Officer shoots pit bull that bit boy

ST. PETERSBURG -- A police officer shot and killed a red-nosed pit bull that bit a boy this afternoon in the 1800 block of 46th Avenue N, police said.

Police did not release many details of the incident because it is now under investigation by the internal affairs department, which is standard procedure.

But they said an officer fired at the pit bull after it attacked a 10-year-old boy twice, once biting his pants leg, and then puncturing his skin.

- Abhi Rgahunathan, Times staff writer

Comments

[dunedin steve]

Go back and shoot the owner, too..

[Mimi]

I hate these stories.#1.I don't like to hear about kids getting hurt and #2.The dog nuts come out of the woodwork #3Especially the pitbull dog nuts.

[JT]

Congratulations to the police for a job well done! The police as well as law-abiding men and women should not hesitate to use deadly force against pit bull dogs that have endangered men, women, chidren or other animals. I would strongyly suggest that the police continue to investigate the facts and circumstances with an eye toward developing probable cause to arrest the pit bull's owners.

[Paul]

Hey now, my pitbull is tame as a kitten, its kind, it hardly even barks. You should see it around kids, it loves to play with them, hey, one minute, Fluffy what are you doing!? Stop it, let go of that child's arm, Fluffy you better stop before I... ok, now that's it, blood is the last straw. Wow, never thought my innocent little pit bull would actually bite something. Guess I should have been smarter and not bought an inbred, killer animal and kept it at my home in a densely populated county where houses are 20 ft apart.

[Barbara]

My gang kids of many many years ago had a faithful companion that was a pit bull. Not all dogs are bad. The first thing I look at is what the kid was doing to the dog. Did the dog charge the police office when he tried to pull him off the kid?

[Enforcement Time]

This is a big problem in South St Pete. My neighbors dog was mauled, and I was stuck in my own house when a stray unneutered pit claimed my front porch. The problem dogs have no collars, no vaccinations, and the owners aren't held accountable. Drug dealers parade them down 21st Ave South. Maybe some enforcement of city ordinances is in order?

[Barbara]

I am a dog nut coming out of the woodwork. How close was this officer to the kid and dog when this happened. Did he tried to pull the dog off? Shooting a gun near a child is never a good idea unless there is a life in danger. Puncturing the skin is not life threatening. It is a boo boo.

[CP]

Why can't people keep their dogs on leashes? It is the law. Now there is one less viscous dog on the loose. This is the owners fault and they are the ones that should be held accountable. I am tired of people saying that their dog wouldn't hurt anyone.

[k]

i am a dog lover and have and have had many dogs but one thing i know is that no matter how loving and sweet they seem a dog is still an animal and is unpredictable. pits get a bad rap but i believe its ultimately the owners responsibility

[Sheila321]

Pit bulls always seem to get the bad rap... yes, they can be dangerous, but ANY dog that attacks is dangerous. The problem is that pit bulls make the news more than any of the others because it's "sensational" to read about the "bad breed". Unfortunately there are PEOPLE who raise their dogs to be mean, some intentionally, others unintentionally, and even more people who exploit the breeds traits. The fact remains that it is an animal and the owners have a very large responsibility, to the dog and other humans, in raising it properly. Respect is key when dealing with any human being or animal, especially pit bulls. But don't judge ALL of them by a few.

[Kyle]

You are right Barbara. The officer should have waited until the dog had done permanent damage to the kid. That requires that he attack at least 5 times right? Good thing you weren't the cop.

[Ric T.]

Miami/Dade has banned pit bulls! Why not the whole state? I am a grandfather who wants his grandchildren to be well at all times, not having to worry about walking by a house and getting mauled!
Ban all aggressive dogs!!!!!

[Jb]

how many people have to get killed or hurt before something is done,they should be outlawed,or maybe if the dog bites someone,the owner gets 1yr jail time no probation,if the dog kills someone,"life in prison",then see how many people will own these KILLERS!LETS GET WITH IT LAW MAKERS

[Jb]

barbara,you are a f-ing moron

[Ellie]

I don't care what breed of dog attacks a person - I have no problem with an attacking dog being killed. Folks who put animals first, and I know a few, are nuts. Strangely, Pinellas Cty. dogs for adoption have been almost solely pit bulls. Why would that be? I have had pets, dogs mainly, most of my life. Any dog can bite, but those dogs raised as a pack are especially dangerous. Threaten their food supply and, again, any dog can bite. I knew someone badly mauled by her own Doberman when she was preparing it's food.

[Bill]

Let's just kill all pit bulls and get over it. They are a mistake, and morons only own them as weapons.

[Kyle T]

You can't make blanket statements about breeds of dogs any more than you can about races of people. My pit bull mix is extremely well behaved, while my neighbor's greyhound is completely psychotic. Ban pit bulls because they CAN be dangerous, huh Rick T? Then I guess that we would also need to ban guns, knives, and elderly drivers as well.

[Jb]

dunedin steve for president

[JT]

The Florida Legislature, better yet, Congress should ban pit bull dogs once and for all. They should be outlawed and when spotted, shot on sight. These are dangerous animials owned by drug pushers, criminals, sadists and other low lifes. Once again, I congratulate the men and women in blue for shooting to death the latest pit bull. I sure hope and pray the police develop probable cause to arrest the pit bull's owner.

[Nishi]

Wow, close to where I used to live. Scary. Personally I hate those dogs. But if there is a dog on the loose like that USUALLY the owner has serious issues. I'm for strict regulation of PBs- required liability insurance, and for new owners even stricter regulation like proof of pedigree from a good breeder (might be difficult but I heard this has an influence on personality). Any pet can be psycho. I come from a cat family and had a real crazy attack cat- only scratches though. The problem is the pit bull's strength compounds the problem if their personality is volatile. So a PB owner would have the privilege (not the right) to own one which can be easily lost, like a driver's license.

[Pat]

Nationally, there are more people harmed by Rotti's - everyone get your facts straight. Pitties are awesome, intelligent and loyal dogs, it's the owners. AND what was the kid doing to the dog? I am not a pitbull owner, but after researching the facts over the years, have decided I would not hesitate owning one. There are more yorkies and smaller breeds nipping at people than Pitties.

[Shannon]

I cannot believe that some people are actually asking what the kid had done....the kid is a KID, just like the dog is an animal with instincts. I guess the cop should have waited until the animal rights people showed up, and let the dog keep mauling the kid while he waited. Of course, if the owner had control of his animal, the whole thing would have been avoided. Give the cop a medal for protecting the child.

[sb]

Nice language JB.. who's the moron. I think it was a couple of weeks ago that a pack of greyhounds attacked someone. Are we to ban those also? what about the little dog (wish i could remember the breed) that bit a person at Lake Seminole Park? ban those types of dogs too? Owners are ultimately responsible for their pets. You all blame the dog when its the stupid owners.

[spb]

JT... your calling my sons drug addicts, sadists, criminals and low lifes. I will have you know my sons graduated from college, work and own pits. Its the dog of choice right now for those you mentioned. Years ago it was dobies. It how they are raised, as with any animal. Hey lets just ban all animals. You people are ridiculous.

[Butch Fernandes]

I agree with spb. There are no bad dogs, just bad owners. I admit thatpit bulls are an agressive breed, but they are like any other breed of dog and are a product of how they are raised. I have owned many breeds of dogs including pit bulls and have never had a problem with any of my pets. The problems lie with their owners trying to be macho and not taking resposibility for training their animals properly.

I hear the kid was really provoking the dog, walking around looking like a McDonalds happy meal on two legs...

[Jill]

Good, kill them all, it's a dangerous breed, PERIOD. how many people need to be maimed or killed?

[PJD]

I doubt many people have been maimed or killed by "yorkie and smaller breed dogs." It's not how many have been bitten or "nipped." It's how many have been mained or killed. The officer would most likely have shot the dog if it was any breed large enough to severely wound or kill the child. Barbara, if the dog was biting your child, would you want the officer to wait?

[rachel]

Once again this is a sad day for the pitbull. always remember there is 3 sides to every story: the dog's side, the boys side and the truth. befor you bad mouth a breed research the facts. Blame irresponsible owners not the dog. responsible pet ownership, responsible breeding, responsible training and a mature owner is key to raising any and all dogs. my family raised and bred pb for many years with no issues with any and all offspring. because of backyard and unstable breeding tactics this breed is losing its best traits at being a loyal well-balanced and loving breed. i've done dog rescuing for 10 years(from pitbulls- small dogs) and have yet to have one dangerous dog. maybe they appreciate that second chane at life and want to return that favor by proving theirselves???? with all the money i have put out to any animal that has come my way i have never regretted going that extra mile.once again for you who do not know that law: after miami/dade county banned A.P.B.T. your florida government step up and passed a law to protect any all breeds from being banned in florida. remember you as the voter voted YES to support that law. please don't let one bad owner ruin your opinion on this breed. yes i'm sorry the boy was injured and i feel sorry that that police officer was put in that situation but remember their is 3 sides to any and every story. rach

[Joe]

I have no problem with the police officer shooting that dog at all.
Good job saving that kid!

[barbara hater]

go shoot barbara she is a nut

Sorry folks, a human's life has higher priority than a dog's life and I am an animal lover to boot!

[Jen]

Yep, ban them.

[Dog Gifts]

The kid probably provoked a dangerous bride dog.

[Dog Gifts]

The kid probably provoked a dangerous bride dog.

[Dog Gifts]

The kid probably provoked a dangerous bride dog.

[Heidi]

Ban them all except Bassett hounds. Have you EVER heard of a Bassett hound attacking anybody? ;)

[rory]

pits are dogs, dogs are animals, animal are unpredicatable, so was the nut from virginia tech, so are all people bad, dahmer was a killer, are all people bad, stop blaming the breed and blame the owner

[biff]

saw the dog's owner on TV Friday night. It all makes sense to me now.

[pitlover 4 life]

for all of you against pitbulls you need to read a damn book cause you know nothing about them. All you know is what you see on t.v...yes it is sad a boy got hurt but what did the boy do to the dog and where the were the parents...and by the way its not the breed its the owner....so get your facts right before you go pointing fingers....im a proud owner of 4 pitbulls and i have 2 kids...and not once has any of my dogs even showed there teeth at them....if they are banned good luck getting my babies cause ill be waiting with a suprise for who ever tries to take them.....