Thursday, June 20, 2013

Often no warning signs in pit bull attacks

CALIFORNIA -- When it comes to dogs attacking people, whether it involves stocky pit bulls or fluffy poodles, there is one main thing fans and foes of the animals seem to agree on: Often there are no warning signs until it's too late.

And then what follows is often not just agonized debate, but legislation.

Some cities have reacted to pit bull attacks by slapping restrictions on the breed, such as the pit bull sterilization law passed in San Francisco after the fatal mauling of a 12-year-old boy in 2005. Others, like Miami and Denver, have banned the breed outright.

 Pit bull supporters regularly oppose such moves, saying the dogs are incredibly loyal and misunderstood. They contend that canines of all kinds can bite people - so owners are really the ones to blame when pets act up.

Victims' rights groups counter that pit bulls are inherently aggressive, disproportionately responsible for fatal maulings - and bites from their viselike jaws are especially severe.

Local textbook case
 The fatal attack on a 6-year-old Union City boy by a pit bull mix this week is a textbook example for much of what both sides claim in the ever-heated discussion.

On Monday, Nephi Selu was playing with his family's 2-year-old, un-neutered male dog in the backyard of his Union City home - and apparently trying to climb onto the dog's back - when suddenly the animal fatally bit him on the top of the head, police said.


The dog, named Kava, had shown no previous signs of aggression but was euthanized Tuesday "after the family surrendered legal ownership," said Union City police Cmdr. Ben Horner. The case appears to be a "tragic accident," he said.

The boy had a mild form of autism and lived at the home with his mother, grandparents, aunt Iona Keanaaina and her husband, Keala Keanaaina, and the couple's seven children. Keala Keanaaina is a former UC Berkeley football player who works as a San Mateo police officer.

After hearing the commotion from the attack, Keala Keanaaina "removed the dog from the child without an incident," said attorney Michael Rains, whose law firm represents many Bay Area police agencies. "The dog let loose of the child right away, didn't bark, didn't growl, wasn't aggressive at all."

According to Iona Keanaaina, Kava was kept in the backyard and wasn't allowed inside the house.

The dog was "good with kids, very obedient," she told reporters. "We never had any problems with him at all."

 The Santa Clara County medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to officially determine the cause of Nephi's death.

Expert not surprised
 Benjamin Hart, professor emeritus at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and an animal behaviorist, said he wasn't surprised by Iona Keanaaina's assessment of Kava.

 "It's quite common for a pit bull to show no signs of aggression," Hart said Wednesday. "People will call it a nice dog, a sweet dog, even the neighbors - and then all of a sudden something triggers the dog, and it attacks a human in a characteristic way of biting and hanging on until a lot of damage is done."

 Hart said pit bulls are responsible for about 60 percent of dog attack fatalities each year, which is "way out of proportion" compared with other breeds. Pit bulls make up less than 5 percent of the American dog population.

 "It's very poor policy to allow any child around a pit bull, in my mind, let alone climb on a dog," Hart said.

Fatal mauling was key
 In San Francisco, the killing of a boy by pit bulls in 2005 led to big change.

 After 12-year-old Nicholas Faibish was fatally mauled by his family's pit bulls, the city adopted a mandatory spay-neuter law for the breed. The reasoning was that fixed dogs tend to be calmer and better socialized.



 Since then, San Francisco has impounded 14 percent fewer pit bulls and euthanized 29 percent fewer - which is a "significant decrease," said Rebecca Katz, director of the city's Animal Care and Control department.

Another significant indicator, she said, is that there have been 28 pit bull bites reported in the past three years - and 1,229 bites by other breeds during the same period. In the three-year period before that, there were 45 pit bull bites and 907 incidents involving other breeds.

Denver's crackdown on the breed also seems to have been effective.

Since 1989, when that city instituted a pit bull ban, "we haven't had one serious pit bull attack," said Kory Nelson, a Denver assistant city attorney. His city's assertion that "pit bulls are more dangerous than other breeds of dog" has withstood legal challenges, he said.

 "We were able to prove there's a difference between pit bulls and other breeds of dogs that make pit bulls more dangerous," Nelson said.

Possible triggers
Dave Cronin, interim director of the animal shelter in Oakland, where all dogs must be spayed or neutered regardless of breed, said he's been seeing fewer "incidents of aggressive pit bulls" in the city in recent years.

 Cronin also noted that based on his experience with canines, there may have been a couple of aggravating factors that the Union City family missed before this week's fatal attack.

He said sometimes dogs view children as competitors for affection, and if that was the case in Union City, perhaps the family missed subtle warning signs of it.

Also, if Nephi had indeed tried to ride Kava "like a horse" in the backyard - as police have said he probably did - that could have triggered aggression as well, Cronin said.

(San Francisco Gate - June 20, 2013)

Recent California deaths due to pit bull attacks:
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