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ANIMAL WATCH - A child mauled or killed by a Pit Bull was an occasional tragic headline until recently, but now is an almost daily occurrence in the U. S. They are no longer referred to as “accidents” and too often reported as an attack by a “family dog,“ occurring in homes, where children should be safe.
RECENT PIT BULL ATTACKS MAKE NEWS
Last week, media outlets all over the country told the heartbreaking story of a tragedy in Visalia, CA:,“4-Year-Old Girl Killed by Family's Pit Bull Inside California Home: ‘Heart-Wrenching Event’ (KSEE/KGPE), which was promptly followed by the response, “Pit bull supporters say deadly attack on girl in Visalia was an anomaly.”
However, similar “anomalies” are now happening all over the U.S. and all over the world, and some countries have taken action to protect the innocent and not just brush lost lives, pain and suffering out of sight wth a shallow dismissal.
Visalia Police reported that “the little girl, Zoey Hawkins, was attacked by a family pit bull just after 8 p.m. Wednesday night, on West Monte Vista Avenue in Visalia.:
CHILD HAD BEEN SWIMMING IN A KIDDY POOL
“The 4-year-old had just finished swimming and was inside the home when the incident occurred. Despite immediate medical attention and being transported to the hospital, she sadly passed away,” Visalia Police announced.
Police statements said they found “no signs of neglect or criminal activity at the home where officers responded. It was the family dog. And it did not have any violent behavior or any violent attacks prior to this.”
According to the Los Angeles Times on September 8, the family described Zoey as loving to sing and dance, especially in her Cinderella dress, and she loved to play with the family dog.
They added, “Since Zoey, 4, was adopted two years ago, she and the pit bull were constantly together. But, last week, the dog turned on her, as she was getting out of the kiddy pool.”
The Visalia Police Department responded shortly after 8 p.m. and said the child was taken by paramedics to a hospital, where she died.
An investigation found no evidence of neglect or criminal wrongdoing, and the dog had no history of violence or aggression, said Elizabeth Jones, the department’s Public Information Officer.
“She and the dog were inseparable, they played with each other, they were around each other and the dog was always super playful. We have literally no clue why the dog did this, or turned on her in this way,” a family member stated
Zoey’s parents reportedly rushed their daughter inside to try to stop the bleeding after the attack and planned to drive her to the hospital, when they realized her injuries were too severe and called 911.
“This heart-wrenching event is a tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this incredibly difficult time,” authorities wrote in their statement.
The family, which has two other children, has started a GoFundMe to cover Zoey’s funeral expenses.
According to Visalia PD, “the dog was taken by Animal Control and euthanized at the request of Zoey’s family.”
COMMENT BY FRESNO BULLY RESCUE
Fresno Bully Rescue, which specializes in finding homes for Pit Bulls and other “bully breeds” is quoted as saying, “Without the facts, no blame can be put on the family.”
They then seemingly contradict their statement by adding,” This is just one painful example of why dog owners should always watch their dog around any small child.”
PIT BULLS NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN OTHER BREED?
A member of the Board of Directors for the rescue added about the breed , “They’re not any more dangerous than any other dog.”
However, a situation where a small child who is a family member is attacked and killed would seem to be an event a “rescue” would want to single out as inexcusable, rather than fit it into the normal behavior of the breed.
To donate to the Go-Fund-Me for the family of 4-year-old Zoey Hawkins to help with funeral expenses, click here.
PIT BULL KILLS 18-MONTH OLD BABY INSIDE NEWARK, NJ, HOME
A fatal mauling of an 18-month-old baby girl by one or more Pit Bulls was also reported by ABC7 New York on September 4, 2024. The details are muddy because of the obvious confusion at the scene of this horrendous attack.
The baby was reportedly in the care of a teenage babysitter when she wandered outside; however, it is unclear whether that dog was a family pet or merely lived in the area and also it was not clear who owned it. It is uncertain whether the toddler had actually exited the building or just wandered down a hallway, from available reports.
According to Dogsbite.org, which is pursuing the details of this tragic event, a Pit Bull was actively attacking the toddler when Newark Police arrived. She was rushed by ambulance to University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Dogsbite.org reports that “The attack comes just days after East Orange police, 4 miles away, shot and killed a "family" pit bull after it attacked three children and an adult.”
This phenomena of a dog attacking a family member, which is now as common as attacking an intruder, contradicts a dog’s innate role as the household guardian and certainly betrays the reason dogs became known as “man’s best friend.”
MORE PIT BULL ATTACKS ON CHILDREN BY “NANNY DOGS”?
A member of the breed (shown above) is identified on the Best Friends’ Animal Society’s website as “Pit Bull Nanny Dog | Best Friends Animal Society - Save Them All.”
It is followed by the Best Friends’ description, “Pit bull terrier is a nanny dog. Big white pit bull may look tough, but he has a kind and gentle personality…. He is nicknamed Nanny Dog Bob” because he is wonderful with kids.”
The problem with featuring “Bob” as a Nanny Dog is the seemingly intentional implication that this term/description applies to ALL Pit Bulls.
But it is obvious from the bad behavior of hundreds of Pit Bulls that attack and kill children and adults each year, that merely giving a breed a name and associating that with good behavior is misleading and can end in tragedy for those who believe that they can/should automatically trust every Pit Bull.
IS THE BREED CHANGING OR WAS IT NEVER MEANT TO BE A PET?
I, too, was once naïve about Pit Bulls, but at that time—although they were consistently animal-aggressive—they rarely attacked a human. They were openly bred and used for dog fighting, and an attack on a human would signal that the breeder of that bloodline produced “dangerous” dogs that might turn on an owner or spectators at a fighting match—thus, any dog that showed human aggression was destroyed.
But today, in the era of “No Kill”—also a donation-ladened program of Best Friends Animal Society—there is a permeating philosophy that every dog must be rescued; and, sadly, too many Pit Bulls with an unknown, questionable past are “saved” and re-homed with unsuspecting or idealistic adopters, often with children.
WHEN DOES PROMOTING THIS BREED BECOME “FALSE ADVERTISING / RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT?
Pit Bulls have maimed and/or killed a recorded 276 babies and children since 1980, according to Children Killed by Pit Bulls - Fatal Pit Bull Attacks.
Ironically, that is also about the time Best Friends Animal Society claims it began its program to “Save them all.” (Although Wikipedia shows the earlier origin of Best Friends in the U.S. here.)
This fatality list only counts the instances where a public record was available to prove the report. Many occur inside homes or in rural areas and, thus, a large percentage are not known to/reported by the media.
IS PROMOTING DOGS THAT MAIM AND KILL “FALSE ADVERTISING?”
At what point does blanket endorsement of anything become false advertising?
With every other breed of dog, the public recognizes that they have genetic tendencies for appearance and behavior that may, or may not be present to any particular degree within the individual and yet, according to Best Friends Animal Society on its FB page and website and other advocates for this particular breed, all Pit Bulls are wonderful and none of them continue to possess any of the behavior traits for which the breed was created. At what point does this become “false” advertising” because it fails to recognize the innate and carefully preserved nature of every dog breed?
YOU CAN’T TAKE THE “FIGHT” OUT OF THE DOG
Even dogs specifically bred and trained to fight are claimed to have had temperaments modified so that they were completely rehabilitated. This concept flies in the face of everything every dog trainer and breeder knows to be true about behavior. Certain behaviors are “baked in the cake” and you can’t get them out.
The best you can hope for is to avoid situations in which the undesirable behavior manifests. (And, in order for purchasers/adopters to do that, they must be informed of the potential dangers.)
In purchasing any commodity in American society, there are a multitude of disclosures and warnings required to inform the buyer. Why does this not exist with Pit Bulls? Not every cigarette will cause cancer, but because of the high likelihood of continued exposure to cigarettes causing cancer, every cigarette package has required warnings. Yet, while not every Pit Bull is going to attack, the relatively high likelihood of a Pit Bull attacking when compared to other breeds, is ignored and denied.
At what point does the public have the right to expect truth in advertising about Pit Bulls and the breeders and promoters stop escaping liability?
(Phyllis M. Daugherty is a former Los Angeles City employee, an animal activist and a contributor to CityWatch.)
