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Animal Rights
Pit Bull Kills 4-Year-Old Boy in Texas, 1 of Many Pit Bull Killings
In the latest in a series of Pit Bull attacks in Victoria, TX, 4-year-old Kylar Johnson was mauled to death by a Pit Bull after being reported missing to the Victoria County Sheriff's Office at 8:07 p.m. on Sunday, March 25. A search party was immediately formed, and l aw enforcement officers, including K-9 units, neighbors, friends and other volunteers searched through the night for Kylar.
The bloody body of the little boy was found 14 hours later in the backyard of a home in the 300 block of Village Lane. In the yard was a swing set, child’s jungle gym and a picnic table and farther back in the property ten more dogs were restrained on 10-foot chains. The dogs each had a separate shelter, Sheriff T. Michael O’Connor told reporters at a news conference after the grizzly discovery.
The Pit Bull thought to be responsible for the attack is being held in isolation, O'Connor said. After the investigation by the Travis County Medical Examiner's office and a veterinarian is completed, the dog will be put down, he added.
The estimated time of Kylar’s death was not released by the sheriff's office. Investigators are trying to determine how the small child, who lived in the 1100 block of Old Goliad Road, managed to get a quarter-mile from his home and into the yard with the dogs. The sheriff said the department had received several reports of Kylar previously being seen walking unattended down Old Goliad Road, but the little boy was not known to wander in the direction of the yard where he was found.
Sheriff O'Connor would not discuss who else may have been home when the Kylar disappeared, but said the father had custody of the boy. The child’s mother came later to help with the search.
The sheriff said he could not rule out the potential of filing charges against the boy's father, the dog's owners, or anyone else who might have contributed to Kylar's death.
Kylar's home is the location of an accidental shooting death at a birthday party on May 13, 2011. Kylar's father, Cole Johnson, 28, and two of his brothers were arrested and charged with interfering with public duties, according to an arrest report.
Neighbors at an adjacent property told the VictoriaAdvocate.com they generally saw Kylar outside playing in the yard under the supervision of his father. "He was such a happy child, and he enjoyed playing outside," neighbor Connie Carona, 65, said. She added that he enjoyed playing with the family dog.
The Carona family had joined the search for Kylar before 9 p.m. on Sunday and continued searching until 2 a.m. When she heard Monday that Kylar was dead, she said, she could not stop crying, reported Crossfinders.com.
The death also was ruled accidental, although the investigation remains open. A final ruling could take more than a month.
OTHER PIT BULL ATTACKS IN VICTORIA IN MARCH 2012
Victoria is known as "The Crossroads" because of its location within a two-hour drive of Corpus Christi, Houston, San Antonio and Austin and has a population of approximately 60,500. It has experienced a series of pit bull attacks in the past two weeks, according to the VictoriaAdvocate.com:
• Two pit bulls were shot to death by Victoria police officers on March 12. One of the dogs bit a woman's leg as she was walking her dog in the 2300 block of Bon Aire Avenue.
• A woman was attacked by two pit bulls while walking her dog March 16 in the 1700 Victoria Station Drive. Police apprehended the dogs, and Victoria City/County Health Animal Control collected the animals.
• Also March 16, two pit bulls attacked a man walking in the 2600 block of Cardinal Street. The dogs charged police when the officers arrived on the scene. When one of the dogs charged a second time, officers shot the dog. Animal control took custody of the other dog.
Sources:
http://m.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2012/mar/26/dw_pitbull_attacks_032712_171605/?news
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Comments
I don’t favor Breed Specific
I don’t favor Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) to ban pit bull breeds. But I do favor significantly harsher laws and penalties for people whose dogs bite and injure other people or their pets. If someone’s dog kills or maims someone, then that owner should be treated as if they had done the killing or maiming. Such incidents should become criminal acts. Also, all dogs involved in an unprovoked attack should be immediately dispatched. This should apply to all breeds of dogs. It’s time we start throwing dog owners in the pen.
I’ve heard all the half-baked obfuscations offered by pit bull lovers to defend these dogs. Some pit bull supporters point out how munchkin dogs like Chihuahuas bite more frequently than pit bulls. But have you ever heard of Chihuahuas killing children, adults, and horses? Pit bull lovers seem to think that all dog attacks are equal. Many pit bull defenders will excuse these breeds for killings and maulings by saying that such incidents involve dogs that haven’t been trained or treated properly. But the fact is that pit bulls that were trained and treated properly have also killed and maimed. No matter what happens, they always have an excuse that exculpates the dog for playing any part in an incident. The list of prevarications by pit bull lovers is as long as the trail of destruction left by these dogs.
Perusing the internet, you’ll see that pit bull defenders can be just as aggressive and brutal as their beloved breed. Say anything negative about a pit bull, and many of these pit bull lovers go berserk, ready to call you a pit bull racist, an animal hater, ignorant, a piece of human *&$@, and to even threaten you with physical violence. And what’s that they’re always saying about don’t blame the breed, blame the owner? These pit bull lovers are as brutal and tenacious as a pitty with its jaws clamped around the neck of a child. Many of them simply value dogs over humans.
Melissa Adams-until you have
Melissa Adams-until you have experienced the death of a child you really don't have a clue what these parents are going through. That yes the child wangered out of their sight and was killed they will have to live with the rest of their life. Picture yourself standing infront of one of your kids graves, as the coffin is lowered in. Your kid died the same way this kid did. How would you feel then? Oh, I forgot. As a pit person you would find ways to excuse the dog. Also the dog owner had a responsibility to have the yard totally secure. And the fence electrified.
Electrified? I guess the same
Electrified? I guess the same could be said for ill mannered children. Excuses aren't being made. Facts are being brought to light, since most people aren't aware of proper pet care.
J. L.
"10 more dogs were RESTRAINED
"10 more dogs were RESTRAINED on 10-foot chains"
Red flag right there. Any animal behaviorist will tell you that dogs who are kept without training and tethered for most of the time will develop undesirable behavior. My pitbull loves my toddlers. Breed has nothing to do with it.
Pitbulls are "tough" dogs so "tough guys" who know nothing of training or even basic dog care get them to guard and are amused by the way an aggressive dog defends its property. The owners drop the ball, no matter how you spin it.
J. L.
And why were those dogs on
And why were those dogs on chains like that? Because they are pits and pits are 14 times more likely to escape containment. And they are dangerous dogs. And no matter how KoolKat is spinning it, pits are mauling and killing in numbers unlike any breed in history. Anyone with a child and pit bull should be reported to child welfare if they don't have better sense than to have a pit around a child.
A link that shows how you
A link that shows how you managed to get "14 times more likely to escape containment "would be helpful. Otherwise, its just something you pulled from the air. My dog is not on a leash 24/7. My dog sleeps right outside my room. My dog gets taken out every day for excercise and proper training. Thunk, for a moment, who is it that wants Pitbulls the most. People who either want a fighting dog ora guard dog. The animal shelter I work at does not adopt out dogs for the purpose of guarding because if you train something to be aggressive, then guess what. It becomes AGGRESSIVE! Now these people who are purposely making their dogs aggressive also don't know the meaning of the word LEASH. People who are responsible for their animals are never portrayed in the media though. We don't make a good story. Another thing, please report me, I'd have a blast showing off my well-behaved killer animal :)
J. L.
It's obvious where the
It's obvious where the parents, and even the guy with the unsecure yard, dropped the ball. The pit nutters will seize upon this and show where blame lies. They will do this to distract from the fact that if the child would've walked into a yard filled with beagles, he'd likely still be alive. Kids walk into the territory of strange dogs everyday, it seems the bloodiness of the outcome is dictated at least somewhat by the breed of the dog in question. Most non-fighting breeds do not kill 4 year olds with the audacity to cross their chain line.
Warm weather early this year
Warm weather early this year and the Pitbulls decided to get an early start on the attacks! Would behoove people to exercise their right to bear arms when they leave their home and especially when they are walking their dogs.