La. police: Puppy gnawed off baby’s toes

[MrsBruce5 0]

I doubt a Chihuahua or a pomeranian would have chewed an infant's toes off.

If people want to have large dogs, that's fine...but in the prescence of infants and small children, it's not ideal imo. Even if there's the slightest chance of the dog overpowering the child, the dog should go. Maybe segregated elsewhere until the child is older, or look for adoption outside the home. It's not fair to the child to not childproof your home, and that includes the dog!

Agreed, with regard to childproofing- it is indeed a balancing act, having kids and pets.

No child should be left unsupervised with any animal. for any length of time. When my son has his friends over-the dogs go into the dog run outside. The bottom line is that they are animals, and lack reasoning skills we possess as humans, therefore it is incumbent on us to be responsible and vigilant.

However, I stick to my belief if any animal is that hungry-regardless of breed, or species-it will revert back to instinct.

[Sinergy 3]

have any of you heard of the Dog Whisperer? He says the dog's problems are usually because of the owner and how he/she treats the animal....

Your absolutly correct!! but the puppy was only 6 weeks old, i dont think they had it for too long. either way in that short amount of time they couldve been treating the dog badly. on the other hand i agree with the person who stated the dog may have been trying to nurse on the baby's toes.

but in the end, the parents HAD to of been on something or drunk to have not heard that baby's first cries of this. its insane.

[Marilyn. 340]

I think instead of getting all worked up about the dog we should be talking about the parents who managed to sleep through their baby's toes getting chewed I am sure the baby would have been screaming or something...

have any of you heard of the Dog Whisperer? He says the dog's problems are usually because of the owner and how he/she treats the animal....

Your absolutly correct!! but the puppy was only 6 weeks old, i dont think they had it for too long. either way in that short amount of time they couldve been treating the dog badly. on the other hand i agree with the person who stated the dog may have been trying to nurse on the baby's toes.

but in the end, the parents HAD to of been on something or drunk to have not heard that baby's first cries of this. its insane.

I wasn't necassaringly referring to this dog when I made that statement I was referring to the comments that all pitt bulls are bad...

[MrsBruce5 0]

I tried to look up info on these dogs from the AKC, only to find out they're not an AKC recognized breed-anyone know why that might be?

And to comment on what Lisa said, what you're talking about covers the whole span of child abuse and neglect-it's all about people putting what they want over the needs of a child. In the case of that poor baby, it just happened to do with the dog.

Hi Henia,

You will not find them listed in AKC b/c th term "pit bull" is a street term-which sadly got affixed to the breed. The term is not recognized by AKC. Look up American Staffordshire Terrier and you find the breed at it's finest.

I agree, the parents should have looked after that child better.

[Sinergy 3]

I think instead of getting all worked up about the dog we should be talking about the parents who managed to sleep through their baby's toes getting chewed I am sure the baby would have been screaming or something...

have any of you heard of the Dog Whisperer? He says the dog's problems are usually because of the owner and how he/she treats the animal....

Your absolutly correct!! but the puppy was only 6 weeks old, i dont think they had it for too long. either way in that short amount of time they couldve been treating the dog badly. on the other hand i agree with the person who stated the dog may have been trying to nurse on the baby's toes.

but in the end, the parents HAD to of been on something or drunk to have not heard that baby's first cries of this. its insane.

I wasn't necassaringly referring to this dog when I made that statement I was referring to the comments that all pitt bulls are bad...

oki doki

and i agree, thats why i keep bringing up the fact that its insane that the parents never heard the baby scream in the beginning, and only heard her and woke up after the baby;s toes were gone. it pisses me off more and more and more!!!

[Karen_L 1]

I think it's terrible that the child's toes were chewed off. I just can't imagine parents being so neglectful. I do have to agree, though, I feel the same way about it being a pit bull as MrsBruce5. I very seriously doubt the breed of dog would have been mentioned had it been a lab, retriever, etc. I have a friend who has two pit bulls that are just the sweetest dogs you could imagine. They just had puppies and I will be purchasing one for my myself. I don't have kids yet but there are kids around and I plan on having kids one day. I don't think there will be an issue at all with having a pit bull in my house with my children.

I have one as well, and he is by far the best in my pack ( I also have a Boxer, Doberman and a Husky). If either myself, Mr. Bruce, or our son is having a bad day, it's not long before be will have his head in our laps looking at us with sympathetic eyes, offering us comfort. He is headstrong, and wants to lead us all-but not a mean bone in his body.

With all dogs, genetics will play a role (with regard to being dominant in a Pit's case)-however aggression is something that is taught. Unfortunately, this is all most people get to hear about and see-due to the sensationalism that the media spins...

But I digress-back to topic...

In no way am I saying the pup here was aggressive-I just think the poor little guy might have been hungry and did what ANY animal would have done.

Good luck with your Pitty ! They are exceptional friends.

I doubt a Chihuahua or a pomeranian would have chewed an infant's toes off.

If people want to have large dogs, that's fine...but in the prescence of infants and small children, it's not ideal imo. Even if there's the slightest chance of the dog overpowering the child, the dog should go. Maybe segregated elsewhere until the child is older, or look for adoption outside the home. It's not fair to the child to not childproof your home, and that includes the dog!

Eh, I know a couple who had a dog (a lab I think it was). It was a sweet dog, never bit or hurt anyone, but when they had their baby they decided that this filthy, evil beast could be no where around their baby. So, they locked the poor dog in the basement and tied it to a beam. They had similar reactions about other things -- playing, for instance. Their son never plays sports out of fear that he might, you know, die. I think it's fine to be protective, but I think it's WAY overprotective to allow the dog no access to the baby at all, esp. if the dog was always sweet. There are ways to have Baby and Dog interact, which are safe. On the other hand, I know a few couples who had dogs prior to having a baby and the dog was never locked away or given away, and nothing's ever happened.

Personally, I think the reason this dog attacked the baby was probably that the owners treated him much the way they treated their own child, that is: badly. Pit Bulls do have a reputation for being aggressive; the breed was produced to be a fighting dog and that aggressivity is bred into them, so if a person owns this breed, they have to be more cautious than normal and these two don't seem like they have the capacity to keep a watch on themselves, let alone this dog and this baby.

[Marilyn. 340]

I think it's terrible that the child's toes were chewed off. I just can't imagine parents being so neglectful. I do have to agree, though, I feel the same way about it being a pit bull as MrsBruce5. I very seriously doubt the breed of dog would have been mentioned had it been a lab, retriever, etc. I have a friend who has two pit bulls that are just the sweetest dogs you could imagine. They just had puppies and I will be purchasing one for my myself. I don't have kids yet but there are kids around and I plan on having kids one day. I don't think there will be an issue at all with having a pit bull in my house with my children.

I have one as well, and he is by far the best in my pack ( I also have a Boxer, Doberman and a Husky). If either myself, Mr. Bruce, or our son is having a bad day, it's not long before be will have his head in our laps looking at us with sympathetic eyes, offering us comfort. He is headstrong, and wants to lead us all-but not a mean bone in his body.

With all dogs, genetics will play a role (with regard to being dominant in a Pit's case)-however aggression is something that is taught. Unfortunately, this is all most people get to hear about and see-due to the sensationalism that the media spins...

But I digress-back to topic...

In no way am I saying the pup here was aggressive-I just think the poor little guy might have been hungry and did what ANY animal would have done.

Good luck with your Pitty ! They are exceptional friends.

I doubt a Chihuahua or a pomeranian would have chewed an infant's toes off.

If people want to have large dogs, that's fine...but in the prescence of infants and small children, it's not ideal imo. Even if there's the slightest chance of the dog overpowering the child, the dog should go. Maybe segregated elsewhere until the child is older, or look for adoption outside the home. It's not fair to the child to not childproof your home, and that includes the dog!

Eh, I know a couple who had a dog (a lab I think it was). It was a sweet dog, never bit or hurt anyone, but when they had their baby they decided that this filthy, evil beast could be no where around their baby. So, they locked the poor dog in the basement and tied it to a beam. They had similar reactions about other things -- playing, for instance. Their son never plays sports out of fear that he might, you know, die. I think it's fine to be protective, but I think it's WAY overprotective to allow the dog no access to the baby at all, esp. if the dog was always sweet. There are ways to have Baby and Dog interact, which are safe. On the other hand, I know a few couples who had dogs prior to having a baby and the dog was never locked away or given away, and nothing's ever happened.

Personally, I think the reason this dog attacked the baby was probably that the owners treated him much the way they treated their own child, that is: badly. Pit Bulls do have a reputation for being aggressive; the breed was produced to be a fighting dog and that aggressivity is bred into them, so if a person owns this breed, they have to be more cautious than normal and these two don't seem like they have the capacity to keep a watch on themselves, let alone this dog and this baby.

like someone else mentioned the puppy was only 6 weeks old and they probably didn't have him for very long, at least not enough time for him to be aggressive, he was probably just hungry and trying to nurse or something.... probably taken away from his mom too early....

[MrsBruce5 0]

Karen, Beautifully said !

Well done.

[Traviesa 0]

I've just realized the puppy was only 6 weeks old. In which case I don't blame a dog for doing what naturally occurs to a dog of any breed at 6 months.

[Jenn! 918]

I don't care how well you treat them, I don't think dangerous breeds should be allowed at all in households with kids.

[Scott & Lai 12]

I tried to look up info on these dogs from the AKC, only to find out they're not an AKC recognized breed-anyone know why that might be?

That's because "pit bulls" are not actually a distinct breed; the term covers several similar breeds.

[Tim and Bethanie 1]

The dog is not to blame in this. IMO Pit Bull or not a dog is a dog is a dog. I have been bit more times by small breeds ie. chihuahas, maltese, poodles, cockers .......you get the picture. Owning an animal while having a child does not make for a bad parent. It is down to responsible parenting and responsible dog ownership and if you can't do both at the same time then you need not have one or the other.

[Marilyn. 340]

I have been bitten by a dog before and no, it wasn't a pit bull, it was some little terrier type dog ...

[Sinergy 3]

Ive been bitten by my dads weiner dog. shes stupid anyway, so i dont blame her. was also bitten by my dads palmeranian, point here is my dad dont train his rat dogs, he lets them do what they please. when they are older, with no training its still not the dogs fault, imo no matter what kind of dog, if the owner does not train the dog or treat the dog right, the dog will then be a dog.

btw, i never asked for the bites, or aggrivated the dumb dogs to do it, but in my family we seem to always get the stupid animals my children do not go near my dads dog at all bc he doesnt train them.

i have a cat who is scared of the baby so i dont worry about that at all.

[Traviesa 0]

I tried to look up info on these dogs from the AKC, only to find out they're not an AKC recognized breed-anyone know why that might be?

That's because "pit bulls" are not actually a distinct breed; the term covers several similar breeds.

Thanks! I did a little research on Wikipedia and got the info...