog in their home, what makes them think anyone else would? Why would it be OK for another family to own a biting dog when it's not OK for the original family to own such a dog? Suggesting rescue--even with qualifications (as in "...even though most rescues WILL NOT take a fear biter") is particularly troubling when long time RDNs make such statements.

You have my most sincere, profound apology. I was not inferring that any rescue WOULD, in fact, take this dog. I do not know every single rescue organization personally, so I DO NOT KNOW if any given rescue would consider this dog, hence my quote "...even though most rescues WILL NOT take a fear biter...".

You'll also notice that I said this: "and see if they are willing to take the dog and rehome it with someone who can rehabilitate the dog.
"
Can you tell me, unequivocally, that NO ONE would take this dog, instead of jumping down my throat?

What I was hoping for was that the OP could try to contact any given rescue to even find out if they would, in fact, be able to do anything for this dog. I was only hoping to help this situation.
Please forgive my complete and total ignorance.
Thank you.

[AngelBunny]

Originally Posted by TR Young

You have my most sincere, profound apology. I was not inferring that any rescue WOULD, in fact, take this dog. I do not know every single rescue organization personally, so I DO NOT KNOW if any given rescue would consider this dog, hence my quote "...even though most rescues WILL NOT take a fear biter...".
What I was hoping for was that the OP could try to contact any given rescue to even find out if they would, in fact, be able to do anything for this dog. I was only hoping to help this situation.

My rescue group gets about 1,700 calls/email a year from people looking for help with their dogs. Sometimes the calls we get aren't from Rottie owners or aren't even about Rotties. For example, a caller to our general line last night found a sick hound he and his family nursed back to health and are looking for hound rescue. The dad called our general line, hoping we had suggestions. I called back, suggesting they Google hound rescue, contact their vets & other local vets, and call their local humane society for contacts in hound rescue.

Even if we remove the non-Rottie related questions we get, my rescue group still gets hundreds and hundreds of calls & email/year from people needing help with their Rotties. Many, many of these calls are from shelter personnel and owners about Rotties. My group gets so many pleas for help that we are only able to help the easiest dogs with the most fixable conditions. We do not take aggressive dogs and we don't take dogs with a bite history. I process apps to adopt and for a fact, people who come to rescue aren't interested in hard, challenging dogs. They want a PET.

It can be a struggle for us to get some families to take their adopted dog to a 6 or 8 week obed class--despite the fact they hear this several times when they get in touch with us. They are told this is a requirment to adopt from us when they talk to us at a meet & greet, they hear it again during the phone interview, we ask their 2 references if they think the adopter will have a problem with this, they hear it again during the home check, they read it in the sample contact we send them beforehand, they hear it again from the foster mom or dad who reads them highlights of the contract when the meet to sign the adoption papers for their dog, and they read it in email follow-ups we do.

If we are challenged to get some adopters to comply with taking Fido to class, I can only imagine what we'd face if we adopted out problematic dogs.

My rescue is not unique in refusing aggressive dogs and biters--the numbers of dogs is so great rescue dogs triage. The liability is simply too great. There's not enough foster homes for even easy dogs. People adopting from rescue want pets.

[TR Young]

Originally Posted by AngelBunny

My rescue is not unique in refusing aggressive dogs and biters--the numbers of dogs is so great rescue dogs triage. The liability is simply too great. There's not enough foster homes for even easy dogs. People adopting from rescue want pets.

Ok, that is what I needed to hear. Thank you.
That being said, then I believe the lady who is pregnant with a fear biting dog should in fact have the dog PTS. She should not take the chance of her newborn baby being a victim.
That being said, if someone, say a member of her family, knew how to handle the dog and could train it, do you think that it should be given a chance to go to a home where someone could handle it, or do you think that the only resort is euthanization?

[Bucky's Mom]

"Neighbors say the girl and her mother were getting out of their car Friday evening, when one of the family's three Rottweiler's, which wasn't tied up, attacked the toddler"

The family owned dog attacked this little girl? - And as stated above since "which wasn't tied up" was mentioned - was the dog USUALLY tethered outside?

If there are any follow-ups to this story I would be interested in reading more.

Edited to add link to video from news story:

WTVM Video Player

What a sad story.

[Gunsey'sMom]

Originally Posted by Bucky's Mom

"Neighbors say the girl and her mother were getting out of their car Friday evening, when one of the family's three Rottweiler's, which wasn't tied up, attacked the toddler"

The family owned dog attacked this little girl? - And as stated above since "which wasn't tied up" was mentioned - was the dog USUALLY tethered outside?

If there are any follow-ups to this story I would be interested in reading more.

Edited to add link to video from news story:

WTVM Video Player

What a sad story.

My point exactly BM. Thanks for adding the extra link, and thank you Rene, as always, for bringing us the latest involving Rottweiler news. I too would be interseted inr eading any followups. I just never feel like the whole picture is painted. It is sad especially when the victims are so young as well because is was someone elses job to look out for them, there were red flags along the way obviously somewhere and thery were ignored. This did NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN.

[gabbyacuna]

Well let me rephrase what i said in my previous post. my dog, sisqo, hasnt actually ever bit anyone (except a vet tech once that literally huddled over him to pick him up......kind of dumb if u ask me). he just barks when strangers come over while his brother samson (the nice one) warms up to the stranger and asks for belly rubs. these dogs are obedient, when i say "No" they stop dead in their tracks. but i do trust them to listen to me. but its not as if i am going to leave my baby by himself with one of my dogs. like one poster on these forums said, 'thats just asking for trouble'.

[John64]

Wow!...I cannot believe that!

Its really odd that a animal that had no agression in the past, would suddenly snap, and attack a small girl?
Something doesn't add up. ....