James Harrison's Dog attacks Harrison's Son

[RavensFan52]

Originally Posted by steelreserve

So ... is that why you capitalized "dogs", out of respect or something?

I did not mean to do that, I was just typing fast and ended up capitalizing it.

But I am an Animal lover and a owner of a Yellow Lab.

[I_Bleed_Black_And_Gold]

Originally Posted by JackHammer

Pit Bulls shouldn't be banned at all. Certain people should be banned from owning them though.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Just watch the Dog Whisperer. His pitbull "Daddy" is awesome.

The issue isn't the breed, but how they were raised. Hell, most larger dogs were bred to fight and/or kill something.

[stillers4me]

I feel sick about this. I've lived it.

Our c-o-c-k-e-r spaniel bit my son when he was a baby, so I know first hand what James and his fiance feel like today. (it won't let me spell that word )

You think you are being careful and smart but the only way to prevent this is not have the dog at all or never, ever let the dog around the child, no matter what the breed. I will have guilt about it the rest of my life. She opened that cage and let the dog out and she will live with horrible guilt the rest of her life, Thank God the scar is on his leg and didn't disfigure his face. Or God forbid, worse. (My son has a small scar on his face that nobody but me sees.)

We have 2 dogs now and while we let them around the 2 older grandchildren ( with supervision), now that the baby is mobile, they go in to the bedroom when she is at our house. I take zero chances even with gentler breeds than a pit bull. Any dog can be unpredictable, but pit bulls have stronger instincts and stronger jaws than most other dogs. I lived though the agony once, Never, ever again.

They come out the bedroom when she is in the playpen and they all check each other out fine. And she wants those "woof woofs" in a bad way! I trust the big dog with the big teeth alot more that I trust the little yapper, that's for sure!

I'm surprised James didn't kill that dog with his bare hands, even though the dog is not actually actually at fault. I know it went though my mind.

[Kindjunior]

I guess being the defensive MVP doesn't make you a responsible dog owner.

[stillers4me]

Originally Posted by Kindjunior

I guess being the defensive MVP doesn't make you a responsible dog owner.

That is an ignorant statement. The dog was in a cage and for some reason she opened it. ( and believe me, it will haunt her). Sometimes we learn the hard way. I feel terrible for all of them.

And for the ignoramouses on PFT and elsewhere that are calling the dogs, neglected and abused, I've seen a picture of James' dogs. It was on a Steelers pet calender several years ago. And they looked like perfectly happy and healthy dogs. Not my breed choice but certainly not neglected and abused.

[Vincent]

Originally Posted by stillers4me

The dog was in a cage and for some reason she opened it. ( and believe me, it will haunt her). Sometimes we learn the hard way.

Why would it be necessary to keep dogs that need to be caged in a setting with children? This incident would seem to be inevitable.

[stillers4me]

Originally Posted by Vincent

Why would it be necessary to keep dogs that need to be caged in a setting with children? This incident would seem to be inevitable.

Did you read my above post? No dog should be trusted around a baby. I trust my dogs around anybody, but when it comes to that baby, I take ZERO chances. Neither of them have ever shown any aggresion around anyone, but they don't belong around and infant or toddler. Period. All dogs are going to be protective. You just don't know what exactly they think they have to protect. No matter how much I love my dogs, and no matter how much you think you are the Dog Whisperer, no animal should be trusted around a baby and sometimes we learn that lesson the hard way.

To call James and his baby's mother irresponsible dog owners is just a blanket, ignorant statement.

Nobody "thinks" their pet is capable of doing something like that. Especially if the dog has always acted fine around the child. I learned the hard way that ANY dog is capable of an unexpected act. This is not a pit bull or poodle argument. (athough I have my personal opinion about pit bulls, my own experiance taught me that ANY breed can turn if they feel threatened).

"Baby" and "children" are too dioffernet things to animals. Sometimes they are more threatened by "baby' than "child" I have a 8 and 6 year old grandaughters that the dogs do fine with. ( I still clolsely monitor.) The baby is a differnt story.

[Galax Steeler]

Originally Posted by Vincent

Why would it be necessary to keep dogs that need to be caged in a setting with children? This incident would seem to be inevitable.

I know this is very strange.

[Fordy]

Whats the point of owning a pet if you need to or choose to lock it up in a cage most of the time?

[Killer]

The deadliest dogs

Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People, has conducted an unusually detailed study of dog bites from 1982 to the present.

http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html

According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings.

In more than two-thirds of the cases included in the study, the life-threatening or fatal attack was apparently the first known dangerous behavior by the animal in question. Clifton states:

If almost any other dog has a bad moment, someone may get bitten, but will not be maimed for life or killed, and the actuarial risk is accordingly reasonable. If a pit bull terrier or a Rottweiler has a bad moment, often someone is maimed or killed--and that has now created off-the-chart actuarial risk, for which the dogs as well as their victims are paying the price.

"Pit bulls and Rottweilers are accordingly dogs who not only must be handled with special precautions, but also must be regulated with special requirements appropriate to the risk they may pose to the public and other animals, if they are to be kept at all."