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Pit bull bites three-year-old boy in the face

October 23, 2013

medA pit bull attacked a three-year-old boy in Southern San Luis Obispo County Sunday night, sending him to the emergency room with severe injuries. [KSBY]

Just before midnight, the three-year-old and his mother were visiting the home of family friend Cole Brichard. The boy approached the dog with his hand raised, causing Brichard’s five-year-old pit bull to attack.

“I was just sitting down, and the kid walked up with his hand raised to the dog, and the dog bit him in the face,” Brichard said. “As soon as the dog grabbed him on the face, I grabbed a hold of the dog.”

The boy suffered injuries to his face, nose and lip and was rushed to Arroyo Grande Community Hospital.

“It’s just horrifying all around. I feel bad for everybody,” Brichard said.

The pit bull is currently quarantined in San Luis Obispo County Animal Services.

Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Cipolla said the pit bull owner and the mother could face criminal charges for child endangerment. The District Attorney’s Office will choose whether or not to prosecute.

 


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Way too many attacks by these dogs. Their macho owners ought to be prosecuted.

Exterminate the breed.


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“Cipolla said the pit bull owner and the mother could face criminal charges for child endangerment”


For what? If the dog has never been aggressive then how were the adults endangering the child? Should all dog owners lock up their family dog when a child is around? Many families have Pitt Bulls and they are loving and protective pets towards children although in my experience, they can be very aggressive towards other animals.


Several years ago, a friends poodle did the exact same thing to my niece. The poodle bit her right in the face and we immediately ran out the door to the emergency room with Kristen screaming and bleeding all over the place. The ER called in a plastic surgeon so that she wouldn’t have any scars but my point is that this can happen with most any dog that isn’t accustomed to children. Accidents happen.


It’s not the Pitt Bull, it’s the fact that animals who aren’t exposed to children can react defensively. If in doubt at all or if you aren’t sure, then don’t expose children to a strange dog, any dog until the waters have been tested.


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How many times this year have I heard about Pit Bulls biting, attacking, maiming people, dogs or other animals this year alone? I haven’t heard of one poodle biting, attacking, maiming people, dogs or other animals for many years… Pit Bulls are an attack waiting to happen. Will you be next?


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I love Pitt Bulls but I have to agree about the danger they pose to other animals. Pitt Bulls are some of the most loveable dogs I’ve ever met. They are loyal and wonderful family dogs not to mention intelligent and highly protective. Yes a family can trust a Pitt Bull with the family children and they can also trust a Pitt Bull around other humans as long as that human doesn’t blatantly pose a threat.


The down side is that the most loveable Pitt Bull can be highly aggressive towards other animals. I don’t know why that is but even well raised Pitt Bulls require special socialization with other animals in my opinion.


I will not even walk a PB no matter how gentle he is until I have tested the waters around other dogs. I had one who would allow any female dog to boss him around including a yappy chihuahua but if a male dog were in his presence, all bets were off including my control of the Pitt Bull.


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If anyone is interested….there is a documentary called “Beyond the Myth”.

You can rent it or stream it with Netflix. Good or bad, right or wrong….

you will learn a lot about the Pitbulls.


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There are thousands and thousands of Pit Bulls and Bull Terriers that are wonderful dogs and they are owned by responsible people that love them very much. I think the problems with these dogs occur because of their reputation. Many young irresponsible people are drawn to this breed because they think it is cool to own an aggressive dog. People like Micheal Vick for example. This in turn gives the breed an even more ominous reputation.


However…I recoil when I hear people say that this breed is just like any other dog. We hear this often from people that work at shelters because of the numbers of pits they have under their care from day to day. A Pit Bull is one of the most powerful dogs in existence and should never be in the same home as young children. I don’t care how loving the dog seems to be. I would never take that chance.


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Well said.


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The BEST cure for the pitt bulls is a 9MM SLUG TO THE HEAD


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That’s good if you happen to have a 9mm loaded and cocked and at the ready when the pit bull comes running out of the shadows as you’re walking your little little Yorkie down the sidewalk and you have super calm nerves and superior shooting skills aiming at a pit bull sprinting at you and you don’t miss and the bullet does enough damage to stop the pit bull and the bullet doesn’t ricochet and kill a kid up the street and you have lots of money to defend the criminal and civil charges you will undoubtedly face after engaging in the aforementioned act.


It’s also good to win the lotto.


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What if your pissy little 9mm doesn’t stop him? The cops went away from 9mm because many people were not stopped by the wimpy little round?


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First of all what was a 3 year old doing outside at midnight? I hope the mother and the dog owner go straight to jail!!


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I hope the toddler will be ok….but I was wondering the samething….3 years old and up at midnight?


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It’s amazing how that idiot owner was reacting. People take these dogs on school grounds all the time in the South County. It’s just a matter of time.


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There’s a reason many cities have outlawed pit-bulls.


1. They go off and attack a lot, probably more than any other breed.


2. When they do attack the results can be devastating.


And before you pit-bull defenders start in on the other breeds that attack a lot too, sure, Chihuahua’s go off and bite a lot too but the damage is minimal.


Pit-bulls are just dangerous. And they are even more dangerous to other animals. They do not belong in neighborhoods. Just too risky. Like giving driving licenses or gun possession to 15 year olds. Sure, most are responsible but the rate of irresponsible ones is just too high making it too risky.


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I love your Comment of “probably” more than any other breed.


People need to learn about socializing a puppy, what that involves, when the window to socialize the pups closes FOREVER, and learn how to train their dog.


Notice I did not say pitbull, chihauhau, Rottie, or any other breed, that is because it is so important to all breeds of dogs. The gang bangers, and bad people have given this breed a bad rap. German Shepherds, Doberman’s and Rotties were on the “bad dog” list for a long time.


Pit bulls are actually great family dogs, they are loving couch potato’s, who in the wrong hands or not properly socialized can be a danger. But that can be said about a lot of dogs, large and small.


the paper does not tell us when a Doberman bites a kid in the face, but if it is a pit bull it will hit the front page of the paper. People make dogs what they are, nice or nasty. To state the whole breed is anything is just showing your ignorance about the breed. I personally know a pit bull who is a therapy dog with hospice patients. I know of some who are service dogs. Pit bulls are NOT what a lot of people think they are, those people just believe what the newspapers tell them.


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Dobermans and German Shepherds are increasingly bred for temperament as family dogs, Pit Bulls increasing bred for dog fighting, attacking police, making a gang member more of a bad-ass. This ain’t the Little Rascals’ Petey. 40-45% of dog bites are by pit bulls and it’s not like getting bit by Grandma’s little s**thead Yorkie or Chihuahua.


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If a German Shepard, Doberman, or Rottie attacked someone it would be front page news! The press is always looking for a new twist!


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No, it wouldn’t. Pit bulls are the BAD DOG du jour. A decade ago, it was Rottweilers. Before that, German Shepherds.


I’ve got 2 large German Shepherds. One of them is very aggressive. Which one is it? I would recommend you don’t climb over my fence and find out…..and I definitely don’t let anyone have their kids around them, just for liabilities sake. And also, why is the kids mother taking her somewhere at midnight? I’ve got a pretty good idea.


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To state the whole breed is anything is just showing your ignorance about the breed.

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I never said that. In fact, I said the opposite. Here’s what I said “Sure, most are responsible…” but “most” isn’t good enough. The few that are irresponsible is enough to ruin it for the responsible ones just like the irresponsible 15 year old drivers are enough to keep the driving age at 16 or the drinking age at 21.


Pit bulls are NOT what a lot of people think they are, those people just believe what the newspapers tell them.

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Wrong. This isn’t rocket surgery. Denying the obvious gets you nowhere. Just about everyone has had a bad experience with a pit bull. They are a super aggressive breed by nature, especially towards other animals. There’s a reason so many cities have banned pit bulls. It’s based on real world experience not statements or theories. I personally have been accosted by multiple pit bulls in Grover Beach while walking my dog and it’s one scary experience to realize that you basically have no defense except your voice against one of these super muscular huge jawed creatures.


Unless you go out of your way to neuter them early and train them against their nature, many pit bulls–too many for safety– will turn out aggressive especially towards other animals and no other breed can touch a pit bull, that’s why they are the one and only fighting dog.


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You are 100% correct. ESPECIALLY regarding the fact that the MEDIA WILL ALWAYS splash the headlines across the airwaves/newspapers if the attack involves a pit bull. It causes people to get angry and spew venom at anyone even remotely trying to protect the breed.

I worked at the Humane Society for over four years. Over the years I have adopted ALL types of dogs and ALL types of breeds from big to small, from retrievers to yes, PIT BULLs. (Had one of our best dogs, a male pittie when my daughter was two years old. He would allow her to do anything to him, to the point of dressing him up in dress up clothes.) HOWEVER, we were VERY educated about the breed, and knew for a fact that MOST of them are VERY protective of their owners/families/packs.

It must have been devastating what happened to that little three year old, BUT I guarantee you, 99% of dogs when faced with a similar situation would’ve felt threatened and reacted in SOME way. We do not know EXACTLY what the toddler did or did not do, as the story was not very clear.

Instead of merely “reacting” to this story, PLEASE allow it to be a reminder to ALL dog owners of ALL breeds to be VERY CAREFUL with your dog around CHILDREN.

The dog’s owner AND the mother should have been much more cautious than this story makes us believe.

Thank you.


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Hmmm….the three year old and mommy were visiting at midnight? I knew there’d be more to the story but, again the pitbull’s are a breed that needs to go away.


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