Comments about ‘Boy's cheek bitten off in pit-bull attack’

No bad dogs, just bad dog owners? Hah!

I like this quote from the story, "But Petersen said he also was concerned the incident would result not only in his dog being labeled as vicious, but it would be another unwarranted black mark on the character of all pit bulls.

Petersen said his dog had never been aggressive toward anyone. There is a 2-year-old girl that lives in his house. Toys could be seen scattered all over Petersen's yard Friday."

These pit bulls are always the nicest dogs until they viciously attack and mame or kill. Then it is always the same old excuse. The dogs was really nice.

Well we never hear of other breads being really nice and then just all of a sudden maming or killing in a vicious manner.

Whne will local government leaders have enough courage to ban the bread.

We have a pit bull in our neighborhood and everyone is scared of it. It went after me once and then walked away. Pit bulls should be outlawed.

is blaming the CHILD in this case? When he was somewhere else, with other kids? Are you serious? If he'd aggravated the dog and then let it out, it would have attacked him right there in the yard, not wandered off for a leisurely stroll with some other kids before deciding to do it.

Any time a dog attacks a kid like this, for whatever reason, it should be put down, and I say this as a dog owner.

The owner of the dog states that he is concerned and then turns and tries to place all of the blame on this 5 YEAR OLD CHILD. It doesn't matter that your dog has never done this before. He has now and should be put down!

1st problem - these dogs are unpredictable - I would never have one because of the potential harm.

2nd problem - That little boy should have been taught to leave the dog alone. Where is the parental control here?

Why do pit bull owners always acted surprised when their dogs attack? Hello???

There needs to be legislation regarding this breed of dogs. The danger is too great.

Regardless of the breed, if any dog was getting poked in the head like that more than once then I wouldn't be surprised of some type of attack would occur. Someone should have warned that little boy not to do that to ANY type of animal!

I also agree that if a canine attacks then it should be tested or put down. I also agree that its the dog's owner that should be responsible for any damages caused to that little kid.

I'm not sure why we have this debate over and over. Yes, the way an owner trains a dog matters a great deal. But yes there is evidence that some breeds are more aggressive than others. How come in many cities we can't raise our own chickens for eggs but we can keep dog breeds known and proven to be aggressive?

Boy that makes sense.

A pit bull which belonged to her neighbor charged my daughter and her baby without provocation. Where are the leash laws and laws restricting dogs to the owners' property! Any animal which has been a danger should be put down without hesitation!

Re: RIck "DITTO"

The insurance companies should get with the city dog licensing division and double the cost of homeowner insurance for pit bull owners.

The dogs are UNPREDICTABLE!!!! In other words - a MAJOR risk.

The extra premiums should be used to pay restitution for those that are attacked.

Also, dogs of any breed that provoke and hurt people should be immediately euthanized. Sorry, humans trump dogs and I love my 2 dogs very much. I have had to put down 2 dogs for aggressive behavior and I don't regret it. Nice to be able to sleep at night.

Unwarranted? The dog bit off the kids cheek! Kids tease dogs. It's what they do. For the life of me I can't understand why anyone would defend a pit bull over a human child!

How many kids have to be killed or disfigured before we ban the buying, selling and ownership of this breed? Many cities have done so because they like every other place in the country have seen numbers of these terrible incidents. The Pit-Bull owner groups fight such bans by saying: "it's the owners not the dog" or "it's unclear what is or isn't a Pit-Bull". Funny thing, it's always the same Pit-Bull when a child is attacked. You can't place a loaded 80 caliber howitzer in your back yard, why is it that you can place a dog breed with the physical characteristics and disposition that guarantee that people are attacked and when they are that 2000 pound/per inch bite does a great deal of damage. There are zillions of dog breeds that are loyal, gentle, and able to live in an urban environment, why do we have to tolerate the ownership of these time-bombs, that CANNOT be trained not to attack?

I hope there are criminal charges filed as well as civil lawsuits against this owner. How sad for a little boy to be disfigured just because he's singing a Halloween song.

Fox News has a lead story on a 17 month old boy that was just killed by a pit bull in Madera. The parents of this boy should haul the owners into court and take their cars, their home and bury them in judgments for the rest of their unnatural lives and then they will have something more to worry about then the well being of their dog!

I don't have a pet gater in my yard and I don't have a pit bull in my yard. Why? they are dangerous. Come on people use some common sense-get rid of all the bad dangerous pets and save the children.

Provoking and teasing animals in to attacking is not limited to any breed of dog or animal or insect.

An adrenalin rush in any life form can create some impressive reactions, even to jumping fences or dragging someone with a leash or lifting a 2 ton car off a trapped child.

Although pitbulls are by their breed and size have gotten most of the animal attack news, how many other breed attacks have not been reported? I've been attacked, unprovoked, by Chihuahuas but because of their size it goes unreported.

I have to put the blame on all pet owners of all pets for even incarcerating them in families and homes. This is not their natural environment and no one is secure.

"My pet mountain lion is so nice with the kids. I can't figure out why he would have attacked someone? Someone must have let him out."

Enough is enough! Get rid of pit-bulls or mandate legislation for those dog owners to carry at least a $million in homeowners insurance to cover attacks.

How much is a little boys face worth. These dog owners are making a bad name for the rest of us dog owners! Get a life and get a real dog and stop trying to live your manhood through your dog.