Pit bulls attack girls leaving bus stop

[peejay 327]

I just posted a similar incident less than a month ago and already there is yet another pit bull attack. These owners need some serious jail time and heavy fines. Better yet, ban these animals from densely populated neighborhoods. This has to stop.

Pit bulls attack girls leaving bus stop

By LINDSAY WISE

2007 Houston Chronicle

Harris County sheriff's deputies shot and killed a pair of pit bulls that attacked two girls on their way home from school in north Harris County on Thursday afternoon, dragging one of them down the street as she screamed for help.

Although the two dogs had owners, authorities have not determined whether any charges will be filed. It's an incident that state legislators will likely point to as they continue to press this legislative session for stiffer penalties against owners who violate leash laws, allowing dangerous dogs to roam free.

Late Thursday, a 7-year-old girl remained hospitalized at Northeast Memorial Hospital, where her condition was unknown. She is expected to recover, authorities said.

Twelve-year-old Ruth Lopez, who was treated at the same hospital and released, said the dogs didn't attack at first.

Ruth said she was walking home from her school bus stop about 4 p.m. when the two pit bulls approached her in the 3900 block of Cypress Knee Lane. She said she froze as the black and white dogs approached, hoping they would leave her alone. They passed her, but when Lopez turned around to see if they had left, they were following her.

"They started chasing me and I started screaming," Ruth said. "I dropped my backpack and the white one got in front of me and I tripped, and the black one got behind me and grabbed my ankle with his teeth. I was crying and screaming."

She said a neighbor tried to beat the dogs away with a stick, but the dogs attacked him as well. Ruth and the neighbor then ran to a nearby truck and climbed into the bed.

Meanwhile, someone had called an ambulance, Ruth said. Five or 10 minutes after it arrived, the dogs attacked the 7-year-old girl farther down the street, dragging her along the sidewalk as neighbors and paramedics rushed to her aid.

The dogs finally released the girl and escaped into a nearby wooded area, where they were shot and killed by the deputies, who were searching for them in the brush.

"They pretty much do what they have to do to protect people," said Lt. John Martin, sheriff's spokesman.

After the attack, Carlos Lopez, Ruth's father, said pit bulls should be banned in Harris County.

"I know it's a nice-looking dog, but it's not a pet. My daughter was lucky," said Lopez, who said he had a pit bull puppy three years ago but gave it away because it was too aggressive.

Tougher penalties sought

A spate of pit bull attacks has compelled state lawmakers to introduce bills imposing stiffer penalties for owners of pit bulls that attack people.

Senate Bill 405, introduced by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, will require tighter control of dogs.

Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, has introduced legislation to give Harris County the power to ban dangerous pets. He also is pushing another bill that allows the state's four largest counties — Harris, Dallas, Tarrant and Bexar — to regulate animal sales by roadsides and in parking lots in unincorporated areas.

Other lawmakers are pushing bills aimed at increasing criminal penalties for owners whose dogs cause serious bodily injury or death.

It's currently a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

The owner of a dog that kills someone unprovoked could be charged with a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison under House Bill 1355 by Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown. Serious injury could draw a third-degree felony charge, punishable by two to 10 years.

The owner would have to be criminally negligent or know that the dog was dangerous and fail to properly secure it.

Under a bill by Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, a fatal dog attack could mean a third-degree felony charge for the owner, and a serious-injury attack would be a state jail felony carrying a sentence of up to two years.

In Conroe, the City Council recently passed a dangerous-dog ordinance designed to protect residents from dogs running at large in the community.

The ordinance requires dangerous dogs to be spayed or neutered, microchipped, handled on a leash by a capable person older than 18, and kept in an enclosure with 8-foot walls, a concrete floor and a roof.

The new law also carries fines of up to $500 per offense.

The proposed legislation was spurred by the attack of a 10-year-old San Antonio girl who died after being attacked by her neighbor's dog while trying to help the animal after it had gotten its collar caught on a chain-link fence.

Last Thanksgiving, a 4-year-old Houston boy was killed after he was attacked by two pit bulls. Pedro "Pitchy" Rios Jr. died after being injured by the dogs outside his home in east Harris County.

The boy and his 2-year-old brother, Peter, were playing outside when the pit bulls attacked. The younger boy managed to run away.

Pedro's mother, Rosa Isela Rios, intervened but was unable to save her son.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metrop...an/4575176.html

[Heracles 417]

American pit bulls are actually banned in Australia. One of few dogs banned due to their vicious nature..

[lisaf 0]

Thank god those kiddies, lived..

Unfortunate for the dogs too, they can be good dogs with the correct upbringing and training, the problem is the mof******ers who are attracted to this breed. Ive read the disgusting treatment they receive as puppies to make them aggressive.

They need to have licenses for this breed, so its known immediately who owns it, ( good for cracking down on fight clubs too) and impose STAGGERING fines and jail terms when they are loose or godforbid do damage.

Edited February 23, 2007 by lisaf

[Tim and Bethanie 1]

Better still lock up the drug dealer, pimps, losers that own these dogs to help protect them from their illegal activities! Euthansia would work wonders for them too!

[lisaf 0]

yup!

my favourite episode of animal rescue was the one where they went to a house that was breeding fight dogs. There was a Pit tied to a tree for ever that alerted the neighbours. They found a puppy in the freezer that was still alive, it was used to bait the bigger dogs.. Anyway the cops rescued it and trained it to be a drug detector. It grew up to bust loads of people.

edited to spell 'puppy" correctly!

Edited February 23, 2007 by lisaf

[Chiroman 0]

Banned in Ontario too- at least in the kitchener area, Lots here down south tho- not a big fan of them but really it's the owners fault not the dog. Why people think they need a pitt bull to look tough....Should be banned every where or have huge licencing fees. Who knows.

[Aymerlu 3]

These dogs have issues. I am so tired of hearing how "it's how these dogs are raised" that affects how they act. I have seen so many kids attacked and has lifetime scars form these animals. About 2 years ago, a friend on mine, her 8 year old was innocently playing in his front yard. Next thing my friend hears his screaming! This dog (yes, a pit bull) runs from across the street and just started atacking her boy. Luckily (if you want to cal it that) he fell to the ground and was covering the back of his head, which in the long run actually saved him. This poor child ended up having over 200 stitches and his testicles were almost ripped away from his body. My friend took the dogs owners to court and wanted the dog put down. The courts agreed, but get this....the owners were so upset about it all. And they even had a newborn baby at home!

Edited February 24, 2007 by Aymerlu

[Welshcookie 17]

We have the same problem in the UK, in fact there was a pet amnesty last month urging people to bring in these dogs http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6224009.stm

A few years ago a pit bull attacked my dog while I was walking past with her on a leash....and my dog was a very large Japanese Akita, that was an expensive vet bill, I was just so pleased I didn't have my young son with me instead.

People who have dogs considered 'dangerous' should take responsibilty to know everything about the breed....I did a huge amount of research before taking on an Akita and spent months in training classes with her....and although she was the most gentle of dogs I never took any risks with her when we were around strangers/children.

[ladyspotthedog 0]

I have to agree in that, for the most part, it is the owners of these animals that cause the problem. I do not agree with a pit bull ban but yes, I think ownership and breeding of them must be very strictly licensed and monitored. I mean, in relation to the post about the dog attack on a child, the dog was running about alone, again, strict leash laws must apply.The truth of the matter is if it wasn't pit bulls then it would be something else. Does anyone remember the spate of rottweiller attacks (in UK) a few years back? Unfortunately there will always be people that have these type of breeds and encourage them to be vicious and condone dog fights. In my opinion, control that and you'll control the animals.

Oh and edited to say, obviously there always will be aggressive animals,pit bulls or otherwise, despite the owners, and yes, they should in that situation be put to sleep. Ban a whole breed though....definately not!

Edited February 25, 2007 by ladyspotthedog

[Welshcookie 17]

Oh and edited to say, obviously there always will be aggressive animals,pit bulls or otherwise, despite the owners, and yes, they should in that situation be put to sleep. Ban a whole breed though....definately not!

I totally agree...never take it for granted that your dog will not do something you think is out of character, an animal is an animal, and we cannot predict their every move, my Akita was always a gentle animal but my research into that breed taught me that they are totally loyal to family esp protective towards small members of family (I always insisted that as much as poss my young son did not come across as a 'pup' but rather above the dog, dogs always have pack mentality, and although I felt confident she would never attack him, I was always aware of her protection of him when it came to strangers ie his friends etc).

I had a lapse once...a plumber came to fix my washer and I just took off to the toilet...I came back to him calling me...my dog had sat right in the doorway of the kitchen the moment I went and he needed to get a tool from his van, not saying that anything bad would have happened but thankfully he thought twice about brushing past her.

The most important thing I learnt from owning a dog like her....always be and think one step ahead.