Spokane county shelter adopts out pit bull, kills 4 year old boy

[EMNofSeattle]

Which question are you answering with your, "Yes"?


If veterinarians have trouble telling which dogs are pit bulls by looking at them,
how can you feel confident that the data collected about dogs accurately reflects actual pit bulls?

No one has any trouble identifying pit bulls. Every single time a breed specific law has been challenged on this basis courts have ruled any ordinary person can identify one

Are you going to tell me you can’t pick the pit bull out of the line up?

 

[Mycroft]

'Hate is like a hot coal, the longer you hold on to it the deeper it burns." Karmic wisdom
You should start treating those burns my friend, they've gotta be painful.


Sick. Not surprised you hate dogs, guessing the feeling is mutual.
View attachment 67487001

I love dogs. I hate pit bulls.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

No one has any trouble identifying pit bulls.

If this were shown to be factually incorrect, would that change anything in your mind?

 

[TheParser]

(!) I love YouTube videos on rescuing stray dogs and those lingering in shelters.

(2) Yes, those videos often cause my tears to well up.

(3) I have noticed that pit bulls are often shown to be very loving and wonderful pets, even with children.

(4) I have read the angry comments from pit bull owners who say that it is pure bigotry that pit bulls have their fearsome reputation.

(5) But every year, I have read a few reports about how pit bulls have gotten loose and badly torn up or even killed their victims.

(6) I understand that pit bulls are forbidden in some cities. While efforts to ban them have been stopped in other cities.

(7) I recently read that a certain dog breed (I forget which) has just been banned in the United Kingdom.

(8) Yes, pit bulls are the most difficult breed to get adopted from shelters.

(9) If only people would get their dogs neutered, we would not have this problem of thousands of stray dogs and thousands that are euthanized.

(10) This is 2024. Many people are -- as usual - going to be bitten by dogs. But those who are attacked by pit bulls will be savaged.

(11) Since this is the United States, where we treasure personal freedom, I guess the pit bull problem will never be solved.

(Of course, most pit bull attacks are caused by their irresponsible owners who do not make sure to keep them from roaming the streets. And those irresponsible owners are never going to change. They are irresponsible in every aspect of their lives.)

 

[EMNofSeattle]

If this were shown to be factually incorrect, would that change anything in your mind?

it’s not incorrect. If it looks like a pitbull it is. Pit bull advocates muddy the waters by claiming a family of different breeds of dog which are in actuality all pit bulls look like each other. It’s a bad faith argument

I’m not interested in technical arguments about the American Pit Bull terrier breed standard which are a canard anyway.

Most BSL also includes pit bull mixes and their associated breeds like staffordshire terriers (which are pit bulls. The breed was invented by dog fighter Louis colbie as a fraud to register his fighting dogs) or bull XLs

 

[Simon W. Moon]

it’s not incorrect. If it looks like a pitbull it is. Pit bull advocates muddy the waters by claiming a family of different breeds of dog which are in actuality all pit bulls look like each other. It’s a bad faith argument

Your mind is made up and no evidence matters any more?

or what exactly?

 

[EMNofSeattle]

Your mind is made up and no evidence matters any more?

or what exactly?

You’re not presenting any evidence.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

You’re not presenting any evidence.

you're not answering the question

 

[mrjurrs]

This should not have been a family dog. He should’ve been forced across the rainbow bridge long before this happened

You're gonna need a source for that fat one. There are huge numbers of pits and pit 'mutts' that are loved family pets.

 

[Crovax]

Like St Bernards, Great Danes, Mastiffs and all of the whole horde of various other large ass dogs?

When there are underground fight rings of Great Danes we can talk about them not being pets also.

 

[BirdinHand]

On a list of things that are a threat to kids, dogs are WAY down the list.


And frankly, dogs are way less dangerous to kids than humans are.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

When there are underground fight rings of Great Danes we can talk about them not being pets also.

All dog breeds which are in underground fight rings are not pets?

Or just pit bulls?

 

[Simon W. Moon]

On a list of things that are a threat to kids, dogs are WAY down the list.
And frankly, dogs are way less dangerous to kids than humans are.

that would be unsurprising if true

 

[mrjurrs]

There are certain dog breeds that are more dangerous than others
I own and manage a doggie daycare boarding facility, at least until Jan 30th when the title changes hands to the new owner, as my wife and I are selling and retiring.

I have seen and been around thousands of dogs....including pits, rotties, shepards, etc
We do assessments on EVERY dog that comes to our facility to make sure that dog is worthy of being in a pack....worthy of being put in situations around lots of other animals and people. We get rescues all the time where there is NO HISTORY. Family adopted from a shelter who had the dog for a short amount of time, and so it is hit or miss or what the history of the dog was like.

Was it abused? Mistreated? Left alone outside for days at a time? DId it ever get socialized with other dogs? No one has these answers a lot of the time. Our job is to figure out if the dog is okay, and a dog not only okay for daycare, but for the family. Our trainer works with these dogs on a one on one basis, and in small groups...and sometimes we just cant get the dog to where we need it to be.

If you rescue a dog, and dont take it to a facility like mine, or at least a trainer, you are imo playing with fire. All dogs can be dangerous. Some of course, more than others, but that is why you have professionals work with them to make sure everything is okay.

Thanks for the work. Enjoy retirement.

 

[BirdinHand]

that would be unsurprising if true

@10-15 children die annually in the US from dog bites/attacks.

More than 900 drown

More than 2500 US kids die at the barrel of a gun.


Unless dogs grew thumbs, or are drowning kids in pools…

Humans and human negligence are a much bigger concern than a dog will ever be.

 

[EMNofSeattle]

@10-15 children die annually in the US from dog bites/attacks.

More than 900 drown

More than 2500 US kids die at the barrel of a gun.


Unless dogs grew thumbs, or are drowning kids in pools…

Humans and human negligence are a much bigger concern than a dog will ever be.

So what? That’s no reason to place dangerous dogs in homes with children.

 

[BirdinHand]

16 other tax-funded shelters in the United States since 2014 that have adopted out or transferred a dog to a rescue that subsequently killed a person

From the article linked in the OP

16 animals in a decade have been violent.

1.6 incidents a year?

Your kid is more likely to get hit by lightning and die than die from a dog rescued from a tax payer funded shelter of ANY breed (28 deaths annually from lightning strikes)

 

[Simon W. Moon]

@10-15 children die annually in the US from dog bites/attacks.
More than 900 drown
More than 2500 US kids die at the barrel of a gun.
Unless dogs grew thumbs, or are drowning kids in pools…
Humans and human negligence are a much bigger concern than a dog will ever be.

not shocked a bit

 

[BirdinHand]

So what? That’s no reason to place dangerous dogs in homes with children.

Steps in a home are more dangerous than a dog.

12,000 deaths/year from trips and falls on steps.

Should there be no stairs in a home?

 

[EMNofSeattle]

Steps in a home are more dangerous than a dog.

28,000 deaths/year from trips and falls on steps.

Should there be no stairs in a home?

How do you get to the second floor without stairs? They’re no safer method. A vertical ladder is far more dangerous.

The pit bull is a vertical ladder, you can install safer stairs anx get anything else

 

[BirdinHand]

How do you get to the second floor without stairs? They’re no safer method. A vertical ladder is far more dangerous.

The pit bull is a vertical ladder, you can install safer stairs anx get anything else

You would be safer with a pile of dogs than steps

Statistically.

The threat to kids from ANY breed of dogs is negligible.

The threat to kids from ANY breed of dog when they have an observant parent is next to zero.

This kid wouldn’t be dead if his parents 1. Didn’t adopt a dog they didn’t know the history of and 2. Didn’t leave a dog they barely know unattended with their child.

This kid is tragically dead because his parents made several mistakes. There’s no reason to blame a dog for that. The parents are the one that adopted the dog AND let their kid around the dog unsupervised.

 

[Superfly]

This is a topic that doesn’t get enough attention, how animal “rights” extremists have taken over local animal shelters which are taxpayer funded and used them as platforms to advance agendas like “no kill” policies which directly lead to often fatal harm to the public. This isn’t the first time this has happened, but it’s a pretty interesting case.

From the excellent website dogsbite.org we get the story

2023 Dog Bite Fatality: Pit Bull-Mix that Killed Child on Halloween in Northeast Spokane, Washington was Recently Adopted

Dog Adopted Out by County Shelter (SCRAPS) 8-Weeks Earlier Colton Kline, 4, was killed by a family dog in northeast Spokane, Washington. Dog Adopted from County UPDATE 12/06/23: The dog that killed Colton Kline was adopted from Spokane Regional Animal

blog.dogsbite.org

Basically this 2 year old male pitbull was taken into Spokane county animal rescue, no information about why the animal ended up in the shelter has been provided to journalists or seemingly to the family who adopted the dog, and within 3 months, December of 2023, the pit bull fatally attacks the family’s 4 year old boy.

This is of course no surprise because these types of attacks against children and the elderly/infirm by pit bulls adopted as “pets” occur multiple times every year. Resulting in deaths or disfigurement. Less then four months before Colton Kline was killed by the pitbull Spokane adopted an ordinance banning the animal rescue from euthanizing dangerous animals

Unfortunately no one was at the council to advocate for children like Colton Kline, only his killer is worthy of representation in the city of Spokane

It’s way past time responsible legislators start cracking down on animal shelters. No kill policies should be illegal and pit bulls should be presumed dangerous and euthanized when admitted to shelters. At the very least anyone thinking of adopting a pit bull should be entitled to written warnings from the shelters explaining these dogs are dangerous, kill more people then all other breeds combined, and have such a strong jaw lock that you can’t get them off their victims. One report of the attack shows the child’s grandmother actually repeatedly sliced this dog with a knife including in the throat and it still came back to continue the attack. People don’t know what they’re getting into with these animals and shelters need to start being held accountable

What a shock. You and @Mycroft hate dogs, too.

You run out of brown people to hate?

 

[Superfly]

Pit bulls are, by nature, unpredictable...no matter how well they are trained. They can seem like the sweetest, most lovable dog on earth...and then they can rip your five year old daughter's throat out.

Any dog can do that.

 

[BirdinHand]

Any dog can do that.

I would trust the biggest, meanest looking dog WELL before I’d trust people that hate on dogs based solely on their breed

 

[Ishm]

I never can understand why people choose to keep dangerous breeds unless they are in real need of a serious 'guard dog'. Keeping a dangerous breed when you have very young children is a silly choice. Even then you can get effective guard dogs that are not a threat to your family. Our current dog is a large animal with a very intimidating "I'm gunna rip your throat out" bark when strangers turn up. He is a very effective guard dog, which is part of the reason we have him. In reality the most harm he would cause a visiting child might be from licking them to death in excitement. He is a bit rough and tumble due to not knowing his own strength sometimes, but just loves people. The moment I introduce you to him he is your new best friend. Pretty much as you would predict from his mix of breeds. Basically, I think you can fill any dog related need without having to home a dangerous breed. I think some people take on particular dog breeds as a sort of 'fashion statement' rather than a proper choice based on suitability.