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Sunday, January 05, 2014

Pet Injures Former Mayor In Ariz., Kills Husband

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. — The former mayor of this city of almost 40,000 was hospitalized and her husband died after the couple's pet dogs attacked them, according to the current mayor.

Former Mayor Diane Vick and her husband, Tom, tried to intervene after one of their larger dogs attacked one of their smaller dogs, but the dogs turned on them and attacked them, Mayor Jack Hakim said. They were flown to a hospital in Las Vegas.

Tom Vick and his wife tried to break up a fight Saturday evening between the family's boxer and cocker spaniel, police said. The boxer attacked both of them.

Tom Vick, 64, who taught social studies at Mohave High School, died of his injuries Sunday, Hakim said. Diane Vick "was pretty well beat up," but Hakim didn't believe her injuries were critical.

Hakim called the incident "pretty devastating."

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14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Boxers, just like Pit Bulls and other large dogs are killers! City laws should never allow any dog bigger than 25 pounds ever! You want a large dog, one as big as a horse, then move to the country. the city is no place for big animals!

Anonymous said...

If the picture shown on the link provided is the actually dog, then it's not a true boxer and most definitely with out a doubt has some pit bull in it. There are many facial/head signs of this including the ears. A pure Boxer's uncropped ears are always longer and they flop over so inside ear isn't exposed.

Anonymous said...

In a link on the Drudge Report yesterday, the dogs involved were identified as pitbulls, hard to be sure which is accurate. However, I am sure that some people will be on here insisting that the owners must not have raised them right, because there are no breeds that are vicious by nature. I saw one article that reported 67 people were killed in the US last year by pitbulls...giving them the number one ranking as American's most dangerous breed. If you choose to own them, you must get trained by a certified professional animal behaviorist with the dog involved. Don't put your life, or your family's, at risk, because you think you are up to it just because you have always grown up with dogs. A generic life experience around dogs will not be enough to control these large powerful animals in all possible situations.

Anonymous said...

Sorry 10:24, but a boxer isn't as big as a horse.

Anonymous said...

Boxers by nature are not an aggressive or vicious breed.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Annie, boxers rank fourth on the list, behind German shepards, Rotties, and Pits. Your personal experience is not supported by the statistics.

Anonymous said...

You are correct Annie. As far as the American Pit Bull terrier while they can be, and a lot are, affectionate, loyal and friendly they also have a stubborn and an aggressive inherent trait, which no amount of love can take away. Those who truly know and love the breed will admit this readily.

Anonymous said...

12:13
In the order of viciousness:
Pit Bulls & Staffordshire Terriers
Doberman Pinschers
Rottweilers
German Shepherds
Chows
Great Danes
Presa Canarios
Akitas
Alaskan Malamutes
Siberian Huskies
Wolf-hybrids

Sorry but I disagree, they are not even on the list.

Anonymous said...

They may not be on this particular list Annie, but it is a fact that the American Pit Bull Terrier is known to have an aggressive streak within their temperament traits. Besides viciousness isn't the same as aggressive. Aggression means a readiness to confront and attack whereas vicious is more along the lines of fierce, merciless.

Anonymous said...

One of the problems nowadays with dog owners is that they tend to lump all dogs together without taking into consideration a particular breeds inherent traits and also people want to 'humanize' their dog.
I have the best dogs ever. They've never been spoken harsh to nor mistreated in any way. Live Stock Guardian breed. These dogs have been bred for 2000 yrs to be companions to all types of livestock. It makes them very happy and content to have this job to do. My dogs do not ever go out of a 1000 ft perimeter around the property and it's not fenced in. They have never been destructive. They do not like other dogs and because of this inherent trait I've never attempted to 'socialize' them because that ends up messing them up and causing other problems to surface.
My point is a dog is happiest and content when they are doing what their instincts tell them to do.
Most 'dog trainers' and 'behaviourists' as well as training books, we hear about nowadays are lumping all dogs together. Not understanding different breeds and their traits has overwhelmed shelters and rescues.
If anyone is looking for the best way to bring up a dog look into natural dogsmanship instead of a one size fits all dog breed type of training.

Anonymous said...

2:55
I do not understand the point of your post because an American Pit Bull is not a Boxer.

The list I referenced is the insurance industries commonly blacklisted dogs in order of viciousness, to which the boxer is not listed.

Anonymous said...

Some years ago the list included cockers and I would have to agree. Cockers can be very unpredictable as they age. I think every animal has the capability to be vicious if not treated well... but some are just inbreed too highly for the almighty dollar and end up victims of mans greed. A real good reason to know where your animal came from.

Anonymous said...

Annie, the dogs in question were Boxer mixes as per other media reports on this mauling. Pictures of the dogs clearly show they are a pit bull mix and if I had to take an educated guess, Boxer may not even been in the makeup. 5 of them were involved in this attack.10:08-Golden Cockers were known to have "rage syndrome." With more responsible breeding practices rage has been eliminated mostly. Some Cockers can be nippy but most anymore are even tempered and really trusting.

Anonymous said...

The photo was a labeled as a stock photo, not a photo of the actual dog.

I appreciate your opinion, the article was simply misleading for sensational purposes.