WALDOBORO, Maine — A pit bull that attacked two members of its family Saturday remained in quarantine Wednesday as police worked to reconstruct the dog’s history in an attempt to determine whether it is an inherently dangerous animal.
Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde said the 10-day quarantine is required by state law after any dog attack.
Police and rescue workers went to 230 Kaler’s Corner Road in Waldoboro just after 7 p.m. Saturday to find a 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy suffering from injuries that Labombarde said were not life-threatening. Both victims were treated at the scene for multiple bites and then taken to Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta. They have since been released.
Labombarde said the victims’ grandfather was outside when he heard screaming. He responded to find the dog’s jaw clamped on his grandson’s arm. He pried the animal’s jaws loose and locked the dog in a room by itself. Authorities later took the dog to Lincoln County Humane Society but the animal was transferred to another facility Tuesday.
Labombarde said the injuries caused by the attack were serious, but declined to provide details, citing confidentiality rules. He said the victims are “doing fine” Wednesday and recovering from their injuries.
Police and an animal control officer continue to investigate the attack. Labombarde said the outstanding issues include whether charges for keeping a dangerous dog are appropriate for the owners, as well as whether the dog will be euthanized. The latter issue could be decided by the owner, though Labombarde said it’s possible that police could use an ex parte order if they decide the dog is too dangerous to be in the community.
“It’s always best to get the owner’s cooperation, and I see no problem with that in this case,” said Labombarde. “We’re acting in the best interest of public safety.”
Labombarde said the dog, which the family has had for more than a year, is current on its vaccinations. Asked whether he has an opinion about the safety of pit bulls as family pets, he said he has seen this breed and others go both ways and that how the dog is treated during its life is a key factor.
“I’ve seen people have pit bulls and they’re the sweetest dog in the world,” said Labombarde. “I’ve seen other pit bulls that are just nasty. I’ve seen both sides of the spectrum with those animals.”
I would say that a dog who bites a 12 and 13 year old is inherently dangerous.
Not nesessarily, it could be that the kids were antagonizing the dog. Not saying they were but maybe..
OR it could just be that pit bulls are a dangerous and aggressive breed…
OR it could be that you use AND trust Wiki to support your opinions.
C’mon, that’s like saying a rape victim was wearing revealing clothing, so she must be asking for it!
That has got to be the dumbest comment I’ve seen on here recently.
Well then perhaps you should re read your post about the mauling being the childrens fault.
Just out of idle curiosity, were you there? Because if you weren’t you don’t know what precipitated the attack.
If it was my dog, it’s fate would have already been decided………
….
Typical response: “it’s not the breed, it’s the owner”
That’s like saying: “Having a grizzly bear in your house is fine as long as it’s trained well”
Sorry people, but Pit bulls are aggressive and unpredictable dogs.
They are a dangerous breed, and should not be allowed around children.
Not a fan of pitbulls in general, a full blooded Pit is fine, a pitbull mixed with an aggressive breed is a big problem, full blooded pits are mild mannered, you have to know what your getting when you get one of these dogs
You are absolutely correct. We had an pit/black lab mix that was the biggest pain in the you know what. Not mean to people but birds…omg. We had chickens and that darn dog ate every last one of them. She loved kittens, though…the neighbor’s mother cat abandoned her kittens and that stupid dog laid down on the other side of the chain link fence and tried nursing those kittens, lol. She cleaned them, mothered them and let them nurse and then we bottle fed them. She even carried them into the house one at a time, cleaned them…it was crazy…dumb dog.
eats pet chickens = good dog…?
must have missed something there
Yes, you missed reading comprehension. I didn’t say this was a good dog. I said it was a pain in the butt dog.
Pain in the butt dog ≠ bad dog.
pain in the butt = (idiomatic) a nuisance, annoyance, source of trouble.
a bad dog would be one that eats pet chickens, disobeys a masters orders, and/or bites people.
That’s complete BS
Check out your insurance company’s “black list of dog breeds”.
I don’t give a crap about the insurance company list-it doesn’t mean squat. If most people would only educated themselves instead of relying upon the media for their information about these things there wouldn’t be quite as much ignorance of the breed as I’ve seen with these stories.
Yes some pit bulls can certainly be dangerous but first take a look at how they’ve been raised and what they’ve been exposed to. Pit bulls are not born mean, they’re made that way by the idiots who’ve raised them.
Pit bulls killed more people last year than any other dog type combined.
You should not rely on Wiki as a primary source. Secondly, news organizations cannot get basic information correct (just look at the BDN headlines) and you expect them to report the “breed” accurately? Even Animal Control Officers, pounds, shelters, etc…often get the breed wrong.
the article has the references to the specific attacks.
It’s as good as any.
derp.
Did you actually try and click through to the source articles?
This is why I never use Wiki as a primary source:
1. Of the nine fatal attacks, only two are identified as “pit bulls”,
2. Six are “pit bull types” (I have no idea how they arrived at that determination. I personally know a large long haired black dog that looks just like a Newfy that is really a German Shepherd and a dog that looks just like a Burmese Mountain Dog that is really a German Shepherd/St. Bernard mix)
3. One was multiple-dogs
4. Several of the source articles that were referenced had broken links or the story was no longer available.
Google.com
Search terms:
pit bull attacks,
dog attack fatalities 2011
the proof is there, you are simply denying what is a known fact that pit bulls are dangerous dogs.
Any parent that has pit bulls around their children should have their kids taken away.
And the only fatal dog attack that occurred in Maine in recent memory was not a “pit bull” but a Rottie. The other vicious dog attack that occurred last year was also NOT a “pit bull” but a Bulldog.
What you are relying on for source material (Wiki, etc…) is basically flawed. How many times a week does the BDN have to correct a headline, issue a correction, gets basic information wrong and you want to base your opinions on newspaper articles?
sooo where would you get your information from?
blogs?
word of mouth?
???
No, good old fashioned research.
If you cannot view the source article it cannot be verified as accurate.
If Wiki lists “Pit bull-type, bulldog, Alaskan malamute, German shepherd and German shepherd-bulldog mix” and the source article says “dogs” and makes no reference to the breeds the listing of dogs is meaningless and inflammatory.
dogbites.org is a source many people use to justify breed specific legislation. However, if you click on “about” you will learn that dogbites.org has listed as one of its purposes the banning of pit-bulls through breed specific laws. They have an AGENDA so that sources credibility is suspect.
When vets, ACOs, kennel, shelter and pound workers have difficulty properly identifying the breeds how do you expect the news media to get it right?
I personally know of a dog attack that occurred west of Bangor late last year that involved a child and face/neck bites which are considered “kill bites” that didn’t make it into the BDN. Why? Easy answer, it wasn’t a “pit bull”.
Way to re-arrainge the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Still having issues handling facts I see.
Where are you getting that information, please share because I’d love to see it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States#Fatalities_reported_in_2011
The wikipedia article specifies sources from news sites regarding fatal dog attacks.
I’m not going to list them all here, but if you scroll down to the references section of the article they are references 212 -227
enjoy.
The reference articles have been discredited in the majority of the cases. Next time try clicking through before you hang your hat on Wiki.
Wikipedia isn’t a very reliable source, especially for statistics that aren’t officially tracked. The CDC used to track, but came to find out many of the dogs reported as pit bulls were look-a-like breeds, thus they stopped tracking, and claimed the inaccuracy. Wiki got their stats from the flawed CDC results. And besides. stats. even if they were accurate, doesn’t address the real issue, which is the dog owners. Think about this, when Dobermans were popular with thugs, they were responsible for more attacks, and pit bulls were unheard of. Pit bulls used to be Americas family dog in the first half of the 20th century, yet they weren’t feared. Never blame a breed, but look towards the other end of the leash for the problem. Also, if you look at all dog attacks (any breed), human negligence is very apparent. This is where the term “Punish the deed, not the breed” came from. If you statistically tracked car accidents, and Toyota Camry had the most accidents, would you believe there is something wrong with Toyota Camry, or would you consider other issues, such as there are many Camry, they last longer than other cars and younger and inexperienced or unlicensed drivers drive them more often due to dependability and affordability. There is just way too much proof that bad dogs come from bad owners, and whatever breed is popular with thugs at the time, is always the breed that makes headlines and is responsible for more attacks. Numbers alone do not tell us much, and anyone that has taken stats 101 knows this.
Ive known pits that were like gila monsters as soon as they were born,even turning on their siblings…Im sure there are lots of collies and goldens that are like that too,right?lol
State Farm has NO restrictions on breed of dogs. Some insurance companies provide coverage if the dog has taken and passed the Canine Good Citizen test offered by the AKC.
I don’t expect to change your mind but I will correct misinformation when I see it.
yeah, and the idiots have German Shepherds on the list.. let’s see, seeing eye dogs, Service Dogs for the Handicapped, and Police Dogs.. I have never met a bad Shepherd yet.. Or have I ever owned a bad one… Saying this, Some irresponsible people can make a beagle mean. I have a lot of trouble with back yard breeders as well.. Sorry breeding Mother and Sons, Dad and Daughters, and Brothers and Sisters…Well I guess you won’t know what you get till the damage is done…
damn even a chow is on the list which makes your insurance sky rocket. I have had a chow for 10 years now and all she is is a big baby… Then little ankle biters are more aggressive then these so called bad dogs.. Only difference is the damn little ankle biters cant get their mouths open wide enough and with enough power to really hurt someone..
Its all in the way they are raised
I don’t know about that, I mean, when’s the last time you heard of a pug mauling a baby to death?
or how about a great dane?
or poodle?
Greyhound?
golden retriever?
Even german shepherds?
other dog breeds?
…. well?
on the other hand, how often do pit bulls maim or kill people?
need some help?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_dog_attacks_in_the_United_States#Fatalities_reported_in_2011
in 2011 pit bulls or similar mixed breeds killed 7 people, accounting for 58% of dog bite related fatalities. another 2 people (16%) of the fatalities were killed by rottweilers.
The other breeds of dogs in fatal 2011 attacks were:
1 Cane Corso
1 Alaskan Malamute*
1 German shepherd*
11 Bulldog*
Doberman Pinscher
* The shepherd, malamute, and bulldog were the same attack. Which in this case would be the owner, not the breed, responsible.
The evidence is overwhelming year after year. pit bulls kill.
First off I would never use Wiki as a primary source for anything. It is a great reference and starting point but one needs to view any source that allows anyone to change info is just not reliable.
Case in point, the list does not show the most recent fatal dog attack in Maine which occurred last year. “Frankfort Girl, 7 months old, Mauled to Death by Family Rottweiler”, BDN 4/13/2011.
so, is the information in the wikipedia article wrong though?
Or merely incomplete.
regardless, that still makes the majority of fatal dog attacks pit bulls.
January 4
Pit bull/Mix -Type It was unclear if Leal died from injuries sustained during the dog attack or from exisiting liver cancer she was battling while alive.
January 12
Pit-bull-type Killed by her neighbor’s two dogs in their backyard. The dogs also attacked her grandmother. A neighbor reported that the dogs had been abused by their owner.
February 19
Pit bull-type Killed by family’s dog (unable to view source newspaper article)
April 24
Pit bull-type Killed by four dogs when she was out walking in her neighborhood. (Unable to view source newspaper article – “The article requested is no longer available.”)
June 15
Pit bull-type Mauled by neighbors’ two pit bulls while walking on his property. http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-06-15/story/putnam-county-man-mauled-pit-bulls-dies Once you finish reading the article tell me who ultimately failed the man that died.
August 15
Pit bull “An autopsy…along with analysis by dog bite experts…concluded
that…one of her two dogs, a 2-year-old male named Gunner, took part in (this) fatal attack.
August 30
Pit bull-type, bulldog, Alaskan malamute, German shepherd and German shepherd-bulldog mix. Mauled to death by 5 dogs in the kitchen of the family’s home. (The “news” item referenced as the source makes NO mention of the types of dogs involved, it just says “mauled by dogs” and “attacked by dogs”
December 5
Pit bull-type Killed by his dog in his home (unable to view source newspaper article)
December 8
Pit bull Killed by her neighbor’s dog.
This is why I never use Wiki as a primary source:
1. Of the nine fatal attacks, only two are identified as “pit bulls”,
2. Six are “pit bull types” (I have no idea how they arrived at that determination. I personally know a large long haired black dog that looks just like a Newfy that is really a German Shepherd and a dog that looks just like a Burmese Mountain Dog that is really a German Shepherd/St. Bernard mix)
3. One was multiple-dogs
4. Several of the source articles that were referenced had broken links or the story was no longer available.
pit bull type may refer to pit bull mixed breeds that seem to be very popular.
Or they could look like a “pit bull” but are not a “pit bull”.
Since you made the statement it is obvious that you didn’t read the response as I addressed that very issue.
“I personally know a large long haired black dog that looks just like a
Newfy that is really a German Shepherd and a dog that looks just like a
Burmese Mountain Dog that is really a German Shepherd/St. Bernard mix”
Not everything that “looks” like a “pit bull” is a “pit bull”. Even one of the source articles used to support the August 30 statement make NO reference to the types of dogs. It just says “dogs”.
Give the Dog a third eye, and move on.
Do you understand why the dog is in quarantine?
Let me answer the question for you. The dog is quarantined to insure it has not been exposed to rabies. If you shoot the dog in the brain instead of quarantining it, you guarantee the family must (not just the children) undergo a series of rabies shots.
No, you need to read the article again, and perhaps curtail your flag waving for pits. ME state law requires any dog to be quarantined 10 days after an attack. The dog is a licensed pet, and must have a rabies shot to get the license. You should know that from your own dogs. Stop trying to slant the issue.
I did read the article and I know the dog is current.
Answer me this. If the dog is current on its vaccinations including Rabies why does it need to be quarantined for 10 days?
The answer is not all dogs have the antibody in sufficient amounts to protect against rabies.
If you choose not to believe this, ask your vet. They will tell you the same thing.
As to “flag waving for pits”, I am “flag waving” for dogs. If people are successful in banning a specific breed of dog the next dog breed could be the German Shepherd (they were under attack in the 1980s, I know I owned one) or the Rottie or the D0berman or the _______ (fill in the blank with your favorite dog breed.
Simple Answer= .38 caliber to the brain of the dog!!! BAN THE BREED!
Ban the ignorance!!
of people who are ignorant enough to have this breed of animal!
That statement in itself shows your ignorance. Hard to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
Do you understand why the dog is in quarantine?
Let me answer the question for you. The dog is quarantined to insure it has not been exposed to rabies. If you shoot the dog in the brain instead of quarantining it, you guarantee the family must (not just the children) undergo a series of rabies shots.
And a “pit bull” is not a breed but a class of dogs that include depending on who you ask the American pit bull terrier, the American Staffordshire terrier, the Staffordshire bull terriers, some mastiff (Boerboel), the Tosa just to name a few.
The dog MUST be put down….The stupid dog owners need to have their heads examined for keeping such a “PET” in their house. Not the first time, won’t be the last. Dumb & Dumber.
What if the kids were antagonizing the dog, do you still think it should be put down? My guess is yes…
yes!
I really dont get how some of you people think! If this dog was being antagonized you would want it killed? Same as if he wasnt? Bet all you dont have animals! I had a German Shepard that was picked on for over a year by this one kid and the dog as on a run he would throw rocks at him and all kinds of horrible things we had neighbors telling us all the time and one day my dog wasnt on his run when this boy went by on his bike and the dog went and bit his leg. Now we knew the parents of the boy knew he was doing this as we had told her. Do you think that we had him put down because he was sick of being tortured and finally had revenge? NO! He lived a long life and the boy never picked on him again. People need to think of both sides of whats going on and typically its one sided
WHY is this animal still alive???!!!!
Here are the options for a dog that has bitten someone.
1) Quarantine the animal for 10 days to see if it develops signs or symptoms of rabies, or
2) Euthanize the dog, surgically remove the head, ship it the the state lab in Augusta (via Greyhound bus) where the brain will be tested for rabies.
I know which one you would choose but not everyone wants to put their dog down.
Many are so quick to say “kill the dogs”. In many creative phrases. But if one were to go around saying “kill this person” a lot of you would have a court date for threatening. People are far more dangerous. They commit War, Rape, Murder and Torture on a daily basis most of us turn the other cheek blindly to it. This dog did make a mistake and is going to have to pay a price for this. It is at the mercy of people who are hungry for it’s blood that’s the sad thing. I adopted a rescue dog and within the first month it bit me on my thigh and would not let go. I knew enough not to struggle because a dog’s instinct is to shake and pull if you do. My leg was the deepest purple I have ever seen on a body before from my knee to my hip. I did not seek medical treatment because it was puncture wounds eight to be exact. I simply kept the wound clean. But I knew if I went to the ER they were going to want to make a report with the police who in turn would have taken my Dog and more than likely killed him. After that moment he never showed his teeth again, never bite anyone or showed any sign’s of aggression. He became my best friend. I gave him a chance to redeem himself and he repaid me everyday for the 5yrs (he was 6 when I rescued him) I was lucky enough to receive his love and affection.
On the other hand, i go around all the time saying “this person should be executed” if the person in question is a convicted murderer, sex offender, or violent criminal.
same goes for dogs, if they attack or kill a person they should be put to death as soon as possible.
I wonder what the kids were doing to the dog to make him bite them.
probably nothing.
Who knows, I don’t and I am sure that you don’t either.
So, to all the people who believe that pit bulls are not a dangerous breed:
would be more comfortable with 6 pit bulls be around a toddler?
or would you feel more comfortable with a bunch of pugs around a toddler?
???
Properly supervised or left alone?
does it matter?
I will assume that you are asking a serious question.
The AKC, etc…recommend that you never leave a toddler alone with any dog…ANY. The toddler has a way of tugging on ears, poking at eyes, pulling the tail, climbing on, over and under dogs all of which can result in a very nasty response from any breed of dog.
First people who own any Dog must be responsible regardless of the breed. And a responsible Dog owner and parent would not let their Toddler be unsupervised with any Dog unless they were without a shred of doubt that their toddler would not hit, bite, throw things etc at the Dog. I am not saying that is what these children did. Any person who have spent any amount of time around a Toddler knows that they do all of these things at some point or another in their life. Dog’s just like children need positive discipline and positive re enforcement. A dog must be trained. The unfortunate thing is most people do neither with their dog or child. The thing is, I may be stereotyping here, but I am merely speaking from my experience with whom I see PitBulls with. 80% of my experience seeing a Pit Bull it is with someone walking around like a tough guy/gal badge of honor. Big chain collar etc “I can not carry around a gun, so I will carry around my pit bull to show how tough I am”. Again merely from what I have seen, PitBulls are chained up outside with little to no social interaction with other dogs and people. A lot of PitBulls experience some sort of neglect at sometime so they are more apt to protect themselves the only way they know how to bite or just plain snap. Little Dogs are more prone to bite. They just don’t cause much damage. Therefore there is not much data to compare. Pit Bulls are bred to be “tough guy/gal” Dog’s and have been for quite some time. And they do turn eventually if not cared for properly but all Dog’s do, no matter how much our society wants a dog to be a part of the family they are still an animal. And I have a Dog who I love and goes everywhere with me. But Dogs are animals who have the fight or flight response to any uncomfortable situation.
ANY dog is dangerous. When it comes to articles about bites or maulings by pit bulls people become foolish. The pit is more muscular than a beagle and therefore MAY inflict more damage. That doesnt mean all pits are nasty. Perhaps THAT one is, or perhaps not. The story doesnt give you all the facts, now does it? But should we also ban logging trucks? or semis? They are heavier than a car and MAY inflict more damage than a car. How about a plane? Can and most likely WILL kill more people in one incident than a pit bull does in a year if it were to crash. How about a draft horse? Kicks harder and bites harder than a pony. Gee, I wonder how many injuries each year by these animals? Mass hysteria, ignorance, and prejudice runs rampant. Would you also be one of those individuals who think eveyone with a tattoo has been in jail and is worthless, and that eveyone who lives in a trailer commits crimes?
All Pitbulls should be put down,, only people with low selfesteem own them… They were never mean’t to be pets in the first place, they were breed to kill
Would you include those pit bulls that have been certified as Therapy Dogs to assist people with disabilities?
LOVE IT soo true
Yes.
So you don’t care about those people that rely on service dogs to make it through the day. These service dogs and therapy dogs make it possible for people to live nearly normal lives and you would remove the very animal that makes it possible.
I wonder if you are willing to pay the increase in health care costs which would happen with the removal of the service and therapy dogs? Probably not, but since it doesn’t impact you directly why would you give a “tinkers damn” anyway?
First I never said I didn’t care, yet there are other breeds that preform that job just as good if not better then a pit. Second, I am very sure you don’t give a dam about my needs, wants and desires….
Hmmm you “never said I didn’t care”…
Your first post – “All Pitbulls should be put down,, only people with low selfesteem own them… They were never mean’t to be pets in the first place, they were breed to kill”
My question – “Would you include those pit bulls that have been certified as Therapy Dogs to assist people with disabilities? ”
Your answer – “Yes”
That seems to say that you “don’t care”.
Only people with low self esteem?? Man, you really are ignorant. Im tired of the generalities in the comments posted to many of these articles. Can’t have an intelligent debate? you give Mainers a bad name with your general prejudiced comments.
Isn’t it ironic, how the kids are never questioned, or blamed, even if they did abuse the animal??? The Dog hasn’t got a chance in hell according to some of the comments, either he get abused and tolerates it, or if he defends himself, he loses his life….is that right?? If you feel Dogs will always be wrong even in its defense against his abuser then PLEASE, NEVER GET A DOG OF ANY BREED!!! AND SEEK HELP FOR YOUR DISORDER!
Finally someone who isn’t the afraid to tell the truth.This is what I was trying to say but couldn’t depict it quite like you! But not like many on this thread can understand it though.
I do and totally agree ANY DOG can turn on you even if for NO REASON a sweet lab could turn and especially if provoked! We need more details to this but I do have to say that if there was no intentional act by the children then MAYBE it should be considered to have it put down it may also have a medical condition too no one seems to think of that :)
Bread?
Abuse or not, if a dog attacks someone and causes bodily injury or death then it needs to be put down.
If the owner abuses the dog then he or she will be without a dog and karma will catch up one day.
“karma” oh please….really???
It would have taken me the amount of time it takes to pry the dog off my child, tie it to a tree in the yard, load my rifle and…… well you can guess the rest. No quarantine needed.