A spanish family across from us let their 4 YR old daughter out front to play with her new min pin pup today. As she was walking (dragging) him around another neighbor was out walking their AB down the sidewalk. The min pin (who was on a leash) runs up to the AB (who is also on a leash). The AB grabs and kills the min pin with the little girl still on the other end of the leash. We run out to the screams of the mother (who is speaking spanish and we have no clue what she is saying). Police come, EMS comes, animal control comes. Thats alot for our small sub division. They take the body of the puppy for evidence and go speak to the other dogs owners. They kept calling the dog a pitt, which I was really mad about. I wasn't a pitt. Anyway, they concluded that no one was really at fault b/c both dogs were on a leash and the little 4 year old did not know to keep her puppy away from the larger dog. They did site the other dog owners, but did not take the dog into custody. A very, very sad day for that little girl, who probably still does not know what happened.

Was either of the parents of the four year old outside with the child?? Regardless, in my mind, it is they who are at fault.

What a terrible story.

I agree with Barbara, but I also think the American Bulldog's owner is at fault. I would NEVER allow a child with a puppy to approach my dog, and she is generally very friendly to dogs. If I ran into that situation I would have turned and walked in the opposite direction upon seeing them. If I had to I would have even scolded the child before I would let it happen.

I'm also assuming that the AB has shown some animal aggression before. Killing a puppy generally isn't what happens on a first strike.

I actually had this kind of situation happen to me a few months ago when I was playing with my dog in the schoolyard early on a Sunday morning. The neighbor kids came around the corner with their small dog and wanted to introduce the dogs and watch them "play".

I told them that our dogs can meet when their mom is around, because their dog is small and I wouldn't want her to get hurt by accident.

It does sound like there was no legal fault, since the small dog wasn't on his own property and both dogs were leashed, but yeah -- the four-year-old's parents should have been there. Dog or no dog, what is a four-year-old doing alone in the front yard with (apparently) no barrier between her and the sidewalk/street? I'm thinking back to my kids at that age, and I don't think they ever would have been alone in front of the house. Possibly alone in the fenced back yard with me watching out the kitchen window, but even that is a stretch. JMO.

Alone with a dog (any dog)? Never.

It does sound correct not to cite the owner of the dog who attacked was correct, but what do I know.

 Quote: lauren jeffery

The neighbor kids came around the corner with their small dog and wanted to introduce the dogs and watch them "play".

I told them that our dogs can meet when their mom is around, because their dog is small and I wouldn't want her to get hurt by accident.

That sounds right to me. Kids or their dogs -- I'm not taking responsibility for their safety with an invitation to play that isn't approved by a parent.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Dog or no dog, what is a four-year-old doing alone in the front yard with (apparently) no barrier between her and the sidewalk/street? I'm thinking back to my kids at that age, and I don't think they ever would have been alone in front of the house. Possibly alone in the fenced back yard with me watching out the kitchen window, but even that is a stretch. JMO.

Alone with a dog (any dog)? Never.

Ditto.

I dont think the parents were outside when this happened, but we didnt go out until after we heard the mother scream. As for the AB, I have seen him around the neighborhood, he seems well behaved and is always on a leash. They live at the back of the subdivision, so I dont know how he acts day to day. That poor girl is probably going to remember this for the rest of her life. Thats the real sad part.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Dog or no dog, what is a four-year-old doing alone in the front yard with (apparently) no barrier between her and the sidewalk/street?

No lie!

Even with some sort of barrier, with the sad way things are these days with child abductions and such, all I can say is s**t man, what were you thinking?

leih