A male pit bull, kept on a chain in the basement, killed 7-year-old Zachary King Jr. in Minneapolis on Thursday afternoon. The dog belonged to his parents. (To read the full story, click here.)
This attack was foreseeable if the parents knew the warning signs. First, this was a male dog. Male dogs account for 75% of dog attacks. (See Why Dogs Bite.)
Second, it was a pit bull. According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006;
click here to read it.)
Third, the dog was kept chained. Chaining results in aggression (26-28% of dogs involved in fatal attacks were chained at the time). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association: Dog Bite Related Fatalities from 1979 through 1988 by J. Sacks. R. W. Sattin, & S. E. Bonzo. Volume 262, pages 1489-1492.
This attack was foreseeable if the parents knew the warning signs. First, this was a male dog. Male dogs account for 75% of dog attacks. (See Why Dogs Bite.)
Second, it was a pit bull. According to the Clifton study, pit bulls, Rottweilers, Presa Canarios and their mixes are responsible for 74% of attacks that were included in the study, 68% of the attacks upon children, 82% of the attacks upon adults, 65% of the deaths, and 68% of the maimings. (Clifton, Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada, September 1982 to November 13, 2006;
click here to read it.)
Third, the dog was kept chained. Chaining results in aggression (26-28% of dogs involved in fatal attacks were chained at the time). Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association: Dog Bite Related Fatalities from 1979 through 1988 by J. Sacks. R. W. Sattin, & S. E. Bonzo. Volume 262, pages 1489-1492.
