UNION CITY, Ga. — A family dog who had never shown aggression before attacked and killed a 2-year-old boy Wednesday in a subdivision about 15 miles south of Atlanta, police said.
The
mother, Angela Rutledge, and her child were at home with their pit bull
at about 1:30 p.m., investigators said. She told investigator that she
left the room for a moment to go to the bathroom, but when she returned
it was clear that the dog had attacked her son, killing him before she
could call 911 for aid.
First
responders were able to corral the dog in the bathroom until Animal
Control officers arrived. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Clearly,
they were rattled when they came out from what they saw," said
Detective Melissa Parker of the Fulton County Police Department. "Some
were in tears."
The grief-stricken Rutledge was taken to the
hospital; her husband, Jermiah Rutledge, was subdued with a Taser after
he came home and also became hysterical, police said.
The dog was
taken to the Fulton County Animal Shelter, where it is being evaluated
in isolation. Officers were not certain if the dog would be killed.
Police said Wednesday that no crime had been committed, and no charges had been filed as of Thursday.
***
Tragic. Another strike against pitbulls and the bully breeds. But I'd say this is very rare. And it was likely that there were warning signs that were not recognized or ignored.
***
I wonder if this article was written in reaction.
dogs, children, and safety
*** [5/11/13]
When dogs attack
No comments:
Post a Comment