Went fishin last night

[The Grebe]

Got everything done and decided to go down to the river for awhile, kinda relax and maybe catch a few fish.

While trying the different spots, I came across a father fishing with his two young children and they were having a blast catching little sunfish.

I stopped to talk to the fella for a few moments, learned he was from Ostego and that he used to be an FM sponsor, owned an art gallery in Rogers.

The mans little son "Zack" who was maybe 5 years old, had a bandge on his arm. I learned from the childs dad that he had been attacked by a pitbull. The dog had gotten out of the neighbors house and attacked the kid.

Bite marks in his skull, huge bite marks on his side, over 200 stitches in his little arm, an arm that was barely bigger then a broom handle.

It bothered me for the rest of the evening, seeing that little boy and knowing what happened, also knowing what could have happened. I wonder, is it really neccessary to have a violent dog like that in a residential neighborhood where there are small children? If so, why? It's not like they are needed to protect the junk yard, so whats the deal?

There is going to be a story on it in the Star Tribune this comming Saturday. I felt so bad for that little boy, I just had to write something? Sad it happened and glad it wasn't worse....I've had children of my own and I have plenty of small nieces and nephews and I have a little grandson, makes me shudder to think about it.

[CrowRiverRat83]

It is a pretty sad deal what some people do to their pets. I think anytime this happens the owner should be charged accordingly and the animal put down, no questions asked. If I ever see a dog attacking someone or my child, I wouldnt hesitate to end it for the dog by whatever means possible.

[broken_line]

very sad there is no need to have volent dogs or animals as pets if a mean dog even got close to me id kick it in the face harder than any football ive ever kicked

[Cuda Trevor]

I saw a pitbull jump through a screen window to attack a neighbors dog. It took a hammer to get the pitbull to release. Someone had retrieved a gun, but the owner of the pitbull had her dog in a head lock and was beating it with her flip fop to try to get it to release. Fortunatly the collie survived but the pitbull didn't. I just don't know why these people feel they have to have these dangerous animals around. That is terrible to hear about that little boy. He doesn't deserve to go through that.

[JimBuck]

I think the owner's are the ones that should be put down. Dogs aren't inherently angry and malicious, it's the owners that make them into vicious animals. It's tough hearing these kinds of things and I'm glad it didn't turn out worse.

[CrowRiverRat83]

I think the owner's are the ones that should be put down. Dogs aren't inherently angry and malicious, it's the owners that make them into vicious animals. It's tough hearing these kinds of things and I'm glad it didn't turn out worse.

I completely agree that its not the dogs fault. But once a dog gets like that, what are you going to do with it? It would be very hard to turn the dog around and would it even be worth it?

[JimBuck]

I agree RangerGuy. I've got a neighbor who brings in abused/neglected dogs and rehabilitates them to get comfortable with people again. It's quite a process, although most of the breeds I've seen her host have been fairly domesticated...(golden retrievers, labs etc.) Worth it? To most, probably not. But I certainly commend the folks that do put in the time. As for what we could do with it.....there are markets out east for this kind of thing.

[Sandmannd]

Pit Bulls are in the news all the time for these types of things. I'm in the camp that it's generally not bad animals but bad owners. The problems with these dogs are the jaws and if they turn for a minute it can be horrific. I see no need for these dogs around. My brothers room mate has one and they wanted to come down a couple of years ago. On a whim I called and asked if they were planning on leaving the pit and he said no they were bringing it. I said then you aren't coming. My two your old (at the time) is way more important than the fact you think you are too good to kennel your dog for two days. I've been around her and she is a sweet dog, but I won't lay a loaded gun on the table and see if it will go of with my kids around either.

[genegodawa]

I don't thing there is anything wrong when you err on the side of caution.

[Sonicrunch]

I don't thing there is anything wrong when you err on the side of caution.

I agree, to a point. This is how we lose rights. In other words, lets just not make any laws regarding erring on the side of caution.

[BartmanMN]

I don't think that dog would be alive if I saw it latched onto my boys arm.

[BartmanMN]

I don't think that dog would be alive if I saw it latched onto my boys arm and head.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Pit Bulls are in the news all the time for these types of things. I'm in the camp that it's generally not bad animals but bad owners. The problems with these dogs are the jaws and if they turn for a minute it can be horrific. I see no need for these dogs around. My brothers room mate has one and they wanted to come down a couple of years ago. On a whim I called and asked if they were planning on leaving the pit and he said no they were bringing it. I said then you aren't coming. My two your old (at the time) is way more important than the fact you think you are too good to kennel your dog for two days. I've been around her and she is a sweet dog, but I won't lay a loaded gun on the table and see if it will go of with my kids around either.

Agreed, good call on telling them not to come. I think there should be legislation to prohibit owning them. Lots of other great breeds out there. I know some will argue the point, but that's my take.

[Urbanflyguy]

I dont agree with the bad breed thinking. it IS bad owners and bad trainers. ive had 3 pitbulls all that lived to be over 8 years old with ZERO incidents ever. But i do think there should be a law where a potential owner of one needs to have a background check and a madatory pet/owner training classes during mutiple stages of the dogs life. One class when their a puppy wont cut it for the average owner.

Pitbulls as well as any bully breed do need more training and involvement from the owner and socializing with other animals, they also need LOTS of exercise and if they dont get it they get into trouble.

They where called the nanny dog for many years because they are very good with children with the exception of a dog neglected or made mean, All three of mine where very good with childern and even other aniamls except squirrels

My 2nd pit even would sing to my x's daughter when she was a baby.

I know people will have there two cents to put in on this but this is just my experince. I am a good owner and i trained all my dogs myself, and i know first hand they are not viscious killers just waiting for the moment to attack. unless you count when they try to drown me with over zelous dog kisses

[hidepounder]

these breeds have thier place...many are therapy dogs, detection dogs, agility athletes, weight pull, hog hunters, K9's, search & rescue dogs and excellent family pets & so on...

every story i read, regardless of what the dog is like and/or breed of...i find human error...whether its training or containment issues...

this dog got out of the house, human error #1...obviously no proper containment fence either...error #2...besides training etc...

i bet most don't even know the difference between the bull breeds...theres the american pitbull terrier, american staffodshire terrier, english staffordshire terrier, english bullterrier, american bulldog and the american bully...besides various functional working mixes of types with non bull breeds...

the moniker "pitbull" is over used for anything that even remotely resembles an apbt, even when there is none in said mutt and/or very little, just simply a mutt...in europe black labs have been confiscated and put down because they resembled a "pitbull" by ignorant officers...cdc doesn't even keep track because of misidentification...so theres alot of stories in the paper on pitbulls and many are not...just mutt mixes but yet adds to the hysteria, makes for a newsworthy story and tarnishes the breed even more...

they constantly get a bad rap and its a shame...cause they are, believe it or not...one of the greatest breeds ever developed...

yet you never hear of the positive sides of these breeds in the 5'oclock news...many have saved lives...and i've even seen where they showed a pit that saved a family and took a bullet etc...yet the news didn't even mention once its breed...just the family dog...figures eh?

apbt's are used alot in outcrosses in many many breeds to fix health related/structural/drives type issues and improve pure breds...

heres an interesting fact many don't know...but some police k9 breeds, like the belgian malinois...the ones that look like a smaller shorter haired german shepherd, especially out of european czech lines...which are the best par none...pretty much all have apbt outcrossed in the lines...

ignorance and hysteria of the blood thirsty "turn on ya" killer pitbull is nonesense...it complete ignorance...if one looks at the overall number of "pit types" in the us, in the millions...and how few incidences there are...let alone being a pure bred apbt...that will tell you that its not a crazy "pitbull" problem but an isolated owner/responsibility problem...

banning them is taking away rights and have proven ineffective...holland actually just lifted a 25 year ban...because it doesn't work...so they are enforcing existing laws which do work...

there are plenty of laws that simply need to be enforced...breed specific legislation is garbage...its kind of like banning guns...its not the guns that kill its whose behind them...training and responsibility is key...

[Grum]

Very informative and well said hidepounder.

It is the responsibility of the owner to make the long term commitment to provide guidance and training of any breed of animal that is under their care. With that, the owner and animal should enjoy a happy, healthy and social relationship between themselves and others.

[harvey lee]

Originally Posted By: Sandmannd

Pit Bulls are in the news all the time for these types of things. I'm in the camp that it's generally not bad animals but bad owners. The problems with these dogs are the jaws and if they turn for a minute it can be horrific. I see no need for these dogs around. My brothers room mate has one and they wanted to come down a couple of years ago. On a whim I called and asked if they were planning on leaving the pit and he said no they were bringing it. I said then you aren't coming. My two your old (at the time) is way more important than the fact you think you are too good to kennel your dog for two days. I've been around her and she is a sweet dog, but I won't lay a loaded gun on the table and see if it will go of with my kids around either.

Agreed, good call on telling them not to come. I think there should be legislation to prohibit owning them. Lots of other great breeds out there. I know some will argue the point, but that's my take.

If this is what we decide to do, then we must bann all dogs as the owners are the ones that trained them like that.

I have seen viscious labs and dobs and have also seen the exact opposite. People cause this action in animals.

Do we really need more laws for pets, I hope not.

Maybe for the dog owners.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

You can say all you want to defend the breed, but when innocent children and others pay the price, my vote still stands to ban the breed.

Yes, it my be bad owners but it doesn't change the fact that kids are getting hurt, and killed. Many other breeds with a bad owner don't turn into killers. These dogs are just to dangerous to own. Not worth the consequences.

[hidepounder]

not worth the consequences??...that same rational can be applied to banning bicycles, rollar blades, skateboards and anything else in that relm that causes more deaths to innocent children along with crippling, disfiguring and causing brain damage etc, because thats preventable also...

Quote:

Many other breeds with a bad owner don't turn into killers

little do you know...many other breeds/mutts with bad owners do turn into those so called "killers" and maim kids/people...they just don't make as good of a sensational newsworthy story...

its people like you that take away countless rights in america on many levels...because they aren't educated & understand the true facts...and swallow the rubbish sensationalized media puke hook line and sinker...as they say a suckers born every minute...

example do you hunt??...if so would you like all the people that don't hunt to vote for gun bans??...many children & people get killed by them all the time, also preventable...so why shouldn't they??...since they don't hunt and/or use guns...why should they care??...your stance on banning breeds is selfish to say the least...because you don't know anything in depth about the subject and make your opinion based on news hysteria and misconceptions portrayed via the garbage media...verses real knowledge and education in canines...

because you don't care for these breeds...then who cares about all the people that do & keep these breeds responsibly...selfish

Quote:

These dogs are just to dangerous to own.

that above statement is the epitome of ignorance at its finest

[croixflats]

My heart goes out to the yougster Thankfull nothing worst happened though what happened was bad enough.I hear a story like this it sticks with me for a while and it is hard to keep the emotions in check at times.

I'm on the fence on weather in act banning or not. I do believe there should be a category for dangerous dogs(notice I did not say breeds) and owners should jump through extra hoops in order to make sure of safety of the public.

An aggressive dog should treated as such. The 3 strike rule should apply with each strike more consequences/hoops to jump. Each time there is a strike against the dog it must be proven the the situation will not occur again and steps were taken to remedy the aggressiveness. On the 3rd strike its obvious the owner cant handle the dog or does not care so the dog goes by by and the owner spends the night in the pokey.

I hate taking my dog for a walk and having to pick a route that does not have an aggressive dog in the yard. We should not be subjected to this just because the owner may think its cool to have a tough dog or does not have the brains to figure out the danger the dog poses.

Some cities and townships are now finally taking aggressive dogs serious but their hands are pretty much tied in some respects.

Until laws are passed or the laws we have now, witch I dont know of any off hand, are passed or enforced we still will have innocent by standers hurt, maimed or killed and that's a very sad fact.

[Sandmannd]

I don't know about banning, we all know I don't like gov't intervention. But I won't allow one to be around my family. Sorry, I don't trust them, good owner or not.

[elkrivermn]

Boy, 6, mauled

Friday, 24 July 2009

by Bob Grawey

Staff writer

Lynn Knutson’s mind went blank with horror as she watched Lenny Pipp running down her driveway with her bloodied son’s body in his arms. Lynn says she thought her son has been hit by a car.

“How bad is it?” she managed as she met Pipp.

“It’s bad,” was enough to send shock waves through the mother’s body. She told Pipp to rush 6-year-old Zak Knutson up to a second-story bathroom while she called 911.

Lynn then called her husband, Chris.

“Ambulance. Blood. Get home!” she screamed through the phone.

By now, Lynn had discovered it was not a car that bloodied young Zak, but the neighbor’s pit bull.

The Knutsons had planned a family outing Friday night to watch the July 17 Sherburne County Fair parade in Elk River. Chris was still at work in Rogers. Lynn was giving the kids baths so they would be ready to go.

It was nearly 5 p.m.

But then Zak began splashing more water around the bathroom than his mom cared to put up with and sent him outside to pick up some things from the yard.

Emma, the family’s Weimaraner, went outside with Zak, crossing the street to check out the neighbor’s yard. Zak had just taken Emma by the collar to lead her back to her own yard when the pit bull, owned by Pipp’s mother, Colleen Coates and live-in friend, Tim Javes, slammed hard enough against the door of its owner’s house to bust outside.

In seconds, the pit bull reached Zak and viciously attacked him. The dog bit the 6-year-old’s head, stomach and rib area and mauled Zak’s left arm.

For a few seconds the little boy fought his way free of the dog’s grip, running to escape, but the pit bull was on him again, viciously biting him.

By this time Pipp, who was inside the house, saw what was happening and rushed outside to help the wounded boy still under attack.

Zak’s dad, Chris, says they are lucky their neighbor was there.

“If he had not been there to get his dog off,” Chris says of Pipp, “my son would be dead. As it is, you could see meat and fat hanging down from his arm, and you could see all the way down to the bone.”

Zak was rushed to Mercy Hospital where a team of five emergency personnel worked on the boy for 1.5 hours to repair the damage caused by the dog bites. Lynn says the doctor in charge of her son’s care told her there were so many stitches he gave up trying to keep count.

Injuries to the boy’s head and stomach area required stitches, but the wounds did not pose any threats. Zak’s arm suffered the most damage, as a lot of muscle was ripped in the attack. No ligaments were damaged, however, and a full recovery is expected. Zak was not hospitalized.

Back home, it was a rough couple of nights for the family. Aside from Zak throwing up from the pain medication he had to take, the Knutsons say the first night home for their son was filled with nightmares as Zak tried fighting off the dog’s attack in his sleep.

The second night was better, but only as long as the young boy could hold his mom’s hand during the night. Lynn says if they somehow let go of their hands, Zak flailed around the bed trying to find her hand.

Her son is getting better, but Lynn wishes she had paid more attention to a premonition she had concerning the neighbor’s pit bulls.

July 4th was the first time the family met their neighbors across the street. They were setting off fireworks and the Knutsons decided it would be a good time to meet them after living there eight years. But it was during that visit when she was struck with an uneasy premonition.

“She kept talking about her American Staffordshire terriers and how wonderful they were,” Lynn remembers. “No matter how much I tried to change the subject, she kept bringing it back to how wonderful her American Staffordshire terriers were. She told me they would never hurt my children. Right then I thought I had better keep my kids away from those dogs.”

American Staffordshire terrier is a name many use interchangeably with pit bull. Many consider both as the same breed, while some say the two are close cousins.

Zak’s parents do not care what the dogs are called. They say they are dangerous and should not be allowed in the city.

“I’d like to ask her how wonderful she thinks her dogs are now,” Lynn says.

This is the article from the Elk River Star Newspaper

[candiru]

In my opinion BAN THE BREED!!!!!! This is sickening. A gun or bicycle doesn't get out the door on its own. Definitly no multiple chances.

This breed has been bred over the years to attack and kill. They might be great and then something can set them off out of the blue. I remember one of them it was just a kid riding a trike or big wheel. You never know what might set them off. The instinct to attack and kill is there. Just like the instinct of a Lab to swim and retrieve, a pointer to point, coonhound to track, or any bird dog to find birds. These instincts are there. The training is only really needed to hone these instincts.

[ikatcher]

well said candiru, whether or nor they are raised to be a family pet or not they do have that instinct in them. they are very powerful dogs and if they do attack a human or another dog its not just a dog bite. they rip and tear and want to get whatever they are going after by the throat. any dog can bite, but a pit bull is not just a bite.why would you want to take that chance owning one? it sounds like the dog in this case was a "good dog" i would hate to see the results if it was a mean one.

[elkrivermn]

All dogs are unpradictable, you never know what will happen when dogs are around children. I remember about 25 years ago in the Staples area a lab mauled a 5 year olds face and the child had to have its face reconstructed with multiple surgerys. A dog is a animal you can never be 100% sure that it will be safe around humans.These people must fel powerfull owning breeds like a pit bull how sad.