"Dear Mr. Joe Albero;
On August 8, 2008 my American Staffordshire Terrier; Kano was involved in an unforeseen incident where for some unknown reason he attacked and bite a girl and her mother. I would like to explain his story to you and ask for your insight on this matter.
Kano turned 3 years old on August 10, 2008 I have had him since he was a puppy. Kano has two sisters that he has grown up with; a Great Dane and an Old English Bulldog. At the time Kano was brought home my husband and I had another pit but it became an issue with the other pit and within the 1st year we had to make the decision to find him another home. So we are aware of what it is like to have to make the decision to let go. His behavior change so rapidly to aggression and anger and we no longer wanted to take any chances. That pit truly just needed to be in a home where he was number one and the only one so that’s exactly what we did and to this day he is making out wonderfully.
Kano since the day he came home has been a bundle of joy. Kano is always happy and fully of excitement all the time. All he wants to do is play non-stop. At night if you wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom the first thing Kano does is grab his toy he thinks it’s time to play. Kano loves to takes rides and walks in the park. Throughout his whole life Kano has been around uncountable children and other animals. My father has 5 small dogs; three being Chihuahua’s whom chase him and bite him all the time and Kano does nothing and pays them no mind. Children have been around him all his life and not once has there ever been any sign of aggression.
My husband and I recently went through a separation and he chose to take Kano with him and during the move Kano was residing at the home of his son, son’s mother and son’s half sister until my husband was able to get fully moved. During this transition is when this incident took place. Now in knowing this let me explain that the half sister first off is scared to death of dogs so why the mother allowed this animal to stay in her home I do not know let alone the mother has never owned an animal before let alone an animal of this nature. I know of this because during the 4 years my husband and I have been together and the mother would come to pick up the son from our home and the half sister would come and my dogs would come near her she would scream bloody murder in fear. On numerous occasions if the child came into my home I had to remove MY dogs out of my home and outside because of her fear. So what kind of mother would put her own child in this situation? Not me but now hear I am fighting for my son’s life now.
So in saying all this brings me to the accident on August 8. What really happened in that home I can not tell you I was not there but supposedly the child screamed out for some reason and Kano lunged at her and bite her in the head above her eye and the mother intervened and Kano continued to bite the child and then bite the mother. My heart and gut tell me that child did or had been doing something to my dog and that is what caused him to lash out. Everyone whom knows Kano feels the same. Also since this matter I find that the mother has also had been dog sitting for her brother at the time that his dog has such an aggression behavior that must be kenneled at all times. So Kano was in a major transition, in an unknown territory, with unknown people, left alone constantly, and subjected to aggression behavior. Trust me I understand that non of this by far excuses what Kano did but I honestly feel it’s all factors in the case that had there not been it would not have happened.
At this time Kano is still currently being held at the Humane Society. I visit him everyday. The natural decision was to put him down but I am appealing the board on that decision and am currently awaiting the appeal trial date. The Humane Society Director has been the meanest and rudest person I have had to deal with. This Humane Society has mistreated my son. I cannot begin to tell you how many days I have gone in there and Kano has not had food nor fresh water nor has his kennel been cleaned out. Now I would like to inform you that I have done everything possible to make my son as comfortable as possible. I have brought Kano his own dog bed, toys, food, treats and even cook him food and bring it to him daily. So I do not feel in anyway that I am nor my son is inconveniencing them in anyway. It’s there job to take care of these animals no matter what the situation. Kano hardly ever gets taken out for walks. I literally have to go in there and through a rage to get things done around there for him. They have numerous employees working there that are at the utmost fear of animals period – so why are they working there? With this situation not once has anyone there followed one rule nor told us the truth about anything. From the beginning I was told I would get my dog back all I had to do was pay the impound fee and have him micro chipped and put through obedience school. Which in fact has all been lined up. Then was told he needed to ten day quarantine which to this day has never been lifted and Kano is still in a padlocked kennel. So I hope you can see my major frustration with this whole matter. You know all these people keep saying is how vicious he is but yet when I am there everyone comes in to pet him and three of the staff members have told me they want to take Kano home with them. So vicious? I don’t think so and they know it. It was just one freak situation and if Kano is put back in HIS home and given a chance to prove himself there will not be another issue. You know the way I look at this is how many people do acts of wrongful things every day and get away with it and get a second chance and only have to pay a fine, serve a small sentence or community service or what have it but they get a second chance to prove themselves. That is all I am asking for my son! I am willing to do all as I stated and even offer for them to do weekly in home inspections if they feel that is necessary. I feel that Kano deserves the second chance and if (God willing it doesn’t happen) something would arise it should and would be my decision to out him down in the future. As stated before I’ve made the decision before to remove one so I would not hesitate again.
I do not have children so therefore my dogs are my children so hearing the words that my son should be put down was like putting a knife through my heart. Killing one of my own! Where I live Kano has almost an acre of land that has a six foot privacy fence all the way around the back yard.
Joe when I saw the blog today concerning Linda Lugo and the City Council I wanted to write to you and let you know what I have been going through for over a month now with these people. I called the City Council office yesterday and still no appeal meeting has yet to be scheduled for my case. Hello are we just trying to continue to rack up my daily kennel bill or what? Hell the dog bed that I took in there for my son has now disappeared into thin air and conveniently no one knows where it is. Now I am not talking about a bed that came from Walmart this bed came from Dr. Foster & Smith. Do you think that will be reimbursed to me some how? NOT!! Everyday I go in there and Kano’s cage has not been cleaned I get some excuse why they have not gotten to it yet. I am so sick and tired of their lies and excuses for everything. Linda is so mean. There are days I go there and he has no food and I have to go off on people in order to get him fed and the poor dog eats the food in less that a minute. That’s bullshit! One day I was visiting Kano she came in the room I assume she did not realize it was me and was about to tell me to leave and once I looked at her and she realized who I was she stated “Oh it’s just you”; yeah real nice attitude to be the director of the Humane Society. Let alone lets just say you can only be “one of her kind” to work there. Linda herself has told me to my face in two different conversations your dog is going to die! Yet again real nice coming from the “Director of the Humane Society”.
My case is supposedly going to be the first to go up in front of this appeal board and I am so determined to get my dog back and not have him put down since that seems to be all the Humane Society knows what to do. Linda also told before the meeting even happened that the board already had a predetermined decision made and wished me luck.
Well Joe, since the appeal meeting on October 9, 2008 all attitudes have changed. All the lies that they told under OATH I must state at the appeal board meeting are all non-existing now. All of the staff at the Humane Society are now walking this quoted “vicious” Kano and they all bring him treats and toys from home and have given him nicknames. Amazing…. But yet again another bed of Kano’s has disappeared and Linda has offered to get him another one but I have not seen it yet. As Ray Lewis told us from the beginning I had already made the preparations for when Kano came home as far as the micro chipping, obedience classes and the kenneling. I have absolutely no problem following the guidelines considering if Kano was here this situation would have never happened but I can not take back time.
But in your blog today I noticed that you stated that the decision has been made to put down my dog and yes you can bet your life I will be appealing that decision and they know it!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Cannon
Kano’s Devoted Mother"
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
40 comments:
I don't understand the chain of command with Wicomico Humane Society. Are they autonomous? I've read somewhere (probably here!) that they don't answer to the County Council, just the National Humane Society. Is this true? Are they funded by the county? Who gave them the power to hold a pet in a locked cage? This sounds like a police-type power. When a dog bites someone, is it not a civil matter, for a court to decide? I've heard about a "first bite" law here in Maryland.
Those people at the Wicomico Humane Society absolutely, positively MUST have oversight.
For the sake of all the animals who have NO say in the matter.
Give me a break. Your dog BIT A CHILD IN THE HEAD! An inch or two lower, the child may have lost an eye! Are you that deluded in believing that the child deserved it? How do you know that just a sudden innocent movement on the child's part did not just spook the dog.
I speak from experience. Years ago, my brother was sitting on a friend's steps next to a Doberman. My brother made an instant move to stand and the dog pounced on him and ripped the side of his head open with a 6 inch gash and left his ear hanging.
Sometimes dogs spook for no apparent reason. The fact remains that the dog injured a child. You were not there to know the circumstances. Right now, your heart is overruling your head to make you defend an apparent dangerous animal.
You are lucky your dog did not kill the kid. Anyone who has a pit bull around children is insane. And I know all you pit bull lovers out there are going to say that only the ones trained to fight are dangerous--well, this story is a perfect example of that not being true. Deep in the recesses of their brains, these dogs are wired to fight, and little kids would not stand a chance. There are many, many breeds of dogs out there--get something else!
If a dog bit a child than it has to be put down. How about the traumatic issues that poor child has to deal with the rest of its life. Dogs are unpredictable and now there is a history of an attack then it has to be put down. The idea that blame is put on a child for doing something to the dog that provoked the attack is absurd.
Dear Jennifer,
I have to caution you beware, Lugo can and will give you No NOTICE AND ONE DAY YOU WILL GO OUT TO SEE YOUR DOG,AND THE DAMAGE WILL BE DONE! She will already pull the plug on your dog on a saturday or evening and there will be nothing you can DO!!!! I can say this as this is what happen to our family.
I HATE LINDA LUGO, she lies and is devious....DO SOMETHING FAST!!!!! GET IT IN WRITTING FROM LINDA LUGO THAT YOUR DOG WILL NOT BE PUT DOWN WITHOUT YOU BEING NOTIFIED IN WRITTING!!!!!!! PLEASE TRUST ME ON THIS, TAKE THIS TO COURT!!!!!!
YOUR DOG DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THIS!!!!
AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A SAFE AND SECURE PLACE FOR YOUR DOG, PETION, GET THE NEWSPAPER INVOLVED,CALL THE CITY OFFICE COUNTY COUNCIL, DEMAND AND I DO MEAN DEMAND AND PAY FOR YOUR DOG TO BE MOVED TO A NO KILL FACILITY TO PROTECT IT....AND DO IT NOW WHILE YOU HAVE A DOG.....YOU WILL GO OUT TO VISIT AND YOU WILL NOT HAVE PRIOR NOTICE THAT THEY ARE PUTTING YOUR DOG DOWN..IT WILL BE ALREADY DONE WHEN YOU FIND OUT...GET YOUR DOG OUT NOW!!!!
People that care more about a dog that bit a child in the face--and continued to bite the child AND its mother when she attempted to rescue the child--are crazy.
This whole situation is sad. The child of course should be everyone's first priority. As a dog owner who considers my dog one of my children, I can understand where she is coming from though. Dogs are very sensitive to their surroundings and will act in a manner that is not usual for them in settings they are not comfortable with. There is a lot of blame that can be spread around in this situation, but its not fair to attack Jennifer for wanting her dog back. I also don't understand why Kano has not been released if he was only to be quarantined for 10 days. Something sounds off about that situation. Are we getting the full story here?
When the separation occurred and your son was taken to someone else's house, why didn't you just go get your son??????? If I remember correctly, it's been only two or three weeks since there was a hearing before a three-member panel to look at the decision of the Humane Society; so the Society is not autonomous. After hearing testimony and seeing pictures of the very serious injuries and hearing your lawyer cross examine all of the witnesses, the panel upheld the Humane Society's decision. Part of the decision was based on the opinion that the small child would probably have been killed if the mother had not intervened. This was not just dog bites child and stops, this was an attack that continued and then transferred to the mother. Your acting like all of this legal stuff was done by Linda Lugo with no oversight from anyone is just not the case. It's great that you are now ready for yet another appeal, but yours is not the only pressing matter going on in our area.
An innocent child mained at least emotionally for life verses a dog that continued to attack...what is it you don't understand? How can you blame the child? I think maybe you should spend a few days in the shelter...not at the shelter..until you get your mind right.
This reminds me of parents who say about their human children, "I know he/she would never have done what it is that we all know they actually did. It couldn't be their fault. As long as I can point the finger at someone else, let's act like my child did nothing all that bad." There are innocents in this frightening story, but Kano is not one of them. I'm no dog expert, though I am a devoted dog lover, but a dog that is sweet one second and trying to kill someone the next second seems more dangerous to me than a dog who's always aggressive. How do you know what sets them off? Does it have to be a loud noise in person that does it or can a siren or something on TV cause the same aggression? If you accidentally make a fast move, will that be a trigger? Also, legally, who is the owner of the dog? Is it the husband or the author of the post or the son to whom the husband gave the dog? If Ms. Cannon is the owner, the dog should have been at her house and under her control. If she is not the owner, how does she have legal standings in these procedures?
It would be one dead dog.
I was bitten by a dog at the child age of 9. We were playing frisbee like we had done hundreds of times with this dog.
It was not a pit bull....it was a collie.....remember Lassie????
It was a family members dog.
Not a dangerous "breed".
My dad shot the dog and my relatives understood totally as they did not want the dog hurting anyone but something set it off.
I can tell you...I am not over 45 years old and I am still afraid of dogs because of this one instance!
Put the dog down so it cannot damage another human for LIFE!
During the process of your husband's move, he left the dog with his son, son's mother, etc. Why didn't you keep the dog until your husband was in his new residence? If you are the "mother" of Kano, why did you allow him to go first with your husband and then to his son? Surely, you had more claim to "your" dog than the son did. To the casual observer, the only answer is that the dog is not actually yours.
Why is it that people who own pit bulls always talk about how sweet and friendly their dogs are, and then use that as a defense when you tell them their dog threatened you? That's what my neighbor told me when I told them about how their dog came onto my property and came aggresively at me, growling. I knew without a doubt that I needed to get into my house FAST or I was gonna be dog meat. "Oh, Fluffy? Naw, she wouldn't hurt a fly!" Bulls**t!
I think anyone who calls their dog their "son" has a screw loose, by the way. I love my cat I've had for ten years to death, but he's my cat, not my son. I, unlike the letter writer, have a firm grip on reality. All this woman can think about is her "son" who attacked and injured a child. Had it been a human being who did so, she would be screaming for the ofender to be locked up.
Am I misreading the post or does Ms. Cannon say in the first sentence that her dog is an American Staffordshire Terrier? Then later it sounds like Kano is a pit bull. Not that it matters that much considering what he did, but what kind of a dog are we talking about here? Is calling Kano a "terrier" supposed to make us think he's some little, not-very-strong puppy instead of the incredibly strong dog he actually is?
Lady, get a real life. That dangerous dog is not your son. The DOG bit a child. I hope they put him down today!
Lady, I would like to mention something that the other people have not been clear about ...GET A LIFE! GET A LIFE! He was such a good dog..always playing ...so happy...everyone though he was the greatest dog...he loves everybody and everybody loves him... READ YOUR OWN TWISTED STORY! Some girl and mother did not love him or think he was adorable!
I am sure that some people thought Ted Bundy was a great person ! Get A life !....
I agree that the humane society is everything but humane! there are some changes to be made there and NOW!
All Pit Bulls should be spayed or neutered over 30% of attacks on humans are caused by Pit Bulls. They are also much more likely to attack other dogs then and other species.
You know, you people don't have to be so mean. You're right, Ms. Cannon wasn't there to witness the occurence but neither were you. You all call her crazy for having the dog around a child. Did you not read the part that stated she herself has no children and it was her soon to be ex-husband's decision to place the dog with a child known to have a fear of dog's? If anyone is to blame here it is the husband. He probably took the dog when she wasn't home out of spite...he wouldn't be the first man to do something vindictive like that. My little brother was bitten by the family dog because he was contantly teasing and tormenting her. The dog was not put down because we all knew that my brother had coerced the behavior. For the remaining 10 years of the dogs life she never even growled at another person and my brother learned not to torment another animal.
How would you feel if you were forcibly taken from the only home you’ve ever known, put in a strange place with strange people and occasionally subjected to a person who was aggressive towards you? Chances are you would you would be scared sh!tless and it wouldn’t take much for you to act out. Mr. Cannon is an idiot who obviously doesn’t care about the dog he “just had to take with him”. If he did then he would have let Kano stay there until he made a suitable and permanent home to move the dog to. Let Kano go back home.
My family owns a pit bull. At one time, we owned two. We would have children in and out of the house all day. Our pitbulls are very intelligent and most of the time think they are lap dogs! They are so sweet! I must say that every time a child would enter our home, we would put the dogs into their designated rooms and keep the door shut. The children always knew to not go near the doors or rooms the dogs were locked up in. Now i strongly believe that our pit bull would never hurt a child or anyone for that matter, unless someone made an aggressive motion towards them. I feel horrible for this woman and what she is going through. I also feel sympathy for that poor child. Both sides of the story are true and sad. The dog was a great dog and probably had some sort of aggressive motion made towards him. On the other hand a small child sees a new dog and wants to play with it. The child probably didn't know how dangerous this animal could have gotten, and in trying to play with it she got attacked. Blame should lie on this childs mother. She should have never taken the dog in if she didn't feel comfortable with it in the house especially with children. Once she did let the dog in, she should have never let it near that child. She should have explained to the child that the dog could be dangerous and to be very careful around it, if the mother allowed that. The mother is at fault, and she is the only person in this story i do not feel sorry for.
There's a dog that bites and then there's a dog that savages. This dog savaged two people and could have quite readily killed both of them.
I say this being the owner of a pit bull and knowing the breed. Yes, they can be very nice and friendly, but if not brought up right and if from the breeding of aggressive individuals they can be very dangerous (as can any large dog, not just pits).
I suspect that the owner's first reference to the dog as a staffy is through her own mistaken admission that all pits are dangerous. In doing so she perpetuates the bad image that some people have delivered upon these dogs.
As far as the bite inicident is concerned the owner needs to recognize that this is not a potentially dangerous animal, it IS a DANGEROUS animal. It has one unprovoked attack under its belt. You can challenge me on this but I know, without having been there, why the dog did it. The child screamed and that initiated the attack. It is a prey instinct that the dog has no control over. Something small indicates fear by such a noise and it is going to get jumped on by a dog so of this nature. For those that have trouble with the concept that isn't something to tar all pits with, just ANY DOG that is predisposed to such behavior. You may find 10 other pits that would never do this. BUT THIS ONE ALREADY HAS AND WILL AGAIN IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY.
This dog should be deemed a dangerous dog. Should the owner get it back it is their responisibility to see to it that the opportunity to bite NEVER ARISES AGAIN.
She goes on about her fenced in back yard and that scares the hell out of me. An open opportunity for another bite incident. The dog should be confined to an enclosure that cannot be gone over, through, under, etc. It should be crated inside if unattended by someone capable of restraining it. If it is outside it should be on a strong lead that it cannot bite through or break and it should be muzzled.
No exceptions.
If the owner gets it back and fails to do all of the above she should be charged with reckless endangerment.
I would also recommend she contact her home owner's insurance to see if they'll cover any future troubles with the dog.
If the dog is not neutered that would be the next step. That should also be accompanied by a good beating of the owners for not having done so.
In my not so humble opinion the smart and safe thing to do is to put the dog down. I blame the owners for not doing a better job raising and training the dog in the first place.
No sympathy here for her.
There is a lot of blame to be placed in this story, but certainly not on the child. Jennifer allowed her ex husband to make decisions regarding the dog. That was Jennifer’s choice, and now she must live with it. If she has such a great environment and large fenced yard for the dog, why was the dog with strangers?? Jennifer is more culpable in this than she is willing to admit.
Her ex-husband made a poor choice in placing the dog in a family where a child is afraid of dogs. That being said, I can’t see a fearful child willingly provoking the dog. However, animals have been known to be provoked by the smell of fear.
I suppose Jennifer’s use of the word “son” when referring to her dog is to illicit sympathy. While I have had pets I have loved as members of my family, they were still pets, not humans. Admittedly, Jennifer does not have children, so don’t expect her to see a parent’s point of view on this.
The mother of the little girl (the soon to be ex-husband’s ex-wife, did I get that right??) also exercised poor judgment and insensitivity in allowing a dog in the home when she was fully aware her daughter was afraid of them, and rightfully so, apparently.
People need to understand that any dog with whom they are not familiar should not be trusted, period. Just like people, even normal, loving animals can snap. Should the dog be put down?? Probably not. Should the dog be returned to its previous owners? Definately not. I can tell you if my child is attached by a dog, I would take care of the issue well before the Humane Society got involved.
anon 2:25 - this was a 4 year old child that was afraid of the dog. I doubt seriously the child was tormenting the dog.
If it had been my child I would have killed the dog on the spot.
Shoot and kill that dog and eat it for lunch.
John Robinson
For every "Kano" there is a "Dylan Klebold"
{"Who knows what sets them off?" "We never thought our little (insert name or booking number here) could do such a thing" "He was so so so good when he was little" }(Before you think I am taking things too far....anything sound familiar here?)
The heart of this problem isn't figuring what random quirk "set the dog off"-this is a REACTIVE (i.e WAY TOO LATE) response (sort of how our current administration handles Middle Eastern affairs). True value is attained by providing proper ADVANCE guidance/training/mentoring/structure (PROACTIVE INVESTMENT; like any kennel club/trainer- or just reading a damn book for a couple moments that doesn't involve Jessica and Tony Romo for a change)so that you don't get a creature that unpredictably becomes a monster of the worse degree for unpredictable reasons.
Parents/masters have to make many tough decisions on a daily basis and it sucks to have to be "the bad guy" to enforce discipline-but that is why we are ultimately eligible for the biggest rewards (children marriages/grandchildren/puppies).
To the guardian of this dog; Ruck up troop(like months ago)-or don't take responsibility for another living thing (even a bloody cactus that you almost never have to water)...or be prepared to take a bite out of our current societal shit-sandwich-this is actually one problem we should be able to control!! I am not prepared to extend pity to the humans involved here-the dog is in reality the true victim.
Anon 2:57--I assume your comment was directed at me (Anon 1:59, not 2:25) Anyway I don't believe I accused this 4 year old child of tormenting the dog. I was only sharing my own experience and that a one time occurence doesn't mean the dog is a "sure killer" I agree the dog should be closely monitered which Ms Cannon has already said she's more than willing to comply with.
Maybe the husband did take the dog when Ms. Cannon was not home. But she knew where it was, she claims it's her son, and says she knew the child in the home was totally afraid of dogs. So what did she do to retrieve her beloved son? Absolutely nothing. Again--is she the rightful owner? Just reading her post, I cannot imagine that the husband took Kano, she knew exactly where Kano was, and yet she left him there? Where was her motherly instinct then? Maybe she'll write in and tell us why her efforts to regain the dog started only after the attack.
anon 3:22 PM
No, my comment wasn't directed at you, read the 2:25 comment I was directing it at and you can see why.
But this one is at you...
The owner is in denial. Her "son" would never do this again according to her. I certainly wish I was that in tune to the future.
She's got a 6 foot privacy fence. What the hell does that mean? It might be adequate or it may not be enough to keep a toddler at bay for all we know. I would suggest chain link or welded wire that is buried a foot or so to prevent digging out and some sort of top restriction to prevent climbing or jumping out.
I had a friend with a dog that was quite skilled at getting over a six foot fence. Life is stranger than fiction.
She's got a fenced in acre. That leaves about 840 feet of fence for her to maintain, or not maintain. A kennel makes much more sense and it needs to be unavailable for little fingers to go through.
Her denial tells me she might let the dog out in the yard unattended. She might take it off property unleashed. She might do any number of stupid things at her level of denial.
Is animal control supposed to devote an officer to this dog 24/7?
She's bounced her beloved "son" all over the place for some lame excuses and apparently feels no remorse toward the poor little child that got attacked. That kid will have mental scars from here on out too. I've nothing against taking the parent to task for the exposure either.
My sympathy is also directed toward the dog, but he's a danger and in the wrong hands poses a threat to the public. The owner gives me very little confidence that she's the going to adequately control the dog.
I wonder what the odds are that the trainer she's going to use knows how to train such a dog properly.
There is one locally that will charge her an arm and a leg to beat the hell out of him which will only serve to make him worse and her pocket a little lighter.
It takes a damn good trainer to "fix" this dog and an owner who knows and accepts that the dog has acted aggressively and may repeat the behavior. The owner can't just drop the dog off and then expect to pick up a refined gentleman. The owner will have to dedicate her attention to continuing the progress from training at home for the dog's life.
I've dealt with way too many people who were going to do the "right thing" and then promptly failed to follow through.
I remain unimpressed. I would also gamble I know a lot more about animals than anyone else that has posted here. Although reese bobby seems to have a good grasp.
There are no breeding standards for a pit bull. It is just a mutt. There are people who breed these dogs for the purpose of fighting, it is bred into them. They are usually fine with people, but are vicious to other animals (which is what they practice killing). A lot of them are time bombs waiting to explode. The American Staffshire Terrier has a standard that reputable breeders follow, no where does it say that they are bred to fight and kill! That being said, if Ms. Cannon's husband took her "son" to somebody's else's house, she had every right to retrieve him. Where were the other dogs, were they not her "children" to? I think there is more than she is telling. I am a dog lover, and a responsible breeder, I love my dogs and breed AKC champions, but IF one of my beloved animals mauled a child like this sounds, I would have to humanely put it down.Then do a complete ecropsey on the dog. A question for Ms Cannon, did she know anything about the line of her dog..did she know anything about the breeder, was the stud dog a pit dog? We can't say all pit bulls are bad, but I'd bet money that if it has fighting in its line, you will have trouble with it one day. Kano will do that again. I truly feel sorry for this dog. Living with animals sometimes can be very heart breaking, this can't be blamed on the child, or the Humane Society, maybe not anybody, it happened, and unfortunately a child will suffer a long time, and another dog has to be destroyed! Come on people lets all be responsible dog owners!
Who in the world believes the scared-to-death-of-dogs four year old girl was taunting and tormenting the dog? Yes, that's what little kids do when they're very afraid of an animal--they seek it out so they can tease it. Little girls are especially known for doing this. Give me a break!! This woman has no compassion for the child, absolutely none for the mother. If she is the owner, which I doubt, there should be a civil suit against her before the end of the week.
Any type of dog can be a killer. I used to live in a very nice place...had a 6 foot fenced in yard. I was not able to erect one on the back end of property because the neighbor there already had a wire fence up and it was great. My next door neighbor also had dogs and between us, all of the dogs and children got along wonderful. My next door neighbors and I, by mutual agreement decided to not put a fence up between our property so our dogs had extra room to run. My daughter wanted a puppy so we adopted a small mixed cocker spaniel. I already had two dogs but I love dogs and was ok with this. I even talked it over with my next door neighbor. They were fine with it. We get the puppy and have it for 3 weeks. Now...the neighbor BEHIND me with the screen fence, and I will admit it was durable and strong...they had two Labrador's which are very nice dogs and are not considered agressive. Well..I get a phone call at work from my neighbor telling me that the puppy went too close to the wire fence and some way stuck his head through the holes in it and one of the Lab's actually pulled the puppy through the holes in the wire and bit the puppy's head off! The owner of the dog blamed me for letting my dog out in the yard without me and actually picked up the puppy's head and tossed it back over the fence! Thank God my next door neighbor was home at the time. Her husband burried the puppy so my daughter would not get off of the bus, come home and see her puppy. I called the Humane Socity and asked..If a dog gets a taste of blood..can they be considered dangerous? I was told ..no
I still agree that Lab's are not dangerous dogs but you can never tell when any dog will lose it.
There are rules for handling "dangerous" dog cases. They involve more than a quarantine. If this is not a situation where a dog was proven to be dangerous, what are you waiting for? Are dogs only dangerous if they kill somebody?
As the mother of a 4 year old with a German Shepard mix in the house, I have always made sure my son showed respect for the dog. If not, my son was punished. If he was attempting to be mean to the cat, he was punished. By mean, i am refering to anything other than gently petting them.
Does anyone remember the story of the St bernard that was put down for attacking a child? They found a pen/penicl (whichever) in the dogs ear AFTER it was put down?!
While I don't condone an dog attacking a child, I also DO NOT condone a child being left unattended with a dog!
As for pit bulls, I have never once had a bad experience with one, but then again all of the ones I've been in contact with were very loved and well trained. Same for the doberman I knew and the Rottweiler that was a guest once.
I don't blame this child, and I sure as hell don't blame the dog. All of the adults in this picture failed both of them miserably.
I am a law enforcement officer, and though my comments are not scientic by any measure they are based on my experience. Every dog complaint call I got involved a pitbull. One involved an unprovoked attack on a seven year old girl. The victim and witnesses said the girl bent down to tie her shoes. this might identify me to my fellow law enforcement officers, but the first thing I think of when i get a call to go to a dangerous dog call is that I will shoot the dog.
I would like to share a event in my own past.When I was about 6 or 7 I was looked after by my grandmother.She owned a dog named shoo shoo.Shoo shoo was a mean black curly haired ,I don't know what breed of a dog that used to stay under my grandmom's " love seat " couch.I guess it was cooler under there ?
Any way when ever i had acted up I was placed on the "love seat" for a time out period.I remember one time I tryed to get off the couch and as soon as I put my foot down , shoo shoo shot out from under the couch and bit me . It snarled so furoshusly that I had became very terrified of old shoo shoo.
Now as it would be, I would find myself in time out again and I would not dare put my foot off of that couch. :) But even though I was terrified of "crazy" shoo shoo , after 5 or 10 minutes into my "time out " period after the first time, I would take my sock and wave it in front of the couch and smile to myself when shoo shoo would lunge after it.
The point I am trying to make is that even though I was scared to death of this monster that lived under the couch , I would still torment this devil and found comfort that it didn't get me as long as I stayed on the time out couch.
Now I am not passing judgement on the child or the dog, just know fear dose not deter all children from teasing a dog.The one at fault for the attact is the adult for not watchin her child while there was a "strange dog" in in the house.
As humans with the ability to think and reason ,we should not hold animals responsible for acting out in a instinctive manner.After all, they are animals. And remember no matter how much one trys, You can idiot proof the world.
What we can do is hold the one responsible accountable. Shame on the child's parent for placing their child in a dangerous situation.I hope the dog punished her well for her neglect.
And let us not forget ....DOG spelled backwards is....GOD . thank you for letting me share and may God bless you all real good .
Your charming tale about a small dog and your teasing it are a bit well off the mark from a small child and a large intimidating dog.
You learned through trial and error that you could tease the dog with a sock and get away with it as long as you stayed on the couch.
This is a far cry from that situation. Unfortunately the child and the dog will be the ones paying the price. The child will be forever scarred physically and mentally. The dog's going to be dead. The original owner, her ex-husband, and the other ex-wife have the blood on their hands. I have to give the mother credit for stepping in though.
The "devoted mother's" excuse, if you read it, is completely irrational.
Her husband decided to take Kano. But he couldn't keep Kano so he ditched him on his first wife (seems to be a pattern forming for the man).
Why didn't they decide to keep Kano in his original home where there were other dogs he was familiar with? Instead they end up sticking him in a home where there was a child that was terrified of him in the custody of a woman that has never had a dog.
All three of the adults knew of the child's fear if you read the note from the "devoted mother."
Stupid is as stupid does.
i want to know why no straight people can get a job there
criminals get a second chance why not MANS BEST FRIEND???
the only people that know what happened the night of the attack is the chld and the mother of the child. Only the mother spoke at the council meeting. So is she telling the truth. We hope but we don't know her past is questionable. everyone is basing their opinions on what they have heard. That child's mom obviously did not care that her daughter was scared or she would never have brought that dog into her home. So is she covering up just to make herself look like a better mom?
But Kano's mom did not have a choice to keep him at the time of the split. She was coerced into giving him up. She is a smat respectable woman and is willing to do whatever is necessary to keep her "son" alive. She should get the chance to prove it.
As for the Humane Society......I have firsthand knowledge that they have screwed up in this case. They have lied, been rude, and changed their story to fit what they want. They need to be investigated. It is obvious they dont know what they are doing or cant handle the job they are required to do.
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